Important Update From the Founder

BYOB dinner and then some

Avalon, Amsterdam

Tasted February 1, 2024 - February 2, 2024 by ThijsV with 45 views

Introduction

Dinner with twelve, where everybody brought a serious bottle and some bottles of the amazing Avalon wine list. Martine prepared the great food to accompany the wines

Flight 1 - Champagne (2 notes)

White - Sparkling

N.V. Jacques Selosse Initial France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

94 points

[Tasted blind] Just as great as my previous experience with this cuvee. Deep golden in color, with medium+ intensity with honey, nutty, brioche, dried yellow apple, oxidative, flint, fire stone. Medium+ acidity, long finish. 94-95+

Degorgement: 16/3/‘22. Dosage 2,5 g/l

3 people found this helpful Comment

White - Sparkling

2018 Adrien Dhondt Champagne Grand Cru Les Coullemets Le Mesnil-sur-Oger France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

93 points

[Tasted blind] Tasted alongside with the Initial from Selosse. Not as broad and rich (and oxidative) as the Selosse, much leaner and elegant, very good in its own way. Yeasty, brioche, citrus, nutty. Medium+ acidity, long finish 92-94

2655 bottles produced (BdB), dosage 1,5 g/l, degorgement 2/‘23

Comment

Flight 2 - High acidity (2 notes)

White

2012 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune France, Alsace

91 points

[Tasted blind] The petrol took me to riesling, but the acidity made me doubt it. This wine was on my bucket list, but the showing of tonight did not justify that spot. It felt too advanced for its age, a bit tired. Missing some tension, especially for riesling (and for a wine of this status). Medium intensity with petrol, lemon, lime, honey, linoleum. Ripe. Medium+ acidity, medium+ finish

1 person found this helpful Comment

White

2021 Les Horées Bourgogne-Aligoté En Coulezain France, Burgundy, Bourgogne-Aligoté

92 points

[Tasted blind] Couldn’t pinpoint this. Kept developing in the glass, very interesting. Did not disappoint, given the cult status this has (and secondary market prices). Medium+ acidity with maggi, lemon, quite oily. Medium+ acidity, long finish

Comment

Flight 3 - Rose intermezzo (2 notes)

Rosé

2022 Maison Glandien L'Amorce France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise

90 points

[Tasted blind] Pretty funky at the start, red fruit, juicy. Medium+ acidity, long finish. Interesting to try this

Comment

Rosé

2017 José Luis Ripa Sáenz de Navarrete Rioja RIPA Vino Rosado Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

91 points

[Tasted blind] Red fruit, slightly oxidative, mushrooms. Very fruity. Medium acidity. “Lopez de Heredia light” as someone called it. 30 months in old woord

Comment

Flight 4 - Bourgogne vs. South Africa (2 notes)

White

2018 Sadie Family Palladius South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland, Malmesbury

93 points

[Tasted blind] Tasted next to Comte Lafon Meursault Charmes from the same vintage. This felt older, but not less. It stood up very well. Quite advanced in color, ripe fruit, tropical fruit, caramel, both reductive and oxidative. Medium+ acidity, long finish. 92-93

Loved it, great wine

Comment

White

2018 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

93 points

[Tasted blind] Tasted alongside with the Palladius 2018. This was lean and elegant, definitely not the old style thick and buttery Meursault. Flint, firework, herbs, almond, white flowers, lemon, apples. Medium+ acidity, long finish. 93+

1 person found this helpful Comment

Flight 5 - Fruit vs. non-fruit (2 notes)

White

2013 Azienda Agricola Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Italy, Abruzzi, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo

93 points

[Tasted blind] Great to taste this with some age, great wine. Medium intensity with piccalilli (not my aroma call, but a great descriptor), savoury, herbs, lemon, apple. Medium+ acidity, long finish. 92-93

In great balance and I always like it when a wine is not fruit driven

2 people found this helpful Comment

White

2018 Dominio del Aguila Albillo Viñas Viejas Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

94 points

[Tasted blind] I called this cuvee, as I had the ‘16, ‘18 and ‘19 over the last year and this wine is so singular that it was immediately clear. Medium+ intensity with a fair amount of reduction, nutty, ripe exotic fruit. Medium+ acidity with a very long finish. This is powerful, some at the table found it too much

1 person found this helpful Comment

Flight 6 - Pinot Noir & Spatburgunder (3 notes)

Red

2017 Friedrich Becker Heydenreich Pinot Noir Germany, Pfalz

92 points

[Tasted blind] Very interesting and seductive on the nose (with black cherry, blue berry, oak spices, sous bois), but still a bit tight on the palate. Medium+ acidity, medium+ tannins, long finish. 91-92+

