3/20/2024 - cct wrote:

dDark cherry, ash, and florals on the nose. Mid plus weighted with good balancing acidity. Wizened cherry and almost plum fruit, nutmeg. Good length. Finshes with firm little enough tannins. Very good. 89

Day two, more open more spice notes better integration. Cherry fruit and florals. Lovely. 91

5/4/2024 - cct wrote:

A new producer for me

Dark berry fruit, tar, spice, and violets on the nose. Full bodied with excellent depth and more so a sense of balance with more of the same dark fruits, spice, and a sense of minerality. Really well balanced acidity. This is not a wallflower, but is an extremely well done fuller scale barbera with a sense of harmony and poise. Count me impressed.

FWIW, this was terrific with a marinated flank steak.

4/12/2024 - cct wrote:

disgorged July '22

Pinot Meunier dominated nose, red fruits, spice, brioche, little honeyed, nutty, chalky.

Bright chalky and red fruited on the palate, the mousse a little broad, but with nice crunch to the fruit. Lots of the parts are outstanding but they don't quite seem all in harmony to be really special at first but open an hour or two it comes together. Low dosage in good balance. Outstanding

5/4/2024 - cct wrote:

Served blind

Double decanted in the AM

Cassis and stone fruits, bell pepper-pyrazines, bitter chocolate, bergamot, and violets on the nose. Classically proportioned on the palate, more linear than broad, but not in a pejorative sense,. Mid plus weighted with more of the same on the palate, adding iron, gravel and clay. Initially a little thin on the back end, it fleshed out over several hours. I was told the next day it was even better but he person who brought it. I started with '88 northern Medoc classed growth, then switched to '96 when it fleshed out some. Really lovely honest Bordeaux. Not for hedonists, but rather a wine worthy of contemplation and and thoughtful enjoyment. I really liked it.

4/27/2024 - cct wrote:

Served blind

A fresh herbal and floral nose with ripe orchard fruit, spring herbs, chalk and jasmine. Lovely, sapid and deep on the palate with plenty of dry extract delivered with the clarity of mineral water. This is flesh, chalky, and powerful, yet nuanced and detailed with terrific focus and a sense of balance. My blind guess was first a cult satellite appellation Burgundy producer, then hoped it was a great Dijon clone Oregon chardonnay. It was obviously neither, and I loved it. My first time with this wine and count me impressed.

4/27/2024 - cct wrote:

Double decanted in the AM then drunk over a few hours in the afternoon.

Deep ripe red fruit, moss, savory and umami, undergrowth, and some herbal stem notes add to a complex and intriguing nose. There's some sweet decay of ripe fruit, but holds it well. Sapid, deep and savory more than fruit driven on the palate. It's expansive with a sense of gravitas, with more soil, notes, heme, and some Vosne spice with time. Not among the pantheon of great DRC wines, but this has a sense of calm, inner balance and ease to its power and depth. Power and grace.. I hate to use the term noble to describe wine, but this has a sense of poise that is impressive. Terrific depth and breadth a great success for the vintage. While I think this has no risk of falling off a cliff soon, I also think it is highly unlikely to improve from here. Drink up.

4/17/2024 - cct wrote:

Strawberries chalk, fresh cream and florals on the nose. Bright and fresh with a fine bead, snappy fresh red fruits, and deftly does low dosage. Finishes clean yet simultaneously with good length. Excellent balance. Well done. 92

4/18/2024 - cct wrote:

Fleshy and broad with ample depth. Darker pinot fruit, bouillon-heme, earth, and savory spice notes. Full bodied for pinot, with excellent palate presence and a sense of old vine sap. Savory and soil more than fruit driven, but not to say there isn't ample fruit depth. Quite long. Youthfully drinking well.

