Disgorged March 2021, LCC03-21-BT. Love Vilmart -- clean, crisp, and full on the palate. Lovely texture and richness with a great splash of white and yellow fruits. Fresh and never overbearing, even for a moment. Very much in the same vein as Krug in that richness and power.
Love this vintage of Chave. It reminds me a little of the 2004 in its very mature profile. It's silky and light, with more delicacy than most Chave. The fruit is dark, but there's plenty of olive and salinity here. Clearly a vintage made in the old Gerard era with that more rustic, backwards style (though make no mistake -- this is perfectly mature and ready for full enjoyment now).
Ex Sam's bottle. So nice to cross paths with one of these again. This is classic Jamet in the best way possible. Silky smooth with so much of that archetypal feral funk. Red-fruited, delicate, saline, and archetypal syrah. I love the intense olive notes here, with just that perfect smoky touch as well. Mature and very much ready to enjoy now.
Light for Clape. More red than black as far as fruit goes, with a more rustic bent than the other wines tonight. Somewhat soft, texturally, in that the tannins are fully resolved and there's not much graininess left here. One for drinking now rather than later.
It's pretty well-known that I don't hold Chapoutier in particularly high regard, as they consistently underperform the phenomenal dirt that they own (seriously, just give it to Chave, who knows how to make proper syrah). But this bottle was actually quite good -- there's definitely prickliness from the oak, but it's not overbearing here. A nice fruit profile, but very much in a Bordelais style with that burliness. Black fruit and surprisingly resolved tannins.
2014 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée 93 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
Disgorged March 2021, LCC03-21-BT. Love Vilmart -- clean, crisp, and full on the palate. Lovely texture and richness with a great splash of white and yellow fruits. Fresh and never overbearing, even for a moment. Very much in the same vein as Krug in that richness and power.
Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
1994 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Love this vintage of Chave. It reminds me a little of the 2004 in its very mature profile. It's silky and light, with more delicacy than most Chave. The fruit is dark, but there's plenty of olive and salinity here. Clearly a vintage made in the old Gerard era with that more rustic, backwards style (though make no mistake -- this is perfectly mature and ready for full enjoyment now).
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2000 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Ex Sam's bottle. So nice to cross paths with one of these again. This is classic Jamet in the best way possible. Silky smooth with so much of that archetypal feral funk. Red-fruited, delicate, saline, and archetypal syrah. I love the intense olive notes here, with just that perfect smoky touch as well. Mature and very much ready to enjoy now.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
1997 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Light for Clape. More red than black as far as fruit goes, with a more rustic bent than the other wines tonight. Somewhat soft, texturally, in that the tannins are fully resolved and there's not much graininess left here. One for drinking now rather than later.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
1999 M. Chapoutier Ermitage l'Ermite 90 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
It's pretty well-known that I don't hold Chapoutier in particularly high regard, as they consistently underperform the phenomenal dirt that they own (seriously, just give it to Chave, who knows how to make proper syrah). But this bottle was actually quite good -- there's definitely prickliness from the oak, but it's not overbearing here. A nice fruit profile, but very much in a Bordelais style with that burliness. Black fruit and surprisingly resolved tannins.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No