An outstanding bottle of champagne. The nose is nutty and a bit apple cidery, and definitely shows its age. But I'm not saying that this tastes old; in fact, it's still incredibly vibrant with a serious amount of effervescence. The palate is concentrated, with a lot of the same browned apple and nutty tones, but the acidity is not that of old wine. There's a vibrancy and aliveness here that belies the developed secondary flavours.
What an absolutely incredibly bottle of champagne. The nose is only slightly funky, with some earthy and nutty elements, but the palate is clean as a whistle. Incredible fruit character that is balanced nicely with mushroomy secondary notes. The palate is very concentrated, and there's almost a tannic grip at the back end of the wine. A bottle in phenomenal shape and firing on all cylinders.
A very rich and decadent champagne, showing a Krug-like character with its mild oxidation and heavy oak use. The palate is spicy and exotic, with some fruitcake notes that you would rarely see in champagne. This is heavily stylized and unique, but delicious just the same. There are nascent secondary characteristics emerging, but that will come with even more time. A bit of sweet fruitiness rounds out the palate. For me, this is in a prime drinking window.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
The nose here has a good dose of that earthy Leroy character, but there's also that extra spiciness from Vosne that actually seems to be really prominent here. Or maybe that's just the power of suggestion on the label. The palate is still very fresh, but it definitely has a fair bit of autumnal character with the decaying leaves and such things. Good acid and fruit, this is certainly well within its drinking window, if not on the downslope.
What an incredible nose. That stereotype of Margaux perfume? Here in spades. Couple that with some really rich black fruit, some leather and graphite, and you have a glass of wine you could spend more than a while just smelling. The palate is a continuation of the promise on the nose. Soft and supple, but with raw power underneath. To me, who prefers his Bordeaux on the slightly younger side, this is already approachable and delicious, but the more canonical Bordeaux drinker can easily age this for decades more.
This is an unabashed Napa cab. But there's nothing wrong with that at all. For all the cultiness of this wine, it doesn't have any of those overdone characteristics that so many crappy California cult wines. There's ripe fruit here, for sure, but also some really lovely herbal notes. It's dark in complexion, with really intense and only slightly sweet black fruit. The tannins and primary flavours still are prominent, so I suspect this still has some aging to do.
From half-litre. Served blind. I correctly guessed this was Constance, but you know, the age on these things gets a little hard to pinpoint (it's like these wines don't age at all), so I guessed 1989 based on the opulence and rich fruit. This has lots and lots of botrytis, giving it a dark hue, and tons of apricot flavours. Seriously, you could confuse this with apricot jam. Despite being so sweet on the attack, the sweetness tapers off on the backend, allowing the acidity to show a little more brightly. A little bit of black tea on the finish also adds some real interest.
1982 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 95 Points
France, Champagne
An outstanding bottle of champagne. The nose is nutty and a bit apple cidery, and definitely shows its age. But I'm not saying that this tastes old; in fact, it's still incredibly vibrant with a serious amount of effervescence. The palate is concentrated, with a lot of the same browned apple and nutty tones, but the acidity is not that of old wine. There's a vibrancy and aliveness here that belies the developed secondary flavours.
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1983 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut Rosé 98 Points
France, Champagne
What an absolutely incredibly bottle of champagne. The nose is only slightly funky, with some earthy and nutty elements, but the palate is clean as a whistle. Incredible fruit character that is balanced nicely with mushroomy secondary notes. The palate is very concentrated, and there's almost a tannic grip at the back end of the wine. A bottle in phenomenal shape and firing on all cylinders.
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1999 Henri Giraud Champagne Grand Cru Aÿ Fût De Chêne Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
A very rich and decadent champagne, showing a Krug-like character with its mild oxidation and heavy oak use. The palate is spicy and exotic, with some fruitcake notes that you would rarely see in champagne. This is heavily stylized and unique, but delicious just the same. There are nascent secondary characteristics emerging, but that will come with even more time. A bit of sweet fruitiness rounds out the palate. For me, this is in a prime drinking window.
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1966 Maison Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
The nose here has a good dose of that earthy Leroy character, but there's also that extra spiciness from Vosne that actually seems to be really prominent here. Or maybe that's just the power of suggestion on the label. The palate is still very fresh, but it definitely has a fair bit of autumnal character with the decaying leaves and such things. Good acid and fruit, this is certainly well within its drinking window, if not on the downslope.
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1989 Château Margaux 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
What an incredible nose. That stereotype of Margaux perfume? Here in spades. Couple that with some really rich black fruit, some leather and graphite, and you have a glass of wine you could spend more than a while just smelling. The palate is a continuation of the promise on the nose. Soft and supple, but with raw power underneath. To me, who prefers his Bordeaux on the slightly younger side, this is already approachable and delicious, but the more canonical Bordeaux drinker can easily age this for decades more.
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1996 Dalla Valle Maya 95 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
This is an unabashed Napa cab. But there's nothing wrong with that at all. For all the cultiness of this wine, it doesn't have any of those overdone characteristics that so many crappy California cult wines. There's ripe fruit here, for sure, but also some really lovely herbal notes. It's dark in complexion, with really intense and only slightly sweet black fruit. The tannins and primary flavours still are prominent, so I suspect this still has some aging to do.
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1995 Domaine Huet Vouvray Cuvée Constance 95 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
From half-litre. Served blind. I correctly guessed this was Constance, but you know, the age on these things gets a little hard to pinpoint (it's like these wines don't age at all), so I guessed 1989 based on the opulence and rich fruit. This has lots and lots of botrytis, giving it a dark hue, and tons of apricot flavours. Seriously, you could confuse this with apricot jam. Despite being so sweet on the attack, the sweetness tapers off on the backend, allowing the acidity to show a little more brightly. A little bit of black tea on the finish also adds some real interest.
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