10/26/2018 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A lovely and absolutely adorable wine with brilliant balance, integration and overall proportions. This wine is drinking superbly right now but will most likely continue to evolve for another decade or more. The 2012 White Hawk exhibits an elegant combination of power, elegance and fruit. The fruit is totally on par with all the other components, yet it speaks up a bit more loudly thanks to the youthfullness of this effort. Power is expressed by a marvelous 50+ second length on the finish! Despite almost ten years rest there is plenty of both texture and a stunning structure. A lovely wine!

3/30/2018 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A totally wonderful Napa Cab, just starting to hit a somewhat decent drinking window. Tonight the first impression offers up clean beautiful fruit and a totally flawlessly execution. This is state of the art Napa Cab. There is power accompanied both by elegance and structure - still tannins behave very well and make a silky impression. The nose offers up rich dark fruit, chalkiness, Cigar box and Cedar wood, ballpoint pen and of course nicely integrated luxurious oak. The palate is certainly best described as full bodied and perfectly balanced. Acidity, oak, tannins and fruit are all here, but they are very harmonious and elegantly expressed. Texture and structure is certainly present, but perhaps the astonishing integration is a sign adolescence has come to and end for this wine. A super effort which cannot pass by without some merit. (score is 97+)

11/25/2017 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A total stunner and an utterly profound wine, the As lovely as during last tasting. There is the classical lime zest and oven roasted lemon zest, but also the Keller typical fresh flowers and a deep profound minerality - with a subtle tone of petroleum. The palate is balanced and a rather massive acidity. All components are in place, but integration will improve further with time. My guesstimate is another 10-15 years will just help this effort develop furtherl. Overall impression is very positive. A magnificent wine!

9/1/2017 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Yet another brilliant vintage of the wine that brought well-deserved fame and glory to star wine-maker Klaus-Peter Keller and his team. The 2016 von der Fels is of course still a baby but what a baby it is! The nose reveals profound citrus zest, a whiff of elegant minerals, crisp and lovely elderflower and last but not least classy orange zest. The intriguing part is the complexity found in this wine which perhaps even makes the nose worth dying for when the baby fat is gone? The palate adds to the first impressions in a stunning way and everything plays along in a harmonious way. Texture and structure promise a lot for the future. This wine is in it for the longer haul and also for future greatness. It will continue to develop nicely for a number of years - I am totally convinced. A lovely wine of which you should buy as much as you can possible find! Served from magnum tonight. (score is 94+)

7/24/2017 - Christoffer78 wrote:

This my friends is a wine to die for! It is perhaps in need of a decade or more in the cellar, but it surely provides that goose bump sensation a true wine aficionado can never get enough of. The Abtserde GG is a top of the line effort from perhaps the best winemaker in Germany. As written earlier it is very young at present, but you can certainly already now understand what is going to happen in the future if given proper rest in the cellar. The nose offers up rich litchi, classy lime and lemon zest and as the lavishing 'dot of the i' the flowery nose you only get in very good dry Rieslings. But then the epitome of this effort emerges: minerals - or so much minerals I get those goose bumps described earlier... Deep profound wet granite accompanied by an overall sublime complexity. This is a nose to die for! The palate has a close to perfect balance with balanced and extravagant acidity and of course a perfect structure. The final impression is a length on the finish which seems to go on forever. This wine will continue to age well for perhaps 20 years or more. One of the best wines from one of the best winemakers in the so far best vintage in this century... What could go wrong? Well - absolutely nothing. This tasting was just a confirmation of that!

1/6/2017 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A totally wonderful and absolutely perfect effort, the 2004 St. Eden reveals massive, powerful and at the same time super elegant and velvety fruit. As with all "Grand Vins" a few minutes in the glass does the trick and a secondary layer of complexity emerges with classical led pencil, rich cacao, wet saddle leather, black ground pepper, deep violets and a whiff of spice. This is a nose to die for, so powerful - yet so very elegant. The palate adds to the overall experience with a silky and balance and integration. Hidden behind a thick elegant veil of elegance is plenty ot texture and structure, despite the age of this effort. All components are here and in perfect shape and place. Acidity, tannins and beautiful luxurious oak speak up with one harmonious voice. of course there is a "never ending length on the finish" that pushes this effort from one clarity to another. I cannot help being star struck here. There is so much elegance, so much power, yet no hard edges and nothing more to wish for. Totally without the slightest flaw. A stunner.

When ending on a perfect score I do that from the view that I cannot find a flaw in the wine. In my world, perfection is reachable and I never hesitate to say a wine is flawless if I find it to be.

1/6/2017 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Perfection. Full stop. This wine is one of these that will raise opinion and feelings no matter who tastes it. First of all, it is extremely powerful. Second, it reveals a profound complexity after some time in the glass. Third, it has an elegance that is hard to compete with. The 2010 Stockholm Syndrome Syrah has spent a long time on oak. Inspired by the "LaLaLa wines" from Guigal, Manfred Krankl produces this exquisite wine made with fruit from his own Eleven Confessions vineyard. The nose offers up a rich creamy fruit full of deep burgundy velvet boysenberry, strawberry, raspberry and all the berries there is! Then a complex layer of cacao, sweet licorice, mint, subtle Eucalyptus, flowers and saddle leather emerges. After yet some time in the glass we move back to the fruit once again. It goes on like this for several hours in the glass. The wine never shuts down or become "simple"... But do not be mistaken, there is nothing over the top here. Everything is just remarkably well balanced and kept in a tight leash. There is not a hard edge to be found. Thick deep velvet is the best way to describe the nose. The palate actually fits pretty well to this description too. It is massive, but profoundly well balanced and totally integrated. Everything is in place, but of course the rather substantial oak treatment makes its voice heard in the pleasant crowd of fruit and acidity, though I would say there are no "oak related" tannins to speak of. There is enough texture and structure to make this effort last for another 2-3 deacades is my guesstimate. Perhaps needless to say, the length on the finish just goes on and on and with the seamless integration, power and elegance this wine surely is a pure treat. Hard to find anything that is "better", I cannot find one single flaw here. Hence, a perfect score it is.

When ending on a perfect score I do that from the view that I cannot find a flaw in the wine. In my world, perfection is reachable and I never hesitate to say a wine is flawless if I find it to be.

12/26/2016 - Christoffer78 wrote:

Amazingly enough, the almost ten years in bottle have done little if nothing to the wine in terms of ageing. This is like a French version of iconic wines from California that I am also rather fond of... The 07 LA Pèira is still "youngish" and shows tons of primary fruit(!). The cellar potential is most likely 15-20+ years given tonights impression. Just as always with this particular effort it is full-bodied and powerful, yet elegant and seamlessly velvety. Elegance and power are difficult to combine and found only in the best wines of the world. Sun warm heather, fresh herbs and garrigue all add to the massive fruit. The nose is profoundly integrated and exhibits a richness which is truly mind boggling. The palate is certainly a lot of everything and best described as full throttle. But just as the nose it is also seamlessly integrated and all components speak with one voice. There are not better words to use: This is world class!

12/31/2016 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Wow! This wine certainly appeals to all hedonistic Champagne lovers out there. It is a totally mind boggling and brilliant example of how much "Champagne" actually fits into bottle. There is nothing subtle here at all, but do not be mistaken, there is not too much of anything either. Powerful elegance is the best word to describe this wine. The nose exhibits mature elegantly baked apple, sweet brioche, tones of flowers accompanied by lemon and orange blossom. Intensity, elegance and power are the keywords describing this nose, I suppose. The palate is nothing short of the first impression - beautiful! All components are in place. They sing along in a harmonious and solid way. Length on the finish goes on and on and on. Texture and structure tells me this effort should be enjoyed sooner rather than later. When a wine behaves like this, there is no reason to wait for greatness to come - it is already here!

10/15/2016 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

As lovely as during last tasting. A magnificent wine in the making. Truly adorable as a an adolescent too. With time this effort will prove even more to be (one of) the best vdFs ever made... A super wine! (For more details, please refer to my previous TN below on this effort.)

