2023 New Years Eve Celebration!

This was a small get-together to celebrate New Years! It was filled with good friends, amazing food, and of course, spectacular wines! Hope everyone reading had a healthy and happy New Years, and 2024 turns out to be the best year ever!

• 2002 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  What a nice Champagne! Great start to a fantastic line up for NYE!
  
  Wine shows plenty of brioche and brine on the nose, with whiffs of lemon peel and gunflint. On the palate, the wine shows lots of tart apple and pear, with plenty of oyster, and limestone and hints of yeast and oak, especially on the finish.
  
  An excellent Champagne that seduces you into another sip, and before you know it....it's gone! Solid 95 for me, and certainly on par, if not slightly better than the 06 Comte that followed it.

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• 2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  Another fantastic showing of this classic Champagne, and even with higher prices, I believe it is still an outstanding value for Champagne! The 06 Comte is, and will remain, one of my favorite bubbles!
  
  On the nose is classic Comte with plenty of brioche and sea breeze with tropical florals and a hint of chalkiness. On the palate, nice acidity (but some other battles have been slightly more fresh and lively), but still showed creamy citrus, some poached pear and melon with sea shell and tropical fruit, finishing with a hint of pineapple and chalk. A delight to drink and held its own with a fantastic 2002 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année.
  
  I have rated this Champagne 94-97 points. This bottle is a 95 for me because it is not quite as fresh as some other bottles, but still a damn good, even outstanding, Champagne!

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• 2018 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Petit Chablis 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Petit Chablis

  Background: I went to Burgundy for my first time, and was lucky enough to get to do a tasting at Dauvissat! Of course, I have only had Dauvissat wines a little more than a handful of times, but have always been impressed with them! While there, I tasted a 2022 Petite Chablis and was floored by how good it was (relative my low expectations.....after all it was just a Petit Chablis!) After the tasting, he was kind enough to let me purchase the last few bottles of the 2018 Petit Chablis (the only wine hadn't yet sold). I must say, I wish I could have bought even more! This is the best QPR wine I have ever purchased (17 Euros--around $20 per bottle!)
  
  OK....even though I was super excited to share this wine (after all, isn't that what wine is for....to share!), I was equally anxious to taste the 2018! Needless to say, it did not disappoint.
  
  Nose showed classic Chablis with some stoney minerality, some steely brine, and some hints of citrus. The palate was well rounded with plenty of pear, some citrus (think lemon pith) and classic limestone. This wine lacks the acidity for long term aging, but is quite delicious now and should hold here for a while...however, I would drink it in the near term. Easy 92 for me, and very happy with my purchase! Worth way more than $20 I paid, but I would be hard pressed to pay the $90 the secondary market is commanding. In my opinion, it is drinking as good or better than many $50-60 Chardonnays.

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• 2015 Maison Leroy Bourgogne Blanc 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc

  This was a very nice wine and a great follow up to the 2018 Dauvissat Petit Chablis.
  
  The nose was very Chablis like with citrus (mostly lime zest) with lots of flint and steely minerality notes. The palate was surprisingly creamy and nice, starting with pear and poached apple (including a subtle sweetness), then building up to some flinty notes with a slightly bitter chalky taste (but not in a negative way...was actually a nice contrast), and finishing with some noted of sweet toasty oak. A very nice Bourgogne that showed the fruit and terroir quite well, IMO. 93+ for my palate and very enjoyable!

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• 2015 Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Ellen Lane Estate 94 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Big, rich CA Chardonnay! This Chardonnay is what it is....some (like me) will love it, others (especially Francophiles) not so much! This is right in my wheelhouse for Chardonnay. Definitely, 100% American!
  
  Nose is floral with white flowers, some stone fruit and some butterscotch. Palate is chalked full of fruit, ranging from pear to various stone fruits to Gala apples, coupled with a healthy dose of toasted oak and a slightly butterscotch finish. Delicious! 94 points for my palate and very friendly, crowd pleasing Chardonnay for sure! My favorite of all the still whites!

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• 2016 Bodega Catena Zapata Chardonnay White Bones Adrianna Vineyard Gualtallary 94 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, Gualtallary

  I love these Chardonnays, although I don't get to drink them often enough! This is truly a new world Chardonnay that could pass for old world! It has everything you would expect in a Burgundy Chardonnay, i.e, very nice acidity and terroir driven!
  
