This is pretty awful stuff -- really had a hard time with it. It's simultaneously reductive and oxidative, but worse is that it really lacks any palate depth. It feels green and astringent, like the vein in a snow pea. I sprained my eyeballs rolling them when the price of this bottle was discussed.
Initially, I felt that this came off a little thin and weak, which was unexpected to me given the vintage, but it was upon revisiting this a few hours later where I thought this lived up to its potential. This had a bit of a creamy texture, but it's with air where there was more weight and density. The fruit is a little bit sweet, but the wine is in balance. Definitely looking forward to seeing this again in the future.
Slightly high-toned on the nose, and missing a little of the expected palate weight given the amount of oak here. Feels a touch high in alcohol as well tonight.
This really needed a good deal of air to really come together (and I really should have re-read my old notes to give this more air before service), but it was a splendid, rich wine when it finally did -- a shame there was maybe only a quarter of the bottle left at that point. The nose admittedly had a slight bit more volatility than I would have liked, but the palate's richness and complexity, with just the right amount of acidity and some faint sotolon notes make for a really brilliant bottle of wine.
Cracking into a new lot of these that I bought a while back, and I'm so happy that they're showing as fresh as I remember them being. Maybe even more so, because this is now quite a few years since I had it. The sauvignon greenness shows here, but it's tempered by age and plenty of waxiness on the palate. Very distinctive with its texture coupled with its minerality, and unmistakably great old Bordeaux blanc.
Good stuff here -- clean, bright, and mineral-driven, with a relatively high acidity. The palate weight comes off a little lighter, but the freshness of the minerality here is plenty for the wine. Not sure I can describe this better, as it does feel pretty neutral overall, but it certainly ticks many of the right boxes for white wines.
Not a fan of this very much -- was picking oak splinters out of my mouth. High-toned, with a slight bitter quality here. The vintage yields a pretty oily and ripe wine, without any redeeming and counterbalancing acidity. Really not my cup of tea here.
Relatively ripe fruit, but well-balanced with the weight here. The hot vintage probably led to this becoming a bit more waxy and heavy-handed on the backend than I would have liked. Probably much more interesting with the benefit of more years of bottle age.
Not the dirtiest old Rioja can be, but there's definitely a fair bit of earthy funk here, which partially eclipses the high-acid, light red fruit. Nothing overtly wrong with this, but it's not particularly enjoyable.
Very, very dirty, with enough cardboard-adjacent qualities on the palate that had me thinking this may well have been corked. Others weren't quite so down though.
Next to the 890 which was a little more shut down (and let's be honest, oaky), this was much more expressive and approachable now. The black fruit has a sheen of red in contrast to the leathery darkness of the 890, and the more open fruit character with just that right bit of sweetness to render this more accessible for drinking now.
Very dense and leathery right now, this feels like it's in a rough spot right now -- the dense American oak dominates and the fully black-fruited profile is in hibernation. All structure and little enjoyment, but there's no denying the quality of the underpinning material here. Give this another decade or two at the very least. I preferred the more open-knit and effusive 904 alongside.
My favourite of the older Riojas tonight -- this managed to still hold onto its fruit-based freshness, with a lovely touch of red-fruited acidity. Leathery and autumnal to be sure, with a slight bit of a sweaty feral quality here. Very nice stuff.
I neglected to check the back label for additional details, but this is the "Bodegas Unidas, S. A." bottling in a burlap sack. It's also pretty damn good -- it definitely shows its age, but overall this is less feral and dirty than most others, and while the fruit has mostly faded into acidity, there is still pleasant palate weight and complexity here.
Almost certainly a late release, given how modern the label looked. There's an interesting pyrazine note here, with plenty of spice as well. Extraordinarily fresh for a wine of this age, with fruit that is quite bright. Not sure I love that green pepper thing in my Rioja though...
After tasting so many bottles of Único, it remains one of the most consistent wines that I've had, in that it delivers time and time again a superlative experience. This bottle is no exception -- it's a fantastic, dark-fruited, sappy, and approachable example, with just the right amount of polish, rusticity, fruit, and leather. Easy to enjoy with its sweet fruit and open disposition.
