4/20/2024 - clayfu wrote:

I know we all talk a lot about what Kagami is doing at Domaine Miroirs and we kinda forget about the fucking king of the mountain is still around. Intensity and energy. Hyperdrive accelerator. Big structured wine with jagged acidity driven texture. It’s a whole mouthful of wine but with energizer bunny going around the walls. Drinking fantastic right now.

4/20/2024 - clayfu wrote:

Initially started fairly waxy and reticent. Didn’t have my hopes up. But a hour in the wine kicks off its slippers and showed us it was DTF. The salinity on this wine is incredible. Usually salinity to be has a bite but in this case texture wise its akin to a high sodium content water - it has a salty thick profile. Then an exotic citrus note that goes beyond the standard lemon medley with a gentle acidity. Wow what a wine.

4/19/2024 - clayfu wrote:

juicy juicy juicy. Oceanspray bottle popped and poured with vibrant tiny bubbles that bring that sparkle. All about that cran-do attitude. Very open and giving right now. Seems to be in a great spot to drink.

4/19/2024 - clayfu wrote:

Very lean and ginger snappy. Lots of spice / anise flavors. Acid driven but not fruit apparent. I’d probably keep my hands off any bottles for the time being to see where it goes.

4/16/2024 - clayfu wrote:

What a wine filled with steely purity that feels more corton charlemagne than DRC. With the tiny sip of Batard Montrachet I had before and the prior vintages of Montrachet, DRC whites have always been ripe opulent beasts. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some of that tropical fruit in this wine but it’s by no means the primary characteristic. It’s about that purity and energy that provokes tension on the mid palate. There’s a crisp bite of minerality and salinity that pushes the wine deep.

3/13/2024 - clayfu wrote:

my goodness. What a wine. I’ve long talked about the need for older wine to need air to knit itself together ala Grandpa Joe but it’s so difficult in large gatherings to really get the opportunity to taste older wines and watch them develop and focus with air. Thats why it’s almost imperative to do tastings of older wine in smaller settings.

This 78 Roulot started reticent and flat. But with how vibrant the color was we knew it was just a matter of time before it exploded out of the glass. Which is exactly what it did two hours after opening.

The wine oozed with rich thick tropical fruit, coconut, edges of sweet sugar you get from old white burgundy. The mouthfeel was still filled with edgy acidity that sprang alive on the palate and as old Meursault goes the buttery rich texture saturated for a long time after the sip.

2/1/2024 - clayfu wrote:

Probably WOTN for most. Wine is complete and molded together well right now. An exciting melange of aged wild red berries, sweet damp earth and spice. The juiciness is reinforced by a nice bolt of clean acidity.

Dujac absolutely crushed 1988. An otherwise fairly austere vintage dujac continuously shines in it.

1/12/2024 - clayfu wrote:

2004 Domaine Leroy Corton Charlemagne - Leroy is most famous for their D’Auvenay white wines but what many are not aware of is that they also produce two white wines (available in America) through Domaine Leroy - an aligote and then a Corton Charlemagne. There are two other bottlings from auxey and coteaux bourguignons but only available in Japan.

As one would expect their Corton Charlemagne rivals that of Coche Dury. The 2004 was a fantastical beast.

Full of reduction, mint, rich yellow fruit with a touch of sea spray. While the nose has similarities to D’Auvenay I’ve always found the Leroy CC to be less flinty and riper on the nose.

The palate is massive. An all encompassing saturation of almost overwhelmingly rich opulent fruit that kept scaling more and more as the night went on. It’s hard to put into words how big and dense this wine is. It’s so full scale that I found myself taking smaller sips because the wine would sit for long and be so rich that your palate almost gets tired. Plenty of minerality that brackets that frame. But woo!

This wine has an eternity ahead of it just based on how much is in the bottle.

1/12/2024 - clayfu wrote:

Story time - as you can see in this label of 1979 Dujac Clos la Roche it’s missing the “de”. From what I was told by an old burgundy collector was that Rosalind Seysses (wife of the Jacques Seysses) preferred the look/sound of Clos La Roche v Clos de la Roche so labeled it as such. Wasn’t until the 90s where they were told to add back in the “de” for AOC purposes. Fun lil story quirk. I have no clue if this is true but maybe @drinkdujac can confirm!

