Producer over vintage. This wine has always managed to impress in one of the shittiest Rhone vintages in living memory. This bottle was very impressive for its freshness. A very nice mix of red and black fruit, with loads of intense tannin. On the palate, this is certainly a little less dense and dilute relative to great vintages of Chave, but that's not to say I would ever turn down a glass of this (and I put my money where my mouth is -- this was the first bottle out of a 12-pack).
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
As much as I am a fan of Domaine Henri Boillot, I won't profess to know anything about the backstory of this winery (and I'm generally content to not know how the sausage is made). But this was great -- it's a bit of a fresher, lighter departure from Domaine H. Boillot. There's just a touch of reduction, but also lots of generous white and yellow fruit here. Not as strong a stamp of oak either -- a very deft touch to the winemaking here.
#09-02. A great, but not showstopping bottle of this. Very tropical and expressive, as this wine is wont to be. Still shows a fair amount of sweetness but I love the interplay between the green herbs, passionfruit, grapefruit peel, and all those exotic flavours that you get in these great old HGS-era Müller-Catoir wines.
Comes across as getting a little long in the tooth, but there's still quite a bit to like here. The nose has a slightly funky, mushroom, earthy quality to it, but there's some really nice herbal tones that I like. A hair sweet and with a pleasant rounded, oily texture.
The terrible, crumbly cork managed to do its job -- the wine was pristine. Quite delicate, with a touch of dried red fruit, and some classic old school Rioja notes of sweat and animale. A little less broad on the palate than I liked, but what was impressive here was how well this showed for a wine of such age.
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Will admit this somewhat underperformed high expectations -- the nose showed a little too rubbery and reduced, but the overall fruit profile on the palate was quite enjoyable. A touch of dried herbs and some youthful, leathery tannins as well. Fairly dark as far as the fruit profile goes.
One of the best bottles of Bordeaux I've had in a while. It's simultaneously opulent and structural at the same time. Great plushness for the fruit profile, with just the right amount of cabernet franc greenness. Youthful still, with a fairly pronounced darker fruit quality and plenty of leathery tannins. Certainly needs time to further mature, but drinking one now is no waste whatsoever.
Generously sweet and botrytis-laden for a Spätlese, with a slight bit of a tropical profile. Very ripe and rounded; plenty of sweet yellow orchard fruit on the palate. Missing some of the complexity I'd want, but enjoyable all the same, though this drinks more at an Auslese level.
A perennial winner. I've never really liked Cristal, but the 2008 iteration has always been brilliant. A bit creamy and chalky, with a generous amount of acidity to bolster that richer, slightly autolytic profile. Very complex, rich palate, with layers of fruit, bread/yeast, and chalk -- this feels a little more sedate than I remember it on release, but is moving along a very nice trajectory.
2002 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Producer over vintage. This wine has always managed to impress in one of the shittiest Rhone vintages in living memory. This bottle was very impressive for its freshness. A very nice mix of red and black fruit, with loads of intense tannin. On the palate, this is certainly a little less dense and dilute relative to great vintages of Chave, but that's not to say I would ever turn down a glass of this (and I put my money where my mouth is -- this was the first bottle out of a 12-pack).
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2023 Domaine Guillaume et Camille Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
As much as I am a fan of Domaine Henri Boillot, I won't profess to know anything about the backstory of this winery (and I'm generally content to not know how the sausage is made). But this was great -- it's a bit of a fresher, lighter departure from Domaine H. Boillot. There's just a touch of reduction, but also lots of generous white and yellow fruit here. Not as strong a stamp of oak either -- a very deft touch to the winemaking here.
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2001 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese #2134 95 Points
Germany, Pfalz
#09-02. A great, but not showstopping bottle of this. Very tropical and expressive, as this wine is wont to be. Still shows a fair amount of sweetness but I love the interplay between the green herbs, passionfruit, grapefruit peel, and all those exotic flavours that you get in these great old HGS-era Müller-Catoir wines.
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1983 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile 90 Points
France, Alsace
Comes across as getting a little long in the tooth, but there's still quite a bit to like here. The nose has a slightly funky, mushroom, earthy quality to it, but there's some really nice herbal tones that I like. A hair sweet and with a pleasant rounded, oily texture.
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1978 Bodegas y Viñedos del Contino Rioja Contino Reserva 90 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
The terrible, crumbly cork managed to do its job -- the wine was pristine. Quite delicate, with a touch of dried red fruit, and some classic old school Rioja notes of sweat and animale. A little less broad on the palate than I liked, but what was impressive here was how well this showed for a wine of such age.
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2019 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino 90 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Will admit this somewhat underperformed high expectations -- the nose showed a little too rubbery and reduced, but the overall fruit profile on the palate was quite enjoyable. A touch of dried herbs and some youthful, leathery tannins as well. Fairly dark as far as the fruit profile goes.
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1998 Vieux Château Certan 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
One of the best bottles of Bordeaux I've had in a while. It's simultaneously opulent and structural at the same time. Great plushness for the fruit profile, with just the right amount of cabernet franc greenness. Youthful still, with a fairly pronounced darker fruit quality and plenty of leathery tannins. Certainly needs time to further mature, but drinking one now is no waste whatsoever.
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1999 Balthasar Ress Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Spätlese 90 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Generously sweet and botrytis-laden for a Spätlese, with a slight bit of a tropical profile. Very ripe and rounded; plenty of sweet yellow orchard fruit on the palate. Missing some of the complexity I'd want, but enjoyable all the same, though this drinks more at an Auslese level.
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2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 95 Points
France, Champagne
A perennial winner. I've never really liked Cristal, but the 2008 iteration has always been brilliant. A bit creamy and chalky, with a generous amount of acidity to bolster that richer, slightly autolytic profile. Very complex, rich palate, with layers of fruit, bread/yeast, and chalk -- this feels a little more sedate than I remember it on release, but is moving along a very nice trajectory.
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