I've never heard of this producer and don't know anything about this wine. But I know this is an awesome bottle of Champagne. The initial reaction of mine was "baby Krug," and based on the reactions of others at the table, it wasn't just me. Notes of apple cider on the nose, along with a lot of yeasty aromas. The palate is a little empty and bitter on the finish and comes off as a bit thin, especially compared to the monumental richness of the nose.
Decanted for five hours. The nose has a slight dirty and earthy aroma to counterbalance the darker and riper red fruit. The palate, too, is light and red-fruited, and while this is certainly a charming bottle of wine, I feel it lacks a bit of gravitas. I do love the balance between the fruit and acidity though, but at the end of the day, I've still yet to be convinced about gamay...
"This is just really awful stuff. It's like someone poured saltwater into your Raveneau. Why would you bother drinking that? Worse, it's like a madeira without the extra alcohol and all those rich caramel notes. What's the point? Let me help you with that bottle; yes, I'll take care of that for you... [yoink]." Intense apple cider and pineapple notes on the nose with the same intensity of the palate. So much saline, so much concentration, so much heft. But it all floats on ok...
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru
Classic Cote-de-Beaune, classic rustic style of red Burgundy. There's a good amount of dustiness on the nose, followed by a very nice bouquet of red currants and raspberries. The palate is very light, but there's enough red fruit to hold your interest. There is, however, despite this fruity charm, quite a bit of rusticity to the wine, mostly in the form of coarser tannins. Very nice now, and I've no doubt that well-kept bottles have a few more years ahead of them.
This wine kind of makes me sad. The nose is so promising, with aromas of pineapples and golden apples, as well as a lovely spice bouquet, but then you taste it, and you realize it actually isn't a Mosel Spaetlese. The alcohol comes a bit to the forefront, and a slightly higher pH makes this lose its balance. I so wanted to like this based on the absolutely fabulous nose (which I could sit around and smell for hours), but the palate really kills it for me.
At first, this was showing quite a bit of that dirty Leroy signature, but with even a little bit of air, that wet cardboard started to come out. The palate has a lot of ripe red fruit, as well as a good dose of dirt. Quite rustic, to be sure. However, the TCA got worse with time. Sad.
This is almost a rose in colour. It's dirty and earthy on the nose, but somehow has a floral lift to it. The palate brings to the forefront a huge plate of tart red currants. Light and perfumed, with a bit of licorice/herbaceousness on the finish. Soon to be a unicorn, I'm glad I was able to get one in before these end up in the rarefied company of Ganevat and Overnoy.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
The nose comes off as quite ripe, with a lot of richer aromas, to the point that there's almost a bit of caramel corn. But really, the palate just doesn't do very much for me. This is just a bit bulbous and kind of fat. There's a little bit of acidity, but not nearly enough. Meh.
Peaches. Yeast. Bread. This is quite big, and comes off as a bit more advanced and ripe than my recollection of the bottle I had two years or so ago. The palate does have the exuberance that I remember, but there's a bit of grilled sweet fruit at the end that makes me wonder if this bottle is totally spot on. The acidity isn't as high as I remember it to be either. In any case, this is still a good wine, and it's always a treat to have Champagne from 1996.
Bubble gum and bright. Like five light bulbs in your eyes bright. Very high toned red fruit and floral aromas. Approachable now for its youthful exuberance. There's a good bit of fizz on the palate, and the same juicy red fruit all over the place. To my palate, this edged out the Metras by a hair -- this is like bottled joy -- cheerful, happy, and bright. Fun stuff. (Sadly, it's nowhere as sexy as the label though.)
This is quite ripe on the nose, with mostly a flinty character. The palate is just incredible though. Lots of freshness combined with gunflint. Lots of density combined with an almost Roulot-like ability to float above the clouds. Like a green laser, this is powerful and precise. Excellent Chablis, or chardonnay for that matter. Of course, the real challenge is to hold these for 10+ years and not have them pox (but props to using Diam and trying at least something!). But drinking these now is pleasure enough.
Amateur mistake: this is not a Doennhoff wine, even though it says Oberhauser. This had a bit of a muted nose, though there was some lemon and stony minerality on the nose. The palate definitely feels quite ripe, and has some oily characteristics, but at the same time, this doesn't have the same oily texture that I've come to expect from Austrian riesling. With the relatively high acidity, I must admit this was actually quite nice -- perhaps the first Austrian riesling that has agreed with me (I don't drink the stuff very much).
Quite spicy on the nose, and maybe some white cherries on the pretty attractive and entrancing nose. But the palate really doesn't do it for me. It's a little like drinking oil. There's a sickly sweet quality to this wine, but on the other hand, there's also a bit of mineral that's quite nice. At the end of the day, it's just too oily and hot for my taste. Not my thing.
NV Roger Pouillon et Fils Champagne Premier Cru Brut Soléra 93 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
I've never heard of this producer and don't know anything about this wine. But I know this is an awesome bottle of Champagne. The initial reaction of mine was "baby Krug," and based on the reactions of others at the table, it wasn't just me. Notes of apple cider on the nose, along with a lot of yeasty aromas. The palate is a little empty and bitter on the finish and comes off as a bit thin, especially compared to the monumental richness of the nose.
