3/29/2024 - jlm wrote:

Spiced apple and toast on the nose. Big, broad fruit spreading horizontally on the palate. It's got decent acidity, but the fruit character seems a little more advanced than I would expect, and certainly by contrast to the very young showing '17 Mouchere opened alongside this. The color was also a tic towards gold. This was really enjoyable, but I'm glad I opened this bottle now before it started succumbing to premox in earnest.

3/29/2024 - jlm wrote:

Some reduction took a little time to blow off. Once it cleared, there was clear white to yellow orchard fruit on the nose and a pure, coiled fruit impression on the mid palate, gripping and leading into a focused finish. No signs of premox on this bottle. Opened side by side with the 2017 Boillot Pucelles, and that showed slightly advanced with less mid palate energy.

3/29/2024 - jlm wrote:

Effusive, attractive nose of dried orange peel, apricot, spice, and a touch of petrol. The palate is full and sweet, but I found the acidity fairly bright, in contrast to the last most recent note on this (admittedly from 5 years ago). The finish is predictably epic. This is drinking very well. Is it in its mature window or young, I have idea. But I am sure that you will enjoy this now if you open one.

4/1/2024 - jlm wrote:

This is a very attractive bottling that's got nice energy and good depth of fruit, with the airy Meunier mouthfeel featuring prominently. The mousse was not especially fine, but it's an elegant and delightful NV champagne in a not-extreme grower style.

4/4/2024 - jlm wrote:

Pear and apple fruit on the nose to start, developing an attractive toasted nut note with a little air. The palate is squarely medium body with a snappy acidic bite, but there is a relaxed pear/peach fruit flesh that buffers the zing. Nice, expanding finish bodes well for further evolution in the near term. This is very attractive in a unadorned, expressive style. I am not sure that it delivers the complexity and interest one might hope for at this price point. But time will tell whether this has more it's holding in reserve.

4/7/2024 - jlm wrote:

Ink, licorice, black raspberry on the nose. Medium body with a nice flesh to the texture, present but not prominent acidity leading into a modest frame of slightly grainy tannin remaining. The finish is long for this level, with clarity and focus to the fruit. The licorice flavor is particularly defined here but coupled nicely with the dark berry character. This is in a good drinking window now but still probably has some good development in front of it.

3/28/2024 - jlm wrote:

2019 base, 5g/l dosage. Peach, apple, and toast on the nose. The palate is full and round but with a snappy acidic bite as well. The finish is long and reprises the apple and apple skin notes of the nose. CT doesn't seem to be very high on this, but I am having a hard time understanding why. It's good!

3/26/2024 - jlm wrote:

Rich and fleshy without being at all blowsy. Ripe white fruit nose, maybe melon, bordering on tropical in its profile. Nice wine, but based on a recent 2019, this might well need some additional bottle age to come into its own.

3/24/2024 - jlm wrote:

Not many bottles of this still in the CT inventory, so mainly academic and for myself. Aromas of honey and golden raisins point to the botrytis here, with yellow apple dominant beneath those top notes. The palate is broad, juicy, and full, with a fleshy texture and flavors indicating the ripeness of the vintage: yellow peach and even a hint of mango. There is a tangy acidity here that's mostly buried by the massive fruit, but it's present enough to keep everything lively. The finish is long and expensive, with impressive concentration on the mid palate. At age 18 and change, it's hard to say this is young. But I do think it has positive evolution ahead of it yet. The 05 Auslese must be staggering given the concentration and ripeness here.

2/26/2024 - jlm wrote:

Drinking very nicely. Full and fleshy, but with good freshness too. In a nice window now.

3/3/2024 - jlm wrote:

No detailed notes on this. Medium to light body, crunchy red fruit on the palate, and well integrated acidity. The complexity is not really there yet, but there is an intriguing hint of smoke complicating the fruit notes. Give this some time.

3/14/2024 - jlm wrote:

Disgorged 3/2/22. This continues to be a very satisfying Blanc de Blancs expression. It's quite complex on the nose and has a stony, lipsmacking texture on the palate. Very fine.

2/29/2024 - jlm wrote:

Drinking really well. The palate has fleshed out and shows delightful fruit character along with its grippy freshness. A fullbodied rose with mouthfilling texture that works great with food.

2/23/2024 - jlm wrote:

There is quite a bit of dissolved C02 here still, which makes this a bit difficult to evaluate. But in general, I wasn't thrilled with this bottle. The palate is broad in texture and unfocused in flavor, and seems somewhat watery. A '16 WS Kabinett opened the following month showed much more focus and concetration.