Wow, this is really in the zone for my palate. There's this perfumed elegance to the nose and a completeness on the palate that the 2000 alongside is missing. I guess when you mix vintages, you can fill in the gaps. Silky and resolved with a maddening perfume of red and black fruit. Another example of why I am so enamoured of Único.
In contrast to the Burgundian quality of the Beatas, this is a Bordeaux-drinker's style of Rioja. The oak shows through quite a bit right now and this comes across as very much a primary showing, with plummy black fruit that has still to recede. Grainy as far as the tannins go, but that should be solved with some more time. I'm interested to see how this turns out with many more years of bottle age.
In contrast to the Bordelais-like Yjar, this is much more Burgundian. There's a slight green tone here and the fruit is much more red-tinted than black. A slight tilt towards a more natural style, but there's nothing too out of the box here. Delicate, with a lighter palate presence and less tannins, but with well-counterbalancing acidity here. Not entirely convinced it's worth the tariff, but it's definitely a very interesting and non-traditional take on Tempranillo.
Of the young Riojas, I liked this one the most. It came across fruitier and far more expressive for drinking right now. It's easy-going with a sun-drenched fruit profile here, but with enough lightness and acidity that this also drinks in quite a Burgundian style. It's definitely the post-modern crunchy red fruit thing that's the style these days (especially amongst the Instagram crowd) but there's more oomph behind it here, which I much prefer.
Apparently the story here is that this is an attempt at Burgundy in the Douro. Well, nailed it. It's definitely in that vein, with the light red fruit and perfume. A bit of a strawberry tint, but bright and appealing already. Light, easy-going style that comes across as the current crunchy in-vogue style.
I wanted to like this more, as Comtesse is among my favourite Bordeaux houses, but sadly even it could not overcome the charmlessness and mediocrity of the 1986 vintage. Leathery and dull on the palate, despite some hints otherwise on the nose thanks to the classic Comtesse perfume.
I liked this a fair bit more than the 1986 Comtesse alongside. The fruit profile is rich and rounded, while the tannic profile is getting towards being fully resolved. Leathery, but in a good way thanks to all the counterbalancing fruit. Not as effusively perfumed as Comtesse can be and not quite as well put together as the brilliant 1990 (which I prefer based on a very limited sample size at separate points in time).
Served double blind. Clearly Rioja, but I thought this showed a bit older than the vintage. Dark fruit and leather, but more of a structural wine than straight up enjoyment. It feels a bit like it's drying out, which is surprising given the relative youth and great vintage.
Served double blind. The profile of this right at the beginning wasn't anywhere as close to syrah as I would have guessed (not least from such a traditionalist mainstay), and with the tannins, I guessed this was some sort of very nice barbera instead. But the olive notes did emerge with some more air. Very, very clean for Levet, but almost too much structure and fruit here, hiding the more traditional syrah aspects. Likely better with time.
Served double blind; immediately identified as Huet. Clean fruit with moderate sweetness, I was thinking this was more Moelleux than 1ere Trie. Relatively clean with just a slight fur note here. Floral and bright, and certainly balanced. Racy with its acidity too, and very much in keeping with the relatively lighter style of modern Huet. Nevertheless, very delicious.
2008 Recaredo Cava Turo d'En Mota De Recaredo Brut Nature 80 Points
Spain, Cava
This is pretty awful stuff -- really had a hard time with it. It's simultaneously reductive and oxidative, but worse is that it really lacks any palate depth. It feels green and astringent, like the vein in a snow pea. I sprained my eyeballs rolling them when the price of this bottle was discussed.
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2015 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année 93 Points
France, Champagne
Initially, I felt that this came off a little thin and weak, which was unexpected to me given the vintage, but it was upon revisiting this a few hours later where I thought this lived up to its potential. This had a bit of a creamy texture, but it's with air where there was more weight and density. The fruit is a little bit sweet, but the wine is in balance. Definitely looking forward to seeing this again in the future.
