From magnum. Disgorged April 2018. 50% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay, 25% true pinot blanc. Have to admit I just don't really get Gerbais's wines. This feels thin and a little bit hollow. Nice acid and chalk profile, but as with so many bottles of recent grower Champagne, missing the depth and weight that I need.
From magnum. Quite opulent and rich, but still relatively lean for the vintage -- I definitely expected something a little more rounded and sweet. But this definitely has the proper weight and heft of a proper Champagne. Just a bit of a shame with the racism.
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
I'm not the target market for this. Way too sweet and fruity for pinot. Mercifully not over the top and it's certainly drinkable by the glass, but this is definitely to the way pinot ought to be.
Served double blind. Called it as a cool vintage, maybe village-level red Burgundy. A touch of a stemmy note, pleasantly cool red fruit, not overly complex or weighty on the palate, with good acidity. Surprisingly more weight than how I typically imagine German pinot.
More interesting than good at this point. Quite earthy and autumnal, but with some old school high-dosage sweetness that I do appreciate. For my palate, long past prime with its very yeasty, hyper umami qualities.
Disgorged June 2022. By the no-arbitrage principle, this wine shouldn't exist. But of course, we all know markets aren't efficient. Anyway, gotta think the reason this exists is that someone at Rhys thought it was cool the way Morty thought Gwendolyn looked pretty cool. Hollow and insipid.
2013 harvest, bottled May 15, 2014, disgorged March 21 2019. I don't get it. Very disjoint and unbalanced. Lots of acidity, and almost showing a little alcoholic heat. Really odd stuff; definitely not my cup of tea.
Based on this, it's pretty difficult for me to figure out what made these so expensive all of a sudden. It's a bit lean, especially in the context of my previous Egly experience, and while there is nice concentration and intensity, I expected more breadth on the palate. Overall, there's good material here, but given what other Champagne you can get for the price of this, there is certainly no contest.
From magnum. Perfectly mature and in an outstanding spot. Just the right balance of fresh acidity and mature fruit, with the proper richness and ample weight and concentration on the palate. Not a far stretch of the imagination to expect this to age gracefully for many years, but it's so delicious now there is definite value in opening them.
I liked a prior bottle of this a lot more -- this one felt like a bunch of pinot snuck in with its mushroomy notes. Overall feels a little advanced and I'm not sure this is as sound as it really ought to be.
Lot May 2009, disgorged September 2014; 5 g/L dosage. Strongly preferred this to the Venus alongside(!). Cleaner and brighter and showing very well the acidity of the vintage and less browning notes. Almost chewy in its minerality.
Really weird stuff. Like a dry Auslese (including the botrytis) but with bubbles. Doesn't seem to fit together very well, and there are some oxidative notes that remind me of those old Lauer Sekt.
This didn't jive with me. Angular, with some sweetness that felt really out of place for Chablis. A very slight hint of green as well. Good minerality but lacking the citric freshness I want to have.
Yikes, what happened here? Angular and awkward, high alcohol and woody. Yes, plenty of fruit as young barbera ought to have, but it's almost a Parkerized over-the-top jammy thing.
Not overly complex, but scratches the Berthaut-Gerbet itch. Red but post-modern polished fruit, rustically grainy tannins, and very easy drinking. Very good value for what you can get in Burgundy these days.
Needless to say, consistent with my prior bottle. I love the syrah aromatics though it's less of the savoury elements and more of the fruit and spice. Australia in the way it really ought to be. I really do wish wines like this made it out to the US much more often. These old vine shiraz wines are really special beasts.
Hyper aromatic wine, with sweet black fruit on the nose and some other perfumed elements. The palate is quite light on its feet and despite more of the same sweet black fruit, overall nicely balanced, if there are a few slightly natty notes on the back end.
Not quite the Essencia I was expecting (drink it with a spoon) but a very delicious, intense wine in its own right. Old PX notes with a bit of Madeiran acid thrown in. Relatively runny, more like a rich Malvasia than anything. Plenty of brown sugar notes here but balanced and very enjoyable.
NV Pierre Gerbais Champagne Grains de Celles Extra Brut 85 Points
France, Champagne
From magnum. Disgorged April 2018. 50% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay, 25% true pinot blanc. Have to admit I just don't really get Gerbais's wines. This feels thin and a little bit hollow. Nice acid and chalk profile, but as with so many bottles of recent grower Champagne, missing the depth and weight that I need.
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2009 Deutz Champagne Amour de Deutz Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne
From magnum. Quite opulent and rich, but still relatively lean for the vintage -- I definitely expected something a little more rounded and sweet. But this definitely has the proper weight and heft of a proper Champagne. Just a bit of a shame with the racism.