4/20/2024 - cct wrote:

Pretty red fruited nose with hibiscus, pomegranate, chalk, and floral-spring herbs. Fresh on the palate with snappy fresh fruit, subtle autolysis, chalky and clean with freshness and seemingly low dosage or just ripe fruit with no dosage. A solid food wine as well. Outstanding 92

4/23/2024 - cct wrote:

Red fruited nose with raspberry and pomegranate, some col spice notes, crunchy snappy fresh fruit. It's glou glou yet serious. Fresh, lively and for lack of a better word joyful on the palate. Crunchy fresh fruit, licorice, some herbal (basil, maybe sage) notes all with lift and a playfulness that belies the serious substance in the wine. Terrific acidic balance for me. This manages to be both gulpable and serious. Similar to Keith's better conveyed note, this wine sits outside of my normal vocabulary, yet firmly in the middle of joy for me. A wine that makes me happy. Long back end. Yum.

4/30/2024 - cct wrote:

A bright fresh nose a little grassy with ripe yet racy fruit. Midwieghted and stony with bright acidity that is beautifully matched with the fresh fruit and florals. This has abeaiutfiful mix of ripeness and fleshy grapefruit without any heaviness. Chiseled and focused yet not austere. I really like this and it is a fantastic value. 91

4/26/2024 - cct wrote:

Pinot driven nose. Strawberries and cream, brioche, chalk, subtle florals. Medium plus bodied champagne with a fine bead excellent lift. Ripe but not heavy, powerful yet precise. Outstanding

5/4/2024 - cct wrote:

This is much better than 4 years ago. Clean Chardonnay fruit, chalk, hazelnuts, with subtle autolytic and oxidative notes that add to the whole. A fine bead, terrific texture and depth while remains bright and detailed on the palate. Outstanding balance. Finishes mouthwateringly fresh and clean. Outstanding BdB.

FWIW, the bottle was still fresh after being recorked for two weeks, losing nothing and maybe gaining some focus. I underestimated this wine several years ago. Sadly my last bottle. 93

12/31/2020 - cct wrote:

Apple, citrus pith, chalk , alittle honey, and hazelnut on the nose. On the palate it has bright acidity, chalk, spring herbs, and biscuit. Still tightly coiled. Very good to outstanding.

12/24/2017 - cct wrote:

A bright lovely fresh nose. Some autolysis that adds to it all, but at this point, , it's mostly bright clean fresh pinot fruit. Beautifully done dosage and a sense of tension and chalkiness. Fine bead, lovely texture, fresh and more-isn. Complicated enough, but light on its feet. Deep and pure in a mid weighted frame. Elegant and delicious.

4/6/2024 - cct wrote:

A fresh quince, bruised pear, chalk, and spice on the nose. Clean and fresh on the palate with a little textural lees feeling. Chalky with well balanced seemingly low dosage. Finishes fresh and mouthwatering. Outstanding. 90

4/5/2024 - cct wrote:

Pop and pour. Drunk over two nights.

A terrific nose. Leafy and savory with lovely pure stone fruit, cassis, roses and bitter chocolate. Midweighted graceful and lifted on the palate with more of the same. There's a beautiful mix of savory and fruit with terrific acid balance. A wine of contrasts that add to the whole. Deep yet seemingly delicate and lifted. Complex yet remaining delicious and easy to drink. I really like this. Youthfully outstanding. On day two a little more calm, still light to mid weighted for what it is. Not for someone who wants a rich or fruit driven wine. Outstanding.

3/31/2024 - cct wrote:

Served blind

Warning, hedonists run away.

For me, a fantastic archetypal nose with black olives, white pepper, roasted rare meat, violets and lavender. Mid plus weighted with power coupled with a sense of balance. This has depth and is in a more focused savory and meaty more than fruit driven mode. A little bacon fat made me think Cote Rotie more so than Hermitage. This is unnapologeticlaly old school delicious Northern Rhone syrah drinking at absolute peak. Not a blockbuster, but beautiful, honest, and harmonious. I love this style. While I doubt it will fade soon, I also think this is as good as this will ever be. Drink up. Carpe diem. 94

I guess late 90s really well made traditional Cote Rotie.

3/31/2024 - cct wrote:

Pop and pour, then decanted and drunk over a couple hours

At first pretty shrill and earthy, with thin red fruits and a little prickliness, but after about 30 minutes in a decanter this unfurled. Loam, cool pinot fruit, spice and oddly an almost eucalyptus like medicinal herbal note. Midweighted deep and expansive on the palate with outstanding texture carrying power without heaviness. There is a lot going on and while this is a pretty stark contrast to the Remy Latricieres served before it, there is something undeniably outstanding here. Terrific balance, harmony and a snense of inner clam. Very long. Super interesting. At peak with time in hand for me. 93

3/31/2024 - cct wrote:

A haunting nuanced nose with pear, citrus oil, chalk, florals and honeydew melon. Intense yet only mid weighted. Chiseled yet delicate, multifaceted and beautifully detailed, with a fine limestone spine carrying weightless power with an almost fleeting nature. With air time this gains terrific clarity and focus. A mouthwateringly fresh and clean finish with a little back end mint. Power and grace coupled. A wine that pushes you over with a feather. Drinking at peak. Effortless. I wish I could still buy these wines. As good or better on day two. Fantastic. 96

3/31/2024 - cct wrote:

Served blind

A really pretty nose. Loamy earth, undergrowth, cherry fruit, roses and some subtle meatiness-iron on the nose. This has depth and material delivered with a delicate touch. On the palate there's a lovely mix of savory, fruit and soil. It's structured yet not bulky and really well balanced. With the soft entry and front end texture, there were surprisingly firm fine tannins on the back end. Drinking at peak with time in hand.

Initial guesses was 01 Chambolle based on the nose and front end, pretty red fruits and soft entry, then the back end firmness and hidden structure I changed to 01 really good elegant producer Gevrey, then back again to 2001 Chambolle, because I usually regret going away from my first guess. Really good classically proportioned Burgundy.

3/31/2024 - cct wrote:

Served blind

A fresh chalky nose with citrus and apple fruit and a what I felt was Jura wildness to it. Mid weighted a little fleshier than the Roulot served before it, with great focus and clarity. Lovely balance of soil, fruit and acid. Long yet fresh on the back end. Outstanding. 93

I blind guessed '17 Tissot. A blind pig finds an apple.

3/15/2024 - cct wrote:

Pop and pour. Drunk over several hours.

At first la oamy ferrous, earth driven nose with undergrowth, bouillon, savory herbs and a mix of dark and red fruits. It fleshes out over a few hours, gains more fruit. It's midweighted and sapid with excellent palate presence, with breadth and intensity without heaviness. Savory and soil more than fruit driven. Structured, harmonious and balanced. Power and poise. Long. At peak. 94

3/23/2024 - cct wrote:

Super interesting nose. Dry muscat, orange bitters, rosewater, and spice. On the palate its a wine of contrasts that add to a greater whole. Texture and extract from the skin contact yet with beautifully balanced acidity keeping it mouthwatering and fresh. More orange bitters, florals and pear fruit, with a cooling spice on the back end. This is not for everyone, but I dig it. Complicated delicious wine that makes you think yet remains incredibly easy to drink. Bravo!

Drank very well for several days in the fridge.

4/3/2024 - cct wrote:

Pop and pour. Drunk over two nights.

Flinty and chalky nose with lemon pith, asian pear, subtle wood that adds to the whole, and subtle florals, but mostly about mineral. Mid weighted chiseled and toothsome on the palate. Intense yet not heavy. This has a firm mineral acid backbone and is in a style I adore. outstanding if a step behind the terrific '21 and '19.

Day two this has more focus, still some flintiness, but with a little more breadth and clarity. The fruit while still in a supporting role is more evident. Lovely and youthful. Harmonious.

3/30/2024 - cct wrote:

2019 base

A bright and chalky nose, with lovely Chardonnay fruit and subtle brioche. Finely detailed, laser sharp and focused on the palate with a fine bead. I am not sure what the base was for my last bottle at Frenchie, but this seems more cohesive and balanced. Mouthwatering soil driven finish. Clean deftly done low dosage. Intensity with detail and a sense of balance. Hedonists run away with haste.

