Christmas 2025 at Chateau L

Chez moi
Tasted Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - Friday, December 26, 2025 by oenanthe with 45 views

Flight 1 - Christmas Eve eve (4 Notes)

  • 2020 Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Oncle Vincent 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc

    (12/23/2025)

    Pale gold. Minor reduction. Very appealing, immediately Burgundian, full of spice, harmonious and light citrus, orange pith and a hint of something stony. This is once again good for the level even in a hotter year, and whilst the price is going up it still delivers the goods - although I bought it on release at presumably a lot lower than it goes for now so maybe it is harder question than I think it is. It has a good sense of restraint and poise, does not stray, exactly the qualities I am looking for - flabby white burgundy is such a let down. This is I think the first 2020 I have opened and it did not disappoint. It needed time in the glass to properly open up, so perhaps an indication that it could use further time in the bottle.

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  • 2019 Alheit Vineyards Cartology Bushvines 93 Points

    South Africa, Western Cape

    (12/23/2025)

    Notes largely exactly as before - October 2025. It will be difficult to keep my hands of these I suspect. Lovely.

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  • 2014 Hubert Lignier Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrées 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

    (12/23/2025)

    Medium red. Invitingly red-fruited and quite fragrant, though on the palate this is stricter and more clenched than the nose would suggest. It did begin to unfurl with time but for whatever reason (ed. - It's red Burgundy) it is frustratingly not as ready as a bottle consumed about a year ago. In fact I would say it was the opposite to that bottle being more fragrant and less immediately tasty. It is still a high grade wine, but a little out of sorts at least on day 1 so let's see what a bit more time does for it as half the bottle is left. 89 for now, could go either way.

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  • 1997 Dow Porto Vintage 93 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (12/23/2025)

    This bottle has evolved a great deal from my last experience, I feel that the youthful phase is in the distant past and this now has that sleek profile of aged port where you get all of the flavour without any of the powerful excess. Medium sweet, engaging purity, pours a surprisingly clear red. So delicious, deep plum, dark cherry, molasses, dark sugar, spice, a solid backbone of acidity that keeps this alive and there isn't a huge amount of heat either. Very pleasant and is still holding up well after a couple of days. On day three it had declined, had become unbalanced and hot, still tasty, but without the finesse of the first few glasses.

    The cork was a total disaster, I really need one of those prong-y things. It has gone soft and crumbly and came out in powdery chunks, with the last parts extracted with long tweezers. Decanted and then back into the original bottle, no harm done apparently.

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Flight 2 - Christmas Eve (2 Notes)

  • NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Réserve 90 Points

    France, Champagne

    (12/24/2025)

    Supremely easy-going Champagne, I like the style which is really elegant. Mild bready flavours. Think of grand marque champagne and you think of this, but what I really like here is the balance. There is a mild richness, but nothing more, this treads a delicate line and is all the better for it. Crowd-pleaser.

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  • 2019 Domaine de Montille Bourgogne Le Clos du Chateau 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

    (12/24/2025)

    Final bottle from the case, still going strong. A nice energy still, quite punchy, no excess. Supple wine, fresh lemon zest and crisp white fruit, good going for a six year old BB. This bottle - along with the Oncle Vincent 2020 - were designated as Christmas quaffers to allow food-preparation to proceed in an orderly manner; around here white Burgundy is somewhat of a prerequisite hence you need a good supply of these kinds of bottles. I continue to be impressed by the calibre on offer here, and barring a bottle that was perhaps slightly flat earlier this year the entire case has been excellent.

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Flight 3 - Christmas Day (4 Notes)

  • NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru Tradition Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    (12/25/2025)

    Mmmm, up a grade. Probably more challenging for civilians than the Billecart but this was right up my street. Tremendous nose as other reviewers have mentioned, really fresh and inviting. Deep and rich on the palate, expressive and fruity, this is a cerebral champagne, one to comtemplate and muse upon rather than toast with and knock back. Quite lovely, and amazing for the outlay, I've had far more expensive champagne that delivers nothing versus this. 2017 base, disgorged 2022.

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  • 2019 Michel Bouzereau et Fils Meursault Les Grands Charrons

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

    (12/25/2025)

    No real notes taken. Final bottle of the case in a good spot, the quality undeniable and enjoyed as a counterpoint to the Chevillon for those that preferred a white. I tasted a small amount and thought "oh this is nice", but ultimately returned to the NSG and by the time I thought about it again it had evaporated and which I took as a good sign.

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  • 2006 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru

    (12/25/2025)

    Medium red, slight browning but nothing unexpected and this wine was very much alive and kicking. Everything I could have hoped for, a mature burgundy with all of the soft, fragrant, savoury and earthy qualities that make one settle back and sigh. Silken loveliness, the acidity is totally on point, the fruit is still with us even if the autumnal theme dominates. Forest floor, mushroom, piles of leaves, some wood smoke and a tang of dampness, like lifting up a log. Really quite a lenthy finish, and as ever the final glass was of course the best.

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  • 1995 Château Coutet Barsac 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

    (12/25/2025)

    Medium to dark copper. A deep and slightly lavicious purity, that kind of weightless depth than sweet wine can achieve. Like grown-up apricot juice with a thousand other things swirling around. Funny to think that I was at university when this was made. Where does time go? And like me, the cork was very tired and crumbled into a million pieces with the remaining chunk falling into the bottle. I decanted it into two halves, a 375 for later and a decanted for right now. The wine was fine, and continues to be fine on day three from the decanter, so I imagine the bottle will be good also.

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Flight 4 - Bxing Day (1 Note)

  • 2021 Domaine Sylvain Pataille Marsannay Rosé Fleur de Pinot 88 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay Rosé

    (12/26/2025)

    Really pale red. As tasty as ever, all about red summer fruits, opened as we wanted something a little lighter (but still something) after all the recent excess. Really zinging, a mad professor kind of wine, pinging off the ceiling. That said just a bit too natty today, verging on the kind of aromas - especially in a large bowl - that I associate with natural wine. A real barnyard stink that unfortunately fell the wrong side of acceptabler. It did not blow off on day one, I wonder if day two may have calmed it down.

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