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2019 Textura Wines Dão Pura Branco 88 Points
Portugal, Beiras, Dão
Slightly high-toned on the nose, and missing a little of the expected palate weight given the amount of oak here. Feels a touch high in alcohol as well tonight.
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1986 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco 95 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
This really needed a good deal of air to really come together (and I really should have re-read my old notes to give this more air before service), but it was a splendid, rich wine when it finally did -- a shame there was maybe only a quarter of the bottle left at that point. The nose admittedly had a slight bit more volatility than I would have liked, but the palate's richness and complexity, with just the right amount of acidity and some faint sotolon notes make for a really brilliant bottle of wine.
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1982 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Cracking into a new lot of these that I bought a while back, and I'm so happy that they're showing as fresh as I remember them being. Maybe even more so, because this is now quite a few years since I had it. The sauvignon greenness shows here, but it's tempered by age and plenty of waxiness on the palate. Very distinctive with its texture coupled with its minerality, and unmistakably great old Bordeaux blanc.
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2019 Raul Pérez Bierzo Valdecañada El Erial 90 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo
Good stuff here -- clean, bright, and mineral-driven, with a relatively high acidity. The palate weight comes off a little lighter, but the freshness of the minerality here is plenty for the wine. Not sure I can describe this better, as it does feel pretty neutral overall, but it certainly ticks many of the right boxes for white wines.
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2018 Château Pape Clément Blanc 83 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Not a fan of this very much -- was picking oak splinters out of my mouth. High-toned, with a slight bitter quality here. The vintage yields a pretty oily and ripe wine, without any redeeming and counterbalancing acidity. Really not my cup of tea here.
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2018 La Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri Rioja Blanco 90 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
Relatively ripe fruit, but well-balanced with the weight here. The hot vintage probably led to this becoming a bit more waxy and heavy-handed on the backend than I would have liked. Probably much more interesting with the benefit of more years of bottle age.
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1970 La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva 904 88 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Not the dirtiest old Rioja can be, but there's definitely a fair bit of earthy funk here, which partially eclipses the high-acid, light red fruit. Nothing overtly wrong with this, but it's not particularly enjoyable.
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1962 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Very, very dirty, with enough cardboard-adjacent qualities on the palate that had me thinking this may well have been corked. Others weren't quite so down though.
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2004 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 90 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Next to the 890 which was a little more shut down (and let's be honest, oaky), this was much more expressive and approachable now. The black fruit has a sheen of red in contrast to the leathery darkness of the 890, and the more open fruit character with just that right bit of sweetness to render this more accessible for drinking now.
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2004 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 90 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Very dense and leathery right now, this feels like it's in a rough spot right now -- the dense American oak dominates and the fully black-fruited profile is in hibernation. All structure and little enjoyment, but there's no denying the quality of the underpinning material here. Give this another decade or two at the very least. I preferred the more open-knit and effusive 904 alongside.
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NV R. López de Heredia Rioja Crianza 6º Año Viña Tondonia 93 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
My favourite of the older Riojas tonight -- this managed to still hold onto its fruit-based freshness, with a lovely touch of red-fruited acidity. Leathery and autumnal to be sure, with a slight bit of a sweaty feral quality here. Very nice stuff.
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1964 Siglo Rioja Gran Reserva 90 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
I neglected to check the back label for additional details, but this is the "Bodegas Unidas, S. A." bottling in a burlap sack. It's also pretty damn good -- it definitely shows its age, but overall this is less feral and dirty than most others, and while the fruit has mostly faded into acidity, there is still pleasant palate weight and complexity here.
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1964 Bodegas Riojanas Rioja Monte Real Gran Reserva 90 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
Almost certainly a late release, given how modern the label looked. There's an interesting pyrazine note here, with plenty of spice as well. Extraordinarily fresh for a wine of this age, with fruit that is quite bright. Not sure I love that green pepper thing in my Rioja though...
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2000 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 95 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
After tasting so many bottles of Único, it remains one of the most consistent wines that I've had, in that it delivers time and time again a superlative experience. This bottle is no exception -- it's a fantastic, dark-fruited, sappy, and approachable example, with just the right amount of polish, rusticity, fruit, and leather. Easy to enjoy with its sweet fruit and open disposition.
