10x 100 Pts with the Wine Advocate Team
Tasted Sunday, April 3, 2022 by Cailles with 461 views
Introduction
1000 pts with the Wine Advocate team tasted at the Matter of Taste event in Zurich
Tasted Sunday, April 3, 2022 by Cailles with 461 views
1000 pts with the Wine Advocate team tasted at the Matter of Taste event in Zurich
2018 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Unendlich 96 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
My best GV ever, without question. This has it all, the intense aromatics, the fresh, pure fruit expression, the complexity and precision a high concentration paired with finesse. Wow! An understandable call by Reinhardt. I would drink it rather chilled, otherwise it might get a bit too heavy or oily. 96 pts.
TN: Subtle, delicate nose (the wine was served quite chilled), herbs, grass, citrus. Intense, dense, almost thick on the palate. Intense aromas of peach, apricot, lime, all very fresh and pure, grassy notes and a strong minerality core. It is immensely concentrated yet with no excess weight and an almost weightless feel to it. Long lingering finish with lots of minerality, hints of pineapple. The balance is great from start to finish.
Decanting: This was sitting in the glass for some time. Didn‘t seem to need a lot of air beside that.
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2013 El Enemigo Cabernet Franc Gran Enemigo Gualtallary 96 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, Gualtallary
The fine red fruit, the elegance and finesse are the highlights here. For me one of the big surprises of the tasting. I‘ve tried this vintage 3 years ago (no CT note) and it showed unbalanced and wild. This was the opposite of that. Great, 96 pts. So light, fresh, delicate, full of finesse. An understandable call by Gutierrez. 96/97 pts
TN: Intoxicating fine Cabernet France nose with ripe, pure red berries, dark red berries, lots of herbs, smoke, minerality. Superb precision. Delicate, lots of finesse and very inviting. On the palate this continues with the same aromas, all very delicately laced together, lots of minerality to balance the fruit. Even some coffee notes showing up with time. Very fine, round tannins, very high, well-rounded freshness. A very long finish with lots of fruit and minerality. Superb balance, weightless feel. This has it all.
Decanting: This was sitting in the glass for some time before the tasting and best right at the start of the tasting. An hour later, the same glass showed less harmonious. I wouldn’t decant it too long.
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2016 Torbreck RunRig 90 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
That‘s a tough one. On one hand, this is so well structured, ultra fine and with a quite feather like texture, highly complex and precise. On the other hand it is just completely overripe and a bit too much, too intense. I didn‘t finish the glass. 90 pts for all the technical excellence outside the ripeness level. If you love that ripeness, then it maybe can be a 95 pts wine, which what Czerwinski certainly had in mind. But Australian Shiraz doesn‘t have to be overripe, so not a convincing call by him.
TN: Very intense, expressive nose with very ripe dark berries, mixed with coffee notes, licorice, and some hints of herbs. This is a far too ripe for my taste. On the palate there is a lot herbs, licorice, christmas spices, gingerbread, hints of coffee. The complexity and precision are off the charts. The structure is superb with so much finesse, lightness, super fine tannins and high, round acidity. Long and very balanced. Just far, far too ripe for my taste. Much riper than other RunRig vintages or other high-end Aussie Shiraz.
Decanting: This was sitting in the glass for some time. Open and singing right from the start. I don‘t think it needs a long decant.
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2016 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT 95 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT
This wine will need more years to come together, get even rounder and add teritary complexity. But it is indeed a spectacular Sangiovese with the purity, precision, freshness and elegance as highlights. An understandable call by Larner when Sangiovese is the universe the wine is judged in. On a global level I don‘t see the triple digits. This quite classically shaped Sangiovese is all what Biondi Santi is also aspiring or said to be, yet this Flaccianello beat all Biondi Santi Riservas we had in a tasting an hour later handily (see separate tasting story). 94/95 pts
TN: Rather backward nose with minerality, smoke, dark fresh fruit. Gets a touch more open with time. Inviting. On the palate this is more open with fine red berries mixed with fresh blue and darker berries, even some flowers, lots of crushed rocks, earthy minerality, smoke. The structure is impressive with round, velvety tannins, a lightness and elegance which are great, fine, round, high acidity, great balance, long finish. This is very nice and round.
Decanting: This was sitting in the glass for some at least 30-45 minutes, so it good a good amount of decanting which seemed more or less fine. But still better wait a few years.
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2016 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Masseto Toscana IGT 96 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Still very young but slowly getting into the zone. Still slightly noticeable tannins and not enough creaminess. This can become great, though, the substance is impressive. Today it drinks on a 95/96 pts level. I understand the triple digit call by Larner but it will need 20+ years to get close to that.
