France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Decanted for 15 minutes, chilled. A slightly better experience than our previous bottle last month. Similar bright yellow color. Similar medium to plus bodied palate, but with the addition of some pear and a touch of white peach to the yellow apple, minerality and citrus. The acidity remains a bit less than needed to balance, but the oak influence seemed to slim down a bit. May continue to develop and should hold to the decade mark (and beyond?).
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Decanted, then followed. It took almost 30 minutes for the initial "funk" to dissipate and another 45-60 minutes for the wine to unwind. The color was a medium violet and the nose progressed from funk to dark red fruit and earth. This medium bodied wine showed lots of dark red fruits and berries, some garrigue and a touch of spice. The acidity was balancing and there was a touch of tannin on the finish. It took the full hour plus in the decanter to reach this enjoyable level - thank you SKURTZ! Should hold (and may improve) for several years.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
From magnum: Decanted the first half of this bottle for 30 minutes while the second half slo-oxed in the bottle for over an hour. This allowed the wine to darken in color and add some weight. This wine appeared younger and fresher than the single bottle opened two years ago. The color was a medium garnet to a faded rim. Lots of red fruits and some earth on the nose. On the medium bodied palate these red fruits and earth (garrigue) were joined by some darker fruits and touches of spice and minerality. The acidity was nicely balancing, and all tannins were completely integrated. Drinking very well (from Magnum) where it should continue to hold for several more years. Overall, this wine was quite enjoyable and paired very nicely with both the stuffed mushroom appetizer and the Turducken main course.
Stood this bottle up for three days before opening. Decanted for 2 hours to the start of dinner - with slight sediment. The color was a deep violet. The initial sips showed the dominant Syrah (46%) and Mourvedre (21%) with blueberry, blackberry, peppery spice and earth. Then the Grenache (33%) appeared with its red fruits of cherry and raspberry which rounded the wine out very nicely. The juicy acidity was nicely balancing, and the tannins were integrated. However, although this was a wholly satisfying bottle of wine that is certainly ready to deliver considerable pleasure right now, we find ourselves understanding the comment in ROGERR's TN about this wine being less compelling than other 2010 Saxums (at least the James Berry and Heart Stone that we've enjoyed). Maybe some bottle variation; maybe too much decanter time; or maybe a sign to drink these sooner than later.
Our cork suffered the fate of several others as it broke at about three-quarters and ultimately had to be gently pushed into the bottle, which was then decanted through a cheese clothed filter. The color was a bright medium amber. Apricots and oranges filled the nose. These carried over onto the palate along with some peach and honey. The acidity was relatively balancing so the wine was not exceedingly sweet and paired nicely with our Peach Melba dessert. Will probably hold for many years.
Consumed (and greatly enjoyed) the other half of the bottle opened on 12/25/21. It's one year later and this bottle has been standing in a door shelf in our fridge for all that time. Remember, it was in a 375 ml screw cap bottle that was filled to the brim after the original bottle saw some 8 hours of decanter time. Only some faint evidence of "aging" during the past year as the nose and palate were just a bit less robust. An unopened bottle should continue to hold for several more years. This port was enjoyed by those who chose the all-chocolate Buche de Noel for dessert.
PnP, chilled. Disgorged in the second quarter of 2016 yet still quite fresh with overly vibrant bubbles. Slo-oxing for a few minutes in the glass calmed it down. The color was a clear light-medium straw yellow. The palate presented a good dose of lemon, some pear, yellow apple and minerality. The yeasty, brioche element of which we are least fond was held to a minimum, which made this bottle quite enjoyable to us. This was our first bottle of L-P's NV Brut as we usually drink the NV Rose.
2015 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Meursault 1er Cru Santenots 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Decanted for 15 minutes, chilled. A slightly better experience than our previous bottle last month. Similar bright yellow color. Similar medium to plus bodied palate, but with the addition of some pear and a touch of white peach to the yellow apple, minerality and citrus. The acidity remains a bit less than needed to balance, but the oak influence seemed to slim down a bit. May continue to develop and should hold to the decade mark (and beyond?).
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2009 M. Chapoutier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Croix de Bois 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Decanted, then followed. It took almost 30 minutes for the initial "funk" to dissipate and another 45-60 minutes for the wine to unwind. The color was a medium violet and the nose progressed from funk to dark red fruit and earth. This medium bodied wine showed lots of dark red fruits and berries, some garrigue and a touch of spice. The acidity was balancing and there was a touch of tannin on the finish. It took the full hour plus in the decanter to reach this enjoyable level - thank you SKURTZ! Should hold (and may improve) for several years.
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2007 Bosquet des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Chante Le Merle Vieilles Vignes 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
From magnum: Decanted the first half of this bottle for 30 minutes while the second half slo-oxed in the bottle for over an hour. This allowed the wine to darken in color and add some weight. This wine appeared younger and fresher than the single bottle opened two years ago. The color was a medium garnet to a faded rim. Lots of red fruits and some earth on the nose. On the medium bodied palate these red fruits and earth (garrigue) were joined by some darker fruits and touches of spice and minerality. The acidity was nicely balancing, and all tannins were completely integrated. Drinking very well (from Magnum) where it should continue to hold for several more years.
Overall, this wine was quite enjoyable and paired very nicely with both the stuffed mushroom appetizer and the Turducken main course.
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2010 Saxum Terry Hoage Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Stood this bottle up for three days before opening. Decanted for 2 hours to the start of dinner - with slight sediment. The color was a deep violet. The initial sips showed the dominant Syrah (46%) and Mourvedre (21%) with blueberry, blackberry, peppery spice and earth. Then the Grenache (33%) appeared with its red fruits of cherry and raspberry which rounded the wine out very nicely. The juicy acidity was nicely balancing, and the tannins were integrated. However, although this was a wholly satisfying bottle of wine that is certainly ready to deliver considerable pleasure right now, we find ourselves understanding the comment in ROGERR's TN about this wine being less compelling than other 2010 Saxums (at least the James Berry and Heart Stone that we've enjoyed). Maybe some bottle variation; maybe too much decanter time; or maybe a sign to drink these sooner than later.
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2010 Saxum Terry Hoage Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
A second bottle of this wine, which was treated exactly as the first (except this cork broke), with virtually identical results.
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