4/23/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Incredibly perfumed past that awkward Meo stage with baked and reticent aromatics. Spicy, candied red fruit, green stem, cherry leaf, smoky, lightly meaty, some tomato flavor in the background, lots of acidity. True to the Meo style of this era in an accessible fashion. 93

4/20/2024 - hprphf wrote:

"Pride of The Sea Shore" imported version, focused and less alcoholic than expected on the nose, lean, custard, honeydew, peach, floral. Like the style a lot compared to an alcoholic memory. 92

4/15/2024 - hprphf Likes this wine:

01024. Intense rose petal, soaring hawthorn red fruit, lychee, ripe blue fruit, earthy, quite meaty, muddy, horse piss, lots of spice, dried chili powder, citrus and tropical acidity, orange flowers, vanilla and bakery spice. So ethereal and lifted to the best of tradition, with notable hint of rough even burnt tannins of Volnay. Such density and strength and so sweet. Old school winemaking at its best. 94-95+

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Half bottle. Burnt aromatics, apricot, yellow tropical fruit, woody, lots of character from the vintage that stands the wine out in vintages. 94

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Ultra smooth and graceful, not too strong but right bank elegance at its best. 94-95

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Very good if still somewhat angular/edgy, needs a lot more time. 94++

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Always such an enjoyable wine, so smooth and perfect with a rich short rib. 95+

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Quite young if still evidently of quality, purple fruit and cedar. 93+

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Purple inky fruits with good meaty characters. 93+

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Good but a bit shy, which is surprising given the vintage, not exactly light, true to house style. 93

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Fresh meadow grass and lots of vintage acidity, a much stronger performance than the somewhat muted 07 on the side. 93-94

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

For me this is always a volatile producer in terms of style, and this is a surprise given its accessibility and vintage performance. Enjoyable stem and gamey blue fruit nose, some smoke in the mix, quite sweet. 93

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

17109/22140. Transcends vintage performance of the Domaine with its spicy and detailed red blue fruit delineation, even the nose is a clear statement of quality. 94+

4/11/2024 - hprphf Likes this wine:

01418/13758. Stunning vintage quality punching way above its weight, whole cluster spicy hedonism at its early best. 94-95

4/23/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Ripe blue fruit, if somewhat subdued now, large, structured and screaming Richebourg with its meaty and spicy characters. 93+

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

March 2014 family cellar release. Second bottle was leafier and perhaps older, less structure and some volatile acid. 92

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

March 2014 family cellar release. First bottle was classic to both terroir and vintage, perfect fruit quality, woody and earthy, with weight to match. 93-94

4/11/2024 - hprphf Likes this wine:

So incredibly sweet, candied blue fruit, lightly leafy and very whole. Punching much above its weight. 94

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Better than last bottle showing more weight and classic blue fruit. 92

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Open and accessible with lots of fronted-loaded red fruit, very Morey stony character in the midpalate, very enjoyable. 93-94

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Spicy, lots of weight, even flashy. 92-93

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Magnum. Good weight if clearly too ripe and mushy. 91-92

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Dense and stylistic, yellow fruit, autumn apple. 92

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Lightly oxidized if clearly advanced. Good body.

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Chiseled reduction, lots of bodied fruit content, very stylistic. 92

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Magnum. Some notable ripeness but decently weighty and fresh. 91-92

4/11/2024 - hprphf wrote:

So fresh, balanced and structured, graceful beast at its peak. 95-96

4/11/2024 - hprphf Likes this wine:

Superb umami and freshness after two days. Meaty, vanilla, dried hawthorn, lush jungle fruit, gamey, strawberry, cassis, inky, lightly earthy, so delicious. Not sharp but edgy acidity that keeps the wine entirely interesting for the blend. 94

4/6/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Among my favorite gin and even better at Navy strength, incredibly aromatic, clean, spicy and deep. Yuzu, citrus acidity and sweetness, sansho, wasabi, green tea leaves, light licorice, wood, ginger. Navy strength really gives it the structure and depth that I was looking for in the regular version. 96

4/4/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Medium oxidation, decently rich and cut, yellow fruit and quite easily pleasurable if not too deep. 92-93

3/30/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Blind, Cab blend but softer led me to more Merlot, or perhaps outside Bordeaux. Slightly weaker showing than the bottle before, but something about the cold and rainy fruit pointed us to 76. Minty, light leather, high acidity, purple fruit, structure not as stubborn as its class. 92-93

