2026 New Year Wines

Osaka, Japan
Tasted Thursday, January 1, 2026 by OmiyaDrinker with 55 views

Flight 1 - Sparkling (3 Notes)

  • NV Ferrari Brut 89 Points

    Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Trentino, Trento

    Medium lemon appearance. Medium intensity nose of golden apple, pear, lemon, blossom, a slight herbaceous character with some dill. Secondary aromas take a back seat to the primary but are there with brioche and biscuit. Medium+ acid, medium alcohol, medium body, medium+ flavour intensity, medium+ finish with some sweetness. Very good quality. I haven’t had one of these in a while and felt a but disappointed at first but the more time I spent with it, the more I enjoyed the quality. The balance, intensity, and length are all there. At the prices I pay, this is around 25% cheaper than a big brand NV champagne. This is a good alternative at that price differential although not the most exciting.

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  • NV Joseph Perrier Champagne Cuvée Royále 87 Points

    France, Champagne

    Pale lemon. Medium+ intensity nose dominated by lemon. Other primary aromas of green apple, lime, dill. The secondary notes are prominent with a sweet brioche, bread dough character. High acid. Medium alcohol. Medium bodied, medium flavor intensity that’s clearly less powered than, for example, the Bollinger NV I had yesterday. Medium finish that ends a little bitter and one dimensional. I’m perhaps harsh on this but this is only generic champagne. I understand why this wine exists but for those interested beyond the “Champagne” designation, I think there’s more value and interest in other sparkling wine regions or spending a little more to purchase a Champagne of interest.

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  • NV Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvée Brut 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    Medium+ nose of ripe lemon, red apple, ruby grapefruit, honeysuckle. Prominent secondary notes of toast, buttered brioche. Medium+ acid, medium+ body, pronounced flavor intensity, medium+ finish that ends with a little briny, salty character. Super.

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Flight 2 - White (2 Notes)

  • 2020 Rudi Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Ried Kollmütz 93 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    Medium lemon appearance. Made with extended skin contact. Medium+ nose of apple (green and red), pear, honey, blossom, honeysuckle, white pepper. High acid. Full body. Medium alcohol. Pronounced flavor intensity with a lot of the crushed rock, mineral characteristics of kollmutz. This is not a simple, refreshing wine and at times very austere but there’s enough of a refreshing undercurrent of citrus throughout the wine that keeps it both enjoyable and thought-provoking. Long finish that coats the palate with more minerality. Textural richness to the wine. Outstanding quality combining complexity and balance.

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  • 2019 Clement Baraut Savennières Roche aux Moines Les Petites Combes 91 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières Roche aux Moines

    Deep lemon appearance. Medium intensity nose packed with primary aromas of green apple. Also primary aromas of grapefruit, lemon, hay, steely minerality (turning more granite with the finish on the palate). Tertiary notes also prominent with almond and honey. High acid that seems particularly characteristic of Chenin - subtle at first and rising to a crescendo. Medium alcohol. Medium+ body, medium+ flavor intensity and finish with just a little dilution holding it back. This is very good quality. Very well balanced and outstanding complexity. I paid USD$20 and it is a bargain at that price for me.

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Flight 3 - Red (7 Notes)

  • 2022 Eirene Pinot Noir 81 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago

    Wine produced specifically for Family Mart Japan with a tie-up to Drops of God. Pale ruby appearance. Medium-, quite muted nose of raspberry, strawberry, red cherry, red plum. A twist of dark fruit with some black plum. A little jammy and simple in character. High acid. Medium- coarse tannin. Medium alcohol. Medium- body and flavor intensity. Bramble, slightly jammy fruit on the palate. Medium- finish. The wine lacks balance with both the acid out of balance with the fruit intensity and even the 13% alcohol a little overpowering. I wasn’t sure it was possible to produce quality Central Otago at this price point, and this supports that view. Could perhaps make a case as merely acceptable quality. Ultimately used for cooking.

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  • 2018 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Knox Alexander 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

    Pale garnet appearance. Medium+ nose dominated by a cherry character with red cherry and some sweet cherry. Raspberry, strawberry also. Some tertiary development on this with cooked fruit, toasted mushroom, and earth. Some secondary notes of toast and clove. Medium+ acid. Medium- soft tannin. Medium alcohol which shows just a little on the backend of the wine. Medium+ body. Medium+ flavor intensity. Medium+ finish.
    Very good quality that just had a little too much faded intensity on the palate to be outstanding. Wonderful complexity however with great transparency on the palate. Drinking very close to peak for my palate although perhaps even better a few years ago.

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  • 1998 Château Bonalgue 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Medium+ Fully developed nose dominated by tertiary aromas of cooked plum, leather, meat, forest floor, cigar box. A few primary aromas of plum and blackcurrant. Clove and fruit cake. Medium+ acid. Medium+ tannin that’s now somehow soft, juicy, and squishy. Full body. Medium+ finish that just tapers off a little at the end. Very good quality. I’d imagine this was drinking perfectly 10 years ago but is still alive to enjoy.

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  • 2021 Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

    Pale ruby appearance. Pronounced nose packed with red cherry, sweet red cherry, raspberry, rosemary, nutmeg, cinnamon, iron, burnt orange, red licorice. Some tertiary development now of earth and leather. High acid, high - chewy, grippy tannin. High alcohol. Full body. Medium+ flavor intensity. Medium+ finish. This feels like it’s in a slightly awkward place vs. a few years ago now it has lost the vibrancy of youth. Interesting to drink but for optimal experience I’d advise waiting another 4 or 5 years until it resolves. As many are aware, this is not a frivolous Nebbiolo. From fruit in the Bricco Boschis with a month of post-fermentation maceration and 18 months in cask. I need to buy and store one until 2031.

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  • 2007 Barbeito Madeira Malvazia Colheita 93 Points

    Portugal, Madeira

    Pronounced aroma of toffee, burnt toffee, orange, leather, caramelised nuts, walnut, sultana, Christmas cake. Sweet, high orange marmalade acidity, high alcohol, full body, pronounced flavor intensity, long finish with a delicate balance between tangy fruit and salinity. Overall, a superb interplay between juicy acidity that elevates the fruit, complex tertiary notes, and sweetness. Outstanding.

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  • 2023 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso 91 Points

    Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC

    Nerello
    Medium ruby appearance. Medium intensity nose of red cherry, raspberry, black cherry, red and black plum, violet. A slight liquorice, burnt rubber character that I generally associate with Sicily. Some tertiary development from time in oak but no new oak notes.
    Medium+ acid, Medium+ tannin, high alcohol but the wine carries it well. Full bodied. Medium+ flavour intensity. Medium+ finish. Very good quality.

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  • 2022 Casa Vinicola D'Angelo Aglianico del Vulture 90 Points

    Italy, Basilicata, Aglianico del Vulture

    Deep ruby appearance. Medium+ nose of dark plum, blackcurrant, dark cherry. Secondary aromas of clove, cinnamon, charred wood. some tertiary aromas of smoked meat, leather. High acid. High - grippy and slightly dusty tannin. Medium alcohol. Full body. Medium flavour intensity. There is some dilution and lack of definition in the fruits but this is relative however - a prevention from the wine being outstanding rather than a heavy demerit. Medium+ finish. Very good quality. At USD$15 excellent value - while it is of course a different wine, there is an Italian commonality and I think this can serve as a far better value alternative to some of the mediocrity in Chianti, Langhe Nebbiolo etc at this price point.

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