Deep yellow, little in the way of bubbles. Definitely mature, old Champagne oxidative aromas of sherry and truffles. Mellow, lots of caramel, little remaining fruit. Well beyond its best to my taste. Looking back to my prior notes, I thought it was at peak in the 2008 to 2011 timeframe.
Opened last night. Medium yellow. Classic black tea on the nose. Bone dry, high acidity, little development at age 10. Compared to the '99 we drank out of magnum last night, this had a touch more body but still was not a particularly dense Frederic Emile. This needs time and should age very slowly.
Magnum. Pale pink with some yellow. Melon rind nose. Incredible texture and glycerine. Focused tart red fruit. This has become quite spicy with a few years of age. Still a good whack of tannin on the finish. Out of a larger format like this, it could still benefit from several more years of aging.
France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey 1er Cru
Red color. Bright red fruit on the nose. Light, fluid, easygoing with some soil toward the end. Maybe it will gain more terroir over time, but I can see confusing it with New World Pinot Noir if I had tasted it blind. Perfectly delightful 2015 for current and near term enjoyment.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Even red tint. Very Chambolle in both aromatics and flavor, which is to say tart strawberry, floral tones, lighter weight, and a good dose of soil. Not that tannic, but the acidity will need at least several years to integrate. Certainly not profound, but inarguably delicate, with admirable complexity for a village level wine. The lacy Drouhin style works well in this part of the Côte de Nuits.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Opened last night. Medium red color. Forward aromas of pomegranate, cherry, and just a trace of green. Medium weight, beautiful natural sweetness of red fruit with a squirt of citrus, fine acidity, round tannins, finish infused with soil. Lovely Gevrey that is seemingly close to maturity and very fine for this riper vintage. This showed more structure now than it did when I first tasted it 6 years ago.
Light yellow. Ripe tropical fruit on the nose. Light and not terribly concentrated. Interesting contrast of off dry pineapple on the attack and quite bracing grapefruit acidity on the back end. Rather than creating exciting sweet/sour tension, this strikes me as rather jarring. Is this simply far too young, or will these elements never come together? I'd guess the latter, but I found this wine very hard to read.
NV Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Cuvée Sainte Anne
France, Champagne
Magnum. Light yellow, fair mousse. Medium body and dosage, straightforward citrus and good stoniness.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2008 Jacques Lassaigne Champagne Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Millésimé
France, Champagne
Very dry, light, and mineral with an unusual taste of herb and spice right in the middle. I did not care for the flavor profile.
Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1999 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon
France, Champagne
Deep yellow, little in the way of bubbles. Definitely mature, old Champagne oxidative aromas of sherry and truffles. Mellow, lots of caramel, little remaining fruit. Well beyond its best to my taste. Looking back to my prior notes, I thought it was at peak in the 2008 to 2011 timeframe.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2007 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile
France, Alsace
Opened last night. Medium yellow. Classic black tea on the nose. Bone dry, high acidity, little development at age 10. Compared to the '99 we drank out of magnum last night, this had a touch more body but still was not a particularly dense Frederic Emile. This needs time and should age very slowly.
Post a Comment / 5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Dönnhoff Roxheimer Höllenpfad Riesling Trocken
Germany, Nahe
Opened last night. Medium yellow. Waxy, medium weight wine with good glycerine and acidity but little definition of fruit.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé
France, Provence, Bandol
Magnum. Pale pink with some yellow. Melon rind nose. Incredible texture and glycerine. Focused tart red fruit. This has become quite spicy with a few years of age. Still a good whack of tannin on the finish. Out of a larger format like this, it could still benefit from several more years of aging.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Faiveley Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Myglands
France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey 1er Cru
Red color. Bright red fruit on the nose. Light, fluid, easygoing with some soil toward the end. Maybe it will gain more terroir over time, but I can see confusing it with New World Pinot Noir if I had tasted it blind. Perfectly delightful 2015 for current and near term enjoyment.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Even red tint. Very Chambolle in both aromatics and flavor, which is to say tart strawberry, floral tones, lighter weight, and a good dose of soil. Not that tannic, but the acidity will need at least several years to integrate. Certainly not profound, but inarguably delicate, with admirable complexity for a village level wine. The lacy Drouhin style works well in this part of the Côte de Nuits.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2009 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Vieille Vigne
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Opened last night. Medium red color. Forward aromas of pomegranate, cherry, and just a trace of green. Medium weight, beautiful natural sweetness of red fruit with a squirt of citrus, fine acidity, round tannins, finish infused with soil. Lovely Gevrey that is seemingly close to maturity and very fine for this riper vintage. This showed more structure now than it did when I first tasted it 6 years ago.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2008 Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Spätlese
Germany, Nahe
Light yellow. Ripe tropical fruit on the nose. Light and not terribly concentrated. Interesting contrast of off dry pineapple on the attack and quite bracing grapefruit acidity on the back end. Rather than creating exciting sweet/sour tension, this strikes me as rather jarring. Is this simply far too young, or will these elements never come together? I'd guess the latter, but I found this wine very hard to read.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue