4/19/2024 - TomC1369 wrote:

Just hitting drinking window. D-L ‘05 are just turning into exceptional wine with real terroir distinction. Appropriately distinct from the Bonnes Mares. Truly Gevrey. Still very fresh.

4/19/2024 - TomC1369 wrote:

See Burgfest notes of Neal Martin and Jasper. All accurate. But still needing a lot of air. Decanted and left for an hour. But still needed two more hours to really shine. Then it had a beautiful nose of lemon and linen. And real weight which the acidity cuts through beautifully into a glorious finish.

3/8/2024 - TomC1369 wrote:

I too part in the same tasting as the notes below and bought some straight after for the reasons set out in those notes. It remains, in common with most 2016s, largely unchanged 3 years later. Not structured for 50 years but will be even better in 5.

11/24/2023 - TomC1369 wrote:

Stunning. Immense spice notes and oily trees. Clove, dried laurel logs, allspice, clove, nutmeg but with a real freshness without any green. Every fruit from wild strawberry to a hint of cherry. Still primary, acidic and tannic but so much to like right now. The best of the ‘16 pdb? Double decanted and developed in the glass but very drinkable.

11/4/2023 - TomC1369 wrote:

Had a couple from the case not long after release - it had little to balance the acid. Thankfully saved the rest because it has now transformed into a stellar wine. Fresh génépi, apple, mango, lychee, lanolin on the nose. Fresh acidity cutting a mouth coating palate. Mature green/gold colour. Gru-Ve indeed. Better on day 2 so decant or open well in advance

10/25/2023 - TomC1369 wrote:

On opening plenty of fountain pen ink on the nose and young on the palate.
After a double decant and a few hours: allspice, nutmeg, blackberry, loganberry, a touch of strawberry , plenty of vanilla but no harsher oak. Resolved tannins but still plenty of structure. Brightness but not quite the length to put even higher. Much better than the first bottle of the case drunk 18 months ago. Will leave the other 4 because no hurry. A really lovely glass. And pretty.

9/12/2023 - TomC1369 wrote:

Near perfect Nebbiolo. Did not need decanting. Aerien, ethereal and hauntingly pretty. Paired beautifully with grouse.

9/11/2023 - TomC1369 wrote:

Still purple to black. Blackberries with some griotte. Cinnamon with a touch of cloves. Touch of linen.
Tannins fine but present.
Oddly, an hour after opening there was some reductive elements despite being an entirely clean wine till then. Nice now but will be extraordinary in a decade. Better than 05, 06, 07, probably by some distance, but a very different stage of development.

5/31/2023 - TomC1369 wrote:

First of 6 magnums. Last glass best yet first glass was great. Touch of heat but nothing burnt and no rubber. For the year a triumph. But objectively fantastic. Much better than expected. From magnum best to wait further because still improving. A testament to a classic style of winemaking rather than the over extracted monsters begat by Parker scores

4/13/2023 - TomC1369 wrote:

Toast, butter and strawberry jam. But so good. Fully in drinking window. Beautifully balanced and complex and of delightfully modest weight for a ‘15. Without the layers of a great Morey grand cru. But much better than many Morey grand crus, even from good growers in good years. No hurry at all but no reason to wait. Genuinely delicious.

2/26/2023 - TomC1369 wrote:

Held from release in a cold cellar in Normandy by the father of the person who brought it. ‘74 was the only Bordeaux vintage between ‘61 and ‘21 that I had never been served and I wasn’t expecting much. But it had a perfect level and the cork came out intact.
Fully tertiary (bordering on quaternary) but with decent colour and fruit. A hint of burning tar on opening but dissipated 4 hours after opening. Tobacco and blueberries. Minimal tannin but great balance. Very enjoyable with cote de bouef. And a delightful surprise.

2/7/2023 - TomC1369 wrote:

Stellar. First bottle of case bought on release. I have drunk a lot of Chevillon, multiple different 1er cru from the ‘02 onwards and this is the best yet. All secondary rather than tertiary. Haunting aromatics and a peacocks tail finish. None of the rusticity of nuits. Glorious now. So good now, it will change but unlikely to improve. Though would easily last another decade.

2/6/2023 - TomC1369 wrote:

Bought en primeur for £23 - the price that Cathiard then thought was appropriate. A lovely entry level burgundy. Bright acidity and decent fruit on the cherry and plum spectrum. A deep colour as befits the year. If tasted blind, I might have guessed at Gamay rather than Pinot Noir. Nothing to get over excited by. Looking at secondary market prices, I should have sold the case because it is a good value £20 Bourgogne rather than anything grander. Cathiard prices are insane.

2/1/2023 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

This is just shifting to the early drinking window. After 15 minutes in the glass the nose of wild strawberries shifts to macerated strawberries infused with a touch of balsamic and menthol. Tannins fruit and acid in great balance. Very good length. No crime to drink now and deeply enjoyable.

1/18/2023 - TomC1369 wrote:

Truly stellar nose on decanting. One of the very finest. Decanted for two hours and it became slightly sulky. Immense concentration, intensity and finish. But currently also tannic and hot. Like a young chambertin from a warm year. Possibly a perfect example of Sangiovese. Time will tell.

12/22/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Perfectly stored bottle. Just out of Octavian having bought en primeur. Strong bricking to rim. Fully mature nose with darker fruits and undergrowth and some spice. Broad palate that is delightful at the front end but goes through a little heat before a finish that has a tiny touch of toffee. Deeply enjoyable. Perhaps more échezeaux in character than Nuits. Full but far from rugged or four square.
I will drink the next 4 with good friends in the near term because now might be it’s peak. But will keep one for a decade for interest.

10/18/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Hugely pleasing as ever. Kirsch, five spice, particularly star anise. Blackberries and raspberries. Some heat. Slightly drying on the palate. Probably not improving. A slightly thin mid palate if one judges it against beaucastel but a staggeringly good wine for the en primeur price.

10/18/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Approaching its ideal drinking window. Not yet with any tertiary notes which will add the complexity it deserves. Currently an examplary châteauneuf but slightly too clean and pure to show character. I never thought I would want Brett In a wine. This is faultless at the moment and so doesn’t move the heart. But it is very good indeed.

10/17/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

A curious beast. Fully mature. A full yellow but not a hint of orange or oxidation. The nose takes me to my youth - straw, hay, young silage. But most of all that slightly saline nose of an exceptionally fresh trout as you carry it home from the river. On the palate, it follows through. It is savoury but with pears with the sweetness cut with good acidity. Mouthfiling and textural. A very big but well structured Chardonnay. Better made than I expected.

10/4/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

A dry Barsac made as if it were Puligny. Struck match and flint dominate the nose but not in a bad way with a floral undertone. The palate is bone dry on the attack but resolving to honey and passion fruit. Perhaps a touch of botrytis. Genuinely interesting and good. A wine to serve burgundy lovers who (think they) hate Sauvignon Blanc.

9/11/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

The colour of Nebbiolo but tending to Pinot Noir. And on the nose it is the same. The wild strawberries and a hint of raspberries might take you there and then the hint of damp charcoal will push you elsewhere. The rose petals are there but not full throttle.
The palate is slightly diffuse on entry and then the intensity builds slowly to a long finish. Tannins largely resolved but remind you firmly that this is a nebbiolo/spanna. The changes from here on are a question of preference but this will last for many years.
This is objectively a 92 but deserves a 94 because it is quintessentially gattinara/Alto Piemonte rather than barbaresco or Valtellina. It shows why RC bought this estate.
Strangely reminiscent of a good pommard.

8/23/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Bought yesterday at Borgogno in Barolo. Opened 4 hours with double decanting. In its drinking window with a little depth to the colour. A strong high-toned Nebbiolo nose but a full range of red fruit on the palate but little by way of mushrooms or salinity. Showing its year but showing that 2013 is a lovely year for classically styled wine. Better than expected despite high hopes. An over-achieving wine that is accessible to all.

8/21/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Opened 5 hours before. Then decanted three hours before. Still very slow to reveal itself. But once it does it is stellar. That startling mix of intensity and weightlessness. It needs food - for us summer truffle with pasta and aubergine parmigiana - better with the latter. The last glass was that extraordinary combination of porcini and a Scottish kelp forest. Give it air and give it food. It may gather weight over the next decade but it is no crime to enjoy it now.

7/29/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

First glass has a brisk acidity and classic Alta Piemonte tannins with rose and a touch of cherry. Two hours later it has filled out into dark fruit, tar and hot earth with tannins softening. This is a big wine for a Ghemme. Very good. Strangely reminiscent of a good cote de Beaune of a solar year whilst also having a cote rotie hint to the nose.

7/25/2022 - TomC1369 wrote:

2 bottles of three seriously oxidised. But the least oxidised was amazing. Risk not balancing reward. Just out of bond so not storage.

7/23/2022 - TomC1369 wrote:

Wild strawberry, cranberry and curry leaf (Murraya Koeniggi). And cedar and a touch of blueberry.
Sensitive to glass and aeration. Still best in a tighter rimmed glass although it accentuates the tannin. Decant for more than 2 hours, probably much more. Beginning to deepen in heft. Weightless intensity with great length. Vivid but not excessive acid. Strong tannic load that is overwhelmed by the intensity. Epitomises, at the moment, a wine for lovers of Piedmont rather than a crowd-pleaser. Save it for Nebbiolo lovers or perhaps drink it alone in a dark room. Last glass is the best so I shall try to be patient with the other 5. Drinking older than ‘16 but much younger than ‘17. Delighted by first bottle.