On to the wine. What a rollercoaster of a wine. Started out faint and a little musty as all older wine does, but with air it suddenly exploded in an aromatic expedition of cigar notes, sweet sous bois driven earth coated sweet berries with a hint of soy on the edges. Throughout the course of dinner the nose would fly in and out until the bottle was fully consumed.

Palate wise is was integrated and fully mature, sweet soft fruit pulsed in with a clean jolt of acid and the earthy undertones held onto a crisp finish. Leaning toward more tertiary than primary notes.

1/12/2024 - clayfu wrote:

surprised how structured this wine was out the gate. Not giving much on the nose or palate as it shrunk into the reserve. With air it starts to unfurl from its coiled state - pulling in a waiting nose of spice, saddlewood, dusty red fruit. With air the intensity of spice built. The body stayed broad throughout the night with the fruit not having enough time to expand the full width before we finished the bottle but still had a well done purity on the finish with firm acidity.

Def a btl to hold or give plenty of air.

1/4/2024 - clayfu wrote:

wow level cab franc. Gorgeous nose of tobacco, dusty red berries and baking spice bloom from the glass. The palate conveys that soft earth driven acidity with cool fruit that only age can do. Still filled with lots of sweet red fruit intermixed with a fresh mint finish. Really delicious.

12/30/2023 - clayfu wrote:

no amount of air and decanting seemed to be able to shake the reduction that permeated from the nose. Luckily the palate didn’t have the same issue. Still relatively structured and tannic it showed the vintage (and normally I feel liger reignot tends to be more restrained than the other bottlings). But material wise, there’s a lot of chunky dark concentrated fruit that’s outlined by that coarse tannin. A little vegetation in the finish but generally a long sappy mouthfeel.

I would recommend not touching these for awhile to allow the structure to soften and let the fruit shine

12/29/2023 - clayfu Likes this wine:

Ex domaine release wax top bottle

Needed air to flesh out, initially a bit reticent and empty. Starts to pick up richer yellow orchard fruit but still felt a bit too lithe for the age. The classic old school Leflaive reduction starts to fill the space and you get some of that aged texture and aged spice. The bottle was good but it never felt like it got to the point where the 89 Chevy (original release) was a month ago. Just never felt like it hit the extra gear

12/20/2023 - clayfu wrote:

more linear and driven in its core. More about the minerality and coiled up energy inside opposed to the in your face profile. Incredible suave and long.

12/20/2023 - clayfu wrote:

It’s wild and untamed with tons of in your face tropical fruit in a huge structured box. There’s energy and acid galore. Such a unique version of this incredible wine.

12/20/2023 - clayfu wrote:

decanted it prior to dinner and it showed the classic supple waxy Rav Clos profile with a youthful fresh orchard fruit profile. Color was the lightest of all the white wine we had that night which was crazy as it was easily the oldest wine by 6 years. Lean palate profile with the color suggests this bottle has quite some time ahead of it.

12/20/2023 - clayfu wrote:

very balanced and seamless right now. Surprised by how lithe the wine feels as a couple years ago it felt like a reduction powerhouse. Lots of plush orchard fruit with undertones of gentle acidity. Very drinkable. But what coche isn’t?

12/20/2023 - clayfu wrote:

one of the best young burgundy I’ve tasted by a country mile. So generous and giving that you think it has ulterior motives. Everything you love about La Tache - that vivid pantry worth of spice, powerful saturation of berry, long deep finish. Just wrapped with a youthful sheen.

12/20/2023 - clayfu wrote:

very nice. I’m really enjoying top end 2008 lately. They are this appealing big clunkiness to them. It sounds negative but it really gives some texture and weight to a vintage that sometimes feels a bit acidic. The Beze is dark red material laden and while has that clunky nature to it, it feels full and giving. With some time I can see the edges softening. Really tasty spot tho.

12/20/2023 - clayfu wrote:

very elegant 05. No surprise from Gibourg. Incredibly pretty red fruit and still fresh and youthful as so many 05s feel but far more generous than most 05s. Beautiful wine, an 05 I wouldn’t be afraid to crack

12/20/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Rich nutty oxidative ripe fruit, chunky texture that gives the wine a big ol body to accompany a delicious line of bright acidity on the back end. Quite complex. Selosse lovers would enjoy this bottling

12/20/2023 - clayfu wrote:

One of the best 09s I’ve drank in a bit. I’ve felt most to be too burly right now but with a proper decant this wine is showing incredibly well. The whole iron fist in velvet glove mantra applies well here. Spice laden throughout with dark sweet red berries with a stemmy undertone all wrapped into that velvet texture. It certainly has the stuffing to go far longer but I was surprised how accessible it was!

12/4/2023 - clayfu wrote:

it showed the classic supple waxy Rav Clos profile with a youthful fresh orchard fruit profile. Color was the lightest of all the white wine we had that night which was crazy as it was easily the oldest wine by 6 years. Lean palate profile with the color suggests this bottle has quite some time ahead of it.

12/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Decanted on the spot - consumed roughly a hour later and slowly through the rest of a leisurely lunch. I was surprised by the elegance coming out of this Gevrey. It’s an insane spice box that exudes from the glass to your nose. Loads of freshly cut rose petals, sweet cherry and that spice infused stem. Aromatically so perfumed and generous.

The palate was filled with elegant chalky red berried fruit, even with as elegant as it was, there’s enough weight on the material that you feel the saturation and mouthfeel persist on the wine. The acidity is in check to give that seamless cool fruit profile on the finish with that sweet tannin and stem dances along the fruit to give it a lively complexity.

Really terrific wine. Can’t wait to see what the future holds on these and the other wines in the lineup.

11/16/2023 - clayfu wrote:

2002 Roumier Ruchottes Chambertin - this wine was weird. Super minty on the nose, palate was shut down hard (I guess no surprise since roumier). Felt like there was something wrong with the wine but the nose was so bright and eucalyptus driven I couldn’t be sure but at the same time it’s not exactly a scent I associate with Roumier let alone most burgundy.

11/9/2023 - clayfu wrote:

I had this wine as a pop and pour this past April and it was pretty shut down. So knowing that information i decnated this puppy a good half day ahead. It needed every single minute of it. As the night went on, each pour, the massive density of the wine came into focus and unfurled. Started to pick up the beautiful spice laden aspects of rayas while keeping the space of its huge body in tack. Heavy intense saturation of fruit that leads to an incredibly sappy and long finish. POtential on this wine is monstrous.

11/2/2023 - clayfu wrote:

i’ve much maligned this wine due to how ripe and candied it was on release and the following years. I just had one at the end of 2022 and it was so candied and alcoholic i didn’t even want to drink it. As a joke - when #noigmatt mentioned this bottle for the dinner, i said you should open it the day before. He popped it at 7pm the night before, poured off a glass and gave it to the morning. Then in the morning decanted it until dinner time.

It needed all that air. It still gave off a lot of the ripe candied sweet fruit but the alcohol felt more integrated. The acidity felt more pronounced to taper down the ripeness. Incredibly sappy and red fruit driven, started to show some herbaceousness on the finish that reminded me a bit of yellow Chartreuse. Each pour the wine focused in a bit more. I’d keep my hands off these, see where they develop further with age, based on the amount of air needed, it probably needs another decade to tone down. Or it can be like the 2005 that’s suddenly evolved quickly and shed a lot of it’s candied fruit and become a pretty delicious wine.

10/25/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Part 2 of decant your white burgundy (or any wine really)

1989 Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet - if I didn’t have the 2008 Coche Corton Charlemagne the night before I would have named this my white wine WOTY.

Perfect provenance as I purchased a few wines from the original owner. Check out the later pics of color!

Initially the wine was shy and reticent. Signs of the classic leflaive reduction on the nose and body. We tasted it a couple times early in the dinner and moved on to give it air. Came back to it at the 3 hour mark and the wine absolutely rocketed off the platform.

A room full of freshly glazed crème brûlée immediately shoots out of the glass, topped with sugared pineapples and poached pear. The nose was intoxicating and near impossible to stop smelling. Palate was equally as beguiling as all the material was fully integrated at this point and playing together in perfect harmony. Rich sweet fruit with just the right amount of acidity and minerality to give the wine a pure long richness deep into the last remnants of each sip. Brilliant wine.