5/28/2016 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

The 2015 von der Fels is without slightest doubt the best von der Fels made to date. It is a stunningly wonderful wine which promises tons of pleasure for the future. The nose exhibits wonderful citrus zest, abundant minerals, crisp elderflower and a whiff of fresh oyster. This is a nose to die for, but still it is very very youthful. The palate adds nicely to the first impressions. Everything is in place and all 'ingredients' are as harmonious as one could expect. Still, the wine's youthfulness is shown here too. There is quite a frizzantish feeling on the tip of the tongue when tasting, just as in GGs from star producers and not the cheap frizzante sometimes exhibited in 3d class wines. There is an enormous amount of texture and structure, enough to last for a very long time in the cellar... Normally I believe wines drink well almost all the time during their life span, be it with totally different expressions and thus experiences for the taster. This is true also for the 2015 vdF. It drinks perfectly right now, but given your own preferences and judging from the development of previous vintages of this wine, I am 100 % confident 5 years of rest will do this effort justice. Without slightest doubt the best vdF made so far. It will be a true pleasure following this wine on its long journey towards (more) glory! (score is 94+)

Finally some thoughts on the different vdF vintages going back to 2011.

2011 is drinking wonderfully right now. It has developed into a white swan with expressive minerals and almost perfect balance. Still the acidity is razor sharp which may actually be the No1 reason we are drinking this wine... Guesstimate is 7-8 more years in the cellar if you want any fruit to be left.

2012 and 2013 are both lovely today too. They are perhaps a bit less developed compared to the 2011, but they also express the Keller hallmarks and will last for another 10+ years without doubt.

2014 was completely different to the 011, 012 and 013s. Much more restrained and playing on its acidity and elegance. Less fruit and perhaps just 'less of the good stuff'. On the other hand we have all been spoilt by wonderful vintages dating back to the 09s - so who cares? I am not at all sure about ageing for this vintage. The case I bought is long gone.

7/4/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

An absolute masterpiece and wine which will last for several decades to come, the 2004 Aalto PS offers up a voluptuous array of dark mature fruit combined with lovely sage, whit flowers and compote of mature plums. The palate is perfectly integrated and there is no sign of heat. The acidity, tannins and oak speak with one voice. Yes, there is a lot of everything in this wine, but with a couple of hours of aeration it totally sings from the glass. There is no doubt this effort deserves a lot of merit. There is also no doubt it will last for a very long time. Overall impression is that of a wine which drinks astonishingly well at present, but has the potential to last.

(Normally I never comment on other reviewers, but after reading Neal Martin's note awarding this wine 89 points, I have to comment. In my honest opinion he probably tasted another wine. I have tasted this vintage and many others of the Aalto PS before, and it is - very - consistent and never fails to impress. There is no way this effort could get an 89 point score unless I had tasted vanilla fudge or a spearmint chewing gum before entering the tasting room...)

5/30/2015 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Developing nicely but showing more signs of age compared to last tastng. The nose offers up classical kirsch liqueur, Grenache fruit, honey and Asian spice. The Swedish Christmas tradition: orange stuffed with cloves is still there... But there is also a subtle tartness which reminds me of plum marmalade. Most likely, this depends on the primary fruit slowly fading and secondary tones emerging. However, the wine is excellent tonight too. The palate is super integrated and offers what should be referred to as a premium integration and balance. With a length on the finish lasting some 35-40 seconds this wine surely is a treat, but structure and texture tell me it should be drunk within the coming few years (if fruit is what you like in a wine).

6/15/2015 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A wow experience. Totally balanced and moving towards perfect integration, this 2010 Brunello reveals a lovely fruit, abundant flowers, wet saddle leather and a profound minerality(!). The lovely nose is accompanied by an intriguing palate with rather vivid tannins. Still the balance between the differen components is striking. Acidity, fruit and tannins all speak with one harmonious voice. There is so much texture and structure, I am confident this wine is in it for the longer haul. It will only improve with time. A lovely acquaintance well worth seeking out.

4/25/2015 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A brutally nice wine and totally Selosse without being too much... The nose reveals the classical, yet classy, baed apple, minerals, citrus zest, dark toast and that oxidised tone Selosse so skilfully turns into magic. The palate follows through in t he best possible way with perfect balance an integration. There is enough texture and structure for several years of further cellaring. Sometimes the Selosse style is a bit too much and perhaps a bit edgy. The VO almost always delivers a softer and "creamier" experience and this bottle is certainly no exception to that rule. A bit on the young side as it was disgorged 2013, this bottle provided immense pleasure tonight. Bravo!