3/28/2024 - cct wrote:

2023 disgorgement.
Similar to my last bottle. A fresh bright chalky Chardonnay nose with subtle autolytic notes. Tight and a bit firm on opening, with air time and warming up some, it fans out, gains depth and a toothsome intensity coupled with a sense of detail and precision that keeps it from being heavy. It's very much a rock head's wine, yet is not angular or mean. Non dosage done very well. Quite long and mouthwatering on the back end. Outstanding. 92

12/27/2023 - cct wrote:

A little flinty. Lemon curd, asian pear, a little eMandarin orange, jasmine, chalk, floral and subtle wood spice. Midweighted toothsome and intense yet light on its feet. Clean, laser sharp, and finely detailed. Stony and mineral driven with well balanced wood and enough fruit to bring it all together, but this is at the spoint not as much fruit as a lovely soil driven wine. Beautiful balance and sense of cohesion. Mouthwatering fresh. 93+

3/30/2024 - cct wrote:

A bright fresh nose with strawberry and prickly pear fruit (my 12 year old son correctly called the prickly pear), florals with a mineral backbone. On the palate, it's light to mid weighted yet has depth. Snappy fruit, orange zest and a sense of minerality.. Mouthwateringly fresh and delightful. There's a cool contrast where it's a little serious yet playful and very gulpable. Well done!

5/1/2022 - cct wrote:

Deep and brooding with raspberry more than cherry fruit, almost liqueur like nose with red licorice, black tea, and spice.. It full bodied and rich but holds itself together. It's dense and powerful, structured and broad. It still has reasonable balance, with excellent palate breadth, with very ripe fruit leaning toward raisin, but not going completely over the edge. Firm tannins on the back end. This would be a good ringer in a blind tasting of pure Grenache CdP. That said, this has an admirable level of clarity and purity of the fruit it has. It's not muddled, just very ripe. Certainly atypical, and not my preferred style of wine. It is likely a success for the vintage and would be a home run if you prefer more fruit and power driven new world pinot. For better or worse I have several of these in the cellar and I will see what happens over time. Better with a beef Bourguignon pot pie. 88 for me, much more if you like the style

6/10/2023 - cct wrote:

A red fruited, savory, ferrous and floral nose. Structured but not grumpy or austere. This is coming into its own in a youthful mode still. Ferrous and structured, with density without heaviness. Early peak. i like how the '96s are starting to turn the corner. Quite long on the back end. Not for hedonists, but I really like it. Sapid, vertical beautifully balanced wine.

12/20/2023 - cct wrote:

Pretty cool fruits, spice, licorice, and chinese peppercorn on the nose.
Supple and pleasing on the palate with good balancing acidity. Fresh and playful with a nice mix of spice, fruits, and soil. Very good

12/23/2023 - cct wrote:

Floral, Cannubi perfume: roses, violet, balsam. Supple fresh and still forward and fleshy on the palate. Interestingly more grip than the Brunate le Coste. The fruit turning a touch brown. Midweighted and not heavy. No sense of burnt fruit, but also not a ton of nuance. Has a bit of a midpalate hole compared to the BLC. Riper fruits and maybe unripe pips. Still outstanding, and a success for the vintage.

1/5/2024 - cct wrote:

Dark berry fruit violets and tar on th nose. Cooler fruit with a sense of clarity and depth on the palate. Excellent balance. Licorice spice adds to the whole. Finishes long and mouthwatering. Outstanding barbera.

1/6/2024 - cct wrote:

Autolytic seemingly pinot driven nose with an interesting mix of red fruits, subtle Maillard notes, chalk and seemingly low dosage. Little coarseness textrurally that keeps it shy of outstanding for me, but the rest of the picture is quite nice and I’m picking nits. Very good 89

1/7/2024 - cct wrote:

First time for me with this producer.

