An interesting one. Quite a bit of character and verve to it, but somehow not coming together quite that perfectly. The nose was quite exotically perfumed, with a base of ripe lemons and apples quickly shading into stone fruited territory, all these garlanded by aromas of flowers and spice. Interesting. The palate was rather sweet and ripe tasting for a Brut Nature, with more of those red apples flecked with sweet stone fruit flavours. Clearly quite a rich champagne here, but there was also a real spine of stirring acidity and a bright bubbly mousse that kept it clean and crisp at the same time. The plumper fruit faded out in the end, and the wine went very lemony instead. I thought all in all that the palate felt a little simpler and less interestingly put together than the nose. A champagne of character, but not something for everyone I thought.
This was a fabulous bottle of the 168, drinking spectacularly well on the night for some reason or another. It had a beautiful nose - cream, apples and minerality, all drifting out of the glass in a lovely melange. The palate struck me as being in perfect balance, with ripe citrus acidity and a lovely, fine mousse wrapped around a powerful yet elegant core of apple fruit and more ripe lemons, all winding their way into super long finish that showed a burgeoning trace of minerality. What incredible length here. This was richness without weight, and power without effort - a Champagne of simply wonderful wonderful balance, grace and beauty. Still super fresh and youthful, but this was so well-integrated that it drank like a dream on the day. Best of the few bottles I have had yet; maybe still lacking in a touch of complexity, but this one has its peak still some years ahead of it. Lovely stuff - this is a great Krug Grande Cuvee.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
I thought this was pretty good. A bit reductive at first pour, but it opened up nicely with time. It had a lovely, classic Meursault Perrieres nose that was a giveaway when blind-tasting, with notes of cream and green apples wed to drifts of flint and chalky mineral. Nice. The palate was perfectly balance - a lot fresher than I thought a 2015 Meursault would be - with well-integrated lemony acidity enlivening otherwise ripe, sunny tones of plump apple flesh and lemon oil, all playing against a base of white fruited flavours. Like the nose, the finish showed little notes of flint and stony minerality, with a little hint of spice right at the end. This was drinking very nicely on the night, with its lovely integration and fine balance. I am not sure it will be the longest-aging wine, but it should continue to do fine over the next few years in the bottle.
A really delicious, well put-together wine. This is the first vintage of the Idda joint venture between Gaja of Pidemont and Alberto Graci of Sicily. Even though the cepage was a classic Etna blend of 98% Nerrolo Mascalese with a little bit of Nerello Cappuccio, the wine came across as being perched, stylistically at least, in a lovely midway between Burgundy and Barolo. It had a pretty nose, full of red cherries and berries, rose petals, and then a more savoury undertone of earth and meat and smoke. Very attractive. The palate felt very fine. Medium-bodied, with fine-boned tannins and bright acidity forming a backdrop for ripe red cherries and darker flavours of black cherries; these were then seasoned with a good dose of spice and herb and a little kiss of bittersweet almonds at the finish. A pleasing wine, very round and giving, yet noticeably structured at the same time. Drinking nicely now, but with perhaps some upside to it as well. I would love to try this in 3-5 years' time.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
12 years on from the last bottle - I could barely recall having had this before. It was decent on the night; certainly a fairly enjoyable drink, but it also does not seem to have improved much in the bottle after all this time. I liked the nose, with its very Gevrey notes of red cherries and berries and some roses opening up to some secondary notes of brush herbs and menthol, all playing against a backdrop of more savoury, earthy aromas. Very nice. The palate had rounded off quite nicely, showing soft acidity and just a tiny little bite of 2003's tough tannins, alongside darker tones of black cherries and plums, and then a rather quite spice-infused midpalate and finish, with warm, exotic notes of cardammon, cloves and bramble. I was not sure whether all that spiciness came from the heat of the vintage, or the obvious use of new oak (which is something associate with this house), or both. I thought the palate had decent length at first, that proved to be fleeting, with the wine fading in and out of play and not showing great depth on the back-palate. All in all, no pretense to greatness here - but certainly pleasant enough and drinking about as well as it every will.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Another Humbert Freres bottle that I had more than a decade ago, and which has not improved much in bottle. Nothing wrong with this - it was an easy to drink, enjoyable wine, that showed of its terroir quite well. It just lacked a bit of complexity and character. A touch disappointing in that regard, especially for a wine from a strong Budgundy vintage, and having had so much time to mature in the bottle. The nose here was pleasant enough, with notes of red cherries and berries, earth and meat, sprinkled with a little dose of spice. The palate had a decent depth to it, with a clear, clean feel lent to its cool flavours of cherry and sweet red berries by a spine of fresh acidity. There was a decent sense of transparency to the wine, but little in way of complexity. The finish, with its little notes of spice and herb, felt a little short as well. Overall though, a pleasant enough drink, with a nice brisk feel about it. I actually preferred it some 10-11 years ago.
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Decent, but not firing on all cylinders tonight. It did have a nice nose, with black cherries and plums, a touch of spice, and a little ferrous, bloody note, all underpinned by slightly savoury, earthy undertones. Quite classic Brunello notes. The palate took over where the nose left off, with more dark cherry and plum flavours wed to savoury hints of meat and earth, and then hints of spice and mineral towards the backpalate. This felt a little light at points - almost like a mid-weighted Rosso - especially at the finsih. Nevertheless, a pleasant wine, with a good dose of nicely bright Sangiovese acidity that gave it a yummy juiciness. At this point, enjoyable, but a tad simple. It should put on some weight and complexity as it ages a bit more.