7/19/2014 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Perhaps the most surprising Barolo I have ever tasted. This 2010 Parusso is ultra young, still it is approachable, open for business and actually extremely inviting. The nose offers up abundant darkish red fruits, a herbal backbone and intriguing violets. Honestly, I have never experienced so much violets in a wine before. There is classy fresh violet, but also the type of candy store violet scent which reminds me of childhood. The palate is balanced and quite integrated. There are tannins but they are not overly vocal and together with the acidity they promise medium term cellaring. I see no reason to wait though, since a journey through the land of violets awaits the eager taster today already!

12/9/2011 - Christoffer78 wrote:

A lovely effort from Xavier Vignon, the 2005 Cuvée Anonyme is a bit restrained and almost reluctant tonight. There are no tannins and the wine is clearly approachable but all the components simply speak with a much lower voice compared to other vintages. The nose expresses the usual dark mature fruits and a lot of morellos, but also a rather forward creamy vanilla tone. The palate is full and perfectly integrated with close to no heat. Drinks perfectly now but will last for many years in the cellar.

9/27/2014 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A stunningly beautiful Télégraphe. This 2007 delivers a vivid array of dark mature fruit, raspberry, boysenberry and sun warm strawberry. the fruit is adjoined by subtle tones of maturity with the classical Asian spice box, sweet licorice and herbal infusion as the main ingredients. There is also a whiff of cinnamon in the end palate which adds that little "dot over the i". The palate is seamless, silky and totally integrated. Balance is the keyword here, and I am quite amazed by the power and elegance this wine exhibits. Tannins speak up a bit, but they are still not overly vocal and they just tell me the wine will continue to develop given it is allowed to rest. The overall impression is very positive. This is a true masterpiece with a lot of fruit and a stunning elegance. Bravo!

7/19/2014 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Absolutely smashing, the 2003 Pajé delivers the most exquisit Nebbiolo perfume full of sour cherry, Amaretto, sweet almond, red currant and a profound complexity. There are secondary tones of wet saddle leather and subtle cacao. The palate adds astonishingly well to the other components. It is completely integrated and perfectly balanced. Acidity is of course still dominant and that makes this effort a lovely food companion. A lot of wine aficionados claim this vintage is atypical. I find this wine utterly compelling and one of the better Barbarescos I have tasted on several occasions. Most likely in a perfect drinking phase right now, this wine has never performed better in previous tastings. (score is 94+)

7/2/2014 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A total stunner and a wine which seems to be developing on a slow path. The nose displays the loveliest and most profound type of clean and perfect Syrah fruit only found in wines from Côte-Rotie or Hermitage. The nose is just amazing! There is plenty of stone and wet granite, but also a whiff of spice, citrus zest and classy freshly ground black pepper. The palate is perfectly balanced and integration seems to be improving by the hour. All the components speak with a harmonious voice - even the tannins are integrated and appears silky and velvety tonight. The precision and elegance are amazing and turn this wine into a true masterpiece. This effort will continue to improve for many more years to come. My guesstimate is it will hit its prime drinking window in a couple of years - but it surely is a true pleasure tonight too!

6/27/2014 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Magic in a bottle and an utterly compelling Pégaü. This 2003 Cuvée Réservée displays an array of the classical Grenache fruit with kirsch, raspberry, blackberry and sun warm strawberries. The nose is clean (quite impressing for this producer) and there is a secondary layer of cinnamon, the classical Asian spice box and tea leaves. The palate is stunning with perfect integration and subtle signs of maturity. Acidity is there as are the velvety tannins and a length on the finish which lasts for more than a minute. This is a profound wine and I wish all wines from this producer and appellation could show the same complexity, elegance and power. Yet, if all wines were this good we would get totally spoilt! (score is 98+)

Please note that the above tasting note is for the first bottling of this wine. According to my understanding, the second and third bottlings are not as good.

(Tasted in a flight with 2003 Domaine de la Mordorée Cuvée de la Reine des Bois, 2003 Domaine du Pégaü Cuvée Réservée, 2004 Malleolus Valderamiro and 2007 Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin.)

5/9/2014 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

As stunning as always, the 2009 Chaupin once again delivers one of those magical moments tonight. This wine is one of those which plays more on its elegance than power. At first impression it appears a bit light, but when served to food it develops into a complex and meticulously crafted effort. The nose offers up an abundance of dark mature fruit, Grenache kirsch, thyme, sage, rosemary and wet saddle leather. There is a lot of primary fruit left, but the wine first comes across as a bit muted. It needs a while to open up fully and start singing. The palate is perfectly balanced with no hard edges. As I have written before, ”if velvet ever was liquid this is what it would be like”. The integration is absolutely profound as is the balance. The length on the finish lasts about a minute or more. This wine will most likely evolve into something even more amazing provided you can let any bottles rest in the cellar, which I know is pretty hard. A total stunner!

5/3/2014 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Dark, a bit brooding but after some time in the glass this effort turns into an exquisite and quite adorable effort. Dark, mature and close to perfect Grenache fruit accompanied by a subtle herbal infusion, orange flowers, wet saddle leather and of course the classical kirsch liqueur. The palate is nicely integrated, but tannins are a bit unintegrated and speak up pretty loudly. Certainly a lot of structure, but also a promise of future greatness and integration. Overall impression is very positive. This is a super nice wine!

4/19/2014 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

An absolutely magnificent wine from a star producer. This wine is so fully packed, so balanced, so nicely integrated and so totally lovely there is no way I can actually refrain from giving it a perfect score. I have written before and do so again: When there are no flaws - a perfect score it is!

The nose reveals wonderful flowers with tones of violets and lilac. Adding to this is lovely wet stone, orange zest, dark fruit, subtle but still visible black pepper and an intriguing tone of sweet licorice. The most remarkable feature of this effort by far is the cool impression and the wet stone. It is just so lovely you cannot stop longing for more. The palate is perfectly balanced - but tannins speak out loudly and it is quite obvious this is a young effort. The primary fruit adds a nice layer of complexity to the wine and there is no doubt this perfectly balanced effort will continue to develop and integrate into a true white swan given some time. The length on the finish is super impressive and it just lingered on and on in the background. To summarize, this wine for sure is very elegant and plays on finesse and fine tuning, but it is still powerful and full of texture and structure. I cannot find one flaw in it, except from it being on the ”youngish” side. The wine will for sure continue to develop and it needs time to integrate. But what a wine it is! Amazing - full stop.

We tasted this effort blind and when I got it in the glass I was amazed by the cool stony fruit and the totally clean and utterly profound nose. When tasting, the structure and sheer power took me by surprise. I will honestly tell you that I wandered off to Argentina and the lovely Malbecs produced by e.g. Catena Zapata, but the complex flowery component and subtle black pepper immediately revealed this was a Syrah… But there is no Syrah from California, even the best ones, which can produce a wine so totally ”cool” and also deliver a profound fruit, still the fruit was very close to the best Californian Syrahs. I did not get Cornas - but I said: ”not Hermitage”. I still think it was a bit too brutish for being a Hermitage. I was very pleased and happy to see it was the masterpiece from Domaine Clape!

1/12/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

An absolutely stunning effort, the 2011 Feuervogel combines the complexity of a good Chardonnay with the purity of a good dry Riesling. The nose expresses lychee, lemon zest, lime and other exotic fruits combined with an abundance of deep minerals. The palate is superbly integrated and balanced but the acidity reminds me of Keller's dry Rieslings. This wine breaks the limit for what a Silvaner can actually be. Old vines, luxury oak with a Burgundian heritage combined with Keller's magic fingers all help to make this a magic experience. I can certainly promise there is NO other Silvaner providing an experience like this. Bravo!

(Day 3: After sealing with Argon gas and putting in the fridge for a few days, the wine is singing from the glass. Apricots and lychee is filling the nostrils while the palate is attacked by perfect integration and a lovely acidity. This is a super effort!)

12/6/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A stunning wine - a Grand Vin, the 2005 Clos des Papes is as close to perfection as it was during my last tasting. The nose is clean and beautiful with an abundance of dark fruits, garrigue, kirsch, wet saddle leather and lovely dried lavender. The palate is impressive and adds to the elegant yet powerful initial impression. It exhibits a full-bodied experience with a harmonious integration. The length on the finish lasts some 60-90 seconds, which is very impressive. The most striking aspect of this effort is the perfect integration of structure and texture. The wine is utterly seamless in a very compelling way. There are no hard edges, just balance and integration... Adding to this marvelous experience is a total absence from heat. This wine is getting closer to a prime drinking window. It has many years to go in the cellar but it is drinking perfectly now to - if you are curious! (score is 98+)

11/15/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Starting to mature but absolutely no sense of tunneling, the 2007 Antica Terra reveals lovely forest floor, minerals and a deep Pinot fruit. The palate is exquisitely balanced and adds to the overall experiene. I am quite impressed by how the fruit is so integrated and does not "take over" - despite the complete destemming. A true pleasure to drink, but I wonder when the tunneling will emerge? If it ever will?

11/14/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Perfectly clean and impressive fruit combined with red currant, an abundance of flowers most likely from the Grenache Blanc component (!) are adjoined by a wonderful palate. Acidity, tannins, fruit and oak (if any?) are in perfect in harmony. This is brilliant Syrah reminding me first of Burgundy because of its sheer elegance, but then revealing more and more of a Côte Rôtie character. Keywords: integration, balance and elegance. BRAVO!

10/26/2013 - Christoffer78 wrote:

A wonderful wine expressing the essence of the region in a very distinct and clean way. The 2010 L'Argile exhibits a super clean Grenache perfume full of mature kirsch, lovely minerals and clay but also subtle and integrated garrigue. The palate follows through quite excellently in a full-bodied yet elegant manner. Everything is in place in this wine and it is extremely well-balanced. With a few more years in the cellar it will integrate even further and provide a more complex drinking experience. Though I have to say the primary fruit is quite exhilarating - and I actually see no reason not to drink now if decanting for a couple of hours. Bravo! (score is 94+)

9/2/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A beautiful Brunello, the 2008 La Gerla exhibits massive sweet red fruit, almonds, subtle Acacia honey combined with expressive saddle leather. The palate is nicely balanced and also very integrated despite its youth. The length on the finish lasts some 45 seconds. A very nice wine, if you prefer the more fruit forward style of Brunello.

8/29/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

An absolutely stunning effort, the 2009 Chaupin delivers one of those magical moments tonight. This wine is one of those which plays more on its elegance than power and which you at first think is a bit light on its feet, but then you realize that it is a complex and meticulously crafted effort with a log to give! The nose offers up an abundance of dark mature fruit, Grenache kirsch and heather and beautiful white flowers. The -09 Chaupin still has a lot of the primary fruit left. However, at first sniff it was actually quite a bit muted. It took some 45 minutes in the glass for it to really open up. The palate is perfectly balanced with no hard edges - if velvet ever was liquid this is what it would be like. The length on the finish lasts about 50 seconds up to a minutes but the memory imprint of this wine lasts for years. A super effort from one of the star producers in this appellation! A must buy for the Chateauneuf lover.

8/9/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Do not be mistaken, this is not Grand Vin and it never will be. Yet, it is brilliantly mind boggling and one of the most complex and elegant wines available from Etna. The 2010 Guardiola is pure youth at present, still it exhibits the wonderful lava perfume adjoined by subtle morellos and subtle strawberry. The palate reveals velvety like tannins, which are more on the harsh side but still very soft. The acidity is perfect - as is the overall experience. This is a true beauty which will develop into a swan given some time. The wines from Tenuta delle Terre Nere keep impressing me over and over again. There is absolutely no doubt they are made with great love and a skillful hand. Bravo!

8/9/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

An absolutely stunning and quite incredible wine, the 2007 Côte de Bouguerots delivers an array of vivid minerals, but most of all the subtle tone of cold limestone. The minerals are adjoined by ample lemon and lime zest almost in a citrus fruit crescendo. But still, the nose is not explosive. It is rather reluctant and very elegant, yet the tension and structure is massive. Though I guess the power boost lovers will be disappointed. The same is true for the palate which is perfectly balanced with a beautiful and almost crisp acidity. This wine is a masterpiece and only the best Chablis can deliver so much joy. I was quite surprised that an hour of air in the glass really helped open the wine. After all, this is a six year old effort. Though I would not recommend decanting. Instead, follow the evolution of this effort once poured in the glass. A lovely wine! (score is 94+)

12/31/2012 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A sheer powerhouse, I cannot help but love the rather unsubtle features of this effort. Of course it is also an elegant wine but there is a difference between elegance and refinement and thanks to the Pinot content this wine is not refined but certainly elegant. The nose is full of mature baked apples topped with creamy caramel adjoined by dark brown toast and lovely subtle minerals. The palate is integrated and balanced and follows through on the promises made by the nose. The mousse is rather fine grained, but still vibrant and expressive. This wine delivers all the typical Bollinger elements, yet it is an elegant and utterly pleasurable experience. (score is 94+)

(Served at NYE dinner with 2000 Billecart-Salmon cuvée Nicolas Billecart, 1996 Henriot Brut Millésimé, 2000 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, NV Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle and NV André Clouet cuvée 1911.)