Fresh pear, apricot peach pit, esters, and some taffy on the nose, Midweighted, toothsome, and intense yet carried with a great sense of balance and freshness with some textural skin contact chewiness. Floral and fresh on the palate with excellent acid balance. Some fresh cut grass. A delightful mix of savory, fruit, florals and freshness. Playful, yet serious. Lovely contrasts. Outstainding.

1/26/2024 - cct wrote:

Lovey savory and fruit driven nose. Dark fruits, black olive, rare meat, black pepper, thyme, and tar. Mid plus weighted sapid with excellent breadth and depth coupled with a supple ripeness of fruit that avoids any feel of heat or heaviness. Youthfully delicious.

1/19/2024 - cct wrote:

Ash, peppercorn, and red fruits on th nose. On the plate it's sapid, fresh and midweighted with spice, cured meats, black tea, and dried flower petals. Midweighted with suppleness coupled with freshness and lift. Lovely savory finish. Early peak for me. 92

3/14/2024 - cct wrote:

A hazy cerasuolo color. Lovely fresh and bright red fruits, a little bramble, licorice spice, orange bitters, and cooling herbal notes. This is a bouncy, fun, light weighted, and playful wine. While there is plenty going on, I suspect this is not meant to be a complex wine, but rather a wine offering unapologetic, simple joy. Glou glou done well. Yum.

FWIW, this was terrific with a roasted Harissa chicken dish.

Day two this has a little more clarity while losing none of its lift and ebullience

11/8/2022 - cct wrote:

Beautiful perfume. Fleeting and nuanced. Dried rose petal, balsam, tar. Really lovely floral and savory perfume. Midweighted, graceful and harmonious on the palate. Structured for Langhe nebbiolo but supple with a sense calm and balance. A less is more wine. Long. At peak.

2/24/2024 - cct wrote:

A new wine for me. Pop and pour. Durnk over a few hours.

Red fruits, licorice, savory herbs and a little spice on the nose. Midweighted on the palate with a mix of cherry and strawberry fruit, lovely balancing acidity, some spice- licorice note. Sapid yet lifted with terrific cut. A wine of harmony and clarity. Mouthwatering fresh. Not a blockbuster, just delicious. Lovely. 91

3/3/2024 - cct wrote:

V721 2001 base disgorged in 2007

Not much different than the last couple bottles. This bottling is in the zone right now. Not the most profound bottling but giving all its got right now.

Maillard mature terrific nose, a little honeyed with toast, orchard fruit and chalk. Intense yet lifted and poised. Mouthwateringly fresh and confused. Drinking at peak. Lifted intensity and poised. At peak.

3/8/2024 - cct wrote:

Well this has come into its own since my last bottle 4 years ago. A deep, savory nose with earth, heme, savory herbal notes, and dark pinot fruit. On the palate, it's broad yet giving with the suppleness of '02 that plays beautifully with the house style and its terroir. This is a wine of contrasts that add to a greater whole. Sapid, deep, broad and powerful yet simultaneously fleshy and so well balanced that it just effortless expands over the palate without any heaviness. Power delivered with a soft hand. I love the meaty savory notes of this wine. Drinking at a beautiful peak with what I suspect is plenty of time in hand, but it's really good right now. Carpe diem.

3/8/2024 - cct wrote:

A still fresh and floral nose, with honeysuckle, pear passionfruit, kaffir lime, petrol and slate. there's hints at maturity, yet it remains incredibly fresh. Intense, yet lithe, beautifully detailed and mouthwateringly fresh. this dances on the palate with a fantastic balance of soil, RS, acid and fruit. A distillation of Wehlener Sonnenuhr. Effortlessly gorgeous. I can’t ask much more from
Kabinett (or any wine really). Fantastic. At peak with tons of time in hand.

