Important Update From the Founder
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DBYOB
stockholm
Tasted March 24, 2018 by Omar Khayyam with 425 views
Introduction
The tasting was held on Sunday March 18 and while all the bottles except the first and last three were tasted blind, it was a fun and lively tasting, marked mostly by good humor and the exceptional generosity of the host. One of the best tastings I've been to.
Flight 1 - Good to get rid of'em (3 notes)
White - Sparkling
2008 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Premier Cru Terre de Vertus
A little tired, with really low acidity, but a nice enough nose, that was quite developed. Would have been impossible to guess that this is only a couple of years younger than the Terre de Versus I tried in december. But there was also a question of proper storage here, so let's not be too harsh. mid eighties if you're keeping score.
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White - Sparkling
2008 Philipponnat Champagne Blanc de Noirs Brut
Lots of apple juice and lemon bitters. Quite some body on this. I think I liked this better than most at the tasting. good but not great.
Rosé - Sparkling
2008 Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Spécial Club Rosé
candy like on the nose with assorted wine gum. lots of berries. good freshness, has more to give. recommended.
Flight 2 - Find the Frenchman (3 notes)
Red
2013 Domaine de la Côte Pinot Noir La Côte
92 points
lovely nose that was all sweet pinot fruit from the US, and then a very seashell mineral, salty palate that was all elegance. I really liked this.
Red
2010 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares
92 points
Very elegant and intoxicating pinot nose, soft attack on the palate but all is very well balanced. Opened up some during the course of the flight, somewhat short finish but overall just very nice.
Red
2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5
90 points
Sweet new world pinot, good freshness, it just paled in comparison to the other two in the flight. My first Felton Road and I am not disappointed.
Flight 3 - Hate and contempt (3 notes)
Red
2010 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso PrePhylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino
88 points
Strict and slightly stern in its tannic and acidic core structure, but not without sweetness in the fruit, I had this down as a finer end Sangiovese from Tuscany.
Red
2008 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
89 points
Yep, this was the nebbiolo in the flight, not just the color gave it away but also the rose-hip, and paint thinner edge, as well as some earthy notes. At first I was skeptical but it came around and delivered. But quite intellectual and much better with some cold cut meats.
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Red
2007 Podere Santa Marie Brunello di Montalcino
94 points
At first I thought this was a Barbera from Voerzio, it was that structured and fresh, while still holding a lot of fruit and texture. But after a while the sweet fruit started wafting through the glass and it was just lovely. Highly recommended.
Flight 4 - Find the Frenchman (3 notes)
Red
2012 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah In the Rocks
95 points
Meaty, with kalamata olives and lots of complexity. This is just fantastic! Velvety and fresh and just great to drink right now. I thought about Luke Lambert and Arnot-Roberts first, but there is more sweetness behind all the structure and salinity. Goes to show the greatness of this estate.
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Red
2014 Sami-Odi Shiraz XIV
90 points
So sweet, full of oven roasted root veggies similar to Melville. The bottle shape had me thinking this was a piedrasassi with some sunshine in it. Still, in spite of the over the top nose, the body was quite balanced. I liked it, but still it paled in the presence of the other two syrahs in the flight.
Red
2009 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis
94 points
My oh my, this was really great. Very nicely textured with seamless complexity and lots of dark fruit, good freshness, some pipe tobacco, blackberries, maybe coffee and black pepper, but toned down. So nice. I guessed a Hermitage from 2009, so was not too far off.
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Flight 5 - Find the Frenchman (3 notes)
Red
2004 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
94 points
This wine shone more after a while: classic Bordeaux markers, still I was so sure the French wine was the third, I guessed this for a super tuscan of higher lineage. This has many more miles to go, but was lovely and refreshing while still a full wine with good fruit and some tepid secondary flavors. Thought it was younger. Love the 2004 Bordeaux.
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Red
2007 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
93 points
Had this down to a Napa cab at least but wrong on producer and vintage. Very primary still, and I think this would do well in ten or twenty years time. Great fruit, but not over the top at all in terms of sweetness or oak or alcohol. I think that your view of American Cabernet Sauvignon depends a lot on if you've tried wine like this or not.
Red
1996 Tenuta San Leonardo San Leonardo
92 points
I was so sure this was the Bordeaux in the trio! Lots of cassis, and some ceder wood, some laurels and tobacco, but mostly it was quite dry and with an elegant demeanor. Wow, this was also a lot older than I thought.
Flight 6 - Wines that are not really as they should be (3 notes)
White
2014 Silwervis Chenin Blanc
85 points
very dry on the palate, with some nutty, waxy slightly oxidized stuff going on. Good texture. interesting and better with the cheese course that went with this.
White
2013 Domaine Gauby Côtes Catalanes Roque
88 points
Very fine, oxidized with good freshness, had this pegged as a jura wine. There's some floral notes but totally dry. You could not tell what it was, but it stood out compared to the other two in the flight.
White
2013 Bodegas Ximénez-Spínola Exceptional Harvest
xavier Auerbach had it right: bizarre. There's both a sweet and a dry/sour note on this that don't mix, has some odd nutty, stone fruit flavors, but then its headed in the wrong direction. But fun to try. The producer claims that Pedro Ximenez, the varietal mainly used in the cloyingly sweet sherries named after the grape, which I incidentally can't drink (and I can drink most things), is a mutation of riesling. This wine is his attempt at proving this theory. It's a mutation, all right, but not sure if that makes this any better.
Flight 7 - For food (you boozers) (3 notes)
Red
2012 Domaine Garon Côte-Rôtie Les Triotes
92 points
There's something for this type of middle of the road Syrah with some oak and good Syrah fruit, but dialed down so that its just plain drinkable and not in your face. There's a lot here, and it's just as open for business as the last time I drank this, incidentally both times from a magnum. What I said before.
Red
2015 Mas des Chimères Terrasses du Larzac Nuit Grave
89 points
I just recall that it felt quite full bodied, but with good freshness. Licorice, black fruit, plums and something that I think would be just great with some good steaks on the grill this summer. Great value at that.
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Red
2015 Domaine de la Tour du Bon Bandol en sol Ensoleillade
88 points
At this point, I wasn't taking notes, neither in ink nor mentally. Good stuff though.