Open that bottle - Joe chooses 2008 Abreu Madrona

The purpose of the event is to drink a wine without any competition from others like it.

• 2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  Amazingly floral nose. The palate is so bright, with a creamy mouthfeel and acidic zing on the finish. The finish is persistent. Brioche, toast, pear, Orange and lemon. The lemon is gorgeous and the pear stands out the most.

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• 2010 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Drank about 1/4th of the bottle over 1.5 hours. Lovely acidity with lemon, minerality, cheesecake. The palate is bright. The nose has distinct sherry notes that suggest its a few years past peak, but the palate is incredibly lively. I'm starting to feel that I don't have a taste for older chardonnay, and so I'm leaving this unscored, but it would be 90 for me today.

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• 2008 Abreu Madrona Ranch 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Decanted 2 hours. Tomato, smoked meat, blackberry, balsamic, slight alcohol that I think blew off, at least mostly. Leather, spice, somewhat liqueured aka cassis. This continued to integrated with time and I probably should have decanted 3 hours. For the first 45 minutes in glass, the wine was just over my level of acceptability for "bigness" but it either calmed down or I got used to it. Ideally you would open this in 5+ years. But if you want to drink one now, 3 hour decant should get you there.

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• 2009 Château d'Yquem 98 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  This is about as good as Sauternes gets. A dazzling nose. Honeyed, pineapple, apricot, and so much more.

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