7/2/2022 - TomC1369 wrote:

Looking youthful and dark - claret with a thin edge of yellow.
Damp dog and raspberry. Touch of leafiness- tobacco or blackcurrant. High acid with some remaining tannin. Classic, old school Mortet oak. Ultimately, not that enjoyable. But I am not a big fan of either Mortet or ‘14. Leave for 5 years and pray?

6/29/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Tasted prior to release and purchase. Like many southern rhone wines, great when on the fruit or with age like this and often less successful in between. Fully resolved tannins and a very good nose with macerated strawberries, pot pourri and particularly star anise and all spice. Less exciting on the palate. Absolute bargain.
Perfect for serving to a “sophisticated” group of 18 year olds!

6/4/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

On opening, the nose is quiet and on tasting, it is crisp and acidic. But this is misleading because oxygen fills out both nose and palate. Honeysuckle and green papaya with a touch of lime. Som Tam without the peanuts and without the heat.
Full and slightly waxy as befits its semillon origins but with acid that cuts it all. patience keeps changing it. A hint of patchouli at the end. And Granny Smith. A wine that repays close attention but doesn’t insist on it.

2/13/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

A fascinating comparison with a recent ‘07 Lamdonne. I preferred the Ampodium ‘10 by some distance
Decanted because initially a little heavy on the tar and rubber.
It retained that element but had good fruit, tremendous length and exceptional balance and purity. Despite the popularity of describing Cote rotie as Burgundian this has more of a resemblance to a fine barbaresco or gattinara.
Drinking beautifully now but will certainly keep for a decade or two. It might improve as it ages further but probably not significantly.

2/5/2022 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Very mute on opening. Gradually opened up over two hours post decant to show traditionalist (but very clean) northern Rhone. Not lean but certainly none of the expected ‘07 exuberance. Cloves, thyme, bacon fat. Raspberry, blackberry in background. Great length and so much improved with time and air. A near classic northern rhone Syrah but not obviously Cote rotie?

10/23/2021 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

A surprise and a delight. An Avery’s bottling at more than 50 years old. Ullage was at best ok at about 5cm. Cork could only just be removed with a Durand and was black from top to bottom. I left alone for a couple of hours.
A brick and plum colour with great clarity. Raspberries , wild strawberries, undergrowth, five spice. Bright red fruit with a lovely balance between fruit and acid.
I wish i had taken it to the Paulee last night. So much better than the La Tâche 1972.

9/1/2021 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

First bottle that came from a 24 mixed bottle auction lot. Bought for three bottles of burgundy. So the rest is free and I expected it all to be undrinkable.
Pleasantly surprised by this from a poor year in a decade that is elevated only by ‘61.
Fruity on nose and palate. Blood and iron on palate but not unpleasantly so. Some cloves. Sweetness and no drying. My son thought it was 5 years old and he has drunk old wines. I might have guessed 20. A huge surprise. Two more bottles of this so will save for the Three Lyonnat winning the World Cup next year…

8/28/2021 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Second of the three labels photographed above - I.e. the most recent bottling which is NV#3. Mainly declassified brunello ‘15 and ‘16 topped up with ‘18. And tastes like superb Sangiovese in the Cupano style. The NV approach makes it feel like a more mature wine. The oak is quite gentle.
Hoi Sin sauce with ripe plum, blackberry, tobacco and a touch of prune. A tiny bit of black currant leaf for freshness. With spice and richness on the palate.
This is so much more lovely than Ombrone because of it’s sense of place. For a grand dinner I will open the ‘10 Brunello. But for a kitchen supper this is the dog’s b…

5/30/2021 - TomC1369 wrote:

Second bottle in a few weeks. The first had seemed weak. This bottle had grand cru weight with the transparency of 2011. Gave it 6 hours with cork pulled which may have been the key (but m my all have been irrelevant). Bought en primeur and well stored. Made me think that 2011s may be coming into their own right now.

3/28/2021 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Birthday birth year wine for my lyonnaise girlfriend. Bought ex Château in 2021. Complex mix of sensuality and depth on the nose. Meat with a touch of Musar’s typical saddle and roast beef. Unmistakeably Musar on the palate - but with a refinement that comes only with age. Plainly reconditioned lightly and thankfully recorked - musar’s corks normally crumbling on removal. My choice was between Montrose 1975 or this. I made the right choice. The other two bottles I bought would make it through to her 60th.

