9/30/2023 - Nicephoras wrote:

Honestly, for the vintage, in spectacular shape.

12/31/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Basically sugar water. There’s no fruit and the result is sugar water with some density.

11/26/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Fairly pleasant, although also very 18 - low acidity and fairly tropical fruit flavors. Too much pineapple for what is one of the highest 1er crus in Chassagne.

11/26/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

New producer to me. Quite pleasant, though fairly simple, with a dominant red cherry profile. Not entirely sure what else they make, but am mildly curious to try some higher end stuff.

11/24/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Good energy and some nice complexity on the finish, but calling out for more fruit on the finish. I can understand the stylistic comparisons people make to Collin, but this doesn’t quite have the heft or the fruit. A nice wine on its own, though probably a food one.

11/13/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

About as Chablis as it gets - all oyster shell and lemon. Probably not ready yet, it's pretty unevolved.

11/13/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

When this wine is proper, legitimately one of the best syrahs made this century, if not the best. This was proper and was easily wine of the night over a (perfect) 79 Pousse Cailleret and a 2002 Mugneret Gibourg Feuselottes. A spectacular combination of roses and strawberries on the nose and front palate that somehow seamlessly segues into light olive on the finish, but with sufficient grip to make it clear that this is Syrah. What Reynaud does in Chatteneuf, Allemand does in Cornas, and I continue to marvel at what he can make with Syrah - nothing else made today can replace these wines in my cellar and each is a joy to drink.

11/13/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Opened for a birthday dinner. Generally as beautiful as I remember it, though maybe showing just a touch more advanced than a bottle a year ago. Sexy Mugneret Gibourg oak, sappy beautiful red fruit. Someone on the table called this a Mugneret-Gibourg blind - this wine isn't fooling anyone, and that's for the best. 2002 really begins a beautiful run for this house that shows no sign of ending.

5/9/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

At peak drinking window now, probably, though shows no signs of slowing down. Was more approachable and pleasant imho than the Lafite next to it (though the Lafite has more stuffing). No rush to drink these, but certainly no reason not to.

5/9/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Opinions on this diverged, as this definitely has a touch of sweetness on it (botritys?). I think for those that wanted the purest and most classical Raveneau, this was disappointing. I found it less of a problem, especially on the nose which was pretty classically Raveneau (slightly herbal and lifted, not cloying). The palate was was a touch richer on the finish than I'd like, but overall it's a very nice bottle of wine.

3/12/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Still a bit like lambrusco. As much as I think Collin makes the best wines in Champagne, I'm still pretending this one kinda doesn't exist.

3/6/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

A nice wine, but the heat of the vintage really shows on the finish.

3/6/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Opened for a friend’s birthday - a wonderful wine now drinking at or close to maturity; the notes of apricot on the finish are particularly sublime. Wonderful minerality as well until the rich finish

2/26/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

First of these I’ve had and off the boat from France. A different kind of Vilmart; rather than the slightly more typical round feel, thus is more direct and linear with a notable chalk and mineral feel. The long (and somewhat narrow) finish has an interesting almond note that’s unique to me. A really interesting wine consumed too young, but still very pleasant

2/23/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Ah, as close to amazing burgundy as champagne gets.

2/17/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Drinking very well right now - slightly darker fruit than many Chambolle, but that’s a bit of the Lignier signature. No rush to drink these, but no harm in it either.

2/17/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Surprisingly open, but in a lovely way - with banana on the palate and terrific acidity. Guesses were for a 2010 or 2014 Chassagne 1er.

1/19/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Premoxed. Well I’m shocked.

1/12/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Double blind. All roasted fruit and tea. Pretty unpleasant - I thought it was an 03. Maybe an unsound bottle.

1/12/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Double blind. Clearly Burgundy. Dark red fruit on the nose with some black tea notes that became much more prominent with time in the glass. The palate has lots of black tea notes with some muddled red fruit that feels hotter on the finish. This was served next to the 02 Corton from Chandon de Brialles (which was properly roasted) and we were told the wines had something in common; assuming a commonality of vintage I thought this was an 03 Chambolle.

1/12/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

A really good bottle of CA pinot (my blind). Very bright strawberry on the nose with strawberry on the palate with some spice and a big palate, but one with structure even if it's within a big core of fruit that somewhat hides it. While everyone settled on CA pinot fairly quickly, there was some 2015 Burgundy talk initially. A very nice bottle of CA pinot and I'm curious what it will evolve into.

1/12/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Had this next to the Cuvee Abysse, and this is certainly the better wine; rounder, more fruit and tension on the palate and especially the mid-palate (something the mid-palate distinctly lacks) and a pleasant finish. It's a very nice wine. The issue, I suppose, is that it was up against the Collin, Bouchard and Krug 159 and in that context felt very nice but somewhat boring.

1/12/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Far and away the best bottle of Haut Lemble I've had, and I think the decant made a massive difference. Rather than a palate full of chalk, this has a brilliant amount of fruit and a very complex palate; wine of the night for me together with the Collin. Unfortunately with so many people this went a bit too fast for me to give a proper note; however, it had the usual Bouchard complex texture but with the finish this cuvee has lacked for me in the past.

1/12/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

The most recent disgorgement seems to be much more oxidative than the previous one of these for which I wrote a tasting note and, uh, yeah. It's very, very oxidative. Not my thing.

1/12/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

With the caveat that Selosse is not my bag, the nose on this was especially not my bag. Very oxidative nose that went beyond nuts and well into fennel (?) territory. What was odd is that the palate was just.......boring. I suspect it's simply a matter of letting this rest and develop more age, but after an initial hit of caramelized fruit there was just acid. I'm surprised by this, since my lack of interest in Selosse is a matter of style not a general view of quality.

1/12/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

A weird bottle; the nose had some slight herbal and green elements which on pop and pour made me think it might even be corked, though it wasn't. Then the wine was slightly non-descript. However, after about 20 minutes in the glass it became extremely round and leesy on the finish, almost like a slightly riper vintage Meursault (which is especially odd since this is mostly Pinot). Not a bad wine, by any stretch, and a very interesting one, but not a great one. Possibly an odd bottle and possibly just not the best vintage.

1/12/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Another great bottle of the 48 month Pierrieres and probably my favorite bottle on the table. This has a richness that the additional time on the lees gives it as well as a more powerful slightly almost brioche profile (though unlike someone suggested recently, it's nothing like Selosse, lol) and a long finish. Not quite as complex as the Roises/Enfers, but a brilliant wine.

1/10/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

The dominant expression on the nose here is definitely tar, this is extremely black fruited. The palate is similarly dark, though there's some bitterness on the tannins of what is otherwise a pretty smooth wine - 2011s aren't exactly shut down. On day two this develops a slightly redder fruit profile with a bit more rose petal, but the palate doesn't really come into any more focus - it's smooth and a touch more fruit but not particularly complex. By day 3 we're back into full on tar but the palate is now clearly past its best - this is not a wine for the long haul. The palate does have that touch of mint that verges close to cigarettes. Not the most inspiring effort, but hardly unreasonable for the mediocre vintage. Valter Fissore clearly thought enough of the 2011 vintage to produce the Vigna Elena, so perhaps I'll be proven wrong in the long run.

1/7/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Wow, the guesses on this blind were all over the place. Two people called it a young Barolo. Another called it a 90s Napa, another a Cab Franc dominant Bordeaux and someone a 15 red Burgundy. Closest call was an early 90s Cote Rotie. Personally, it felt not too atypical; the nose has a lot of VA, but some very pretty dark reddish fruit (a bit a la Allemand). However, the palate is very tannic, despite this being 04 - it's just a wall of structure right now, with some olive on the finish. I'm burying the rest of mine in storage. I'd note the provenance on this is impeccable, so they've been aging appropriately.

1/7/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Horribly corked.

1/7/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Corked. When premox doesn't get you, the corks do.

1/7/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

The nose is lovely as ever, but the palate is clearly somewhat shut down and showing a fair amount of acidity on the finish. I would wait on opening these, though, of course, as with any bottle of Fourrier, it's not exactly "closed".

1/1/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Still very ripe, this comes across as a pretty good Napa Chardonnay more than a Burgundy

1/1/2022 - Nicephoras wrote:

Obviously far too young, but drunk as a preview of things to come. Quite a bit of density on the midpalate and as with many 19 whites an initial touch of residual sugar.

12/26/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

Perfectly serviceable if a bit boring.

12/25/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

Very dark fruit, this is proper Morey. Shows the ripeness of the vintage on the front palate with a lot of fruit, but with excellent minerality on the finish. One of the better 18 villages I’ve had by some margin, though I’m also not in any rush to open the VV or the Clos de la Roche.

12/7/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

Not entirely sure if this is what constitutes a “restrained” napa cab these days. I enjoyed the nose, which had some berries and graphite, but the palate was too ripe and jammy for me; I had difficulty finishing my glass. The Napa cab drinker for whom I brought it quite liked it, so ultimately it’s a winner in that regard.

11/20/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

A bit candied initially, and more red fruited on the nose and palate than I'd expect from Morey. Settles down and becomes darker and a bit less candied, but retains a bit too much of the slightly robitussin note for my personal preference that's a touch distracting. Otherwise in a nice place to drink - tannins are in a pretty happy place.

11/19/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

As with most 2009 Northern Rhônes, opened too young and should instead be allowed to sleep.

11/19/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

One of the most disappointing bottles of wine I can remember having in years. Opened blind, the kindest call was a 2018 Bourgogne. This is just a hot oaky mess that becomes all oak with air. Well, at least it’s just a village said one of the diners, before blanching after looking closer at the label. I have no idea what happened here - it’s not heat damage or any flaw.

11/14/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

Out of magnum. Massively reduced, and the reduction did not fade at all. There’s nice wine lurking under all that reduction, but it’s not too pleasant at the moment unless you love sulfur.

11/14/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

On a disappointing night of wines, this was a relative highlight. Still too one note (very cherry) and primary (despite a 2 hour decant), but there’s really nice stuffing here and a long finish without overly intrusive oak. Will this be great? Eh, not sure, but it’ll improve for sure.

11/7/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

Very old Dom - mushrooms and lime. If that’s your thing, it’s quite good.

9/29/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

I really love the 08, but actually found this a touch richer on the palate; more than I prefer. Otherwise quite nice.

9/18/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

An extremely Dauvissat bottle, in a good way. Some cheese on the nose, then chalk, seashells and lemon for days. By the end of dinner this was basically like drinking chalk - in the best way.

9/9/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

In terrific shape, this was textbook old Bordeaux - cedar/tobacco for days. Vastly better than the 75 Latour next to it, though I thought that was an off bottle (unless old socks is a common Bordeaux descriptor). That said, this was ultimately more "proper" than it was especially exciting, but an excellent drink nevertheless. Plenty of fruit left here - I think this has years to go.

9/9/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

My bottle, from mag. Just too young. There's great promise here, and as always with Comtes it's a very vinous rose, but this should have slept longer. Made for a wonderful palate refresher later in the evening :)

9/11/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

A touch too stemmy on opening, but definitely loses it with air. Dark fruit, very open after about 25 minutes, drinking wonderfully now. Given the terroir, I’d hope for a touch more complexity on the palate, but that’s quibbling (and a sign I measure all Fuees against Mugnier’s).

9/11/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

This continues to be open and delicious, especially on the nose. The palate is a bit short and not overly complex, but this is the base Barolo, who cares? Drink this now and the Rocche and the Villero later 😀

9/1/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:

There's some reduction on the nose, but there's clearly some very pure dark fruit coming through. It verges on strawberry vs. cherry, but it's nice, sapid and clearly with ways to go. Am really looking forward to see how this develops and I definitely found the whole cluster winemaking less intrusive here than I did with the NSG. A very nice wine.