11/19/2023 - alittle wrote:

Fine showing from this forgotten vintage. Had no expectations going in to this, as any sort of writings on this particular bottle are limited. Decanted for sediment and then consumed over approximately two hours. Overall, very light in colour with fairly significant bricking. Fully mature and likely on the downslope, but still offering quite a bit of pleasure today. Fairly textbook aromatics of dried currant, decaying leaves, cedar, leather, dried tobacco and mossy undergrowth. Slightly elevated acid (presumably a function of vintage), tannins mostly resolved, and a moderate length finish replaying elements of the nose. A bit dilute this one, but still has a certain elegant charm that one can enjoy, even if score wise this wine does not rival the top examples from this estate.

9/9/2023 - alittle wrote:

A couple points of upside potential, but quite awkward presentation currently. Needs another decade or so in bottle.

9/10/2023 - alittle wrote:

Not particularly expressive and never opened up. Possibly low level TCA but no overt TCA perceived.

2/8/2023 - alittle wrote:

Oxidized

2/8/2023 - alittle wrote:

Fruit is a distant memory. Quite advanced for age.

12/31/2022 - alittle wrote:

Oxidized

12/31/2022 - alittle wrote:

Very disappointing showing on this considering the sea of positive tasting notes, so perhaps this bottle was not representative. Overripe, high glycerin and lacking sufficient acidity. I feel this would have been better younger when the fruit was fresher.

8/20/2023 - alittle wrote:

Pristine example. Right in the sweet spot of maturity. On the riper end of the Beaucastel spectrum, but overall a classic presentation with good density of ripe fruit on the palate.

2/18/2023 - alittle wrote:

An absolute triumph for the vintage. Wide open, textbook Chave Hermitage.

7/26/2023 - alittle wrote:

Textbook example of the better side of California Cabernet. Sitting comfortable at or near its apogee, but should hold for quite some time.

7/26/2023 - alittle wrote:

This experience provides a glimpse of the classic Rayas aromatics, so I'll let this squeak in to a 90, but for my taste this has excessive ripeness and alcohol, with pruney overtones that I find unappealing. If served on the rocks, this could merit a higher score.

7/26/2023 - alittle wrote:

Pure magic in a bottle. One of the best wines made in the last 50 years. Incredibly expressive aromatically, and carries on the palate with unparalleled length. No exaggeration, I could still taste this wine over 24 hours later.

8/28/2023 - alittle wrote:

Absolutely spellbinding. From a perfect specimen. At apogee and should hold for some time.

8/28/2023 - alittle wrote:

Incredible showing for this wine. Among the best Spanish wines I've ever had. Within context of what it is, I think this is a perfect wine.

8/25/2023 - alittle wrote:

Oxidized

8/25/2023 - alittle wrote:

Still kicking, but this example feels as though it is a bit tired.

8/25/2023 - alittle wrote:

Well constructed, but rather unspectacular.

8/25/2023 - alittle wrote:

Fine showing from this bottle, which is situated in its early maturity phase. Would like to revisit in approximately 1 decade to let more tertiary components develop.

8/25/2023 - alittle wrote:

Textbook right bank Bordeaux, although perhaps a smidge more overt wood than I would ideally like. That said, this showed beautifully and improved over the course of the evening. This is firmly in early maturity, and a wine I would like to revisit in another decade or so.

8/25/2023 - alittle wrote:

Served alongside the '98. Initially, they were very close and the '04 seemed a touch more exotic with higher perceptible pyrazines, but in the end, the gap widened. At this juncture, the '04 is a bit more clunky, although still a nice wine indeed.

8/25/2023 - alittle wrote:

There were elements to enjoy about this with good typicity, but overall felt quite tired.

8/25/2023 - alittle wrote:

On life support; not rated or consumed.

8/5/2023 - alittle wrote:

Very perfumed and expressive, although the palate fails to follow suit; a bit thin.

8/25/2023 - alittle wrote:

Exceptional showing at this early juncture; wide open, soaring from the glass. Mesmerizing.

8/25/2023 - alittle wrote:

Needs further time for the wood to integrate a little more, but all the materials are there for this to be excellent with some patience.

7/17/2021 - alittle wrote:

Light straw gold in colour. On the nose leaning more towards the melon and stone fruit realm, with an overlay of sea air, florals, fresh drawn butter and a hint of matchstick providing further interest. On the palate, intensity is high, with excellent cut for the vintage. Finish is very long, lingering with stone fruit, dried flowers, lemon curd, and mineral. Stylistically, this is too tropical and buttery for me, but the quality is there.

10/21/2021 - alittle wrote:

Garnet in colour with moderate brick at rim. Thoroughly impressed with this showing – textbook nose of olive tapenade, cured meat, smoldering pine needles, juniper, decaying leaves, with some distant memories of blackcurrants and red berries. The palate is well integrated at this juncture, with fully resolved tannins, moderate acidity, and a fairly length finish. Well in to the savoury and mature realm for syrah, but absolutely striking, and truly captivating. Drink now.

7/17/2021 - alittle wrote:

Deep purple in the glass. No bricking. American oak present, with those coconut type notes. Relatively primary purple fruit, florals, a touch of bitter chocolate, and mild pyrazines, manifesting as mint and eucalyptus. Quality winemaking here on display. Consensus was California. Dave guessed Screaming Eagle, and he was right. Palate length and concentration is very good here. A privilege to taste this, even though outside of my regular wheelhouse. If you love Napa, you will love this, but let them rest another decade at least.

7/17/2021 - alittle wrote:

Starting to brick now as it enters adulthood, very complex, but a hair behind the last showing some years ago. Fresh clipped grass, dried blackberry, earth, herbs, mint, coffee, black olive, really stanky wet animal fur, farmyard, decaying foliage and a faint hint of smoldering pine needles. Palate is fully integrated. Finishes long. At this resolved stage, there are no hard edges, making this a borderline crusher. Bottle was gone in a flash. Still in quite a nice spot, despite the lower score.

7/17/2021 - alittle wrote:

Ruby in colour with a mild brick. Very exotic nose, with a lovely streak of mint, dried cherries, forest floor, fresh mushrooms, spice. On the palate, just beautifully integrated. Finishes quite long, replaying similar elements of the aromatics from the nose. Textbook burgundy. Wonderful producer, and fantastic showing for this bottle.

7/17/2021 - alittle wrote:

Garnet in colour. No apparent bricking. On the nose, initially had a cured meat component that was overwhelming and quite exotic in terms of intensity. With time, this integrated, revealing raspberry, orange rind, cherry, decaying forest and tilled soil. On the palate, the length is insane here. Echoes on and on, even with the smallest taste. Impressive showing. Very early maturity and should continue to age gracefully for another couple decades.

7/17/2021 - alittle wrote:

Garnet in colour, mild bricking. On the nose, dried cherry, grandma’s veranda, spice, orange peel. On the palate, similar notes echoing trough. Lacking a bit of the complexity and concentration of others in the flight. Quite a disappointment for a Grand Cru, but kind of par for the course with Bouchard in this era.

7/17/2021 - alittle wrote:

Ruby in colour with a slight bricking at the rim. Right out of the gate, this was singing, with a real animal fur like overlay. I’m transported deep in to the forest, with notes of undergrowth, moss, wild berries, spice. Palate replays similar notes. Finish is long, and well integrated package overall. Currently in the early maturity phase, with further upside potential.

7/17/2021 - alittle wrote:

In the glass, rather significant bricking, turning amber/orange at the rim. On the nose, aging gracefully, dried cherry, orange peel, decaying foliage, fresh tilled soil. On the palate, still quite structured, replaying some similar notes from the nose, cherry preserves, mineral, blood orange, finishing very long, but the drying tannins start to clip the finish. At peak, or in decline. Overall, this seems to be drying out and would be best consumed in the near term.

7/17/2021 - alittle wrote:

Deep amber gold in colour. On the nose, incredibly complex; marmalade, brown spice (clove, nutmeg) burnt sugar, old furniture, honey, florals. On the palate, incredible length, deep flavours of apricot jelly and marmalade. Beautiful spices unfurling on the palate as this finishes very long. A wonderful pairing with the foie dish.

7/17/2021 - alittle wrote:

Golden in colour, extremely fine bead, which dissipates visually rather quickly. On the palate, it retains some further persistence. On the nose, we are in to a somewhat oxidative realm, honey, toasted nuts, bakers yeast and brown spices. On the palate, very lovely with a fine bead of acid. Finishes long with notes of dried apricots, marmalade, burnt sugar and decaying lemon peel.

10/21/2021 - alittle wrote:

Deep golden/amber leaning colour in the glass. Tremendously complex nose of dried apricot, marmalade, clove, furniture polish, honeycomb, candied pineapple, crème brulee, decaying forest/fungal growth type undertones. On the palate, marmalade, brown spice and burnt sugar, with a lingering finish that prompts the voice inside one’s head – time for another sip. Always a treat to go back and re-taste legends from the past. A small step behind the bottle had many moons ago, as this example has shed some of its youthful vigor.

10/21/2021 - alittle wrote:

Straw gold in colour, persistent bead. On the nose, freshly baked brioche, candied citrus peel, fresh rainfall, toasted almond, a touch of grated ginger, ground coffee, baked apple, burnt sugar and brown spices. On the palate, apples foster, lemon zest, with an immense earthiness, accented with a hint of nuttiness on the back end. Finishes quite long. Surprisingly open for business at this juncture.

10/21/2021 - alittle wrote:

Ruby in the glass; no notable bricking. On the nose, initially a bit tight but unfurls nicely to reveal black cherry, cranberry, blood orange, tea, dried flowers, incense, earth, and a mélange of herbs and spices, with a lovely cool mint overlay. On the palate, good density with sour cherry, earth, orange zest and herbal type elements coming to the fore on the finish. While extremely pleasurable today with some air, I think the best is yet to come for this wine. Likely 10-15 years from apogee. Tremendous upside.

10/21/2021 - alittle wrote:

Ruby red in the glass, with a slight brick at the rim. On the nose soaring aromatics of macerated strawberries and raspberries, incense, fresh herbs, underbrush, dried cherry, Christmas cake, and almost a machine shop type aroma that I often in get in aged Riesling. This wine is incredibly complex and distinctive; it could only come from one place. What privilege to taste this. I truly thought this one would elude me.

10/21/2021 - alittle wrote:

From an impeccably stored example. Garnet in the glass with moderate bricking at the rim. Bursting from the glass with cornucopia of varied aromatics; blackberry, black currant, undergrowth, truffle, florals, black tea, freshly tilled soil, tobacco leaf and an element of coriander, or perhaps, a soupçon of freshly chopped cilantro. On the palate, beautiful integrated and fully resolved, with a lengthy finish accented with cassis, earth, tobacco, and dried flowers, rounding things out with the exotic mélange of spice you find only in bottles have stood the test of time, evolving for 50 years and beyond, ultimately bestowing grace upon those that ultimately get to imbibe. It is bottles like these that fuel the desire to chase the next high like a crackhead giving hand jobs in the alley for his next rock.

3/23/2022 - alittle Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. Garnet, with mild brick; fully translucent. On the nose, textbook aged Syrah; black currant, cured meat, campfire, green olives, herbs, mint, grass clippings, wet fur and undergrowth. On the palate, this finishes very long, with great acidity and concentration, replaying the various aromatic components from the nose; blackcurrant, olives, smoke and mélange of herbs. The structure is fully resolved, all components seamlessly integrated and drinking at or near its apogee. A triumph for the vintage. Well done.

7/18/2015 - alittle wrote:

Popped and poured, followed over the course of the evening. The darkest Champagne in the flight; deep golden and slightly opaque, similar to a hefeweizen. Very fine bead, which dissipates rapidly in the glass. On the nose, this is tremendously complex and unusual, perhaps the most interesting Champagne I've ever sampled. From the glass wafts notes of decaying red apple, beef broth, mushroom stock, damp earth, brown spice, aged cheese, roast nuts, honey, woodspice and a real gamey note. On the palate, quite rich and round, mirroring tastes from the nose, showing excellent concentration and depth of flavour. Acidity here is moderate and my only qualm is that the finish didn't match the intensity of the rest of the package.

7/18/2015 - alittle wrote:

Popped and poured, followed over the course of the evening. In terms of colour, this sits somewhere between the Giraud and the Vilmart. Medium gold in colour, with a fine bead that also dissipates rather quickly. This fully mature Champagne boasts notes of honey, lemon zest, toasted nuts, baked apple, burnt sugar, orange marmalade, brown spice, toast and a hint of sherry as this sits in the glass. On the palate, this is nice and round, with medium plus acidity. Decent length on the finish with tastes of lemon drop, baked apple, spice, roasted nuts and orange marmalade. For my tastes, this is in the drink now phase.

7/18/2015 - alittle wrote:

Popped and poured, followed over the course of the evening. This was by far the lightest in colour of the opening flight, with a light straw gold colour in the glass. Initial bead is quite fine, but dissipates rather quickly. Somewhat reticent to start and really never came around. A touch musty on the nose, with lemon zest, fresh herb, tequila, spice, and some damp earth aromas. On the palate, no malolactic fermentation here, so the acidity is just raging. Finish is moderate, with linger tastes of green apple, lemon/lime zest, and a touch of mineral. Even with my expectations being rather low on this bottle, it was still a disappointment.

1/17/2015 - alittle wrote:

Popped and poured. Deep amber gold in the glass. On the nose, dried strawberry, marmalade, candied lemon, baked apple, crushed rock, honey, baking spice and burnt sugar. On the palate, this is quite round and rich, but sufficient countering acidity. This really lingers on the finish, with tastes of strawberry preserves, citrus zest, baked apple, honey, burnt sugar, mineral and spice. This was a real treat. I quite enjoyed this.

1/17/2015 - alittle wrote:

Popped and poured. Medium gold colour in the glass. On the nose, stone fruit, florals, red apple, crushed rock, lemon/lime zest, and fresh cut grass. With time, there is some oak on this wine that becomes more prominent as it sits in the glass. On the palate, very lively with medium plus acidity, some viscosity, and just a hint of sweetness. Finishes moderate with tastes of red apple, citrus zest, mineral, dried flowers and stone fruit, with a touch of that wood lingering on the finish. Really nice wine, with quite a bit of complexity. Certainly the best Muscadet I've ever had.

1/17/2015 - alittle wrote:

Popped and poured. Light gold colour in the glass, with a moderate sized bead. On the nose, baked apple, lemon zest, smoke, flint, baking spice, brioche, wet hay and perhaps a touch of wood poking out. On the palate, this is not as round as I was expecting from the rather luxurious nose, but still has quite a nice texture. Very brisk, medium plus acids, with low-ish apparent dosage. This finishes moderate with tastes of baked apple, citrus zest, spice, mineral, smoke and yeast. This was quite nice and certainly punches above it's price point for me.

5/23/2015 - alittle wrote:

Year 3: Super Tastings Round 1 of 5; Dave Does Birth Year Wines (Dave's House): Decanted approximately 5 hours in advance. Followed approximately 1 hour in the glass. On the nose, this is a touch spirity, but has a lovely nose of pure cherry, dark fruit, baking spice, earth, brown sugar, dried fig and toasted nuts. On the palate, this really shines, showing impeccable balance. There is a real elegance to this Port, and tremendous depth of flavour on the palate. Finish is quite long and lingers in the mouth for ages. I could drink this and eat Stilton for hours.

5/23/2015 - alittle wrote:

Year 3: Super Tastings Round 1 of 5; Dave Does Birth Year Wines (Dave's House): Popped and poured, followed approximately 30 minutes. Garnet in the glass, with a slight brick. On the nose, this is similar to the '84, but takes on a slightly cooler tone; blackcurrant, black cherry, cedar, spice, bell pepper, mint and damp earth. On the palate, this is a bit fresher than the '84, with a slight uptick in acids, but showing a similar roundness and overall ripeness to the profile of the fruit. This finishes moderate with some light drying tannin. Fully mature; drink up.