New Year's Day, 2015 with Bud and Liz, Chris and John, Marc and Justine, Lottie and Moss
Eketahuna, New Zealand
Tasted Thursday, January 1, 2015 by Marc with 570 views
Introduction
Carrots and prawn floss
Duck confit croquette
*
Peach and tomato gazpacho
*
Venison tartare
*
Scallops with seaweed gremolata
*
Fish confit and fermented corn
*
Asparagus, chicken liver and toast
*
Rabbit and beer grains
*
Duck breast, beats and sprouted wheat
*
Kombucha and pineapple ice block
*
Chamomile semifreddo, licorice ice cream and lemon balm meringue
NV Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Réserve Mis en Cave 2000 92 Points
France, Champagne
Rich and layered, beautiful development but still fresh on the palate. Little autolysis present. For an aged champagne, this came across as quite young. Excellent balance.
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NV Duval-Leroy Champagne Brut Rosé 84 Points
France, Champagne
Very dry on the palate with somewhat simple red berry aromas and flavours. The wine's texture felt quite subdued and as a consequence the wine lacked vigor and finished in a slightly cloying manner. A simple wine that is not going anywhere and if you have it, just drink it.
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1995 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Häuserer 93 Points
France, Alsace
Stunning riesling with a round slightly sweet palate. Broad and ripe in texture, this has opulence and beautiful aged layered nuance. Fully flavoured. The balance favors the richness and while there is excellent acidity, I could imagine that the wine could have taken more acid quite happily. Having said that, this is a complete wine with a very strong personality. This is at its peak.
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2012 Lark Hill Grüner Veltliner 86 Points
Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District
Crisp, fresh and young. Very varietal - textbook white pepper and peach aromas and flavors. Lovely Bay leaf and earthiness. Delicious and very clean. It strikes me as quite new world in style and also perhaps less rich and oily than some of the better examples from Austria. Excellent food wine with a strong personality, if not the greatest intensity.
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1999 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Domaine 87 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Oak dominant Burgundian nose. Mineral notes and plenty of meal. Very developed but not multi-layered. In the mouth this is reasonably concentrated and is ready to drink (or perhaps a little past its peak). Not particularly complex but it offers a well-worked example of white burgundy with good length. This does not deliver at its price level and considering the maker. Might be a reflection of a less successful vintage for white wine.
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2008 Escarpment Chardonnay Kupe 69 Points
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
This bottle was clearly past its best. High malic acid levels, sour oak, monolithic flavors. It has presence in the mouth and I certainly hope that 3-4 years ago this would have been better, but today this was not an enjoyable experience and was universally disliked at the dinner table. Not close to the best New Zealand can offer and I would suggest that even the 2008 rendition of the Kumeu River Village chardonnay ay 1/3 the price would be more enjoyable. This was extremely well reviewed on release and as a consequence my firend bought quite a few of these but the wine has simply not lasted the distance.
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1990 Dalla Valle Maya 96 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Extraordinary wine with an exotic and lifted nose that feels very much in line with the Bordeaux benchmark. Large scaled but balanced with a beautiful nervosity and ample tannins (that in retrospect do not feel particularly French). Curranty and very ripe without any hints of green. Wonderful layers and a great finish. The nose occasionally showed hints of VA which blew off in the end. In perfect shape and will go another 20 years with no problem at all in a cold cellar. Extraordinary perfume delivered by the Cab Franc.
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1990 Château Cos d'Estournel 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Gorgeous and opulent wine that feels very much at its peak. A wine that the entire table picked as coming from Napa, while picking the Mondavi reserve 1990 as a Bordeaux - a repeat of a tasting held 15 years earlier where the same mistake was made! Broad and supple in the mouth with gorgeous oak integration. It is clearly not traditional in style but it is charming and a point.
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1990 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon 97 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
A great wine that is not yet at full maturity. Huge complexity and nose that is redolent of herbaceous character, green olives, minty currants and gorgeous French oak. A few people at the table whispered Pichon Lalande and no one picked this as being a Napa wine. Massive in the mouth with "mountain tannins" . While the wine itself is classic and close to perfect (to my taste), the level of tannins are certainly far different that the 1990 Bordeaux wines tasted alongside it, which felt far more supple in the mouth. This is what keeps me from giving the final 3 points. So, this is knocking at Heaven's door and may yet enter with additional time - if the wine continues to resolve. Stunning. This has nothing to do with the California Cult style and is the better for it. 97+
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1990 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
In a repeat of a tasting held during the millennium, an entire table of the same people thought the Mondavi reserve CS was French and Cos d'Estournel was American! The most mature of the 1990 cabernet dominant wines drunk, this came across as very supple, in the manner of mature Bordeaux with great oak integration. The main difference that I could ascertain was perhaps a slight hint of a sour acid nuance in the back palate. Completely mature and very involving, this will continue to evolve for 10 years in a cold cellar.
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1990 Château Lynch-Bages 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Stunning Pauillac nose - classic cigar box and textbook pencil shavings. Lovely oak integration and supple texture. This has a lovely cool spice element to the palate that adds wonderful definition and lifted this wine above the Cos 1990 drunk at the same time. Great ripeness levels and a long and satisfying finish make for an outstanding wine. Ready now but still young.
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2001 Bernard Dugat-Py Charmes-Chambertin 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Massive extracted wine that is outstanding and convinces because of its power. I wonder if it will ever bring finesse to the table, however. Where is the etherial nose and the transparent palate? This feels very similar to a granite-like Central Otago wine such as an early Burn Cottage - although with more inner core. I would suggest giving this bottle more time in the cellar - perhaps having a peek in 2021.... My feeling for this wine is that it will always be a bit monolithic. Given its pedigree, this just did not sing.
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1997 Vietti Barolo Lazzarito 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tar and bright cherries. Mineral and floral (beautifully perfumed violets and roses) with a hint of forest floor. Very tannic and acid in the mouth with exquisite fruit and outstanding length. While approachable, I would imagine that another 10 years will bring even more nuance to the table. This is a great food wine of considerable complexity and personality.
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1977 Graham Porto Vintage 91 Points
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Muscular and firey with a finish that feels almost dry. This has a serious countenance which I really appreciated. Unlike 1963s I have drunk this is all about power and structure and less about flesh and sweetness. An excellent wine!
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