6/1/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

This wine is normally all about exhuberant and very explicit elegance. Tonight though, it is a bit too creamy and actually "oaky". A first sniff reveals the classy white flowers, elderflower blossom and lilac. But then then the tones of vanilla just takes over completely and the wine reminds me of a Roussanne/Marsanne. The palate is nicely integrated and there is absolutely no sense of heat. Of course this is a wonderful wine and the first sniff certainly puts in the high 90s, but we made a big mistake and served it to food - which it really cannot take because of the very low acidity. My suggestion is to serve the Doriane as an aperitif before dinner to get the lovely fruit to speak for itself. Despite being full-bodied and rather "immense", the fruit in the Doriane balances on the verge of elegance. It is easily pushed over the limit if served to even the gentlest food.

2/2/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

One of the most profound noses I have ever experienced. A blend of dark mature fruit, lovely thyme and sage combined with creamy expressive orange blossom and abundant lavender, the 2007 V.I.T. really impresses tonight. The palate follows through with a very elegant approach representing the house style of M. Chapoutier. The balance is striking and the integration magnificent. A profound wine, which just seems to be improve as time goes by. Bravo! (score is 95-96)

4/27/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Incredible balance was the first thing which crossed my mind when sniffing the 2009 In The Rocks. The nose is very elegant with an abundance of dark fruit and beautiful Syrah perfume. Somehow Syrahs containing Viognier sometimes get even more "Syrah-ish"... This effort is a perfect example of just that. The palate is nicely textured and adds to the elegant nose. The length on the finish lasts som 45-55 seconds. Overall impression is that of wine which is meticulously crafted and drinks perfectly if given a proper decant.

3/28/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

Sometimes I feel blessed. Blessed to be alive. Blessed to be well. Tonight I feel blessed I have one of the world's best wines in the glass. The 2009 Janasse Vieilles Vignes is as perfect tonight as last time I tasted it. There are no flaws at all, except a bit of youth. No heat, no residual sweetness, no disintegration. The wine is simply profound!

The nose expresses a cascade of deep mature fruit which is so pure you can almost feel the grapes. There is an abundance of sun warm heather, beautiful violets, subtle lilacs and a whiff of sweet licorice. The palate follows through with perfect and elegant integration between acidity and fruit. At the back-end of the palate some tannins are speaking up, but they just tell me this wine is in it for the long haul. There is no heat to be found and the balance is just amazing. The length on the finish just goes on and on and the wine "clings to the cheekbone" in a way that makes me sigh. I am utterly impressed by this effort.

So, why do I keep giving this wine a perfect score over and over again? I guess because that is the only thing I can do. When a wine has no flaws it means it is perfect to me. No matter how hard I try I cannot find anything that would reduce the score. Domaine de la Janasse produces some classy and good efforts, but the 2009 Vieilles Vignes is better than good!

3/21/2013 - robw Likes this wine:

This is quite simply a gorgeous wine that unlike the 09 requires more time. The quality level of the '10 vintage in C9P speaks for itself. One can only get excited and impatient waiting for these to enter their drinking window. Structurally, the wine is sound with perfect combinations of fruit, tannin and alcohol which leaves no noticeable trace of heat whatsoever. This is a back up the truck kind of wine if one has the patience to wait some two to five years for the components to meld together.

2/23/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

A beautiful and very elegant interpretation of Etna wine. Just like the Tenuta delle Terre Nere, Passopisciaro is a solid and good producer. The 2009 Passopisciaro delivers a nose full of elegant mature red fruit and the classy tone of terroir driven mineral like vulcanic soil. The palate is nicely balanced and all components appear very harmonic. The length on the finish could have delivered just a little bit more, since the nose and initial palate promise quite a lot. Overall impression is utterly positive. This is a brilliant example of how good Etna wines may behave in the glass. I see no reason to hold off drinking, but of course complexity will develop with some bottle age.

(Compared to an 09 Terre Nere Guardiola, this wine delivers just a little more acidity and a more elegant nose. The Guardiola is more dense and "compact" at present. Perhaps the Guardiola also promises a little more for the future.)

3/3/2012 - Eric wrote:

Wow, this was an AMAZING bottle courtesy of mindmuse. Served alongside a pair of late 80's Chave's, this was surprisingly at home. At once reminiscent of Pinot yet with a Rhone-wish earthiness. Amazing.

1/13/2013 - mwanasheria wrote:

Great freshness despite the high alcohol with spices, bellpepper, yet sweet fruit and long finish.

1/15/2013 - cr84 Likes this wine:

La Janasse at The Oxford Wine Circle (Oxford University): Atta kind of a wine! I would have made the trip to Oxford solely to taste this natural beauty. It extremelly more powerful and even more compex than the Chaupin of the same vintage; this Janasse Vieilles Vignes 2010 just blew my senses away. Scientifically...it has everything you would like to get from Chateauneuf-du-Pape vieilles vignes, Period.

12/30/2012 - Finare Vinare wrote:

Even better than the bottle we had last week, with a slightly different set of aromas: more sweet strawberries and sweet liquorice. Super enjoyable!

12/21/2012 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine:

I am not sure why, but this wine immediately made me think of the classical one-liner: "yeah baby" and the big smile which only Austin Powers can deliver... Returning to the wine, I am really amazed that a wine with this quite modest price tag can deliver so much pleasure combined with promise for the future. The 2010 Souteyrades has a nose which is perfectly integrated. The dark mature Grenache fruit makes a cool and distinguished entrance adjoined by ample herbs like thyme and sage. Adding to this is subtle sweet licorice. The palate is full-bodied, perfectly integrated and completely lacks any sign of heat. Actually the palate lacks any hard edges, except from some velvety tannins at the back-end. This is a super effort with a very nice backbone and structure, irrespective of the price tag. The only "drawback" is that the wine needs at least a couple or more years in the cellar to open up. During the evening I constantly got the feeling that "there is more to be found around the corner". This wine should be worth following for at least 10 more years. Bravo! Tasted alongside a 09 Saint-Damien Vieilles Vignes, this wine appeared as more full-bodied, better structured and simply - so much better...

(Day 2: The wine is still nicely integrated and balanced but much more open and expressive. There is no sense of heat whatsoever. The tones of thyme and sage are accompanied by lovely lavender. The length on the finish is shorter than yesterday, which I find a bit surprising. 95p.)

9/10/2011 - bboy wrote:

Sorry, had no light on at the computer and wrote 51.
91 it is.
hidden, well almost hidden, garrigue and some spice. did decant it. and for some time. still it needs time to come out. I have one more bottle, let´s see.

8/10/2010 - Keith Levenberg wrote:

The label says 15.8% alcohol and it stings like a shot of vodka. Part of the reason for the sting, I imagine, is that the expected "gobs of fruit" were mostly absent; the main ingredients to this were alcohol and raw, lumber-yard wood, which has managed, in positively vampiric fashion, to drain completely whatever fruit might have made this acceptably slick or sweet once upon a time. Whatever fruit remains tastes washed out with dry tannin and entirely incapable of absorbing the wood or polishing the violent alcoholic sting. "There he goes again," I can hear someone thinking and writing me off as an outlier, but I poured a glass for Coelho and he hated it too, and if it's a stinker for him and a stinker for me I can't imagine whom it wouldn't stink for. Half the bottle was left in the decanter.

8/4/2010 - smokie wrote:

Pop and pour. I was really looking forward to this. Had this with a hearty pasta dish. This wine was great for the first sip. Then the alcohol kicks in and you feel like you are drinking Scotch. Nice warm burn down the gullet. Totally overwhelmed the pasta dish. Robert Parker, your taste buds have been killed by all the wine you have drunk over the years. Time to retire. Maybe this will get better, but that is what I hoped for with Marquis-Philips. I have had more subtle GSMs from Australia-- that's right, I said it.

7/5/2010 - AndersZ wrote:

The purity, energy and length while still being smooth and velvety is just breathtaking. Some sweetness and a little ripe dark fruit in the smell but pure focus and beaming power when tasting it. I can't see how a wine can get any better. I guess I should have analyzed it more, but I was too busy enjoying it!