Floral, apple, pear, cookie dough and spice on the nose. Very clean and pure on the palate, with good minerality and a lemon acid kick throughout. Lean profile with fine detail, this shows how true it is that less can be more.
Pronounced nose of smoke, peach, pear, floral notes, earthy funk, pineapple and apple - plenty going on. The palate has a rich tone throughout, with superb depth and interest - textured, with refined acidity controlling the flow of the ripe fruit. Really lovely.
Pineapple, sweaty and grassy notes, slate and menthol. The palate has a round element to it, but the herbal note keeps it honest. Good length and composure, works even better with some food. Interesting stuff.
Blind. Raspberry, herb, iron and meat - mostly clean but a tiny savoury element pokes through. The palate is a little tart, but otherwise the fruit is holding well, I think the nose is a little better than the solid but fairly mellow palate. Good only.
Brett on the nose and palate. Funk and earth, cherry, cedar, musk, violet and raspberry. Lighter fruit profile on the palate with good acidity and still present tannins. Has some interest and the "right" amount of brett. Much better than a previous bottle that was too dried out.
Level into the neck. Chocolate, iron and blood, earth, cherry and graphite. Palate still holds impressive structure, with plenty of savoury and lightly sweet fruit. Impressive showing for this wine.
Violet, vanilla, cherry, pepper and licorice with some cranberry as well. Palate has crunchy acidity, with quite good fruit lift. Pretty but well balanced. Still has a few years ahead of it.
Very youthful still - blueberry, black and red currants, flighty florals and ash. Has plenty of structure - enough that the best years here are ahead of it still. Next to the excellent 1995 GPL, this feels just a little bit better integrated and has a little more potential.
Cedar, tobacco, cocoa and pencil shavings. The palate has great fruit presence, with plenty of lift and approachability. Still has a good structural element and has a good number of years left to develop. A really strong showing for this wine.
Vegetal notes, char and toasty oak, cherry and ash. The palate is a little bit more plush, with the fruit having rounded edges, with the fine tannins kicking in through the middle palate. Has the structure and freshness to develop for a number of years more.
Very mint driven, red currant, blackberry and dark floral notes on the nose. Grips strongly on the palate, the structure is really impressive in that it still controls the wine with an iron fist. The fruit is strong enough that there is still balance, so good bottles of this wine will live a very long life ahead.
Mandarin, quince, apricot, orange, pear and lemon - striking how pure and detailed the nose is. The palate sparkles with that same purity and the sweetness sweeping through in a wave. Fine detail and special balance. Really excellent and age will only improve it more from here.
Stalk, strawberry, bramble, undergrowth and tomato leaf. Spritzy palate, with upfront acidity that pushes the flavour through but maybe trails off a little early. Interesting even at the very end of the night.
2009 Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Avizoise Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 92 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Floral, apple, pear, cookie dough and spice on the nose. Very clean and pure on the palate, with good minerality and a lemon acid kick throughout. Lean profile with fine detail, this shows how true it is that less can be more.
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2010 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Blancs La Haute-Lemblé 93 Points
France, Champagne
Pronounced nose of smoke, peach, pear, floral notes, earthy funk, pineapple and apple - plenty going on. The palate has a rich tone throughout, with superb depth and interest - textured, with refined acidity controlling the flow of the ripe fruit. Really lovely.
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1996 Château Pontet-Caillou Blanc 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves
Pineapple, sweaty and grassy notes, slate and menthol. The palate has a round element to it, but the herbal note keeps it honest. Good length and composure, works even better with some food. Interesting stuff.
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1995 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 88 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Blind. Raspberry, herb, iron and meat - mostly clean but a tiny savoury element pokes through. The palate is a little tart, but otherwise the fruit is holding well, I think the nose is a little better than the solid but fairly mellow palate. Good only.
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1995 Château L'Evangile 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Brett on the nose and palate. Funk and earth, cherry, cedar, musk, violet and raspberry. Lighter fruit profile on the palate with good acidity and still present tannins. Has some interest and the "right" amount of brett. Much better than a previous bottle that was too dried out.
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1995 Vieux Château Certan Flawed
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Corked.
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1975 Vieux Château Certan 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Level into the neck. Chocolate, iron and blood, earth, cherry and graphite. Palate still holds impressive structure, with plenty of savoury and lightly sweet fruit. Impressive showing for this wine.
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1995 Château Sociando-Mallet 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Violet, vanilla, cherry, pepper and licorice with some cranberry as well. Palate has crunchy acidity, with quite good fruit lift. Pretty but well balanced. Still has a few years ahead of it.
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1995 Château Canton De Levesque Flawed
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
Corked.
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1995 Château Léoville Las Cases 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Very youthful still - blueberry, black and red currants, flighty florals and ash. Has plenty of structure - enough that the best years here are ahead of it still. Next to the excellent 1995 GPL, this feels just a little bit better integrated and has a little more potential.
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1995 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Cedar, tobacco, cocoa and pencil shavings. The palate has great fruit presence, with plenty of lift and approachability. Still has a good structural element and has a good number of years left to develop. A really strong showing for this wine.
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1995 Château Calon-Ségur 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Vegetal notes, char and toasty oak, cherry and ash. The palate is a little bit more plush, with the fruit having rounded edges, with the fine tannins kicking in through the middle palate. Has the structure and freshness to develop for a number of years more.
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1995 Château Cos d'Estournel 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Very mint driven, red currant, blackberry and dark floral notes on the nose. Grips strongly on the palate, the structure is really impressive in that it still controls the wine with an iron fist. The fruit is strong enough that there is still balance, so good bottles of this wine will live a very long life ahead.
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1996 Château d'Yquem 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Mandarin, quince, apricot, orange, pear and lemon - striking how pure and detailed the nose is. The palate sparkles with that same purity and the sweetness sweeping through in a wave. Fine detail and special balance. Really excellent and age will only improve it more from here.
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NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Réserve 88 Points
France, Champagne
Pencil, lemon, pineapple and apple. Refreshing palate cleanser, there is some sweetness but it is pretty held back overall. Decent length.
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2010 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura Cuvée Julien 89 Points
France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Stalk, strawberry, bramble, undergrowth and tomato leaf. Spritzy palate, with upfront acidity that pushes the flavour through but maybe trails off a little early. Interesting even at the very end of the night.
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