3/18/2024 - jlm wrote:

My first bottle of this was in late 2022, and this second bottle showed some development since then. It's similar on the nose, with white apple, lemon, and mineral. But the palate, while crackling with acidic grip, also shows some round fruit richness that speaks to the vintage's generosity. Nice focus on the finish. This seems poised for continued positive development. Love the Initiales from Chauvet.

3/22/2024 - jlm wrote:

Lovely nose with floral notes, white stone fruit, and cream. The palate is broad in its presentation, with soft velvety fruit texture and subtle sweetness spreading on the palate. I can see why others have commented on the lower acidity of this wine, and it's true that it doesn't have a bracing acidic spine. But there is a subtle and well integrated lift that keeps this feeling fresh. And the wine has excellent mid-palate focus on the finish, with flavors of peach skin and citrus pith, along with a hint of bitterness, stretching out with impressive length.

3/14/2024 - jlm wrote:

Attractive nose still in its primary vein, with notes of apple and pear, along with a hint of crushed stone. The mouthfeel is pillowy soft, with only barely perceptible sweetness, coupled with a brisk and gripping acidity. The finish is long and still quite compact in its flavor presentation, a coil of orange pith. No signs of oxidation here. This is drinking well but still some years from showing everything it has, I suspect.

3/13/2024 - jlm wrote:

My final bottle of this 2010, and it continues to drink much like my note from May 2022. Charming nose of cherry, raspberry, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The wine is perfectly integrated on the palate, with medium body, plush-mature fruit texture with perhaps a hint of oak gloss, fresh but harmonious acidity, and a subtle frame of tannic structure remaining. The flavors on the finish fan out nicely rather than concentrating on the mid palate, lending to the impression that this is more or less at peak. I do not think it's going to drop off anytime soon, but I do feel it's showing all its cards at this point. Very nice.

3/5/2024 - jlm wrote:

Effusive nose of white peach, light toast/grains, and citrus oil. Really attractive. The finish shows good richness adding a note of walnut to the fruit flavors, and there's a bright crunchy acidity emerging on the back end. The finish has excellent mid palate focus leading to flavors of fleshy white peach and walnut. This is a great village level wine in a ripe but pure style that is a great expression of Meursault.

2/25/2024 - jlm wrote:

Drunk under circumstances that did not lend themselves to careful attention to this, but it was on the modern end of the spectrum stylistically: full and plump but without being overextracted or flabby. Acidity is fine but not the focus here. Tannins are polished and mainly in the background at this point. In a good drinking window, but not exciting to me, and it misses the savory wildness, blood, and pepper of a more traditional St Joseph.

2/23/2024 - jlm wrote:

Slow oxed for about 5 hours before serving. The nose here is effusive and features prominent floral aromas, plus a touch of orange rind, and perhaps a hint of VA. The palate is light bodied and silky textured, with sweet red berry fruit and fine but not prominent acidity, and it finishes with some slightly rustic tannins on the back end. This is certainly approaching its plateau of maturity and is a nice example of Savigny.

2/21/2024 - jlm wrote:

Disgorged 10/22. This disgorgement shows few signs of development so far. It's got restrained white fruit on the nose rather than autolytic notes earlier bottlings have shown. And the palate is a bit more linear and direct, without the broader fruit texture I've seen before. I suspect this would benefit from some further time in the cellar, for my palate at least.

2/14/2024 - jlm wrote:

Opened and left to slow ox at cellar temp for 9 hours, then decanted an hour before serving. This was delightful, with wild berry fruit along with savory notes of tar and herbs. The palate is medium to light weight with a polished texture and possibly a slight oak gloss. I don't actually know the oak treatment here, so I could well be wrong. There are some tannins that emerge on the back end which are easily buffered by food. But this still needs time for the tannins to continue to melt, at least for my palate. There is excellent mid palate focus on the finish, suggesting good depth for further aging.

1/7/2024 - jlm wrote:

So many good notes on this, so just a quick message for myself. This had impressive depth and good freshness in spite of the high alcohol, hiding its power. The finish was long and unfolded impressively, but the nose still needs some time to show more delineation.

1/10/2024 - jlm wrote:

The aromas are beginning to show some development here, with the citrus, honey, and floral qualities becoming more expressive. The palate has rounded out a bit as well, though it still has a bright acidic core. I still have not run into an oxidized bottle of the 2016, though I am tempting fate by writing that here, I'm sure. I'm rolling the dice on letting my final bottle rest in the cellar for a little longer still.

1/30/2024 - jlm wrote:

I did not find this bottle to be nearly as tropical and fruit-forward as my last one from April 2023. Much more of a classic aromatic profile of white fruit, cittrus, and sea breeze, leading into a zesty acidic snap on the palate buffered by maturing fruit flesh. Very nice on this night.