11/3/2020 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Reductive in opening - the wrong sort of volcanic - but blew off swiftly on decanting. Pale ruby as a Valtellina Nebbiolo and the comparison doesn’t end there. Delicate wild strawberries and raspberry. With white pepper. Crunchy acidity but in beautiful balance. Light tannins but plenty of structure. Delicious now and very quaffable. I have little experience of Tenerife reds but this makes me want to try more. Bought in the Raj Parr selected case from the Sorting Table.

10/30/2020 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

A strong nose of alpine herbs, wearing a very upmarket new leather jacket. The palate is of wild strawberries and more herbs. A tiny touch of green on the finish that lasts for minutes. Plainly intended for early drinking but best decanted because it is unfriendly out of the bottle. Unmistakeaby Alto Piemonte without being obviously Nebbiolo, if that makes any sense.

10/1/2020 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

This year marked a new winemaker, a new delineation of the vineyard into three principal cuvee, and a modern age worthy set of stylistic impressions of what seems a very fine terroir. The pierre rouge is the fullest at this stage of development but perhaps due to the acidity being hidden by a coche style of smoky reductiveness. It’s vinosité is reminiscent of a Blanc de noir champagne.

9/18/2020 - TomC1369 wrote:

I have had more than two dozen bottles of this wine ver the years. It is still in its prime, having been there for two decades. There is both bottle variation and variation between bottlings, this being what looked to be an estate bottling rather than the more common Berry Brothers bottling. The colour is now a bright, clean orangey pink with traces of purple still. Plums, strawberries, damson but with strong tertiary notes of undergrowth and wood. Not too sweet and little sign of heat or alcohol. Incredible length, breadth and complexity. Port really doesn’t get much better than this.

9/18/2020 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Drinking perfectly now. The warmth of the year has been handled so much better than it was in 2002. A truly exceptional wine. Tending to the darker fruits but everything in balance. Voluptuous and yet sensual. It may improve but no reason to wait given the pleasure it is giving now.

8/18/2020 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Restaurant in Guarene that had probably bought on release and kept at room temperature. The good news for those holding this is that the accelerated development shows that it is exceptional.
Dark as the night - bearing no resemblance to the 2015 Paje I had last night.
Tar, roses and violets in abundance with mountain herbs, roast meat and a touch of fennel joining with berry and plums. But no prunes. Deep, meaty yet fresh, and a full panoply of red and some lighter black fruit on the palate to a gloriously complex finish. A touch of bitter tar at the end of the finish reduces the score but may well resolve with time.
This wine shows the benefit of cooler sites in a warmer year. The best value wine i have drunk in a while...

4/15/2020 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

surprisingly quiet on the nose, with a hint of framboise. But explosive on the palate with blackberry, raspberry and damson fighting it out. With chocolate hints. A long finish of crème de mure. Excellent balance with the acidity keeping the fruit elegant and refined. Light extraction and gentle winemaking make this a surprisingly elegant gigondas. The tannins are soft so it is very enjoyable young but the future is less easy to predict, for me at least.

4/13/2020 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Burnished yellow. Strong flor in the nose. Cleaner and more alpine floral than a fino. A touch of kaffir lime and lime leaf. Lemongrass as well. On the palate, intense oxidative notes. A touch of oxidised lemon peel. Intensely dry despite an initial touch of sugar - the acidity removes any sense of sweetness. Not as balanced and harmonious as an Équipe Navazos manzanilla but very much in that idiom. A very good vin jaune but not one to fall in love with.

3/6/2020 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Bricking throughout. Exceptional nose. Improving by the minute. As is common with Chevillon, a broad spectrum from raspberry to damson, centred on strawberry. Forest floor to a minor extent but initially noticeable on the nose and then with air on the palate. Very tight on the palate on opening and needing a decant at the moment. The initially dry palate expands with air. This will last for a long time and may reward further patience. But the nose is currently to die for. It might be at its peak because the palate could become surly but it might last forever. My guess is that it lacks the flesh for the very long haul and so should be drunk in this decade.

11/5/2019 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Floral on the nose with hints of red berries. Light in colour, exceptionally long and complex on a high toned palate. Secondary aromas but little by way of sous bois or mushrooms. Ethereal. Unlikely to improve further but will remain this good for some time

8/29/2017 - TomC1369 Likes this wine:

Greeny yellow.
Flint and lemon zest.
Grippy acidity but far from excessive. Rich but not in any way OTT. I think it is made by JM Brocard.
Semi mature and delicious.
£7.50 from Coop and would have been good value at original price of £15. Back tomorrow to buy the rest of them.
Will last another couple of years with reasonable storage but won't improve.