5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

From half-bottle. These old Johannisberg rieslings are something special. Somehow, the colour always turns out to be motor oil, but also somehow these manage to maintain so much freshness despite that opulent, sweet character. Very much in line with old-school German TBAs in profile, though this doesn't have anywhere the same amount of botrytis spice. It's more of a figgy, PX-like character but with the lightness and acidity of a riesling.

5/2/2024 - 1W2T Likes this wine:

Trevlig

5/1/2024 - MicklethePickle wrote:

Popped and poured. Solid, translucent ruby. At the moment, faint cherry aroma and earthy, gritty fruit in the mouth. As others have noted, very dry, but I find that to be less of an impediment than some seem to have. Withholding scoring pending further development in the glass (if any).

5/2/2024 - 1W2T Likes this wine:

Helt ok men hade högre förväntningar.. 2 flaskor kvar, låt dem ligga!

5/2/2024 - 1W2T Likes this wine:

Bas 2015! Absolut trevlig men hade ärligt förväntat mig mer… låt de sista 3 ligga några år!

5/1/2024 - Bluecollar wrote:

approachable and not overpowering. Floral notes and flavors of melon, and fuji apples. Medium oak that pulls it together.

5/2/2024 - 1W2T Likes this wine:

Positiv, testar gärna fler flaskor från dessa unga killar! Problemet är bara att de ät svåra att få tag på pga hyp

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

Disgorged April 25, 2023, 1.33 g/L dosage. You know what, I have to say that this bottle didn't live up to my previous experiences with this wine. I don't know if it's because this is a very fresh bottle (probably because it is). There's certainly a lot to like here -- the crispness and brightness, with just the slightest suggestion of red fruit. But this is missing the more oxidative, chewy mineral texture that I have come to expect. This bottling has always been a bit of a weird wine in the Selosse stable, as it always comes across far less oxidative than all the other bottlings. And despite my seemingly negative comments here, this is still a marvelously delicious bottle of champagne.

4/27/2024 - ttchan2024 Likes this wine:

Bought 6 bottles. Consistent every time. Comparable to / slightly better than some lower end products of Grandes Marques in terms of fruit and clarity (not the classical brioche of course). Good price value ratio (30 USD per bottle).

5/2/2024 - 1W2T Likes this wine:

Imponerande! Köp fler om det går att hitta

5/1/2024 - Bluecollar wrote:

At winery:
Juicy round mouthfeel with dark ripe plums, boysenberry and a touch of earthiness on the building finish.

4/27/2024 - ttchan2024 Likes this wine:

Drank at home, bottle decanted for 6 hours.
Performing well, with medium to medium plus intensity on nose and palate, medium finish. Youthful, tannin still there but acceptable after 6 hours decanting. Can drink now with adequate decanting.

5/1/2024 - Willtryagain5yrsafterImdead Likes this wine:

Black fruit, leather, coffee, and dark chocolate nose followed by full bodied, expansive (but not too expansive) dark fruit and creamy mocha palate but with a slightly tart zing that adds freshness. Huh, 2004? So good - just beautiful. Oh wait, forgot what website I was on - not there yet, better several years from now, blah blah blah.

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

I didn't love this, but these days, Chetillons just doesn't really do it for me. It's fine, solid blanc de blancs, with a good mineral core and plenty of chardonnay-driven acidity (even in 2006!), but overall lacking weight and the level of complexity and palate presence you expect from a wine that costs, well, what it costs these days.

5/1/2024 - Bluecollar wrote:

Good value. Round and balanced with ripe black and blue fruit. Slightly drying with a medium length finish.

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

You know what -- this was better than the Krug I had a few days ago. Shocker, I know. But this was everything the Krug was missing: more of a structure, more acidity, just more oomph overall. Chewy structure, mature fruit, but also holding so much minerality and balanced acidity. A real surprise of a bottle.

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

Dead on arrival.

4/28/2024 - ttchan2024 wrote:

Bought and drank in a restaurant. Had a sip after 1.5 hour bottle decant, decided to keep bottle decant for 1+ hour more, instead of decanter, already adequate. Typical Barolo on nose, still tannic but acceptable. Medium to medium plus intensity on nose and palate, medium finish. Can be better given the price point (>200 USD).

5/1/2024 - Bluecollar wrote:

Well structured, complex wine that is dry and balanced before giving way to a long almost silky finish.

5/1/2024 - B_F Likes this wine:

Nose of flowers, honey, and citrus. Palate - bright citrus is dominant here. Solid wine overall, but not my favorite style of riesling.

4/28/2024 - ttchan2024 Likes this wine:

Bought and drank in a restaurant. Pop and pour. Off dry, sharp acidity to balance, served as the first wine on purpose. Hints of tertiary components e.g. honey, nuts and retaining much of the primary fruits. Medium plus nose and palate, medium finish.

5/1/2024 - Bluecollar wrote:

Red and blue fruit that is quickly overpowered by the high acidity. Not necessarily harsh, but until that relaxes it seems to get in the way. Could be nice a few years from now.

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

From magnum. Mind-boggling how obnoxiously young this is. Served blind, I'd probably guess something like 1991 (though it's not as fruit-forward and ripe) or 1992 (probably a better guess). There's a bit of chocolate and cacao going on with this wine, but coupled with the way the fruit shows (secondary at best) and how youthful those big tannins are here, it all works in perfect balance. That this feels kind of chewy on the palate says all you need to know about the further ageability of this. I only hope I can cross paths with a bottle of this again in the future.

3/9/2024 - Jeffyboy wrote:

strawberry, superclean colour. nose: fruity - strawberries, raspberries, red cherries soft plummy aromas. tart with a touch of earthiness. taste: medium (+) acidity; reasonable tannins (bit pinchy though). red and black cherries, strawberries, plums - fruit is ripe. medium (+) pleasant finish. Southern face of PN.

4/20/2024 - ttchan2024 wrote:

Brought and drank in a restaurant. Bottle decanted for ~1-2 hours. Opening well. Classic Bordeaux with cassis and graphite. Good acid. Nose, palate and finish medium to medium plus. Limited potential for further aging. Would expect more from the label and the price.

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

Next to a magnum of the 1978, it's very apparent how ready and approachable this wine is. And yet in isolation, it kind of isn't. The fruit profile here is quite dark, and there's that classic old Diamond Creek perfume on the nose that is really amped up. On the palate, and developing with some air, you get more of a funky, sweaty animale note (not unlike good old Rioja) that somehow is so pheromone-ridden that you're clamoring for more. Despite how good this was, I very much preferred the obnoxiously youthful 1978 magnum more.

5/1/2024 - B_F Likes this wine:

Nose is medicinal cherry, herb, a bit of earth, chocolate. Palate - strawberry, cherry, tobacco, grippy tannins. I think this wine has a lot of life ahead of it. Great now, but probably very good in 5-10 years.

5/1/2024 - Bluecollar wrote:

Nose and flavors of ripe bananas along with apricots. A bit one note and not a clean as previous vintiges.

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

Corked.

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

Caymus is now the sole winery where I've had absolute, undrinkable garbage, and absolute, mesmerizing nectar of the gods. In contrast to most of the other wines at the table tonight, this is a punch-you-in-the-face delicious sort of cabernet. The nose is spectacular -- full-on fireworks and concentrated, sun-drenched Napa goodness. More black-fruited than red, with just a hint of pyrazine and American oak. On the palate, it's just more of the same -- it's not shy or demure -- just straight-up here-I-am Napa ripeness. I had high expectations for the wines tonight, but this bottle was the dark horse.

5/1/2024 - ttchan2024 wrote:

Drank at home, 375 mL format.
First day very alcoholic, had a few sips only and then put into fridge.
Second day more glass decant, not fantastic, but performing reasonably well given the price point (20 USD for 375 mL).
Would suggest bottle decant for 4 hours +, or decanter.

5/1/2024 - Bluecollar wrote:

Similar to past notes and the standout of the tasting.

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

This was, in contrast to the sterner, more structural 1970, a very heart-on-its-sleeve, easy-to-love bottle of cabernet. The fruit is opulent and plush, and there's still a good amount of fruit-driven sweetness here that is absolutely splendid. The profile is darker complexioned -- very little red fruit here, and there's an old-school Robert Parker richness here that I find just so easygoing and compelling. Very approachable and straight-up delicious, without the need to put in much thought, though that's not to say that this wine doesn't deserve thought.

5/1/2024 - Bluecollar wrote:

An austere wine that seems confused and is muddled mid palate. Not as aromatic as their other pinots, but nice black currant and oak flavors.

5/1/2024 - MindMuse wrote:

Quite excellent savory and organic earthy nose with pretty, balanced flavors. Held up over two evenings.

5/1/2024 - arasse Likes this wine:

Not as ripe as the 2015. Not overtly oaky. Elegant. Delicious.