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2013 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Giusti Ranch Vineyard 85 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
I'm not the target market for this. Way too sweet and fruity for pinot. Mercifully not over the top and it's certainly drinkable by the glass, but this is definitely to the way pinot ought to be.
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2013 Rudolf Fürst Centgrafenberg Spätburgunder Großes Gewächs 88 Points
Germany, Franken
Served double blind. Called it as a cool vintage, maybe village-level red Burgundy. A touch of a stemmy note, pleasantly cool red fruit, not overly complex or weighty on the palate, with good acidity. Surprisingly more weight than how I typically imagine German pinot.
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1970 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut 88 Points
France, Champagne
More interesting than good at this point. Quite earthy and autumnal, but with some old school high-dosage sweetness that I do appreciate. For my palate, long past prime with its very yeasty, hyper umami qualities.
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NV Rhys Perpetual Reserve 80 Points
USA, California
Disgorged June 2022. By the no-arbitrage principle, this wine shouldn't exist. But of course, we all know markets aren't efficient. Anyway, gotta think the reason this exists is that someone at Rhys thought it was cool the way Morty thought Gwendolyn looked pretty cool. Hollow and insipid.
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NV Coessens Champagne Les Sens Boisés Extra-Brut Lieu-dit Largillier 83 Points
France, Champagne
2013 harvest, bottled May 15, 2014, disgorged March 21 2019. I don't get it. Very disjoint and unbalanced. Lots of acidity, and almost showing a little alcoholic heat. Really odd stuff; definitely not my cup of tea.
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2012 Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Based on this, it's pretty difficult for me to figure out what made these so expensive all of a sudden. It's a bit lean, especially in the context of my previous Egly experience, and while there is nice concentration and intensity, I expected more breadth on the palate. Overall, there's good material here, but given what other Champagne you can get for the price of this, there is certainly no contest.
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1998 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare 95 Points
France, Champagne
From magnum. Perfectly mature and in an outstanding spot. Just the right balance of fresh acidity and mature fruit, with the proper richness and ample weight and concentration on the palate. Not a far stretch of the imagination to expect this to age gracefully for many years, but it's so delicious now there is definite value in opening them.
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2008 Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Vénus Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs 88 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
I liked a prior bottle of this a lot more -- this one felt like a bunch of pinot snuck in with its mushroomy notes. Overall feels a little advanced and I'm not sure this is as sound as it really ought to be.
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2008 Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Minéral Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Lot May 2009, disgorged September 2014; 5 g/L dosage. Strongly preferred this to the Venus alongside(!). Cleaner and brighter and showing very well the acidity of the vintage and less browning notes. Almost chewy in its minerality.
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2018 Ravines Wine Cellars Sparkling Riesling 83 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes
Really weird stuff. Like a dry Auslese (including the botrytis) but with bubbles. Doesn't seem to fit together very well, and there are some oxidative notes that remind me of those old Lauer Sekt.
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2021 Chàrlene et Laurent Pinson Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
This didn't jive with me. Angular, with some sweetness that felt really out of place for Chablis. A very slight hint of green as well. Good minerality but lacking the citric freshness I want to have.
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2002 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Flawed
USA, California, Napa Valley
Probably slightly heat-damaged.
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2019 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barbera d'Alba Scudetto 83 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba
Yikes, what happened here? Angular and awkward, high alcohol and woody. Yes, plenty of fruit as young barbera ought to have, but it's almost a Parkerized over-the-top jammy thing.
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2016 Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet Fixin Les Crais 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Fixin
Not overly complex, but scratches the Berthaut-Gerbet itch. Red but post-modern polished fruit, rustically grainy tannins, and very easy drinking. Very good value for what you can get in Burgundy these days.
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2017 Tyrrell's Shiraz Old Patch "1867" 95 Points
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Needless to say, consistent with my prior bottle. I love the syrah aromatics though it's less of the savoury elements and more of the fruit and spice. Australia in the way it really ought to be. I really do wish wines like this made it out to the US much more often. These old vine shiraz wines are really special beasts.
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2019 Bodegas y Viñedos Castro Ventosa Bierzo Valtuille Villegas 90 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo
Hyper aromatic wine, with sweet black fruit on the nose and some other perfumed elements. The palate is quite light on its feet and despite more of the same sweet black fruit, overall nicely balanced, if there are a few slightly natty notes on the back end.
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1969 Monimpex Tokaji Aszú Essencia 93 Points
Hungary, Tokaji
Not quite the Essencia I was expecting (drink it with a spoon) but a very delicious, intense wine in its own right. Old PX notes with a bit of Madeiran acid thrown in. Relatively runny, more like a rich Malvasia than anything. Plenty of brown sugar notes here but balanced and very enjoyable.
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