10/24/2023 - clayfu wrote:

I swear these 1988 Krug Clos Du Mesnil are getting younger and younger 🤣

One of my favorite champagnes of all time, the last few have felt like they are re-emerging from their evolution and Benjamin Buttoning on us

This bottle was so focused and acid driven for the first couple of hours. While there were some aged notes of hazelnut and warm yellow fruit it seemed to be limited in comparison to the powerful and bright profile left by the acidity and texture. With air it started to all integrate more, but it definitely needed way more air than prior bottles to get there. By the end of the night it was a glorious integration of a champagne and the pinnacle of what these Krug Mesnil have to offer.

Usually with older bottles of Krug I find it needs oxygen to express itself from a closed state opposed to needing oxygen to tame itself.

10/23/2023 - clayfu wrote:

2012 Cedric Bouchard Creux d’enfer Rose - ultra tiny .07 HA plot of Pinot Noir 🦄🦄- made in rosé de saignée, which gets 24 hours of skin contact including its stems then pressing the juice to get the resulting color and rose. Most rose champagne is still red wine added for color.

Immense wave of candied cranberry as bright as the color of the wine explodes off the palate. Edges between Jolly Rancher hard candy and Ocean Spray juice in the generosity and sweetness of fruit. Interlaced with a fine bead of bubbles that add lift but keeps to the soft profile that Cedric is so well known for. That fine bead with the generous acidity make for a wine that brings its fruit far down shore. Lingers with a savory blood orange and thyme note at the end of the finish.

Truly one of the most unique expressions of champagne out there.

10/22/2023 - clayfu wrote:

2001 Raveneau Clos - opened at 11am and finished at 10pm. Last sip best sip.

Started out shy and waxy, the material was brewing but never really came out for us to enjoy. Since we were meeting up a few hours later we corked the half bottle that was left and took it with us.

We popped it again at the end of dinner and it was GLORIOUS. Full on aromatics of mint, ripe peach, lychee and flowers with a flinty mild reduction. The palate was dense and waxy with generous orchard fruit and cooling acidity. An absolutely stunner of a wine.

Decant your white burgs kids. If anyone tells you no, tell em zaddy clayfu told ya.

10/20/2023 - clayfu wrote:

1999 DRC Romanee st Vivant - felt almost clunky next to the 2002 La Tache. You feel all the jagged tannic edges from how reserved the wine is. There’s oodles and poodles of material waiting in reserve that’s for sure but it never feels like it’s able to burst part that barrier and is still coiled around that core. It’s dark, brutish, reserved. I’d hold for longer to allow those tannins to shed.

10/19/2023 - clayfu wrote:

2002 DRC La Tache - this beaut of a wine has hit that perfect moment where the primary opulence is strutting in full display like a peacock but with the maturity to know, maybe don’t be strutting all those feathers in a crowded street in Arcadia and get run over.

The nose is an intoxicating perfume of saddlewood, baking spice, stem and fresh red berries. The palate is incredibly expressive and robust that fully fills the already impressive amount of width that the wine has with gobs of fresh acid driven fruit and has enough age to soften the edges where you don’t feel the youthful exuberance of fruit is too much. At this point the wine feels integrated enough where everything drinks so seamlessly on the palate, you really have to look for any youthful rough edges. Unlike the 2000/2001 where you are picking up a lot more of the secondary characters this one is still fully primary in the best way and can be held for many many more years.

10/17/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Per Kei’s IG I wanted over a month after delivery and decanted for awhile.

Whole stem vinification. No sulphur. No new oak (outside of the Charles Chambertin)

I tried a sip immediately out of the decanter. I think my tongue swallowed itself into my throat. The wine was so incredibly sour. The acidity was completely out of place. So I thought - I’ll leave it in the cellar to get some oxygen and come back to it later. Bottled it back up 4 hours later and took it to meet some friends.

Tried it again when I arrived - that intensely sour acidity appeared again. My lips puckered and my body shook. It’s as if I sucked on a Lemon Mega Warhead that was framed with a bitter wood tone.

I asked each person to try as they filtered in. Every single person had the same response, how utterly out of balance the wine was. I don’t think in my life I’ve ever had a red wine this sour before. It started to pick up a red candied note on the mid palate and I was getting flash backs to the 2006 Alma Rosa I had back in the days that showed such candied yet sour imbalance.

I really wanted to give this wine a chance. I swirled as hard as I could. Shook the bottle. Anything to give more oxygen and change it up. At one point I felt the acidity started to lessen but then the candied new world sweetness came strongly to the forefront. Then the next sip that sweetness retreated again and the mega warhead was back.

