After a really disappointing bottle of the 2001 last week, this restores the faith. Given the vintage it's obviously a much lighter wine, this doesn't have the power or presence I'd expect from Hermitage and it's a much lighter weight expression of the classic Chave flavours - red and dark fruit, more savoury smokiness and earthy notes, with bright acids and surprising tannin beneath. I'm pleasantly surprised how fresh the fruit feels here, though I think this is one of those wines better drunk up sooner rather than later - I don't see the depth of fruit here to outlast the tannin.
Superb wine, consistent with most of my recent experiences. An array of bright fruits with that classic Catoir grapefruit note sticking out boldly, savoury, smoky, and herbal accents around the fruit, and plenty of sweetness balanced by that tremendous '01 acidity. Truly a mic drop from HGS.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
Really liked this. Not as overly smoky and oaky as the H. Boillot wines, this presents many of the same flavours with a lower volume and a sense of restraint and lightness that makes it very appealing and easy to drink. The gentle herbal and mineral elements here stand out more prominently with the oak/smokiness playing a supporting role, there's remarkable clarity and freshness to the fruit, and the whole package is lovely.
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Rather one-dimensional and blocky for my taste, all dense red fruits with a little bit of rubbery reduction apparent. There's immense richness and intensity to the red fruited flavours here, but I'm left wanting more acidity and freshness to give the flavours more lift. Eh.
Absolute disaster of a cork, but the wine beneath was lovely. Starting out with gentle red fruit and apple and more savoury earthy, leathery, and light oaky notes, but with time the fruit deepens and the perfume here builds into something much more compelling. Lovely wine that leaves me wondering why I don't own/age more Rioja.
Well goddamn. This is spectacular, just a knockout bottle of Pomerol. An exotic perfume that combines floral, sweet oaky, and and higher toned green notes, and a core of red and dark fruit that's both intensely rich and sappy but also incredibly fresh and lively. Lots of structure here, both plenty of fine grained tannin and bright acids, and the whole package is thrilling. Probably my favorite wine of the afternoon.
You know how JLL refers to some wines as "soil to glass transfer" wines? This one's a bakery to glass transfer. Such an intensely doughy and autolytic expression of Champagne, all brioche and yeast and sweeter pastry cream flavours with rich fruit beneath, and a lively spine of acidity. This is terrific, so luscious and generous and way too easy to drink.
2002 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 91 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
After a really disappointing bottle of the 2001 last week, this restores the faith. Given the vintage it's obviously a much lighter wine, this doesn't have the power or presence I'd expect from Hermitage and it's a much lighter weight expression of the classic Chave flavours - red and dark fruit, more savoury smokiness and earthy notes, with bright acids and surprising tannin beneath. I'm pleasantly surprised how fresh the fruit feels here, though I think this is one of those wines better drunk up sooner rather than later - I don't see the depth of fruit here to outlast the tannin.
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2001 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese #2134 96 Points
Germany, Pfalz
Superb wine, consistent with most of my recent experiences. An array of bright fruits with that classic Catoir grapefruit note sticking out boldly, savoury, smoky, and herbal accents around the fruit, and plenty of sweetness balanced by that tremendous '01 acidity. Truly a mic drop from HGS.
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2023 Domaine Guillaume et Camille Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
Really liked this. Not as overly smoky and oaky as the H. Boillot wines, this presents many of the same flavours with a lower volume and a sense of restraint and lightness that makes it very appealing and easy to drink. The gentle herbal and mineral elements here stand out more prominently with the oak/smokiness playing a supporting role, there's remarkable clarity and freshness to the fruit, and the whole package is lovely.
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1983 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile
France, Alsace
I found this a bit tired and flat, but I may have been the outlier - quite a few others liked this more than I did.
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2019 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino 86 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Rather one-dimensional and blocky for my taste, all dense red fruits with a little bit of rubbery reduction apparent. There's immense richness and intensity to the red fruited flavours here, but I'm left wanting more acidity and freshness to give the flavours more lift. Eh.
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1978 Bodegas y Viñedos del Contino Rioja Contino Reserva 93 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
Absolute disaster of a cork, but the wine beneath was lovely. Starting out with gentle red fruit and apple and more savoury earthy, leathery, and light oaky notes, but with time the fruit deepens and the perfume here builds into something much more compelling. Lovely wine that leaves me wondering why I don't own/age more Rioja.
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1998 Vieux Château Certan 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Well goddamn. This is spectacular, just a knockout bottle of Pomerol. An exotic perfume that combines floral, sweet oaky, and and higher toned green notes, and a core of red and dark fruit that's both intensely rich and sappy but also incredibly fresh and lively. Lots of structure here, both plenty of fine grained tannin and bright acids, and the whole package is thrilling. Probably my favorite wine of the afternoon.
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2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 95 Points
France, Champagne
You know how JLL refers to some wines as "soil to glass transfer" wines? This one's a bakery to glass transfer. Such an intensely doughy and autolytic expression of Champagne, all brioche and yeast and sweeter pastry cream flavours with rich fruit beneath, and a lively spine of acidity. This is terrific, so luscious and generous and way too easy to drink.
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