France, Provence, Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire
Tasted blind.
Pale salmon in color. Good acid, but still a round rich mouthfeel. Long finish for a rose, but overall it's light and fresh. Guessed as a rosé of Grenache.
Tasty, but can you really justify the price against some tasty $25 Provencal rosés? Difficult to imagine, but I'd be willing to do a blind taste-off!
Straw in color with a touch of luminosity. Smells sweet and golden, with a touch of honeysuckle.
The palate is rounder than I expected, though with 12 years under its belt maybe I should have expected differently. Despite smelling sweet, it tastes dry. Rich lemon custard on the palate is balanced by a welcome swell of acid in the midpalate and a touch of bitterness, perhaps from skin contact. The finish is long.
I don't get a lot of traditional Sauvignon Blanc flavors, but as it warms, more of them are detectable. This is my first Dagueneau. I liked it a lot, but I guess I did want a bit more from it. Though it was in great condition, I should possibly have opted for a more recent vintage.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Tasted blind.
Fascinating wine. On the nose I get dirt, and cherries. The palate follows this. Mouth-filling viscosity, but medium weight. Bloody. Savory. It spreads across the tongue, slowly delivering these flavors all across the mouth. This wine's quality is evident in this great texture, which surges and resurges.
My analysis: definitely old world, and fairly mature, though not fully resolved. I guessed 10-15 years old. Based on the nose, I thought it was Piedmontese. Based on the palate's texture, though, I thought it must be French. I don't drink Burgundy, though, so I didn't go there. Maybe this is a classic flavor profile for Burgundy, but I just don't have enough experience to know. I'd love to drink it more regularly...but it's just so expensive!
Tasted during a blind tasting, though I knew this one was the one we brought due to its position.
There's earth and cherry in this wine as well (the previous wine was a 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin). Even so, it smells and tastes very different. I'm finding it difficult to articulate how the cherries are different and how the earth is different.
This wine more fragrant, though, than the Burgundy. On the palate it is savory and markedly tart, with the flavor of sour cherries, a bit of stemminess, and maybe a touch of olive. The midpalate is full, though it does drop in intensity relatively quickly. But the finish is pleasant and long.
Menthol, a touch of graphite, some baking spices. Some red fruit, some dark fruit, but more red than dark. Definitely Bordeaux varietal or blend. High-toned profile suggests to me that this is primarily Cabernet. This has some maturity, but has a lot of life in it.
I guessed Napa Cabernet, 15 years of age.
In retrospect, the rating may have suffered from being right next to my WOTN. I'd welcome the opportunity to taste this again, maybe later on in its lifecycle.
2002 Gosset Champagne Célebris 93 Points
France, Champagne
This was not served blind, so I didn't take notes, which I regret. I can assure you that it was delicious.
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2015 Famille Gassier Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire 946 Rosé 90 Points
France, Provence, Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire
Tasted blind.
Pale salmon in color. Good acid, but still a round rich mouthfeel. Long finish for a rose, but overall it's light and fresh. Guessed as a rosé of Grenache.
Tasty, but can you really justify the price against some tasty $25 Provencal rosés? Difficult to imagine, but I'd be willing to do a blind taste-off!
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2006 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly 93 Points
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé
Straw in color with a touch of luminosity. Smells sweet and golden, with a touch of honeysuckle.
The palate is rounder than I expected, though with 12 years under its belt maybe I should have expected differently. Despite smelling sweet, it tastes dry. Rich lemon custard on the palate is balanced by a welcome swell of acid in the midpalate and a touch of bitterness, perhaps from skin contact. The finish is long.
I don't get a lot of traditional Sauvignon Blanc flavors, but as it warms, more of them are detectable. This is my first Dagueneau. I liked it a lot, but I guess I did want a bit more from it. Though it was in great condition, I should possibly have opted for a more recent vintage.
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2008 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Estournelles-St.-Jacques 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Tasted blind.
Fascinating wine. On the nose I get dirt, and cherries. The palate follows this. Mouth-filling viscosity, but medium weight. Bloody. Savory. It spreads across the tongue, slowly delivering these flavors all across the mouth. This wine's quality is evident in this great texture, which surges and resurges.
My analysis: definitely old world, and fairly mature, though not fully resolved. I guessed 10-15 years old. Based on the nose, I thought it was Piedmontese. Based on the palate's texture, though, I thought it must be French. I don't drink Burgundy, though, so I didn't go there. Maybe this is a classic flavor profile for Burgundy, but I just don't have enough experience to know. I'd love to drink it more regularly...but it's just so expensive!
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2001 Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Tasted during a blind tasting, though I knew this one was the one we brought due to its position.
There's earth and cherry in this wine as well (the previous wine was a 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin). Even so, it smells and tastes very different. I'm finding it difficult to articulate how the cherries are different and how the earth is different.
This wine more fragrant, though, than the Burgundy. On the palate it is savory and markedly tart, with the flavor of sour cherries, a bit of stemminess, and maybe a touch of olive. The midpalate is full, though it does drop in intensity relatively quickly. But the finish is pleasant and long.
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2008 Ridge Monte Bello 92 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Tasted blind.
Menthol, a touch of graphite, some baking spices. Some red fruit, some dark fruit, but more red than dark. Definitely Bordeaux varietal or blend. High-toned profile suggests to me that this is primarily Cabernet. This has some maturity, but has a lot of life in it.
I guessed Napa Cabernet, 15 years of age.
In retrospect, the rating may have suffered from being right next to my WOTN. I'd welcome the opportunity to taste this again, maybe later on in its lifecycle.
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1978 Les Caves Duhard Vouvray 93 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Tasted blind.
Neon yellow. Super briny. Smells like oyster shells. Brutally dry. Punishingly acidic. Beautifully austere. Postapocalyptically desaturated.
This may not sound like a pleasant wine experience, but it somehow is very appealing. And it is definitely unique.
What a find this producer is. Access to older vintages of white wine in good condition at a good price is unparalleled.
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