2/1/2024 - jlm wrote:

I have little to add to Frank's note from 1/30/24 in the way of descriptors. This has a unique expression that is surprising and fun. I still feel that the fruit extract and zingy acidity are pulling in different directions rather than working harmoniously though. It's not disjointed, just not entirely melded together yet. Still, very nice wine.

2/4/2024 - jlm wrote:

With recent notes on this wine being all over the place--young and still developing, past its prime, flawed, etc.--I decided to check in. Decanted 3 hours before serving. Dark berry fruit, some mineral, and roasty smoke on the nose. The palate is still mainly about its primary fruit character, with a velvety texture and while certainly fresh, seemingly lower in acidity than some other vintages of Rhys Syrah. I found some tannic structure buried beneath the fruit, but it is gentle and not powerful, to be sure. While certainly not very young, this is not showing mature fruit yet, to my palate. And I don't see any reason to think it's on the brink of falling apart. Right now it's a new-world leaning Syrah made in the spirit of the Northern Rhone. The profile does not have the pungent savoriness or animale character of the N. Rhone, and the fruit seems somewhat juicy and polished. Nonetheless, I think checking back in 2-4 years seems both safe and advised.

2/6/2024 - jlm wrote:

To echo other notes from the last 6 months or so, this has entered a nice drinking window, with fruit, acidity, and oak melding more harmoniously than was the case a couple of years ago. This is a medium to light bodies wine with gentle, white-fruited texture on the palate, and fresh but not bracing acidity. Very fine right now.

2/5/2024 - jlm wrote:

From 750. Relative to some other vintages of this wine, the 2004 is not quite as aromatically complex, at least at the moment. There is good Nahe character of white cherry, tangerine, and mineral, but it doesn't quite draw one in the way this wine can. It really shines on the palate and finish though. It's closer to a Spätlese in weight than a dessert wine, but has a gentle, relaxed fruit quality that is very appealing, with a bright acidic undercurrent keeping it snappy. And the finish is a vivid three-dimensional unfolding of cherry, red apple, and ripe citrus fruit. Very impressive, and possibly a sign that further ageing will see this enter another plane of development.

1/23/2024 - jlm wrote:

Honeydew melon and brine in the nose, clear Carricante character. The palate is light weight but with a bit of fleshy fruit texture, very harmonious with the zippy acidity. I didn't really mean to give this quite so much cellar time, but it has aged well.

1/11/2024 - jlm wrote:

My last bottle of the 2018, and it's drinking so well. The palate has relaxed to show some more mature fruit character, and the components are now totally harmonious. Really lovely.

1/17/2024 - jlm wrote:

This continues to drink really nicely and fully mature. The nose is open and expressive, with berry fruit, cola, and some herbal notes, possibly remaining traces of stem inclusion. There's nice mid palate sweetness and crunchy refreshing acidity. A touch of stemminess shows up in the finish as well. This has developed well and should continue to drink nicely for some time id guess.

1/18/2024 - jlm wrote:

This continues to drink very well. It's expressive and lemon oily and floral on the nose, has a slight viscosity to the texture along with a tangy acidity. Satisfying wine.

1/19/2024 - jlm wrote:

12/21 disgorgement. 9 months since my last bottle of this, and it seems to have integrated its components well in that time. The same peachy fruit character is still present on the nose and palate, but it's not sticking out as an overtly fruity element any longer. It's more complementing the savory fermentation aromas and providing a foundation for the acidity on the palate. This is developing well.

1/5/2024 - jlm wrote:

Decanted approximately 2 hours and drunk over the subsequent 3. The oak was still prominent on the nose at this point, with dark fruit peeking out a bit. The palate is medium light and velvety textured, with pitch perfect acid integration and impressive flavor intensity. There's some firm but fine tannin framing the finish. Between the evident structure, balance, and oak still unintegrated, this seems well set up for a good aging curve, though I don't personally have long experience with this wine. But I would trust it.

1/1/2024 - jlm wrote:

I see I opened my previous bottle of this on New Year's Day 2023, so I seem to have gotten it in my mind that it pairs with black-eyed peas and collard greens, and it did indeed work well with the traditional dishes. I decanted this bottle a couple of hours before drinking and served just below room temperature. Reading my note from a year ago, I'd say this showed very similar. Coconut, preserves/dried lemon, saline, and a slight oxidative note of walnut skin characterize both the aromas and palate flavors. The palate is full and has a bit of an oily texture, while retaining bright acidity lifting the palate and focusing it on the mid palate for a long finish. Really nice showing for this wine.

12/30/2023 - jlm wrote:

Fairly large bubble size in the mousse here. The aromas lean towards the savory, with toasted pastry and mushroom over some background pear fruit. The palate is broad and round but with a zippy acidity as well. This got more expressive with some air time but was ultimately not especially compelling. Will see whether some additional bottle time will help this open more.