2012 J.L. Vergnon Champagne Grand Cru Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Hautes Mottes 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
An interesting one. Quite a bit of character and verve to it, but somehow not coming together quite that perfectly. The nose was quite exotically perfumed, with a base of ripe lemons and apples quickly shading into stone fruited territory, all these garlanded by aromas of flowers and spice. Interesting. The palate was rather sweet and ripe tasting for a Brut Nature, with more of those red apples flecked with sweet stone fruit flavours. Clearly quite a rich champagne here, but there was also a real spine of stirring acidity and a bright bubbly mousse that kept it clean and crisp at the same time. The plumper fruit faded out in the end, and the wine went very lemony instead. I thought all in all that the palate felt a little simpler and less interestingly put together than the nose. A champagne of character, but not something for everyone I thought.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Édition 168ème 95 Points
France, Champagne
This was a fabulous bottle of the 168, drinking spectacularly well on the night for some reason or another. It had a beautiful nose - cream, apples and minerality, all drifting out of the glass in a lovely melange. The palate struck me as being in perfect balance, with ripe citrus acidity and a lovely, fine mousse wrapped around a powerful yet elegant core of apple fruit and more ripe lemons, all winding their way into super long finish that showed a burgeoning trace of minerality. What incredible length here. This was richness without weight, and power without effort - a Champagne of simply wonderful wonderful balance, grace and beauty. Still super fresh and youthful, but this was so well-integrated that it drank like a dream on the day. Best of the few bottles I have had yet; maybe still lacking in a touch of complexity, but this one has its peak still some years ahead of it. Lovely stuff - this is a great Krug Grande Cuvee.
Post a Comment / 6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Domaine Heitz-Lochardet Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
I thought this was pretty good. A bit reductive at first pour, but it opened up nicely with time. It had a lovely, classic Meursault Perrieres nose that was a giveaway when blind-tasting, with notes of cream and green apples wed to drifts of flint and chalky mineral. Nice. The palate was perfectly balance - a lot fresher than I thought a 2015 Meursault would be - with well-integrated lemony acidity enlivening otherwise ripe, sunny tones of plump apple flesh and lemon oil, all playing against a base of white fruited flavours. Like the nose, the finish showed little notes of flint and stony minerality, with a little hint of spice right at the end. This was drinking very nicely on the night, with its lovely integration and fine balance. I am not sure it will be the longest-aging wine, but it should continue to do fine over the next few years in the bottle.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2017 Idda Etna Rosso 92 Points
Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC
A really delicious, well put-together wine. This is the first vintage of the Idda joint venture between Gaja of Pidemont and Alberto Graci of Sicily. Even though the cepage was a classic Etna blend of 98% Nerrolo Mascalese with a little bit of Nerello Cappuccio, the wine came across as being perched, stylistically at least, in a lovely midway between Burgundy and Barolo. It had a pretty nose, full of red cherries and berries, rose petals, and then a more savoury undertone of earth and meat and smoke. Very attractive. The palate felt very fine. Medium-bodied, with fine-boned tannins and bright acidity forming a backdrop for ripe red cherries and darker flavours of black cherries; these were then seasoned with a good dose of spice and herb and a little kiss of bittersweet almonds at the finish. A pleasing wine, very round and giving, yet noticeably structured at the same time. Drinking nicely now, but with perhaps some upside to it as well. I would love to try this in 3-5 years' time.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2003 Domaine Humbert Frères Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Estournelles-St.-Jacques 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
12 years on from the last bottle - I could barely recall having had this before. It was decent on the night; certainly a fairly enjoyable drink, but it also does not seem to have improved much in the bottle after all this time. I liked the nose, with its very Gevrey notes of red cherries and berries and some roses opening up to some secondary notes of brush herbs and menthol, all playing against a backdrop of more savoury, earthy aromas. Very nice. The palate had rounded off quite nicely, showing soft acidity and just a tiny little bite of 2003's tough tannins, alongside darker tones of black cherries and plums, and then a rather quite spice-infused midpalate and finish, with warm, exotic notes of cardammon, cloves and bramble. I was not sure whether all that spiciness came from the heat of the vintage, or the obvious use of new oak (which is something associate with this house), or both. I thought the palate had decent length at first, that proved to be fleeting, with the wine fading in and out of play and not showing great depth on the back-palate. All in all, no pretense to greatness here - but certainly pleasant enough and drinking about as well as it every will.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2002 Domaine Humbert Frères Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Poissenot 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Another Humbert Freres bottle that I had more than a decade ago, and which has not improved much in bottle. Nothing wrong with this - it was an easy to drink, enjoyable wine, that showed of its terroir quite well. It just lacked a bit of complexity and character. A touch disappointing in that regard, especially for a wine from a strong Budgundy vintage, and having had so much time to mature in the bottle. The nose here was pleasant enough, with notes of red cherries and berries, earth and meat, sprinkled with a little dose of spice. The palate had a decent depth to it, with a clear, clean feel lent to its cool flavours of cherry and sweet red berries by a spine of fresh acidity. There was a decent sense of transparency to the wine, but little in way of complexity. The finish, with its little notes of spice and herb, felt a little short as well. Overall though, a pleasant enough drink, with a nice brisk feel about it. I actually preferred it some 10-11 years ago.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2009 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Brunello di Montalcino 90 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Decent, but not firing on all cylinders tonight. It did have a nice nose, with black cherries and plums, a touch of spice, and a little ferrous, bloody note, all underpinned by slightly savoury, earthy undertones. Quite classic Brunello notes. The palate took over where the nose left off, with more dark cherry and plum flavours wed to savoury hints of meat and earth, and then hints of spice and mineral towards the backpalate. This felt a little light at points - almost like a mid-weighted Rosso - especially at the finsih. Nevertheless, a pleasant wine, with a good dose of nicely bright Sangiovese acidity that gave it a yummy juiciness. At this point, enjoyable, but a tad simple. It should put on some weight and complexity as it ages a bit more.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue