France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Truffled and earthy nose with a good hint of stems. Very astringent and bizarrely, almost spicy (and not in the Vosne spice sense -- literally spicy). The palate had a little of everything, but this completely fell apart with more air. Very, very tired. Drink up.
Fantastic bright colour for such an old wine. Tons of life with fruit and some of those savory aged syrah elements. Very old school and restrained, but somehow still rich and plush. This can definitely be held for the long haul, but if you enjoy your syrah with a bit of fruit, why wait?
#45-72. No indication as to abv. Deteriorated cork that came out in one piece thanks to a Durand. Advanced golden colour. Very funky and musty smell initially, but with more air this definitely blew off to reveal some faint hints of ripe apricot and lychee. The palate has an auslese-level richness to it, but this comes off drier than a modern Kabinett. Still some good acid and fruit left, though this is definitely running towards the end of its life. Not bad.
Another old-styled syrah, with some purple fruit showing more prominently. The nose still strikes me as one of a very young wine -- this will need a lot of time to come together. When it does, it's going to be awesome. A bit of animale on the palate, this finishes a bit astringently, which does take a bit of the experience away.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
This promised to be an interesting wine but with a bit of air, the telltale signs of chemical weirdness from 2011 start to show up. Otherwise, there's quite a bit to like here -- this is dark and spicy balanced by some black fruit on the palate. Obviously young, this needs time, but the weird nose really doesn't do it for me. I'd be much more interested in the 2010.
Way too barnyardy for me. Some air helped blow a bit of it off, and on the palate, you can find some red cherry and spice notes. Strangely there was a herbal/cough syrup quality and none of the barnyard on the palate. But the nose, man, I just can't...
1964 J. Thorin Clos Vougeot
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Truffled and earthy nose with a good hint of stems. Very astringent and bizarrely, almost spicy (and not in the Vosne spice sense -- literally spicy). The palate had a little of everything, but this completely fell apart with more air. Very, very tired. Drink up.
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1990 Bernard Burgaud Côte-Rôtie 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Fantastic bright colour for such an old wine. Tons of life with fruit and some of those savory aged syrah elements. Very old school and restrained, but somehow still rich and plush. This can definitely be held for the long haul, but if you enjoy your syrah with a bit of fruit, why wait?
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1971 Staatsweingüter Eltville Steinberger Riesling Spätlese 90 Points
Germany, Rheingau
#45-72. No indication as to abv. Deteriorated cork that came out in one piece thanks to a Durand. Advanced golden colour. Very funky and musty smell initially, but with more air this definitely blew off to reveal some faint hints of ripe apricot and lychee. The palate has an auslese-level richness to it, but this comes off drier than a modern Kabinett. Still some good acid and fruit left, though this is definitely running towards the end of its life. Not bad.
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2005 Domaine Georges Vernay Côte-Rôtie Blonde du Seigneur 90 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Another old-styled syrah, with some purple fruit showing more prominently. The nose still strikes me as one of a very young wine -- this will need a lot of time to come together. When it does, it's going to be awesome. A bit of animale on the palate, this finishes a bit astringently, which does take a bit of the experience away.
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2011 Maison Ilan Charmes-Chambertin Aux Charmes Hautes 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
This promised to be an interesting wine but with a bit of air, the telltale signs of chemical weirdness from 2011 start to show up. Otherwise, there's quite a bit to like here -- this is dark and spicy balanced by some black fruit on the palate. Obviously young, this needs time, but the weird nose really doesn't do it for me. I'd be much more interested in the 2010.
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1993 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Vosne-Romanée
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Way too barnyardy for me. Some air helped blow a bit of it off, and on the palate, you can find some red cherry and spice notes. Strangely there was a herbal/cough syrup quality and none of the barnyard on the palate. But the nose, man, I just can't...
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