12/26/2023 - jlm wrote:

Signs of seepage (bought from winery in 2006 and carried to US). Intense aromas of dried apricot and honey. The palate is viscous and rich, quite sweet, but with a blazing acidity on the back end. This was fun, but I would not call it especially complex or well balanced.

12/26/2023 - jlm wrote:

I'm surprised to see the other notes going back 7 or 8 years all commenting on how open this wine was, has been, and still is. Indeed it drank very well on this night. After 2-3 hours of slow ox, the nose was complex and compelling, with damp forest floor prominent and black raspberry and floral notes behind that. The palate was downright lithe for Pommard, with delicately textured red berry fruit on the mid palate, lively but well integrated acidity, and some slightly drying tannins emerge on the finish. These may melt some with additional cellar time, but it's difficult to imagine this improving too much. Very nice bottle.

12/24/2023 - jlm wrote:

I agree with the other recent notes that this is showing very well right now. The nose was wide open with spiced apples and flowers. The fruit character on the palate has evolved away from the primary concentrated tropical character of young Alpine (e.g., pineapple) to a more relaxed expression, with pear and peach predominant, livened by harmoniously integrated but still snappy acidity. The finish grips the middle palate impressively as its flavors echo the aromas.

12/22/2023 - jlm wrote:

Back label indicates 70% 2019 fruit and minimum 36 months on the lees but doesn't have a disgorgement date; 5g/l dosage. This exploded when the cork was pulled and I lost 3oz or so. Very effervescent, obviously. After it settled a while, it was an enjoyable if not especially memorable BdN. I didn't find it to be sweet or bitter, as others have mentioned. But classic apple and peach PN expression, with a touch of biscuit dough. The palace is roundish with Pinot fruit but also crisp and bright in the grower style. Will give other bottles some time to see if it will help temper the bubbles.

12/16/2023 - jlm wrote:

Surprisingly accessible for a 2005 Chevillon after about 5 hours of slow ox. Effusive aromatics, with dark bramble and cherry fruit, accompanied by sauvage and damp earth. The palate was squarely medium bodied and silky textured before fine tannins crept in on the rear palate. This has not quite entered its mature sweet fruit stage on the palate, but it is drinking very well.

12/16/2023 - jlm wrote:

Still drinking very well, and certainly still young and crisp. But the Blanc de Blancs profile is on full display. Lower dosage means this tends towards a tangy gripy texture on the palate.

12/22/2023 - jlm wrote:

Disgorged April 2020, 2015 base. This is a lighter bodied champagne, bright and fresh but some cellar time seems to have mellowed any Brut Nature raciness. There's nice fruit density on an elegant frame with fine mousse. The aromas open nicely with a little air and as this approaches room temperature. There's yellow apple, cereal, and some yeast. Very enjoyable.

12/20/2023 - jlm wrote:

This is indeed quite elegant in style, with light to medium weight but impressive concentration and persistence on the finish. There's still a light tannic frame remaining, and I don't yet find the bottle sweetness that would indicate maturity. The nose could also use some more time to open beyond the dark berry fruit and incipient leather notes.

12/21/2023 - jlm wrote:

Nice broad palate presence and good weight without any unctuousness. Zippy acidity as well. The nose is not the most giving and currently leans towards green apple and citrus. Good village level Meursault in a direct and fresh style.

12/14/2023 - jlm wrote:

This continues to drink really well, with the nose edging towards a totally savory expression of wool and wax. The palate maintains its texture of stony extract, still buffering the acidity nicely. Some apple and pear fruit makes an appearance on the finish. This is impressively good for a lower tier bottling.

12/10/2023 - jlm wrote:

There are several excellent notes on this wine from the last 18 months, and I have few descriptors to add to those. I will echo that the balance here is exquisite, with an airy texture, wonderful depth of flavor, and tongue-tingling acidity all perfectly in harmony. The finish is where the class, with a panoply of peach, tangerine, grapefruit, and cherry expanding as the wine grips the mid-palate with focused intensity. Very impressive. The nose was not very giving, however. This was drunk at fridge temp though. I'll revise the note on day two if there are notable developments.

10/31/2023 - jlm wrote:

From magnum. Well this was a surprise. The opulence I found when I last opened this in 2015 has receded to show a much more refined expression of mature dry Riesling, with the emphasis now on a panoply of effusive flowers and apricot. The palate has relaxed into a broad presentation of various stone fruits, stony minerals, with an underlying acidity keeping it fresh while totally harmonious with the whole. Very good and very interesting. Not sure I would buy it in magnums again, but this was a pleasure.