Round 2 for 2025

Tasted Saturday, May 17, 2025 by bsumoba with 195 views

Flight 1 (9 Notes)

  • 2006 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 94 Points

    France, Champagne

    I have a love hate relationship with Krug. Never had vintage and when it was disclosed, I thought to myself, makes sense. Now, full disclosure…some picked up flaws in this bottle and I didn’t despite having gone back to it after hearing that and still not picking up anything. I guess that particular flaw I was just not as sensitive to and maybe for the benefit of the 06 Krug because I thoroughly enjoyed it that day. I picked up some oxidative notes, which post reveal didn’t make sense because I’ve never known Krug to stylistically be that way in my limited experience with the producer.

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  • 2010 Vincent Couche Champagne "ADN" Montgueux 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    Brioche, yeasty. Middle of the pack in an otherwise incredible star studded lineup.

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  • NV Adrien Dhondt Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Chetillon de Haut 93 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    I had high hopes for this wine from a selfish standpoint because I heard such good things about Adrien Dhondt. It was bright and lifted with a tinge of oxidative notes. The finish was a bit rough for me as I got a sort of bitter aftertaste.

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  • NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Lieux-dits Extra Brut Ambonnay Le Bout du Clos 97 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    Not too much to be said here. WOTN for the champagnes. The last Selosse SVD (Faron) disappointed me a bit, but the Ambonnay came roaring in to save the producer. 2 bottles in the cellar and I'm glad I have them!

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  • 2005 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    The last Comtes I had was an 08, which was a decent champagne, but nothing to sneeze about. The 05 finished a bit quick for me and like the ADN (wine #2), got lost a bit in the lineup.

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  • 2018 Leclerc Briant Champagne Premier Cru Le Clos des Trois Clochers Brut Zero 94 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

    Super great nose but for me. Myabe expected more on the palate and again, in a lineup like this, maybe got lost a bit.

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  • 2013 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 95 Points

    France, Champagne

    Fresh, lively and just an overall good champagne. This was largely enjoyed today

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  • 1996 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 97 Points

    France, Champagne

    First time having this and it did not disappoint. My score probably reflects a bit of a bias. Minus points for a slightly muted nose and a shorter finish than I would have expected. This champagne felt much younger than its vintage suggests and has a sort of timelessness about it given that it seems so young for a 29 year old wine. Is this worth the price I paid for it? Probably not. I think I would prefer 3 bottles of 2013 Cristal over 1 bottle of 96 Salon in terms of price. Still, this is a bottle that has fortunately withstood the test of time and delivered more or less for me. 1 bottle left.

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  • NV La Rogerie Champagne Grand Cru Le Bourg Sud 93 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    Again, another wine lost in a sea of great bubble. I am a fan of this wine, especially at its price point. Will it ever succeed in a blind amongst great champagnes? Probably not. But will this be a wine that disappears quite well in a gathering? Absolutely!

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Flight 2 (5 Notes)

  • 1999 Marcassin Chardonnay Alexander Mountain Upper Barn Alexander Valley 94 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

    So cool to have and to see how the Upper Barn can be when aged. Although probably in its downfall for me in terms of where I like to drink domestic whites, the history and the story behind it gives this wine at least a one point even though that isn’t how wine should be rated.

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  • 2022 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses 96 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Okay, I can see why Dauvissat is regarded as one of the top wine producers in Chablis. Was up there, if not better than any Chablis I have had in a while. One bottle left, along with a 22 Les Clos. Let’s hope they survive pre-mox.

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  • 2020 Hubert Lamy Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots Vieilles Vignes 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet

    kind of lost in the lineup as well but put 93 in my notes, so it must have woo’d me to some degree

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  • 2019 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère 96 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

    consistent with the last time I had it (last year). This is a bottling that I really like a lot, so much that I went big on 2022 and 2023. Nuff said

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  • 2020 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series 95 Points

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    Ah…here we go. I feel like this wine puts people in two camps: I love this wine and I don’t get why people love this wine. LOL. I am personally in the love this wine category. There is no doubt that this is an easy-going wine that is built to be gobbled up by the masses before the appetizers are served. For me, I have always liked the style of Aussie and NZ whites and they have their place in terms of when I want to drink them. Should they ever belong in a flight of white burg? The answer is no. Chardonnay just grows differently down there, so if your expectation is some kind of flabby Napa chard or reductive flinty white burg, then stay away from this because this wine is all tropical fruits and stone fruits. This is a blind taster’s nightmare!

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Flight 3 (4 Notes)

  • 1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Was very worried about this wine given that the cork was super saturated, the end of the bottle showed sign of minor seepage and the fill was relatively low. Probably not ideally stored and this only tells me to stop buying old bottles in auction (I had a cork drop into the wine in an 86 Mouton a month ago which was thankfully refunded by the auction house). That being said, this wine still provided me some pleasure. More importantly, this wine also just told me that I prefer wines younger.

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  • 1989 Château Montrose 97 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

    This one smoked the Cheval and the Pichon in the older wine category and I have mixed feelings about Montrose. Maybe I won’t poo poo Montrose as much when I see it again. LOL. Arguably WOTN in the red category, along with an 03 Scarecrow.

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  • 2005 Vieux Château Certan 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Better than last time I had this. I don’t know what it is about VCC that I am having a hard time with. The last time I encountered this, it was brett-y and funky. Not this bottle. But, this bottle struggled in the lineup and maybe requires its own setting with other right bankers in order to be properly evaluated. Still, a good wine though

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  • 1997 Château Cheval Blanc 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    Funk and a bit disappointing as I have had some very good Cheval Blanc in the past, namely 2010, 2019 and 2020 and all those blew me away more or less.

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Flight 4 (7 Notes)

  • 2010 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia

    Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Sassicaia

    Okay, what is going on here? There was a bit of acetone/nail polish remover (VA?) in this wine that I couldn’t overcome. This maybe needs more time but I have not had a ton of luck with Sassicaia lately. I brought a 2019 to another event and that got lost in the mix and also something stylistically that is not doing it for me.

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  • 1997 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Very good spot for me. This wine also felt a bit younger than the wine showed. I could have pegged it as maybe an early 2000s wine. Just a good ol fashioned classic Napa wine that neither sucks nor does it blow me away.

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  • 1998 Vérité

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    No notes.

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  • 2003 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon 97 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Loved this. #1 of the doms and right being the 89 Montrose for Red WOTN. Scarecrow is a wine that I still buy (less 2022) and a part of me wants to stop buying. But when the wine tastes like this, then it is hard to ignore.

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  • 2019 Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

    USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

    Strap on your pink thing because you’re about to get rammed in the mouth by Napa fruit! This would kill with another group of friends but in this lineup, it came across as over the top, a bit hot and a bit like having the new Kanye amongst the likes of Dre and Snoop. Just...out of place at the moment. But with some other groups, just killing it!

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  • 2006 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Phenomenal nose, but where did the palate go? This let me down quite a bit there , maybe only because nose just blew me away so much that the score is this bottle is this high. This was not a bad wine to be honest. For better or worse, what I was thinking is a supermodel that every man in this world could appreciate with their eyes, but the personality just didn't match.

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  • 2006 Dalla Valle Maya 96 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Little horizontal showdown between Maya and Colgin and Maya came out on top. I have this as 96, but took no other notes. It must have showed well though.

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