This didn't do a whole lot for me. David said it was reductive, but I didn't get so much of that. Very light color for a rose, more golden than pink. Lots of dough/toast, golden apple fruit, good acid. Not a lot going on in in the mid-palate or finish. Competent for sure but I found it a bit boring.
Just gorgeous. The nose shows lots of loamy, earthy qualities, violets, and beautiful deep cassis fruit underneath. Medium-bodied, beautifully elegant and silky, the fruit has faded just a touch and this is more savory, but there's enough fruit to cover the tannic structure, and the tannins are incredibly rich and smooth. Beautiful wine.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
This is objectively a very good wine. Lots of extremely ripe black cherry fruit, concentrated, good acidity, a touch of oak but not overly done, with ripe, slick tannins. But it's pretty anonymous; this could easily come from Sonoma. And for my taste the fruit is very slightly overripe, in that there's a slight hint of pruney bitterness in the backpalate. This is modernist Burgundy done well in a tricky vintage; if you like that sort of thing, then this is the wine for you, but it's not what I want in burgundy.
However, this was much better with food, in particular dashi and mushroom-based broths.
From the winery. Drank alongside the 2003. Less ripe and more bordeaux-like and complex, with the black fruit showing a touch of pyrazine (which I don't mind) as well as a fair amount of cedar and a touch of cigar. This is really nice wine, with far better structure and acidity than the few other Argentine reds I've had. A little lighter and more elegant than the 2003, but IMO much more mature. I preferred it on this occasion to the 03 but would bet on the 03 for the long haul.
From the winery. Drank alongside the 2000. Big, ripe black fruit, this is more riper, more modern and less complex than the 2000. This shows more oak as well. But there's enough concentration and structure to stand up to the oak, and the fruit while big and ripe is not too sweet, with sufficient acidity to hold everything together. This tastes quite young to me and I think will still improve for a while. I preferred the 2000 this time for its greater elegance and complexity, but this seems to have more future potential.
First TBA I've had. Color is a dark bronze. The nose is utterly intoxicating; even a thimbleful in the glass shows great power with aromas of candied orange, apricots, peaches, cream, and spice. The acidity here is incredible, there's very good concentration and the sugar levels are probably extremely high but it barely tastes sweet. And the acidity is wonderfully integrated, giving the wine drive and power and length without being tart. This is a real marvel. I loved it. Reports that I kept going back to sniff the empty bottle the next morning could not be confirmed.
2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Vintage Brut Rosé 87 Points
France, Champagne
This didn't do a whole lot for me. David said it was reductive, but I didn't get so much of that. Very light color for a rose, more golden than pink. Lots of dough/toast, golden apple fruit, good acid. Not a lot going on in in the mid-palate or finish. Competent for sure but I found it a bit boring.
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1970 Château Palmer 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Just gorgeous. The nose shows lots of loamy, earthy qualities, violets, and beautiful deep cassis fruit underneath. Medium-bodied, beautifully elegant and silky, the fruit has faded just a touch and this is more savory, but there's enough fruit to cover the tannic structure, and the tannins are incredibly rich and smooth. Beautiful wine.
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2007 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
This is objectively a very good wine. Lots of extremely ripe black cherry fruit, concentrated, good acidity, a touch of oak but not overly done, with ripe, slick tannins. But it's pretty anonymous; this could easily come from Sonoma. And for my taste the fruit is very slightly overripe, in that there's a slight hint of pruney bitterness in the backpalate. This is modernist Burgundy done well in a tricky vintage; if you like that sort of thing, then this is the wine for you, but it's not what I want in burgundy.
However, this was much better with food, in particular dashi and mushroom-based broths.
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2000 Bodega Catena Zapata Cabernet Sauvignon Catena Alta Uxmal Vineyard 91 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
From the winery. Drank alongside the 2003. Less ripe and more bordeaux-like and complex, with the black fruit showing a touch of pyrazine (which I don't mind) as well as a fair amount of cedar and a touch of cigar. This is really nice wine, with far better structure and acidity than the few other Argentine reds I've had. A little lighter and more elegant than the 2003, but IMO much more mature. I preferred it on this occasion to the 03 but would bet on the 03 for the long haul.
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2003 Bodega Catena Zapata Cabernet Sauvignon Catena Alta 90 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
From the winery. Drank alongside the 2000. Big, ripe black fruit, this is more riper, more modern and less complex than the 2000. This shows more oak as well. But there's enough concentration and structure to stand up to the oak, and the fruit while big and ripe is not too sweet, with sufficient acidity to hold everything together. This tastes quite young to me and I think will still improve for a while. I preferred the 2000 this time for its greater elegance and complexity, but this seems to have more future potential.
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1990 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese 94 Points
Germany, Pfalz
First TBA I've had. Color is a dark bronze. The nose is utterly intoxicating; even a thimbleful in the glass shows great power with aromas of candied orange, apricots, peaches, cream, and spice. The acidity here is incredible, there's very good concentration and the sugar levels are probably extremely high but it barely tastes sweet. And the acidity is wonderfully integrated, giving the wine drive and power and length without being tart. This is a real marvel. I loved it. Reports that I kept going back to sniff the empty bottle the next morning could not be confirmed.
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