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2011 Yvon Métras Fleurie L'Ultime 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
Decanted for five hours. The nose has a slight dirty and earthy aroma to counterbalance the darker and riper red fruit. The palate, too, is light and red-fruited, and while this is certainly a charming bottle of wine, I feel it lacks a bit of gravitas. I do love the balance between the fruit and acidity though, but at the end of the day, I've still yet to be convinced about gamay...
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2006 Adega Regional de Colares Colares Arenæ 95 Points
Portugal, Lisboa, Colares
"This is just really awful stuff. It's like someone poured saltwater into your Raveneau. Why would you bother drinking that? Worse, it's like a madeira without the extra alcohol and all those rich caramel notes. What's the point? Let me help you with that bottle; yes, I'll take care of that for you... [yoink]." Intense apple cider and pineapple notes on the nose with the same intensity of the palate. So much saline, so much concentration, so much heft. But it all floats on ok...
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2005 Domaine Lafouge Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru La Chapelle Rouge 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru
Classic Cote-de-Beaune, classic rustic style of red Burgundy. There's a good amount of dustiness on the nose, followed by a very nice bouquet of red currants and raspberries. The palate is very light, but there's enough red fruit to hold your interest. There is, however, despite this fruity charm, quite a bit of rusticity to the wine, mostly in the form of coarser tannins. Very nice now, and I've no doubt that well-kept bottles have a few more years ahead of them.
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2005 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain 85 Points
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
This wine kind of makes me sad. The nose is so promising, with aromas of pineapples and golden apples, as well as a lovely spice bouquet, but then you taste it, and you realize it actually isn't a Mosel Spaetlese. The alcohol comes a bit to the forefront, and a slightly higher pH makes this lose its balance. I so wanted to like this based on the absolutely fabulous nose (which I could sit around and smell for hours), but the palate really kills it for me.
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1985 Maison Leroy Beaune 1er Cru La Mignotte Flawed
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
At first, this was showing quite a bit of that dirty Leroy signature, but with even a little bit of air, that wet cardboard started to come out. The palate has a lot of ripe red fruit, as well as a good dose of dirt. Quite rustic, to be sure. However, the TCA got worse with time. Sad.
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2011 Jacques Puffeney Poulsard Arbois "M" 88 Points
France, Jura, Arbois
This is almost a rose in colour. It's dirty and earthy on the nose, but somehow has a floral lift to it. The palate brings to the forefront a huge plate of tart red currants. Light and perfumed, with a bit of licorice/herbaceousness on the finish. Soon to be a unicorn, I'm glad I was able to get one in before these end up in the rarefied company of Ganevat and Overnoy.
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1998 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
The nose comes off as quite ripe, with a lot of richer aromas, to the point that there's almost a bit of caramel corn. But really, the palate just doesn't do very much for me. This is just a bit bulbous and kind of fat. There's a little bit of acidity, but not nearly enough. Meh.
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1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 93 Points
France, Champagne
Peaches. Yeast. Bread. This is quite big, and comes off as a bit more advanced and ripe than my recollection of the bottle I had two years or so ago. The palate does have the exuberance that I remember, but there's a bit of grilled sweet fruit at the end that makes me wonder if this bottle is totally spot on. The acidity isn't as high as I remember it to be either. In any case, this is still a good wine, and it's always a treat to have Champagne from 1996.
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2013 Anne et Jean-Francois Ganevat De Toute Beauté Nature 88 Points
France, Vin de France
Bubble gum and bright. Like five light bulbs in your eyes bright. Very high toned red fruit and floral aromas. Approachable now for its youthful exuberance. There's a good bit of fizz on the palate, and the same juicy red fruit all over the place. To my palate, this edged out the Metras by a hair -- this is like bottled joy -- cheerful, happy, and bright. Fun stuff. (Sadly, it's nowhere as sexy as the label though.)
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2010 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
This is quite ripe on the nose, with mostly a flinty character. The palate is just incredible though. Lots of freshness combined with gunflint. Lots of density combined with an almost Roulot-like ability to float above the clouds. Like a green laser, this is powerful and precise. Excellent Chablis, or chardonnay for that matter. Of course, the real challenge is to hold these for 10+ years and not have them pox (but props to using Diam and trying at least something!). But drinking these now is pleasure enough.
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2005 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Loibner Oberhauser 88 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Amateur mistake: this is not a Doennhoff wine, even though it says Oberhauser. This had a bit of a muted nose, though there was some lemon and stony minerality on the nose. The palate definitely feels quite ripe, and has some oily characteristics, but at the same time, this doesn't have the same oily texture that I've come to expect from Austrian riesling. With the relatively high acidity, I must admit this was actually quite nice -- perhaps the first Austrian riesling that has agreed with me (I don't drink the stuff very much).
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2004 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Ried Kellerberg 83 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Quite spicy on the nose, and maybe some white cherries on the pretty attractive and entrancing nose. But the palate really doesn't do it for me. It's a little like drinking oil. There's a sickly sweet quality to this wine, but on the other hand, there's also a bit of mineral that's quite nice. At the end of the day, it's just too oily and hot for my taste. Not my thing.
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