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Fine Vines Fall 2017 Portfolio Tasting
City Winery - Chicago IL
Tasted October 16, 2017 by Burgundy Al with 531 views
Introduction
Once again much thanks to George and the Fine Vines team for allowing me to find more great wine to buy.
Flight 1 (65 notes)
White - Sparkling
N.V. Jose Dhondt Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
90 points
Tasting, brief note. Lots of orchard fruit here with good concentration and length. Starting to become more bready vs one year ago. May 2014 disgorgement. Best to enjoy over the next few years.
Rosé - Sparkling
N.V. Camille Savès Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé
90 points
Tasting, brief note. More berry vs apple, surprising for 60% chardonnay. Soft edges, good length, moderate power. March 2014 disgorgement. Good now.
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White - Sparkling
N.V. Camille Savès Champagne Premier Cru Brut Carte Blanche
Tasting, brief note. Nov 2016 disgorgement. Very Pinot driven start-to-finish, but with Chardonnay making a clear contribution of precision and verve. Good now, probably better in another year.
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White - Sparkling
2009 Camille Savès Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé
89 points
Tasting, brief note. Floral with plenty of berry throughout. Engaging start, moderate finesse and length.
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Red
2014 The Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
Tasting, brief note. Exactly what I expect from Eyrie - bright red fruit, delicate and elegant with slightly firm structure in its youth. Better 2020-. Moderate weight and length.
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White
2016 Tiberio Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
Tasting, brief note. Engaging floral start with bright fruit on nose and palate. Gets very lean very quickly. Really needs food to enjoy this wine.
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White
2016 Triennes Viognier Sainte Fleur
Tasting, brief note. Floral galore start. More restrained, subdued palate, nicely balancing rich and lean. Easy, fun for now.
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White
2015 Castello di Ama Al Poggio Toscana IGT
Tasting, brief note. Rich start and middle shows it Chardonnay-ness nicely. Good middle-to-finish, even id slightly losing steam. Fun for now, good enough value wine.
White
2014 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet
89 points
Tasting, brief note. Apple and some lemon curd. Very good balance, moderate weight, good length.
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Red
2015 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Ama
Tasting, brief note. Red cherry and berry with an earthy hint. Moderate weight with some rustic structure. Good for its price and level.
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Red
2013 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Lorenzo
90 points
Tasting, brief note. Mostly red cherry, with some black cherry and red berry hints. Good+ richness, structure and balance. Good+ overall now with upside from here.
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Red
2008 Snowden Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Tasting, brief note. Lush, ripe, oaky and so very New World. Well made in its style, but a little more extroverted than I prefer in my wine.
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White
2015 Domaine Vocoret et Fils Chablis
Tasting, brief note. Rich and easy drinking for Chablis. Shows more vintage than Chablis, but certainly fun.
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White
2014 Domaine Vocoret et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons
89 points
Tasting, brief note. Lemon and lemon peel with very good length, finishing with bright energy. Good weight and depth. A very good value wine.
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White
2014 Domaine Vocoret et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
Tasting, brief note. Good fruit to start, but seemed to get tart quickly. Inconsistent with when tasted before. I'm wondering if this bottle was representative.
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White
2014 Domaine Vocoret et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts
Tasting, brief note. Green and yellow apple with a classic, lean Chablis style. Moderate weight, length and finesse. Good now, better in another year or three as it softens.
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White
2014 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet
88 points
Tasting, brief note. Floral and charming start. Apple start-to-finish with good+ balance and an overall elegant style. Good now, very good for its level.
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White
2014 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain
89 points
Tasting, brief note. Apple and pear throughout with a faint nutty hint more reminiscent of Meursault. Good power for its level, good+ length. Better in another year or three.
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White
2014 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean
90 points
Tasting, brief note. Bigger and fatter vs the other Niellon cuvees, with the same elegant and classic structure. Very good concentration and balance. Expanding finish. Good now, with upside.
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Red
2014 Fernand Lécheneaut et Fils (Philippe et Vincent) Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
Tasting, brief note. Slightly reduced, so tough to fully/ fairly assess. Lighter style red fruit. OK overall.
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Red
2014 Fernand Lécheneaut et Fils (Philippe et Vincent) Vosne-Romanée
87 points
Tasting, brief note. Light style is classically Vosne and nicely elegant. Moderate weight and complexity, but I certainly like the spice hints coming through on the finish. Better to cellar for a few years.
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Red
2014 Pierre Damoy Bourgogne
87 points
Tasting, brief note. Slightly more black vs red fruit, with good overall combination of fruit, spice and structure. Very good+ for its level.
Red
2014 Pierre Damoy Marsannay Bretignières
87 points
Tasting, brief note. Black cherry throughout, slightly burly but still nicely balanced. Good weight, good+ length.
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Red
2015 Stoller Pinot Noir Dundee Hills
86 points
Tasting, brief note. Red cherry start-to-finish. Simple, fun and easy to enjoy now.
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Red
2015 Stoller Pinot Noir Reserve Dundee Hills
88 points
Tasting, brief note. A big step up over the Dundee Hills, this is richer and more concentrated with far more nuance. Slight sweetness that I think/ hope will soften with another year or two. Good for its level/ price.
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Red
2015 J.L. Chave Sélection Côtes du Rhône Mon Coeur
87 points
Tasting, brief note. Ripe black and red fruits come across as forward and fun. Good weight. Better integration and balance now vs when last tasted in the spring.
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Red
2015 J.L. Chave Sélection Crozes-Hermitage Silène
89 points
Tasting, brief note. Ripe fruit comes across as big and well structured. Very good length and weight. Also better vs when last tasted in the spring, this is still slightly firm, so better to cellar for another year. Excellent value wine.
Red
2014 J.L. Chave Sélection St. Joseph Offerus
88 points
Tasting, brief note. Black fruit and black olives. Good now, great value wine. Slightly burly, so certainly better with food.
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Red
2012 J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage Farconnet
89 points
Tasting, brief note. Very forward and well balanced. Slightly simple for Hermitage, but drinking nicely now.
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Red
2013 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave St. Joseph
90 points
Tasting, brief note. All black fruit with good concentration and length. Firm start, softer finish. Good now, but I expect even better balance to emerge if cellared for another year or three.
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Red
2014 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave St. Joseph
90 points
Tasting, brief note. Bright and ripe black cherry and plum. Slightly simpler right now vs 2013, but more power and probably better potential, but requiring more cellar time.
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Red
2013 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
Tasting, brief note. Black cherry, black pepper, olive hints and roasted meat. Big and powerful.Very long finish. Firm, almost rustic at present, this will benefit from a decade in the cellar. Very good 92-93 point potential.
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White
2013 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc
94 points
Tasting, brief note. Baked apple, stone fruit, candied ginger and lemongrass. Very rich, but wonderfully balanced, very long and expanding. Great right now, but this will most certainly shut down for a long hiatus. Enjoy over the next year or so...or in the 2030s.
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White
2015 Arnaud Lambert Saumur Brézé Clos David
Tasting, brief note. Lemon throughout, very mineral driven, chiseled finish. Good value.
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White
2014 Nicolas Joly Savennières Les Clos Sacrés (Les Vieux Clos)
87 points
Tasting, brief note. Restrained start shows apple and pear, expanding and richer from middle forward, with some nut butter coming through. Expanding finish, ends well.
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White
2012 Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coulée de Serrant
91 points
Tasting, brief note. Lemon curd and dried apricot. Dense, big and powerful, almost meaty. Very good now, with upside.
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White
2015 Marcel Deiss Blanc
Tasting, brief note. Floral and spicy start with tropical fruit and lychee nut character that made me think this dominated by Gewurztraminer.
White
2013 Marcel Deiss Langenberg
90 points
Tasting, brief note. Apple and lemon with moderate weight. Fine mineral finish. Good now, with upside.
White
2011 Marcel Deiss Grasberg
90 points
Tasting, brief note. Rich aromatic start with ripe fruit and sweet spice. Rich flavors as well, seemingly rich, robust and even smoky. Less accessible vs when last tasted in 2014, so I'd cellar this longer.
White
2010 Marcel Deiss Altenberg de Bergheim
Tasting, brief note. Candied orange peel and candied lemon peel with apple and baked apple flavors. So rich, slightly sweet (but less sweet than I would expect for its level of RS), but yet so minerally, powerful and well balanced. 93-94 point potential.
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White
2015 Benjamin Leroux Bourgogne Blanc
86 points
Tasting, brief note. Rich and slightly tropical but with enough energy to remain bright. Good concentration for its level, good overall for near-term enjoyment.
White
2012 Benjamin Leroux Bourgogne Blanc
85 points
Tasting, brief note. Starts off with fat fruit aromas and flavors, finishes slightly brighter and almost elegant. Best to enjoy near-term.
White
2015 Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Chardonnay Clos de la Crochette
88 points
Tasting, brief note. Rich and dense but then very lively middle through long-ish finish. A very good 2015 for its price.
White
2015 Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Viré-Clessé
87 points
Tasting, brief note. Stone fruit with baking spice. Rich and fat for very good near-term enjoyment.
White
2013 Château des Quarts Pouilly-Fuissé Clos de Quarts
89 points
Tasting, brief note. Floral start with ripe orchard fruit aromas and flavors. Well balanced, expanding finish. Better today vs when last tasted in the winter.
White
2009 La Soufrandière Pouilly-Vinzelles Les Quarts
87 points
Tasting, brief note. Very good concentration for its level with ripe orchard fruit. Showing age, time to drink up.
White
2014 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin La Princée Blanc
89 points
Tasting, brief note. Lemon and green apple with very good length and energy. Better today vs when tasted in Burgundy March 2016.
White
2015 Domaine François Mikulski Meursault
Tasting, brief note. Apple, some pear. Very tasty, rich and enjoyable already. Simple now, but I expect this will improve with a small amount of cellar time. 87 points now, probably better 2019-.
White
2014 Benjamin Leroux Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Embazées
90 points
Tasting, brief note. Floral and orchard fruit aromas, very engaging. Power with elegance. Better integrated vs when tasted in March 2016. Better yet in a few more years.
Red
2012 Benjamin Leroux Bourgogne
Tasting, brief note. Slightly reductive for now. Lighter style, nicely elegant. Good for its level.
Red
2014 Camille Giroud Maranges 1er Cru Le Croix Moines
Tasting, brief note. Red cherry throughout, slightly tart, but with good concentration. Good for its level, even if not as good as I recall from the 2010 and 2011 vintages, when I stocked up on a case of each.
Red
2014 Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Tasting, brief note. Black fruit with an earthy hint, very big yet balanced. Good now with upside.
Red
2014 Domaine Sylvain Pataille Marsannay Clémengeots
90 points
Tasting, brief note. Black cherry aromas and flavors with some red cherry hints.Great balance, VG length. Drinking wonderfully already, tasting even better now vs 6 months ago. Certainly upside from here.
Red
2012 Domaine Bruno Clair Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
90 points
Tasting, brief note. Red cherry, some berry with savory spice. Moderate ripeness. Very mineral driven middle through finish. Needs time, 90 point potential.
Red
2014 Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
90 points
Tasting, brief note. Black cherry, some licorice and roasted meat. Good+ power and balance. Everything in harmony, so VG for its level, better 2019-.
Red
2014 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes
Tasting, brief note. Slightly reductive start, but clearly showing rich red and black cherry. Needs time, needs air. Good+ length and weight. Better 2020-.
Red
2014 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Faconnières
Tasting, brief note. Red and black cherry with lots of concentration. Backward now, but powerful finish. 90++ point potential, 2024-.
Red
2012 Domaine Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers
Tasting, brief note. Meaty black fruit, chocolate and liqueur hints. Slightly backward, good power. Needs time. 91-92 point potential, 2022-.
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White
2015 Domaine Louis Moreau Chablis 1er Cru Vaulignot
Tasting, brief note. Ripe start, showing its vintage clearly. Fun and forward, but still showing a crisp finish. Good for its level, a good value.
Red
2014 Ernest Meurgey-Perron Coteaux Bourguignons
86 points
Tasting, brief note. Very pleasant blend, showing charming Pinot and Gamay features in easy harmony. Very good value wine.
Red
2015 Ernest Meurgey-Perron Bourgogne
Tasting, brief note. Slight reduction to start. Red fruit, slightly firm, not yet perfectly integrated right now.
Red
2015 Domaine Chofflet-Valdenaire Givry
Tasting, brief note. Very balanced, very enjoyable Ripe and fun. Very good value wine.
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Red
2015 Maison Bertrand Ambroise Bourgogne
86 points
Tasting, brief note. Red and black cherry. Simple but good balance and fruit quality. Good+ value.
Red
2015 Maison Bertrand Ambroise Nuits St. Georges
88 points
Tasting, brief note. Dense black fruit, NSG expected firmness. Needs time, good 88 point potential.
Red
2015 Maison Bertrand Ambroise Corton-Le Rognet
Tasting, brief note. Big start with ripe black cherry and roasted meat. Restrained middle, followed by a big finish. Very good concentration. slightly woody right now, but patience should pay off here. Needs until at least 2025-, with 91-93 point potential.
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