I asked #noigdavid how it compared to other bottles from the producer he had. And he replied “I’ve had worse bottlings” which absolutely floored me, outside of a bacterial infection I’m not sure it could get worse.

10/13/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Really interesting trying the 2014 of this wine next to the 2019 st aubin HD. Where the 19 showed very forward and yellow fruited, the 2014 was more floral and white fruit driven. It's still deep and a tidal wave of flavor, it's also strung along by a high wire level of acid all around the wine that adds so much energy and excitement to the wine.

10/11/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Second time having this wine and roughly a year apart, I thought the wine was good a year ago, it's put on even more power and effort behind it. It's a completely mouth saturation of flavor. It's a flavor tsunami. While it does show the ripeness of the vintage and the acidity could use a little more pick me up, it's still an incredible wine that's so sappy and laden with material you just keep going back to it.

10/11/2023 - clayfu wrote:

2014 Raveneau have felt so closed up for awhile now, you get the genius behind the wine as it fills like the belt buckle is about to blow wide off that fat pant waist, but it's not quite there. The Valmur has this bristling density wrapped into the classic waxy Raveneau texture but it feels like it's two notches away from a belly burst and even with 3 hours of stuffing, it didn't get it too much closer. Maybe I would have felt differently and thought the wine was more ready to go than it was if the other two wines next to it weren't so electric.

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: Very much liger belair with its gorgeous supple red fruit and vosne spice yet still very much 05 as the oak still hasn't felt like it's integrated and the wine still feels so primary. I'm just glad to have a sound and good showing on a Liger village with age!

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: Nice spot, fresh and fleshy that reminds me of a natty white burg producer, but there was a nice delicate acid note that helped keep the wine lively with its yellow fruit

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: Wow. Maybe the best syrah i've had in 2023. It's so etheral in its fruit presence with wonderful acidity and a fine line of the sweetest delicate red fruit. The mouthfeel of the wine is so svelte and beautiful. THe nose is filled with that same fresh picked cherry note that just effortlessly rises out of the glass. My goodness that was good.

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: I think this wine is starting to shut down a bit. It's losing a bit of that sweet sweet red berry on the nose and starting to get burlier and thicker on the nose and palate. Still fantastic density on the wine with a ton of sweet red fruit but it does feel like the structure of the wine is in the forefront. A very good wine still if you've never had it near release where it was an amazing wine.

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: Not a great example of the wine, you could tell there was a little heat damage and it was enough to really bring out the lacto notes on the finish that really marred the wine.

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: Very high toned va driven nose with bright purple fruit and pepper. THe palate is cool yet laden with ample fruit and that classic allemand fruit and minerality combo runs well in the wine. Not quick as deep as the 07 tasted the same night, but the VA seems to give it a bit more of a brightness.

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: This vintage was such a great one for allemand. I love how the wine sparkles from the minerality and it feels so herbacious and black fruited. It's just incredibly well balanced right now with a deep flavor profile that shows it still has some time to go before it hits its peak.

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: Been a couple years since I opened a blt of the 04 and it's really developed nicely. It's put on a lot of weight while keeping that fine minerality and black olive and fruit driven core. Starting to add more of that savory back end element of the wine which really adds to the complexity. Wine was beautiful and would have been my WOTN if not for the 2012 Jamet Cote Brune

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: Kinda similar to the 07 we had with it where there's a lightness to the wine - I wouldn't necessarily say elegance just feels like it has another gear that's not quite there. It's easy drinking and has decent dark red fruit, but there just seems to be missing a little bit more especially next to the same vintage Allemand Reynard.

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: Soft supple fruit, felt a bit short on the finish, meaty pepper on the back end but wish there was a bit more acidity to prop the wine up

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: Wildly different wine from the 1992 that was served by it. Really burly meaty and thick. Lots of olive and smoke on the nose and the palate had a coarse tannin and more tobacco driven notes with dark burly fruit. One to sit on for a bit longer

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: looking at the notes on this wine prior to dinner had me fearful but boy this was good. That wild brambly red fruit with an edge of sous bois you get from most 80s Chave with a nice pulse of acid and cool moderate mouthfeel texture. Reminds me a lot of 89 but a little less so of a wine but still very enjoyable

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: TCA BOMB