Too young at the moment? 18 months in French and German oak

Comment

Red

2019 Domaine Chanterêves Pommard France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard

91 points

[Tasted blind] My immediate association was strawberry ‘roosvicee’ (a typical Dutch squash made with a fair amount of rose pettals), a bitter note, laurel, black currant, cinnamon, lactic note. Medium+ acidity, medium tannins, medium+ finish

1 person found this helpful Comment

Red

2016 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieille Vigne France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

92 points

[Tasted blind] This Fourrier did not disappoint; black fruit, cola, spice, sous bois. Very juicy. Medium+ acidity, medium tannins, medium+ finish

1 person found this helpful Comment

Flight 7 - Top pinot (2 notes)

Red

2017 Cecile Tremblay Chambolle-Musigny Les Cabottes France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

93 points

[Tasted blind] Tasted next to Grivot’s Clos Vougeot from the same vintage. This was very, very good, although not the ethereal experience I had hoped for (maybe a another cuvee some time). Medium+ intensity on the nose with initially some broth notes which blew off quickly, great red fruit and cherries, elegant oak, light touch of black current, roses, floral. It is the palate that made this wine, not by the flavors, but the weightless, velvety, elegant feeling. So elegant and seductive. 93-94

Bottle 0584

1 person found this helpful Comment

Red

2017 Domaine Jean Grivot Clos Vougeot France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

93 points

[Tasted blind] Tasted next to Cecile Tremblay and, as Peter in the previous note said, this was the more restrained of the two, albeit the more complex one. Already very beautiful and enjoyable today (with medium intensity; red fruit, cherry, warm spices) it will has much more to give in the future. Medium+ acidity, medium- tannins, long finish. 93+

Comment

Flight 8 - Lost in time (1 note)

Red

1968 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

flawed

This was unfortunately fully maderized. Bought at an auction and I guess it has spent the better part of its life in a sunny Spanish shop window. Coffee, chocolate, raisins, stout.

Comment

Flight 9 - Heavy red (3 notes)

Red

2017 Bodegas Lanzaga (Telmo Rodriguez) Rioja Tabuerniga Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

90 points

[Tasted blind] Couldn’t pinpoint this. Didn’t show a lot of fruit, some coffee, earthiness. Acidity on the low side for my liking (medium-), medium tannins, medium+ finish. This missed some depth, bottle issue?

From 2,7 hectare vineyard, bottle 0329

Comment

Red

2015 Domaine Duclaux Côte-Rôtie Maison Rouge France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

92 points

[Tasted blind] Unmistakably Northern Rhone Syrah with the pepper (now I did get it!), meaty, bacon, olives, black fruit. Medium+ acidity, high tannins, medium+ finish. Will benefit from 5-7 years of cellaring

Unknown producer for me, worth seeking out

Comment

Red

2013 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

flawed

This was unfortunately flawed. There was a debate whether it was corked or not

Comment

Flight 10 - Desert (1 note)

White - Sparkling

2017 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Côte de Val Vilaine France, Champagne

94 points

One of the last bottles of the night, did not get the attention it deserved. Very elegant with brioche, citrus, minerality, nectarine. Very long finish. Dogorgement april 2020

2 people found this helpful Comments (1)

Flight 11 - Bonus (1 note)

White - Off-dry

2015 Weingut Keller Westhofener Morstein Riesling Auslese Germany, Rheinhessen

95 points

Although this was a bonus bottle in the line up, it was the WOTN for me. The gorgeously balanced sweetness (100 g/l RS) with the bracingly high (almost H+) acidity, complemented by the great aroma’s and flavors (lime, peach, kardemom) and the never-ending finish, just made it marvelous. No real signs of development yet, this has many decades to go. Happy to have 5 more in the cellar!

1 person found this helpful Comment

BYOB dinner and then some

Avalon, Amsterdam

Introduction

Flight 1 - Champagne (2 notes)

Flight 2 - High acidity (2 notes)

Flight 3 - Rose intermezzo (2 notes)

Flight 4 - Bourgogne vs. South Africa (2 notes)

Flight 5 - Fruit vs. non-fruit (2 notes)

Flight 6 - Pinot Noir & Spatburgunder (3 notes)

Flight 7 - Top pinot (2 notes)

Flight 8 - Lost in time (1 note)

Flight 9 - Heavy red (3 notes)

Flight 10 - Desert (1 note)

Flight 11 - Bonus (1 note)

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