"There's a lot of fish at Montrose Harbor" (Chicago, IL): Not entirely convinced this was a totally sound bottle. There were some dirty notes that were TCA-adjacent for quite a while, and I lost track of this and missed coming back to it later in the evening. It's quite broad and oily and shows some apricot jam notes. Not at the level of my previous bottle seven years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Back in January 2024 I opened the bottle of 1999 Clos Ste. Hune that I had bought on release and cellared with care for 20+ years. It was completely oxidized. Yes 20 years is a long time, but Clos Ste. Hune is capable of extremely long aging. Anne Trimbach reached out to me and offered to replace the bottle. We had a pleasant back and forth regarding the potential causes of poor showings of late-1990s Trimbach wines, and we agreed that lack of care by the importer or distributor could have been a contributing factor. My few bottles of 1998 Trimbach, purchased in France, have to date been perfect.
In mid-February the replacement arrived, triple boxed and swaddled in bubble wrap. I put it in the cellar for a few weeks of rest, until an obvious opportunity to open it arrived with a dinner alongside long and new friends at southern New Jersey restaurant Two Fish. The wine did not disappoint.
Not surprisingly for a middling vintage, this Hune is mature, but the bottles showed zero traces of oxidation, and floated alongside the excellent food, lifting the heavier courses, and singing harmony to the lighter ones. Seashell, lemon zest, and a compelling smoky note, more harmonious than could be termed petrol, infused the aromatics, and echoed on the palate, lingering longer than I had the patience to calculate. The next sip called, and there were also other wines.
The cause of the premature oxidation in the prior bottle is hard to know, but Anne’s effort to show the true quality of 1999 Clos Ste. Hune certainly paid off.
Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.
4/2/2024 - acyso wrote:
"There's a lot of fish at Montrose Harbor" (Chicago, IL): Not entirely convinced this was a totally sound bottle. There were some dirty notes that were TCA-adjacent for quite a while, and I lost track of this and missed coming back to it later in the evening. It's quite broad and oily and shows some apricot jam notes. Not at the level of my previous bottle seven years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/16/2024 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Back in January 2024 I opened the bottle of 1999 Clos Ste. Hune that I had bought on release and cellared with care for 20+ years. It was completely oxidized. Yes 20 years is a long time, but Clos Ste. Hune is capable of extremely long aging. Anne Trimbach reached out to me and offered to replace the bottle. We had a pleasant back and forth regarding the potential causes of poor showings of late-1990s Trimbach wines, and we agreed that lack of care by the importer or distributor could have been a contributing factor. My few bottles of 1998 Trimbach, purchased in France, have to date been perfect.
In mid-February the replacement arrived, triple boxed and swaddled in bubble wrap. I put it in the cellar for a few weeks of rest, until an obvious opportunity to open it arrived with a dinner alongside long and new friends at southern New Jersey restaurant Two Fish. The wine did not disappoint.
Not surprisingly for a middling vintage, this Hune is mature, but the bottles showed zero traces of oxidation, and floated alongside the excellent food, lifting the heavier courses, and singing harmony to the lighter ones. Seashell, lemon zest, and a compelling smoky note, more harmonious than could be termed petrol, infused the aromatics, and echoed on the palate, lingering longer than I had the patience to calculate. The next sip called, and there were also other wines.
The cause of the premature oxidation in the prior bottle is hard to know, but Anne’s effort to show the true quality of 1999 Clos Ste. Hune certainly paid off.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
1/27/2024 - Rieslingfan wrote: flawed
100% oxidized.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2024 - salil wrote: flawed
Rieslingfan visits Albany; 1/26/2024-1/27/2024 (Châteauneuf-du-Salil, Albany): Oxidized.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2023 - overkloud Does not like this wine: 90 Points
A little too advanced than I'd expected. a lot of nut and toasty notes even though the acidity is still there with some mineral notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment