Reviews

Château Marquis d'Alesme

Over-delivers for its class. Black plum, blackberry, earth, cedar, bitter chocolate, and rocky dry soil. A bit of creosote and burnt embers show up with air and add complexity. The cut is a welcomed…

Château Cos d'Estournel Les Pagodes de Cos

Primary plum and black cherry flavors. Clean and pure, but somewhat flat on delivery. Especially drying on the finish. Not much depth or complexity to speak of currently. Similar to the 2015 Pagodes…

Domaine Tessier Meursault 1er Cru Le Poruzot-Dessus

Vibrant, crisp, clean, and fresh. White-yellow citrus fruit rides at a higher register, with some pumice and pithy yellow lemon rind framing the primary core. Exhibits a profile more like a juvenile…

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Superiore

Pours a deep purple, with aromas of earthy blackberry and cedar. Same on the palate, with unsmoked tobacco, black plum, black currant, Christmas spice, incense, earthy soil, and some burnt embers. A…

Aubert Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard

Pineapple, lemon curd, olive oil, guava, ripe orange cantaloupe, and powdered sugar. The typical flavor-first front end, with a semi-syrupy-meets-alcohol mouthfeel makes for a bit of a skip on the…

Paul Dethune Champagne Grand Cru Brut

Yellow and red apple skin, travertine, ginger, Wonder Bread crust, grapefruit, and subtle copper notes.

Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumées Clos de la Truffière

An exquisite bottle of wine, with a beautifully balanced sense of vivacity; lime and lemon zest, lemon verbena, mint sprig, white wedding flowers, and wet limestone. Excellent intensity, with a…

Domaine Henri Boillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Chevrets

Black raspberry, red and black cherry, cranberry, pomegranate juice, sorbet, citrus rind, and subtle bark elements. Excellent purity and balance. Finishes youthfully linear, but with wonderful…

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Bevan Ontogeny vertical 2014-2017.

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Bevan Ontogeny vertical 2014-2017.

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Bevan Ontogeny vertical 2014-2017.

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Bevan Ontogeny vertical 2014-2017.

Ovid Red Wine

Moving into more of an old school profile at this point, with earthy cedar and dark spice and soil notes complimenting the black cherry and black currant core. Finishes with a little bit of grandma's…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Actaeon Quixote Vineyard

From Magnum. Round and plush black cherry and plum notes are encompassed by some cedar and evergreen notes. Finishes medium and a little soft. Balanced and even-keeled. A definite crowd pleaser. A…

Domaine Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes

A healthy injection of lemon oil and ripe Meyer lemon juice, complimented by peach, orchard fruit, roasted nuts, and subtle burnt sugar flavors making up the core. Really opened up after an hour or…

Christophe Mignon Champagne Brut Rosé Pur Meunier

A fleshy and fuller-bodied Rose (which I appreciated for its heft and push), with healthy dollops of strawberry, ripe red raspberry, citrus rind, and subtle flint. A little sweeter and rounder on the…

Quivet Cellars Sauvignon Blanc McGah Vineyard

Crisp and fresh, with a great body and weight distribution along the palate. A bit of power on the back end that drives the fruit through the finish. Lightly tropical flavored, with yellow citrus,…

Château de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Grandes Ruchottes

Preserved Meyer lemon, olive oil, bruised lemon zest, cantaloupe rind, and yellow pear skin. Full and unctuous, with a ripe lemony profile. Slightly angular on the finish, but with a big dollop of…

Château Tour Saint-Christophe

This didn't come out if its shell until the last sips (3 hours into consumption). Initial pull showed red currant, cedar, and some earthy spice. A touch thin mid-palate. With extended air, it started…

Next of Kyn Touriga Nacional Número Dois

On initial pull, the nose showed ripe blackberry, plum, and incense smoke aromas. Similar on the palate, with a fascinating smorgasbord of bramble and chewy ripe flavors of muddled blackberry,…

Jerome Blin Champagne Cuvée Apogée Extra Brut

More fleshy and enveloping than many other Pur Meunier in its class. Perfectly balanced, with a rolling push of grilled lemon rind, quince, white cherry water, limestone, and slight bark. Finishes…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

White and yellow peach, Rose's lime juice, grapefruit, lemon juice, travertine, and white pear. Succulent and mouthwatering on entry, expanding on the palate with a full, voluptuous, quasi-sappy…

Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumées Clos de la Truffière

Bottle #2. WAY better than the bottle I had yesterday that was a total flaccid dud. Clearly bottle variation going on here. This bottle was fresh and vibrant, with lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon…

Château Beau-Séjour Bécot

Dark plum, date, blackberry, red and black cherry, currant, cedar, baking spice, and subtle bitter chocolate. A bit less exuberant and hedonistic than the 2015, but slightly more focused and fresh.…

Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumées Clos de la Truffière

Flat and pretty lifeless in terms of drive. A "pfud" execution. There are flavor elements that seem pure, but there just wasn't much exuberance or verve to push the fruit to the front. Drinkable, but…