January 29, 2024 - Golden yellow. Beautiful aromas of stone and some tropical fruit.Silky, velvety and very long.Evokes emotion. What can be said that hasn't already been said?
All should have the opportunity to experience one of the great white wines of the world, but few will
October 6, 2023 - Lafon Montrachet vertical with some great champagne and reds. (Four Seasons, Minneapolis, MN): Vertical tasting of Montrachet 2000-2019: Spectacular and my favorite of the tasting. Nose explodes out of the glass from the start. Tropical fruit, honeysuckle. Incredible depth filling the mouth. Rich, great acidity. A long, long finish. Perfection!
October 6, 2023 - Twelve Vintages of Lafon Montrachet: Utterly perfect and a complete wine. Like tonight's mag of 88 Krug, it's hard to imagine how this could be more impressive.
November 1, 2021 - Oxidized.
April 18, 2019 - Chablis and Champagne Weekend; 4/17/2019-4/21/2019 (Au bon Manger, Ingo's castle, Rocaille, Le Pot d'Etain): not blind
Unbelievable length and depth. Everything fits to ist place: acidity, oak, fruit. Enormously dense and compact. At the first day WOTN for 3 out of four. For me same Level as Rousseau's Chambertin 2008. 98-99
November 11, 2018 - Lovely nose of melted butter, vanilla cream, candied lemon, apricot and peaches; buttered popcorn; pie crust; creamy texture on the palate with an explosive finish and is endless and reverberates; nice acidity helps frame the otherwise rich and enveloping fruit; rounded on the palate, but has a tension; impeccably balanced; in a great spot right now.
September 23, 2018 - Tremendous aromatics, complexity and focus, this is simply magnificent and drinking great today....hopefully my other bottles will survive 10 more years of aging to add secondary characteristics. What are the odds
March 9, 2018 - Great white Burgundy - Wine tasting dinner (At home): 4 flights tasted
1. Chablis: Vincent Dauvissat Les Clos magnum '08 (typical Dauvissat - compared directly to Raveneau it is richer, the intensity is a little too high, it is less delicate and less complex. It is an extremely good wine indeed, but Raveneau is even better 94/100) against Raveneau Les Clos '08 (i must admit my favourite Chablis - none beside or above Raveneau - takes time to open in the glass! Almost no flavours in the beginning but it opens up… Extremely delicate, high complexity and very good balance. Missed a little intensity in the aromas and flavours 95+/100)
2. P-M vs Meursault: Domaine Leflaive 1. cru. les Pucelles '12 (Pucelles is in general Leflaives best 1. cru. I love the minerality and the toast, no premox at all which makes sense since it is from 2012, 95/100) against Coche-Dury 1. cru Genevrieres '06 (lots of tertiary notes including hazelnut, I believe it is on the top or a little over the top, extremely good, drink now, 96/100)
3. Le Montrachet: Bouchard Pere & Fils Le Montrachet '09 (Definitely a good wine but not better than the Pucelles and Meursault above, it is Le montrachet and I would have expected a little more intensity, 95/100) against Comtes Lafon Le Montrachet '09 (The winner of the tasting, a little too intense but closed in the beginning but opens up in the glass and the intensity, complexity and balance end up being very nice. A top quality glass 97/100. Not many wines are better - but there are examples: I can recall DRC Le Montrachet '11 which was one step above)
4. Sundry: Kumeu River Hunting Hill '13 (Tasted blind - Recognised as a new world wine, more intensity than Bourgognes, 90/100). Penfolds Chardonnay Yattarna '15 (93/100). Vocoret et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot '14 ( better than expected, a light wine, 90/100).
March 3, 2018 - La Paulée de San Francisco - Gala Dinner (The Fairmont - San Francisco CA): Small glass, brief note. Lemon, green apple, but of summer morning grass. Very minerally, seeming chiseled our of limestone to start, then gradually ramping up the ripeness and intensity from the middle through long finish. Wow now, with upside.
March 3, 2018 - La Paulée de SF Gala Dinner (Fairmont Hotel, SF CA): A wow experience (one of many tonight). This is a mouthful of big, rich, dense orchard nd stone fruit. With epic amounts of concentration. Just seems so young and needing time in the cellar or time/attention in the glass over a few hours. Alas, tonight isn't the night to ponder a single wine over several hours. Serious upside from here.