  The nose shows some grassy notes, some funk and some sea shell. The palate is lively with plenty of lime and other citrus, tart green apple and loads of minerality in the form of chalk, oyster shell and steely notes. 93+ to 94. Giving this wine the love it deserves!

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• 2007 St. Innocent Pinot Noir White Rose Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  Very nice Oregon Pinot that is leaning on the tertiary side of the spectrum, although still showing quite a bit of red fruit. I would have probably liked this even more a few years ago, but still drinking quite nicely today!
  
  Nose shows cherry blossom, bramble and tree bark. Palate is mostly tertiary with some red fruit (cherry and raspberry), but mostly forest floor, bramble and notes of tar and anise, finishing with hints of cedar. I found the wine very enjoyable, but am confident others found it even more enjoyable than I. 94+ and in a good spot for my palate, although I would be drinking up if I owned any!

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• 1997 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve Flawed

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Heat damaged, I suspect.

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• 2000 Château Léoville Barton 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  3 hour decant.
  
  Not sure if it the wine or the bottle, but this wine has lots of tertiary character, and not very much fruit, which is surprising for a 2000 Bordeaux. The wine seemed very tight, to start and did open up some (i.e., a little more fruit) which makes me wonder if it needs a longer decant or shorter decant, and is (still?) in a semi-dumb phase (at least this bottle) or went downhill after decanted. Still a pleasant wine and those who go gaga for tertiary flavors will not be disappointed opening this now with the same treatment (assuming this is a representative bottle). I prefer more fruit to go with the tertiary flavors, not sure if needs more time or less of a decant!
  
  Lots of earthy notes, leather, tobacco and some dark fruit, which became slightly more prominent with some air. A pleasant wine, but expected more given the vintage and producer. 92 now, and I suspect a couple points higher either down the road or on PnP. Given that it did improve some, I would go with a longer decant or a few more years.

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• 2006 Viña Almaviva S.A. Almaviva 94 Points

  Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto

  About a 30 minute decant.
  
  Very nice wine that is squarely in my wheelhouse! Still on the fruit side of the spectrum, but tertiary qualities are sharing the stage at this point, i.e., you don't need to search for them.
  
  Mostly red fruit (cherry and red currant) with some cocoa powder and bramble, coupled with some tertiary notes of dried mushroom, old leather and dried herbs. A very nice wine I thoroughly enjoyed! Solid 94 for me! I think this may even pick a point with a longer decant or another year or two of bottle age, but delicious now!

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• 2011 Château La Vieille Forge 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol

  This is an okay wine, and quaffable, but a little thin for my taste. I think 2011 in general wasn't a very good vintage, and that couldn't be more apparent in this wine. The fruit and tertiary flavors are present, but watered down. Drinkable, but I wouldn't seek this out. 88 for my palate.

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• 2013 Bevan Cellars Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  I like Bevan wines! This is clearly Napa, and it is all about the fruit, although this was showing some tertiary notes too!
  
  The nose is perfumed with violets, dried porcine mushrooms and potpourri. The palate is a kaleidoscopic combination of dark and red fruit with notes of chocolate, earth, forest floor, and some mushroom, tobacco and tar. Very nice wine that is squarely in my wheelhouse, but slightly outshone tonight by the 2015 Penultimate. Solid 95 for me!

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• 2015 Promontory Penultimate 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  PnP - I typically don't buy second wines, but this wine is certainly an exception. Unlike some other second wines (and especially second wines in Bordeaux), This wine does share the characteristics of its big brother, Promontory. Although the wine is not cheap, it does compare favorably with similar priced wines.
  
  This wine, like Promontory, shows plush fruit (red, black and blue) with ultra fine tannins, coupled with some cocoa dust, some mellow earthy notes, some sweet tobacco and a hint of ash and oak. This was my WOTN amongst some pretty darn good wines! 95+ and would have benefitted with an hour decant. Absolutely delicious!

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• 1989 Château Suduiraut 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  A sweet ending to a sweet tasting and sweet evening with some sweet friends!
  
  I typically find Suduiraut pretty spotty and not always consistent. This is not as good as their 2001, but quite a bit better than their 1988! Honeyed stone fruit, some beeswax and some Meyer's lemon dominate this Sauternes. I would prefer a little more acid, as this is leaning slightly on the sweet side, but still a very tasty treat! Definitely a fitting finish to a grand get-together1

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Time to say farewell to 2023 and welcome in 2024! Hope the new year continues to be as amazing as this get-together! I hope all of you have your best year ever......CHEERS!!!