5/1/2024 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine:

Retail $24. Really Heavy Bottle (). 100% Trebbiano di Lugana. I picked this up way back in 2018 at a conference and it has been waiting patiently in my cellar ever since (well, I think it has been patient). Brilliant straw to yellow in the glass with an aromatic nose of basil, apricot, and a touch of pear. Lovely. The palate is tart, even quite tart, with plenty of fruit (kiwi and lime) with an interesting almond aspect on the lengthy finish. Excellent. 90 Points.

www.thedrunkencyclist.com

5/1/2024 - Bluecollar wrote:

Very aromatic with black fruit, licorice with a lingering finish that starts slightly sweet and builds to warm spices. Drink young

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

There's a fair bit of a Bordelais bent to this wine as well -- it's showing lots of wood shavings and leather on the nose and palate. The thing that separates this from Bordeaux of this era is the generosity of fruit that Napa was able to accomplish. This has a relatively stern cabernet profile, in that the structure and the non-fruit elements take the drivers seat, but given the plush fruit on the passenger side, there is fantastic balance as well. I liked this a hair more than the 1974 alongside, which was a bit more heart-on-its-sleeve.

5/1/2024 - Winokdub wrote:

With some air this really shined. Great depth and complexity. At or maybe even slightly past peak. Time to drink up. Really enjoyed. Message me if you need help.

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

An interesting note of cumin on the nose and palate here. Despite being mature with a mix of leather and dust, this still shows quite a bit of black fruit as well. In no danger of decline, tonight this wine came across to me as more structural than giving and straight-up pleasurable. One of the few wines that I felt could still stand to benefit from a bit of bottle age. My last bottle of this was around a decade ago, but the salient point I wrote then, which I still feel is true today, is that the modern Napa is not ever going to become anything like this. They really don't make 'em like they used to.

5/1/2024 - KVM wrote:

Raspberry coloured. Fruity nose. Silky, elegant, concentrated with fresh fruit. Deeply fruity and very welcoming at this early age. A remarkable young Corton Rouge.

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

Mostly Eisele fruit. Unfortunately, muddy and corked.

3/7/2024 - Jeffyboy wrote:

light golden colour; clean and clear; very good. nose: a lot of hay aromas, lemon, apples. quite full and intense. not bad. taste: medium (+) acidity -balanced with good fruit quality (apples, pears, lemons) plus minerality (limestone); and hay plus field flowers. Medium (+) finish. refreshing but not simple.

5/1/2024 - mliszt Likes this wine:

Sad only 1 left but give it 30 minutes and hold on for a great ride. The winery is special and I will continue to take all they offer.

5/1/2024 - mliszt Likes this wine:

5years later wow. Just sensational and pop n pour ready. Smooth and great with Italian food.

5/1/2024 - acyso wrote:

Stunning, gorgeous stuff. This poured a little cloudy at first, which had me worried, and the nose, like so many of the other wines tonight, didn't seem to be as expressive as it could have been. Again, those 15-30 minutes of air did wonders here. This manages to hold it's whopping 13.9% abv (in 1971!) incredibly well. Would that Napa be able to do the same nowadays. The most un-cabernet-like of all the wines tonight, this had a delicate, strawberry perfume that might have been more at home with Rayas. It's certainly on the higher end of the register here. The palate presence of this wine is similarly stunning -- delicate, perfumed, and ethereal. For me though, it was the texture of the wine that really sealed the deal: it was so silken and resolved, but still with enough of a structural core that gives just enough pushback.

71 Cabernet Sauvignon, Eisele, bottled May 1973
The Eisele vineyard is on gravelly soil up against the eastern hills of Napa Valley. Production in 1971 was low and the grapes attained full ripeness. Fermented dry on the skins and allowed to macerate an additional seven days, the wine then went through a full malolactic and was racked to small cooperage. This excellent wine is big, with the potential for at least ten years of bottle aging. PD (10/73)

5/1/2024 - jlhkiss Likes this wine:

Consistent with notes 14 months ago, only more quaffable now. Perfumed nose, firm acidity, and overall balance and freshness on the palate, but still strong tannins on the finish. This should continue to improve so drink 2024-2030. Technical score: 91. Enjoyment score: 93.

5/1/2024 - d.f.c Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2hrs prior to drinking. The pleasant nose of berries, jam and currant were apparent. Very smooth to the taste with reasonably long finish.

5/1/2024 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine:

Not my palate any more but so quaffable. Rich, ripe and enjoyable but lacking the spoiled wine snob complexity I now search for. Still so fun to drink, would never say no if given the chance at a restaurant!