Comments on my notes

Red

2009 Dominus Estate Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend

4/20/2024 - MC wrote:

Double decanted for an hour and then tasted over the following hour. Dark red color showing no age. Ripe dark fruits on the nose. Great fruit on the palate. This wine is concentrated, and with a long finish. Maybe not yet some more interesting secondaries to come but this is drinking well with the decant and red meat and might improve slightly with time but no harm in drinking now with the decant. There were some very good to excellent 2009 Bordeaux in this evening and while this still shows it's New World fruit it does have a nice mix and certainly was among my favorites along with '09 Montrose and Pontet Canet (they too will get better with more time but the Pontet Canet seemed closer to ready than the Montrose). A-/A

MC commented:

4/20/24, 7:54 AM - Yes, all 2009s.

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Red

2009 Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend

9/19/2023 - MC wrote:

Decanted 4 hours before serving. This was singing and the extra hour seemed to be the difference between this bottle and the bottle last week? Not that the bottle last week was bad - it was very good. But same conditions and the extra hour seemed to matter. A-/A

MC commented:

9/20/23, 7:28 AM - Hi. To the question on numerical ratings - I have just never felt like my palate is good enough to mark a wine a 92 vs. 94. When side by side I can say which "A-" I prefer, but stand alone they are all in the same category for me. So for me an A- is probably something in the 90-95 range and an A is something in the 95-100 range. If I rate a wine an A-/A it means it is an A- to me now but I feel it has the potential to be an A with more time.

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Red

2006 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend

5/12/2021 - MC wrote:

PNP and not bad out of the bottle but needing to warm up. With an hour of air this is pretty good with dark fruit, Mouvedre showing strong, and minerals on the finish. Nice wine but probably not as expressive as it will be with more age. Good, but not great at this point at least. A-?

MC commented:

5/14/21, 8:01 PM - I think it would be fair from that taste to say B+, but B- seems a bit harsh. I would happily drink it again, and hard to find real flaws to point out, but just didn't sing that night yet I could see it doing that in the future which is why I put the ? But must admit it is rare I have a wine I put in the C+/B- category...

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Red

2002 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux Pinot Noir

4/22/2021 - MC wrote:

I defaulted to PNP for this wine given poor experiences with decanting (shuts down on me). Not bad after warming up, with dark ripe fruit and ripe chewy tannin. Not as complete and complex as I was hoping it would become when I tasted it on release, but shows it's fruit better this way than my experiences with decanting it to date. B+/A-?

MC commented:

4/22/21, 1:50 PM - Hi Vince. I am only speaking from my bottles, which were purchased on release and stored professionally. For some reason I find both the 2001 and 2002 in a "dumb' phase with a decant - no matter if it is 3-4 hours. So that is why I went for this one PNP and it was enjoyable but I would hope for more. If I only had 1-2 bottles I think I would wait a few years as it is not at all in decline. I am just hoping at some point it emerges from this phase - but you will see there are many other notes here from others who are really enjoying it right now so maybe just me...

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Red

1996 Château Montrose St. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend

3/25/2021 - MC wrote:

Decanted 4 hours. Very nice - great nose and good on the palate. Just short of great overall. A-

MC commented:

3/26/21, 2:35 PM - Yes it does really need the air, and even then I found it just a bit short on the palate - but the nose is great. I might let that last bottle sit for another couple of years to see if it blossoms any more, as I don't think there is risk of decline.

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Red

2013 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Maestro Raro Toscana IGT Cabernet Sauvignon

1/26/2021 - MC wrote:

Decanted 90 minutes and tasted over the following 2 hours. This is my first experience with this wine - and I am a big fan of the Felsina Rancia and Fontalloro, I just tend to not drink a lot of Italian cabernet. I think my notes are biased because I was expecting a more New World tilt to this wine than I experienced - but was corrected later in that it was a cooler vintage. I was surprised at the restraint, if not austerity, of the wine (plenty of tannin but not in a distracting way, was just expecting more ripe fruit). There is certainly some ripe dark fruit on the nose, with a bit of green as well. But the palate is more minerals and earth than I was expecting. A bit like a Ridge Monte Bello but even then the fruit is a bit rounder and more expansive with Ridge so this left me in-between and unsatisfied. Probably because of misguided expectations and so might be better of coming in with the expectation of something closer to Bordeaux (although I still worry I will be left wanting Bordeaux...so I should probably learn to accept this for what it is which is well made Tuscan cabernet at a decent price point!). Nothing to complain about here - perfectly well made wine with no flaws, just does not hit home with me vs. Vinous score. It is still young and I do think will improve with some time to open and tannins soften. B+/A-

MC commented:

1/27/21, 5:15 AM - jjlgd thank you for the comment. Very helpful and yes I do agree I probably just was not able to put in the context of Tuscan cab given my expectations coming in and lack of experience with the wine. Still not sure this is for me but I have a few more bottles and will try and keep an open mind next time I taste.