2/20/2024 - cct wrote:

A fresh pinot driven nose. Bright, clean, and chalky, with white flowers and subtle autolytic notes. More about soil and chalk than fruit or toast. Chiseled, yet light on its feet, this is compact and focused, but with a lot of depth coupled with a sense of lightness. This dances lightly with much impact. Finely detail bright and electric on the palate. Many might call this austere, but for me this really kills it. Light focused precise wine. Low dosage with a gentle hand. Muscadet with bubbles. I'd love some fat sweet Gulf oysters with this.

2/17/2024 - cct wrote:

Side by side young Grand Mont and Clos Nouveau tasting

Pop and pour and drunk over three nights.

Cooler, darker fruited, and more reserved nose than the Clos Nouveau. Stone fruit, bitter chocolate, graphite, bell pepper, and a hint of leafiness. Mid plus weighted, structured, and vertical with a stony undertones. Serious somewhat brooding but it all seems together. In spite of its more aggressive wood elevate, it seems more integrated than the Clos Nouveau. Minerality. clarity. This is another year I prefer Grand Mont to Clos Nouveau. Long with ripe tannins. Both much better than the heady bruisers from '18 and more in line with the 15s. 94+

Day 2

Deeper and calmer, more cohesive. Darker fruits, bel pepper and some leafy notes that add to the whole. This is more together than the Clos Nouveau again tonight. Youthfully delicious.
94-5

Day 3, it has lost no steam, still has a sense of calm, harmonious, deep and well balanced. 95

These wines may not be for purists, but they have substance and at least with a lot of time open integrate the wood. I suspect they will shine with cellar time.

2/17/2024 - cct wrote:

Side by side Clos Nouveau and Grand Mont on release tasting

Pop and pour and drunk over three nights.

Day 1: Cassis, plum, chocolate, florals, and wood spice. Mid to full bodied rich and ripe but holding itself much better than the '18 at a similar stage. Fleshy and sapid yet not heavy. More about fruit and density that varietal notes at this point. The wood is noticeable but well balanced, and I suspect it will integrate well in time. Quite long and polished on the back end with ripe tannins. Similar to the '15 for me and substantially better than the highly lauded and heady '18s. 92++

Day two the wood is still evident but more integrated and the wine comes into more focus. Baking spice. This grew in depth and breadth overnight, but still more about fruit and spice than varietal character. Deep, impressive and still polished but done extremely well. 94

Day 3 it has coalesced further, gaining focus, with the wood better integrated and varietal bell pepper notes come out, adding complexity. I still give the stylistic edge to the Grand Mont, but both of these are terrific and wines for the cellar. 95

These wines may not be for purists, but they have substance and at least with a lot of time open integrate the wood. I suspect they will shine with cellar time.

2/3/2024 - cct wrote:

Festa dal Barolo 2019 Masterclass (The Pool, Manhattan): Festa dal Barolo Masterclass

A terrific nose. Roses, violets, spice, cherry fruit with a Giacosa like hard candy feel to it. Midweighted expansive yet graceful with terrific depth without weight. Deep and cool on th epaulet with more of the same fruits, florals and some lingering licorice notes on the back end. Beautifully balance. Finishes with firm ripe tannins. Needs tine. Tons of promise here.

2/3/2024 - cct wrote:

A ripe nose with rose, spice cake, and candied cherry fruit turning a little toward plum. Rich, ripe and fleshy on the palate, with firm tannins and good tension but lacking the lift and something special that this house is capable of. While this certainly is an outstanding wine, it suffers from the growing season (and being served right after an incredible trio of wines). It is showing better than a magnum I had a few years back though and that gives me some hope. On any other given night this would have been a special wine to try and it still was. The difficulty with drinking an embarrassment of riches all together. I am torn between hope for the future and a fear of the fruit turning brown with regards to holding this wine. 93. Thanks HK

2/17/2024 - cct wrote:

Nebbiolo at the Goldberg's

Mature nose. Fading red fruits, dried roses, some coffee grounds and kelp. A bit odd. Texturally interesting as it has the tension on Monprivato and sense of detail, it's just OTH. 86