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NV Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único Reserva Especial 1990, 1991, 1996 (2008 Release) 98 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Wow, this is really in the zone for my palate. There's this perfumed elegance to the nose and a completeness on the palate that the 2000 alongside is missing. I guess when you mix vintages, you can fill in the gaps. Silky and resolved with a maddening perfume of red and black fruit. Another example of why I am so enamoured of Único.
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2017 Telmo Rodríguez Rioja Yjar 90 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
In contrast to the Burgundian quality of the Beatas, this is a Bordeaux-drinker's style of Rioja. The oak shows through quite a bit right now and this comes across as very much a primary showing, with plummy black fruit that has still to recede. Grainy as far as the tannins go, but that should be solved with some more time. I'm interested to see how this turns out with many more years of bottle age.
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2017 Bodegas Lanzaga Rioja Las Beatas 93 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
In contrast to the Bordelais-like Yjar, this is much more Burgundian. There's a slight green tone here and the fruit is much more red-tinted than black. A slight tilt towards a more natural style, but there's nothing too out of the box here. Delicate, with a lighter palate presence and less tannins, but with well-counterbalancing acidity here. Not entirely convinced it's worth the tariff, but it's definitely a very interesting and non-traditional take on Tempranillo.
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2017 Olivier Rivière Rioja Pozo Alto 93 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
Of the young Riojas, I liked this one the most. It came across fruitier and far more expressive for drinking right now. It's easy-going with a sun-drenched fruit profile here, but with enough lightness and acidity that this also drinks in quite a Burgundian style. It's definitely the post-modern crunchy red fruit thing that's the style these days (especially amongst the Instagram crowd) but there's more oomph behind it here, which I much prefer.
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2006 Viñedos Lacalle y Laorden Rioja Viña el Pisón 85 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
Far too driven by oak for my taste. It's dark and leathery, but the oak leaves a bitter quality, and a graininess to the tannins that I don't love.
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2017 Niepoort Douro Charme 90 Points
Portugal, Douro
Apparently the story here is that this is an attempt at Burgundy in the Douro. Well, nailed it. It's definitely in that vein, with the light red fruit and perfume. A bit of a strawberry tint, but bright and appealing already. Light, easy-going style that comes across as the current crunchy in-vogue style.
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1986 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
I wanted to like this more, as Comtesse is among my favourite Bordeaux houses, but sadly even it could not overcome the charmlessness and mediocrity of the 1986 vintage. Leathery and dull on the palate, despite some hints otherwise on the nose thanks to the classic Comtesse perfume.
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1989 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
I liked this a fair bit more than the 1986 Comtesse alongside. The fruit profile is rich and rounded, while the tannic profile is getting towards being fully resolved. Leathery, but in a good way thanks to all the counterbalancing fruit. Not as effusively perfumed as Comtesse can be and not quite as well put together as the brilliant 1990 (which I prefer based on a very limited sample size at separate points in time).
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2005 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Flawed
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Served double blind. Corked.
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2001 Bodegas Riojanas Rioja Viña Albina Gran Reserva 90 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
Served double blind. Clearly Rioja, but I thought this showed a bit older than the vintage. Dark fruit and leather, but more of a structural wine than straight up enjoyment. It feels a bit like it's drying out, which is surprising given the relative youth and great vintage.
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2018 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie Améthyste 88 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Served double blind. The profile of this right at the beginning wasn't anywhere as close to syrah as I would have guessed (not least from such a traditionalist mainstay), and with the tannins, I guessed this was some sort of very nice barbera instead. But the olive notes did emerge with some more air. Very, very clean for Levet, but almost too much structure and fruit here, hiding the more traditional syrah aspects. Likely better with time.
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2020 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Mont 93 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Served double blind; immediately identified as Huet. Clean fruit with moderate sweetness, I was thinking this was more Moelleux than 1ere Trie. Relatively clean with just a slight fur note here. Floral and bright, and certainly balanced. Racy with its acidity too, and very much in keeping with the relatively lighter style of modern Huet. Nevertheless, very delicious.
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