9/21/2023 - jhbehrens Does not like this wine:

Seems like this bottle had secondary fermentation given the bubbles on opening and the fizzybtaste even after 2 days opened in the fridge. Interesting but too yeasty. Not impressed.

6/10/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

From magnum. Drank at a private dinner on Nomad IV in Cap Ferrat. 100% Folle Noir. Green bell pepper, bramble, blackberry, cedarwood, coffee, balsamic, dried meat on the nose. Orange marmelade, strawberry, black fruit on the palate. Medium+ acidity, medium tannins, medium length, 14% alcohol. Prime drinking window. Wonderful

6/4/2023 - jhbehrens wrote:

Oxidized

5/29/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Subtle steely oxidisation, very clean and precise wine. Do drink it at the right temperate.

5/27/2023 - jhbehrens Does not like this wine:

Weird wine, sweet and tannic. Keep for another 20 years?

5/7/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

First year Bernaudeau made this cuvee. Strongly reductive nose with lemon juice, biscuit, apple, elderflower. On the palate it has a saltiness and incredible tension with orange, orange peel, apple, pear, white flowers. Not as polished as Nourissons or Coqueries and more citrusy than the other wines he makes. Lovely and only 11% alcohol

5/3/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

At Spectrum restaurant, Amsterdam. Typical PYC reduction with notes of mint, green fruit, lemon candy and back palate of agrume. Young but very drinkable at this stage

5/4/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Decanted in a carafe to separate it from the depot and returned to the bottle. Drank after 2-3 hours. Beautifully developed tertiairy aromas giving a highly fragrant bouquet of sweet flowers, powerful cedar wood and tobacco, so elegant still and light footed given its age. Very much in its drinking window still. Unforgettable wine.

2/17/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Delicious

2/17/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Barnyard nose with crispy red fruit. Hint of sweetness on the palate but very light and frivolous. Still too young.

2/5/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Starting to exhibit tertiary characteristics but still has soft red fruit and floral aromas. Light and drinkable. Good for a few more years.

1/29/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Some residual sugar, very tertiary already. Well inside it’s drinking window

1/22/2023 - jhbehrens wrote:

Balanced, clean and somewhat ephemeral Sangiovese that did extremely well with pasta with wild boar, a fellow Tuscan delicacy. Should get much better still over the next 5-10 years

1/21/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Wow! Reduction and plenty of tropical fruit. Before it’s peak but clearly has the class of a grand cru. Drink for the next 5-7 years

1/21/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Just a touch of ox but otherwise clean and lean Chablis. Probably at that age where it neither had the young fruit, or the tertiary aromas back by acidity. But nevertheless lovely. I would keep other bottles for another 3-5 years

1/18/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Peak drinking window now. Amber coloured and full of tertiary flavours but no oxidation or lack of acidity. Wonderful at this stage.

1/10/2023 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

On the dark side and a little bit oxidised, could be bottle variation.

12/24/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

If you have a bottle of this, put it in an auction. Its past its prime.

12/25/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Some malo and not a lot of refinement or character. Not the best vintage. Don’t wait.

12/25/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Wonderful but too young, keep for at least 5 more years

12/25/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

From magnum. Leather, cherries, spice, bramble, red currant. Medium acidity, medium- tannins. Has another 5–10 years ahead of it.

12/22/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Reductive, with a nose of crushed apple and liquorice with a linear undertone. Ever so slight fizz on the tongue (2nd fermentation?) and a palate consistent with the nose. Delicious

12/11/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

All tertiairy but lively, like a Spatburgunder without fruit. Lasted about 45m in the decanter before it started to collapse. Very classy

12/10/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Slightly overripe yellow and white fruit. Oak vanilla just a little too strong. Not bad but lacks refinement.

12/10/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Laurel liquorice and tar. So lively and delicious. Drink or keep.