3/30/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Blind. Touch too candied/sweet/modern for my taste, notable tannin structure in line with the terroir. 91-92

3/30/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Blind, double decanted for an hour. Quite ripe with clear and defined acidity coming through, orchard fruit, lightly electric. Did not show nearly the level of the bottle from two years ago, so more air or patience will be necessary. 93-94

3/30/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Rich and textured yellow fruit, medium ripeness with some notable alcohol, with air turning into Brie cheese, quite creamy and salty with decent weight. 93

3/30/2024 - hprphf wrote:

Blind. Quite sweet with enough oxidation to focus on the fruit. Cédric Bouchard BdN? Really sweet actually. 91

3/15/2024 - hprphf wrote:

René Engel: First glass was the best, such stunning quality with a breath of spice in so many details and so much length. Cros Parantoux at its core. When served it closed down to be more like American pinot, so excessive patience will definitely be rewarded. 96

3/15/2024 - hprphf Likes this wine:

René Engel: The more I drank this the more I liked it, the vintage hotness combines so well with the terroir heat, but almost understated that it is disguised under the stunning fruit quality, a protective shield so to say. One of the most intellectual wines that transcend to be a contender for WOTN after enough air. 94-95

3/15/2024 - hprphf wrote:

René Engel: Consistent with the 02 Vougeot this shows tougher and perhaps more whole fruit, but certainly less yielding than other bottles. Focus on spice in this terroir, heat and rose, so clearly Vosne. 93-94

3/15/2024 - hprphf wrote:

René Engel: 00398/15136, blind but almost everyone got it right. So much more accessible than the magnum drunk last year, candied and clean purple fruit mixed with so much DRC spice, almost like crystalized whole cluster fruit, with just enough earthiness and structure to guide everyone to the answer. Vintage of great quality and ease to just drink. 94-95

3/15/2024 - hprphf wrote:

René Engel: Light TCA, salvaged by decanting with cellphone wrap. Such clean fruit, candied and red, opulently lifted sweet spice almost excessive, primrose, orange acidity, woody, cherry blossom. Truly a great wine in its infinite texture variation and dimension. Clean, so pure. ~96-97

3/15/2024 - hprphf wrote:

René Engel: Surprisingly very good, lighter than other bottles but not quite marked by the vintage, notable Echezeaux woodiness coming through still red fruit making this one of the best and cleanest interpretation of the terroir I have tasted. 94

3/15/2024 - hprphf Likes this wine:

René Engel: Consensus WOTN in terms of showing, while others could use many more years. Flamboyant and sexy with fully resolved spice, ready if inviting, a ripe all-in vintage at its very best. Someone remarked what I was thinking - who did better Engel or Dujac in this vintage? Actually a very very tough question. 95-96

3/15/2024 - hprphf wrote:

René Engel: Weirdest of the Vougeot flight, which are all somewhat different. Showing some vintage herbal qualities but not medicinal, dark broody fruit, spicy but not quite sexy. Clearly of quality just quite different, which is not surprising given the producer. 93

3/15/2024 - hprphf wrote:

René Engel: Consistent with the last bottle, impressionable Grand Cru fruit clarity and delineation with just the right terroir earthiness in red fruit style. Will age gracefully for ages to come. 94-95

3/15/2024 - hprphf wrote:

René Engel: Showing very good vintage fruit quality but a bit darker/more purple and shyer than others. Stands out stylistically as different. 94

3/15/2024 - hprphf Likes this wine:

René Engel: Shyer than 01 on the side initially but eventually reached its glory, such striking completeness at first sight after two days of air. Chiseled white fruit, electric spice from the heat, lightly wilted yellow fruit, cinnamon, bakery spice, coconut pineapple cured, toned and focused and so pure, with cream and fat on the finish staying true to terroir. An incredible rendition after a week of more than impressionable white wines. 98+

3/15/2024 - hprphf Likes this wine:

René Engel: So consistent. Minty and tropical with electricity to match. Huge and delineated wine showing better than 05 on the side when opened but eventually peaked to the limit of the vintage, which is already a very very high ceiling. 95-96

3/15/2024 - hprphf wrote:

René Engel: Leaner than I remembered, showing a lot of acidity despite the light reduction on the second day, decent white fruit. 92-93

3/15/2024 - hprphf wrote:

René Engel: Lightly oxidative, quite perfumed showing some oak. 92

3/15/2024 - hprphf wrote:

René Engel: Great because how immediately opulent and balanced it is, even if shy. Every time I taste this there is some slight development waiting to be noticed. 95