[Tasted Double Blind] This wine pours medium to light ruby in the glass, with the faintest bricking. The nose is immediately very aromatic and feels like classic Bordeaux varieties showing celery seed, leather, gravel, charcoal, pipe tobacco, plum, dark dried strawberry, and melted butter. The palate is lovely with a bright plummy entry. Tannin is present, medium minus, and perhaps a touch astringent. Acid is medium plus. The finish is long and complex replaying the complexities of the nose. While on first pour it was painfully obvious this was mature left bank Bordeaux, on the second pour the melted butter notes had some of us wondering about Rioja. Regardless this was lovely and was drinking just a little younger than expected. Beautiful!
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours medium garnet in the glass, lightly cloudy with little bricking. The nose is complex and expressive showing mocha, blackberry, dark chocolate covered blueberries, coffee, cassis, and alcohol. The palate enters on sweet cassis, turning to medium plus woody tannin and medium minus acid. The finish shows significant alcohol with a slight sawdusty note, and blueberry jam. Some rum raisin character also shows up on the retronasal. Alcohol must be 14%+ here. I debated whether was perhaps a modern 1997 California Cabernet or a modernist in the Northern Rhone like Chapoutier.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
[My Wine] This pours light to medium ruby in the glass. Almost no bricking. The nose is very fresh, airy, elegant and bright showing red cherry, pomegranate, peonies, perfume, leather, a whiff of mushroomy undergrowth, a touch of nutty oak, and a little grapefruit zest in the upper register. The palate shows red cherry, augmented by tart cranberry with tannin that is medium to medium minus, and bright medium plus acid. The finish feels a tad clipped, but does show some dried cherry, roobis tea, and that faint whiff grapefruit pith. All in all this is a lovely little bottle of aged burgundy, perhaps a tad below my expectations given the strong vintage and the very nice Faiveley Clos des Cortons I've had before, but overall quite nice.
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours medium garnet in the glass with very little bricking. The nose is just fabulous when poured after about 45 minutes in the decanter. Aromas are of rose petals, charcoal, tobacco, plum, dark cherry, blueberry, and earl grey tea. The palate is silky with a light blueberry edge to it with medium minus tannin and medium acid. Loads of mineral on the finish. While clearly Bordeaux, I guessed this was a decade or two younger. Evidently from a bottle that was in perfect condition with a high fill. Beautiful wine.
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours medium to dark garnet in the glass with light bricking. The nose just leaps from the glass with charcoal, animal fur, dried flowers, clay, dried black currants, violets, and plum. The palate is lovely entering on plums and cassis with medium minus tannin, and medium acid. The finish lingers impressively. I guessed this as a 1989 Pichon Lalande. I was surprised on reveal this didn’t have the elevated Brett levels you might expect from Gruaud Larose, but was lovely all the same. Another bottle in perfect condition with a high fill. I surmise this was always stored in a cold cellar without any conditions to allow brett to 'bloom' in the bottle. My last encounter with this wine, while lovely did show more funk than this.
1988 Château La Lagune 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
[Tasted Double Blind] This wine pours medium to light ruby in the glass, with the faintest bricking. The nose is immediately very aromatic and feels like classic Bordeaux varieties showing celery seed, leather, gravel, charcoal, pipe tobacco, plum, dark dried strawberry, and melted butter. The palate is lovely with a bright plummy entry. Tannin is present, medium minus, and perhaps a touch astringent. Acid is medium plus. The finish is long and complex replaying the complexities of the nose. While on first pour it was painfully obvious this was mature left bank Bordeaux, on the second pour the melted butter notes had some of us wondering about Rioja. Regardless this was lovely and was drinking just a little younger than expected. Beautiful!
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2000 Cave de Tain Hermitage Gambert de Loche
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours medium garnet in the glass, lightly cloudy with little bricking. The nose is complex and expressive showing mocha, blackberry, dark chocolate covered blueberries, coffee, cassis, and alcohol. The palate enters on sweet cassis, turning to medium plus woody tannin and medium minus acid. The finish shows significant alcohol with a slight sawdusty note, and blueberry jam. Some rum raisin character also shows up on the retronasal. Alcohol must be 14%+ here. I debated whether was perhaps a modern 1997 California Cabernet or a modernist in the Northern Rhone like Chapoutier.
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1993 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
[My Wine] This pours light to medium ruby in the glass. Almost no bricking. The nose is very fresh, airy, elegant and bright showing red cherry, pomegranate, peonies, perfume, leather, a whiff of mushroomy undergrowth, a touch of nutty oak, and a little grapefruit zest in the upper register. The palate shows red cherry, augmented by tart cranberry with tannin that is medium to medium minus, and bright medium plus acid. The finish feels a tad clipped, but does show some dried cherry, roobis tea, and that faint whiff grapefruit pith. All in all this is a lovely little bottle of aged burgundy, perhaps a tad below my expectations given the strong vintage and the very nice Faiveley Clos des Cortons I've had before, but overall quite nice.
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1975 Château Beychevelle 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours medium garnet in the glass with very little bricking. The nose is just fabulous when poured after about 45 minutes in the decanter. Aromas are of rose petals, charcoal, tobacco, plum, dark cherry, blueberry, and earl grey tea. The palate is silky with a light blueberry edge to it with medium minus tannin and medium acid. Loads of mineral on the finish. While clearly Bordeaux, I guessed this was a decade or two younger. Evidently from a bottle that was in perfect condition with a high fill. Beautiful wine.
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1983 Château Gruaud Larose 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours medium to dark garnet in the glass with light bricking. The nose just leaps from the glass with charcoal, animal fur, dried flowers, clay, dried black currants, violets, and plum. The palate is lovely entering on plums and cassis with medium minus tannin, and medium acid. The finish lingers impressively. I guessed this as a 1989 Pichon Lalande. I was surprised on reveal this didn’t have the elevated Brett levels you might expect from Gruaud Larose, but was lovely all the same. Another bottle in perfect condition with a high fill. I surmise this was always stored in a cold cellar without any conditions to allow brett to 'bloom' in the bottle. My last encounter with this wine, while lovely did show more funk than this.
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