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Red

2013 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia Chianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese

6/25/2020 - MC wrote:

Decanted 90 minutes and enjoyed over the next 2 hours. I so very much enjoy this wine. It is ripe, rich and full bodied for a Felsina, but very enjoyable. Dark fruits, vanilla, expansive on the palate, and a long finish. Most Felsina wines for me are more angular, lean, and perhaps precise, but this is just pure pleasure. Feels more like a really good Brunello. I hope the 2015 is as good (or better) with time, but this is actually drinking better than the 2006 right now if I remember properly. A

MC commented:

6/26/20, 7:47 AM - Thanks, Yondan. As for a rating, I am more of an ABC rater than a numbers rater, as have never felt all that comfortable deciding between a 92 and a 93. But for what it is worth, an "A" is quite rare for me and I did rate this one an A. Most of my cellar I would generally rate an "A-" and my guess is many of those are rated in the "low 90s" by CT members. So I guess that would mean an "A" would compare to 95+ points. Hope that helps.

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Red

2015 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese

6/9/2020 - MC wrote:

Fresh and bright nose right out of the bottle. Medium red color. Red cherry fruit, medium body, ripe soft tannins, and probably the most memorable note is an extraordinarily long finish. I really like this wine right now, and not sure how much it will improve. It will drink well off of restaurant lists, but not sure I would be paying $55 retail and laying it down as it is perfectly enjoyable and well made but I have had some other Brunello from this and other vintages that I enjoy a bit more. Just a note that this filled about a bit more on day 2 and held up well. Does't necessarily change my note other than perhaps it will improve a bit with some time. A-

MC commented:

6/16/20, 5:38 PM - Thanks, srh. Much appreciated.

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Red

1989 Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend

5/2/2020 - MC wrote:

Decanted 3 hours. Perfect fill and cork. All of my bottles from same case purchased as a future. This is a really good Bordeaux. Dark fruits, incredible concentration, some minerals (but it is more about the cool, dark fruit), long finish with lush tannins you can hardly even notice. But for some reason this has never hit the mark for me vs. the '89 Montrose, Angelus, or even the LLC (although different styles, this is probably right there with the LLC in quality). Maybe just me, but really good - just not there with the top of the vintage for me - but at $35 what a steal it was at the time! Based on my bottles I would drink now to enjoy the wonderful fruit. A-/A

MC commented:

5/3/20, 7:26 AM - Thanks for the comment cdunn. Always nice to know I am not alone in my take on a wine.

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Red

2006 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese

4/17/2020 - MC wrote:

Decanted 3 hours, but needed 4+ and just does not seem ready yet. Tart red cherry, intriguing nose of red fruit, some earth and framing wood, but this just seems to need some time. Will be a very elegant Brunello once ready, but seems a few years+ away from that. A-?

MC commented:

4/18/20, 7:24 AM - No problem. One of the few benefits of being locked up at home is having enough time to do proper decanting...

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Red

2002 Domaine Jean Grivot Clos Vougeot Clos Vougeot Grand Cru Pinot Noir

1/28/2019 - MC wrote:

Decanted and sampled over 3-4 hours. Medium red and showing some age in the color. Some cool cherry fruit on the nose at open but not much and pretty closed on the palate. At about 2 hours this starts to open a bit but overall this is still showing a fair amount of tannin with a pretty aggressive finish, so I would hold off for a couple of years before trying another. B+/A-

MC commented:

1/29/19, 5:17 AM - I think this will always be a rough and tumble wine that has more structure than fruit. Having said that, I do think with time it will be more in balance than now. Problem is that may be 5+ years from now and even then it might be very good but never great in my opinion. I would not buy more but I would give remaining bottles a chance. Hope that helps.

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White - Sweet/Dessert

2003 Château d'Yquem Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend

12/21/2013 - MC wrote:

Wonderful. Still young, but showing very well, this is just a flat out crowd pleaser and was great with cheese to finish the evening. A

MC commented:

12/22/13, 7:59 AM - Stefan, thanks for the comment. "A" is my score for the wine. I don't feel qualified or comfortable using numbers, as the difference between 90 points and 93 points for me is not something I feel I can (or want to) differentiate. So I just give wines letter grades. "A" is a very rare rating for me (as is "C") and most of the wines I drink from my cellar tend to rate between "B+" and "A-". So I found the d'Yquem to be quite special.

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Red

2010 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills

7/27/2013 - MC wrote:

Big and brooding. This was tough to drink vs. the other more elegant wines at the table. Some really liked it, but needs more time for it to have a chance with me. B+/A-?

MC commented:

7/28/13, 1:28 PM - I think it probably needs a couple of years, or at least a couple of hours of air, before i would enjoy it. As to the question of other pinots, that is really hard as it depends so much on the style you like. For American Pinots, I prefere Mt. Eden Estate and Williams Selyem (Hirsch Vineyard in particular) as they are more elegant wines that also age well (I rarely open one until it has 4-5 years of age on it). But I do like the Melville wines and the BC wines - just not as much as the other two. For the money, if you like the riper style, I would try a 2010 Melville Estate with an hour or two of air. For the more elegant, I would try a 2006 or 2008 Mt. Eden Estate, or buy the 2010 and give it a few years. But reality is I am much more a fan of Red Burgs, so I am not a great source of information on American Pinots - hope this helps.

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White

2000 Etienne Sauzet Bâtard-Montrachet Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru Chardonnay

5/12/2013 - MC wrote:

Straw color. Extremely fresh, tasting young for its age. Very light and balanced, feeling more elegant and Chevalier than Batard, but really well put together. I know there has been some bottle variation noted, but this bottle was great, and I think I might even decant the next one for an hour prior to serving. A-/A

MC commented:

5/12/13, 1:38 PM - Hi, and thanks for the note. Agree on the decant. As for the 2001 Sauternes note - that is not from me, so must be someone else.

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