theusualsuspect

Tasting Notes

• 2016 Renieri Brunello di Montalcino

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  2/17/2024 - theusualsuspect wrote: 92 Points

  In the traditional style. Starting to come good. On the red fruit side, finely balanced, and with plenty of grip, which is what sets today's Brunellos apart from Bordeaux etc. I find the french oak brunellos from this and other vintages have plenty of silky polish but not so much grip.Plenty of life ahead. And it will be a good life. 92 in the context of the vintage, a stunner in many other vintages.

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• 2016 Fattoria La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino Riserva gli Angeli

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  11/23/2023 - theusualsuspect wrote: 93 Points

  Opened 2 nights ago, had a taste, into the fridge, tried again last night with a medium full glass, back in the fridge. Took the remainder
  to Thanksgiving dinner tonight - a beautiful wine in great shape very much on the red fruit side. Clearly extracted but also clearly elegant. Superior to the 2015 Petit Village Pomerol which was also served, and that wine was no slouch.

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• NV Le Brun de Neuville Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

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  11/22/2023 - theusualsuspect wrote: 92 Points

  This extra brut is another champagne that is convincing me that we should appreciate champagne on two levels. The first is the celebratory champagne which you open with hopefully massive bubbles and toast with and such and then drain the bottle, or simply the meal opening bottle which you open and drink, which in many cases is the basic culinary if you will use for champagne. The second level of appreciation is that it is simply a bottle of wine. And on that level, I find, as I do in this bottle, that opening it, tasting it, putting a plug in it, and putting it in the fridge for an hour or so, results in a champagne with much more in terms of richness and complexity, albeit with plenty of bubbles. Going for the celebratory bubbles is fine, but if you are going for the best champagne as wine, a little time in the fridge after opening with a plug will I think go a long way to getting you there. In essence in my view, if you pop and then or shortly after evaluate a champagne, you aren't really evaluating it remotely near its best.

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