TN: Dark, dense nose with ripe dark red, dark berries, sweet and ripe but not overripe, coffee, spices and some minerality. On the palate this shows just as dark and dense, obviously very young, with ripe but pure dark berries, dark red berries, herbs, minerality, coffee notes. The structure is not yet well rounded out, there is a bit of creaminess missing to bring everything together and it doesn‘t have yet the weightlessness of the best wines. Long fruit and coffee driven finish which is very sexy.
Decanting: This was sitting in the glass for some at least 30-45 minutes. Could have probably even used more time.
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2009 Château Cheval Blanc 97 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Once tertiary aromas will kick in, this can become a perfect wine. No doubt. It has all it needs, intense, clean aromas, perfect structural frame, weightless feel. A understandable call by Perotti-Brown. This was the number one wine of the crowd (and if I remember correctly most of the Wine Advocate‘s team). 97/98 pts consistent with previous bottles.
TN: A typical Cheval Nose with so much coffee, burnt sugar, dark delicate fruit mixed with more red berries and floral notes, strong herbal component. Wow, intense, still quite delicate and full of finesse. On the palate this is Bordeaux at its best, so fresh, round, almost weightless, very fine velvety tannins, high freshness, great balance from start to finish. The intoxicating Cheval perfume shows seamlessly from the nose and attack to the long, intense and lingering finish.
Decanting: This was sitting in the glass for some at least 45-60 minutes which seemed fine. A two in the decanter should do the job.
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2013 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 96 Points
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
This 2013 is in the zone today. No tertiary aromas yet but no baby fat anymore, this shows almost light as a feather. This was very impressive, although the complexity is not up there with the best wines (will it ever be?).this might be the best Quilceda Cab I‘ve had to date. Probably Mueller‘s 100 pts are a touch optimistic but not much.
TN: Ripe but still somehow cool and fresh dark cherries and cassis and lots of minerality. On the palate this shows surprisingly fresh, light, with an almost weightless quality to it. Very round tannins, surprisingly high freshness. Red and dark fruits, some hints of burnt sugar, minerality. All very precise. Quite long lingering finish. Superb balance.
Decanting: This was sitting in the glass for some at least 45-60 minutes which seemed fine. A two in the decanter should do the job.
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2015 Sine Qua Non Grenache "E" Eleven Confessions Vineyard 94 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
The structure is the absolute highlight. Almost Burgundy-esque finesse and weightlessness. Then you get the Central Cali intensity and ripeness, which is a bit too sweet for me. I can see the 100 pts by Perotti-Brown if you can handle that better than I do. Compared to the Torbreck RunRig 2016, this was at least just too ripe and not completely overripe and overdone.
TN: Very ripe dark fruit, some alcohol notes, herbs, minerality. Intense. On the palate this is very much Central Cali Grenache with lots of ripe dark, dark red fruits, loads and loads of spices, herbs, licorice. Unbelievable freshness and lightness, like a feather, despite all the ripe fruit. Long finish and superbly balanced from start to finish.
Decanting: This was sitting in the glass for some at least 45-60 minutes which seemed fine. A two in the decanter should do the job.
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2009 Château d'Yquem 97 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
This is another fantastic success for Yquem. Despite being young already highly complex, perfectly delineated, and the weightlessness no other Sauternes achieves that consistently. 97 pts today, with more tertiary complexity the 100 pts will be reachable - an understandable call Perotti-Brown and Martin. William Kelley, who presented the wine, sees this even ahead of the 2001 (I’m not sure about that but it‘s splitting hairs). This was the second crowd favorite beside the Cheval Blanc 2009 (incidentally my #1 and #2 too). 97/98 pts
TN: Intense, saffron, peach, apricot, spices nose. Super precise and fresh. On the palate this is so nicely layered, intense, super precise, with so much quince, hints of apricot, loads of saffron, herbs, crushed rocks. The highlight, as always, is the unbelievable weightless which just Yquem can achieve. Superb acidity. Long lasting finish.
Decanting: This was sitting in the glass for some at least 60 minutes which seemed fine.
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2000 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vinha Velha Vintage Quinta de Vargellas 88 Points
Portugal, Douro, Porto
I don‘t like port, don‘t like the alcohol heat, don‘t like the dried fruit/raisiny aromas, the ripeness levels. The few really old ports I‘ve had showed often incredibly complex, very well structured, intense yet light and intellectually appealing. This 2000 is not yet there and especially showed quite some heat but to be fair, it was triple as hard after the Yquem 2009 right before to please a non-port drinker.
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