11/25/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Very alive, typical Chenin aromas and spiciness. Don’t think it will improve

11/15/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

A little bland, with a steely character. Don’t think it will improve

11/12/2022 - jhbehrens wrote:

Bottle oxydized. Tastes like eating orange peel. Such a shame

11/12/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

At the edge of oxidisation, just past it’s peak but still very intense and balanced. Drink up

11/12/2022 - jhbehrens wrote:

Thick black currant and cherry palate. Over its peak

11/12/2022 - jhbehrens wrote:

Oxidised

11/5/2022 - jhbehrens wrote:

Rather subtle for a Condrieu. Too young, keep until 2025

11/5/2022 - jhbehrens wrote:

So delicate. Tropical fruit aromas bedded in a graferuit yoghurt drink, this sake just seems to levitate

11/3/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Beautiful expression of Savagnin. Crushed ripe fruit aromas captured in a clean and tense wine that tastes of candied apple and dried fruit. Searing acidity balanced with rich fruit. Wonderful.

Ready to drink now but wil get better for at least 3 more years

10/23/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

After 30 minutes in a decanter this wine oozes class. So Burgundian and delicious. Plum, raspberry and some smokiness. Very nice

10/9/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Delicious and still dark fruit forward. Not yet at the peak of its drinking window but very nice already

10/8/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Slightly over the hill but opulent and wonderful

10/8/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Seductive perfume. Precise. Excellent

10/8/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Waxed lemon, oyster shell. So direct and clear. Amazing wine

9/18/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Sandalwood, honeysuckle, quince, hint of reduction and green apple on the nose. High, very green acidity gives this wine energy with a green apple finish. Don’t think this is as good a vintage as most.

9/16/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Deep garnet colour. Blackberries, clove and barnyard smells with ripe black fruit and grippy tannins on the palate. Medium acidity. Needs a few more years to reach its peak.

8/23/2022 - jhbehrens wrote:

Disappointing for its pedigree. Rather simple wine with a bit of a stale smell

8/21/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Kept the bottle standing up for 6 weeks before drinking. Slightly maderized but still very good. Strong aromas of jammy and cooked fruit, balsamic and herbs. Showing really well for its age.

7/13/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Opened and decanted 4 hours before drinking. What a wine! Subtle acidity, hint of leather and red and purple fruit. Some liquorice and blackberries on the rear palate. Like drinking liquid silk. Absolutely wonderful wine, such a testament to Burgundy.

7/13/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Opened 4 hours before drinking and kept it in the bottle. Opulent and rich with concentration of tropical fruit and sweet white flowers. Tasting blind I would have guessed a white Hermitage. So mature already, with low acidity, strong aromas and lots of length.

7/6/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Seems an exceptional vintage with clean, floral and fragrant Sangiovese aromas. Lovely

6/22/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Very subdued on the nose but oh so powerful on the palate. Plum, fig, almost nectar like. Very young and secondary but yummy. Drink or keep for decades.

6/21/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine:

Seductive nose of flowers, raspberry and red fruit. On the palate this wine is fresh, herbal, fruity and floral at the same time with medium+ acidity. More acidic and fresh than other vintages I’ve had. Good for at least another 5-7 years

6/17/2022 - jhbehrens Does not like this wine:

I'm a big fan of Benaudeau and this is the 3rd 2019 cuvee I have tasted after Onglés and Coqueries, both of which were wonderful. This wine however is a huge disappointment. It's very reductive on the nose with lots of flint and roasted sesame, which is also on the palate, but other than that there is just this huge bracing acidity that feels like its dissolving the enamel on my teeth. Even 2 days after opening it's exactly the same. The acidity is so high that you just can't drink more than a glass of this and even then you stomach hurts for a few hours. It has no Chenin character, no fruit, just flint and acid. The sommelier warned me about it when I ordered and I figured it must have been a bottle difference, but its not.

6/11/2022 - jhbehrens wrote:

Very slight hint of balsamic suggests some oxidisation has begun. I bought this bottle at the domaine and kept it in a climatized and dark cellar so pedigree can't be better. Spicy and broody, not a great result for such terroir.