TN: WineBerserkers Offline - 2001 Tasting

This is a great theme for a tasting… 2001 vintage in any region. Other people should have similar tastings with their own tasting group!

WINEBERSERKERS OFFLINE - 2001 TASTING - The Palace, Mission, SF (7/1/2015)

Whites
Both excellent examples of their relevant styles. Both superb wines, but my personal preference is always for off-dry German rieslings. The 2001 Prum was excellent, though perhaps still too young.

• 2001 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile - France, Alsace
  Golden-orange color; wonderful nose with caramel apricot cake; completely dry, rich, balanced acid, some secondary and tertiary complexity. Nice overall. 91 (91 pts.)
• 2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
  Light yellow-golden color; distinct nose of petrol, pear, limestone; palate has richness, great acidity, balanced sweetness, lemon-lime, very fresh, great balance; long finish. 93-95 (94 pts.)

Pinot
Initially I had a preference for the dramatically complex nose of the Jadot, but over time that nose moderated significantly and the Dehlinger became more complex and spicy. By the end of the night, I preferred the Dehlinger.

• 2001 Louis Jadot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots Domaine Gagey - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
  Pale ruby; aromatic nose with combination of red fruit, black fruit, spice, intoxicating; palate is light bodied but dense chewy black fruit, superb acidity throughout, almost youthful, well integrated light tannin; medium finish. Excellent burgundy at early maturity. 93-95.
  After an hour, much more reticent on the nose. I don’t know what happened… maybe it was just overshadowed by the bigger bodied wines that followed. 91 (92 pts.)
• 2001 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Octagon Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
  Deep black fruit, spicy, intense ripe balanced fruit; medium bodied, ripe, classic Californian fruit, lots of spice; short-medium finish. Very nice and ready to drink, classically made but ripe sunny Californian fruit. 91
  With time, lots of complexity on the nose and palate with spice. Significant improvement with air, and eventually beat out the Jadot premier cru. 92 (92 pts.)

Italian vs. Rhone
I had a strong preference for the Hermitage, which got progressively better as the night went on and had great freshness and synergy with the food. Not heavy at all. Not close to the level of a Chave (what is…), but other than that very solid.

• 2001 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  A little reticent on the nose with some mild spice and minerality; palate has excellent acidity, cherry fruit, light tannin; short-medium finish. Nothing too remarkable, but nice. Maybe young? 87-88 (88 pts.)
• 2001 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  Deep ruby color; nose has moderate intensity, meaty, minerality, flinty, bloody heme minerality, black fruit; palate is medium bodied, very good acid that keeps things incredibly fresh, light on the fruit; medium finish. Well balanced, very fresh, good body and texture as well as meatiness, but it lacks the fruit or additional complexity that I was expecting. 90-91
  A little green asparagus after some air. Lots of complexity now. I think this just needed some time to blossom. Superb wine. 92-93+. (93 pts.)

Bordeaux
This was my favorite, though it was far, far too young. Needs at least 5-10 more years, but it had the great combination of density, freshness, balance, elegance, and potential for future growth. Well made bordeaux in a riper but classic style (balanced without being rustic).

• 2001 Château Cos d’Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
  Deep ruby-purple color with no bricking; deep full nose with blackberry, black currant, graphite, lead pencil, youthful; palate is full bodied, youthful tannins, black fruit, great balanced acidity; medium-long finish. Superb, very youthful. Hold for 5-10 years and drink over the next 2-3 decades. 93-96. 94
  With time, this blossoms and starts showing a lot of red fruit. Wonderful. 95+ (95 pts.)

Sauternes
Always one of my favorite parts of the evening. The Nairac was excellent and got better as it got more and more air. It’s never going to be the best 2001 Sauternes, but it holds its own and is extraordinarily enjoyable with almost any type of food. I think this is one to drink in the medium term, ie. over the next decade. I don’t think it will be a 40-50 year wine like the Suduiraut, Rieussec, etc.

• 2001 Château Nairac - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
  From a 750. Deeper golden-orange color than expected compared to other 2001s; nose has good intensity, citrus orange marmalade, swirling brings out gobs of botrytis spice, slight minerals but really quite a dense nose; palate is full bodied, rich but not dense, quite sweet but with just enough acidity to feel fresh if not overly vibrant, orange, slight caramel, fruit fades by the midpalate as it transitions towards a short finish. This is enjoyable, feels ready to drink now, balanced acid, good either by itself or with food, but it lacks the complexity of the best 2001s. 90-91
  Update 20 min: yes, it’s not the most complex, but I find myself coming back to the glass. Just very enjoyable, and it never seems to heavy even though it’s a richer youthful style. Delicious now, but I’m not sure whether this will be an excellent tertiary Sauternes once the fruit disappears.
  Update: 4 hours later: Opened up even more with time. Very nice, wonderful balance. More saffron spice. A step up from when first opened. 91-92 (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

My thoughts on the wines:
2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese: This is a particularly lovely wine but I don’t typically start out with an Auslese at dinner.

2001 Louis Jadot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots: This was not a Burgundy to seduce; I found it flat to begin with, it then gained weight in the glass and became a little more of a wine, but then fell back into it’s rut.

2001 Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle: God I loved this wine! Layers upon layers of complexity, and cedar. Fortunately though (and it was decanted) my last taste did not, thank god, make we want to rush out and pay $100.00+ to recapture the joy. Nonetheless, one of my favorite wines of the evening.

2001 Dehlinger Octagon Pinot Noir; I stated at table that Dehlinger is my family winery, so one could say I am biased. However, this was not posted ahead of time as “Octagon” (a reserve bottling) and I was nervous about about how a close to 14 year old California Pinot Noir would show. Well, it was my wine of the night; ephemeral, delicate, not sweet (which I have found many aged California Pinot to taste, not, I think from residual sugar, just an abundance of fruit.) and it showed strong until the very end of the evening. Bravo!

2001 Cos d’Estournel: For me, (though I see some complimentary notes on cellar tracker) this was dark and full, but green, green, green. I see no future in this bottle. The Right Bank fared better in this vintage. I could not drink this wine; famous property, in this vintage, the emperor’s new clothes? Spent a lot; it is great?

2001 Pertamali Livio Sassetti Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva: Not discussed at all by anybody. I should have known not to bring an Italian wine to a sea of French wines, one beauty of a California wine, and one Alsatian. Now, this should have been slo-oxed and decanted, but I have never had a Brunello of this age, not to mention a Riserva. Not to self: many people dislike Italian wines. I actually felt it competed in a very big way though it was too young. I am astonished that any Sangiovese could have such power and I appreciated it’s dark and brooding character, with the tell tale hint of bitterness that Italian wines often have. I will amend my tasting note after tasting this wine again tomorrow.

2001 Sauternes Chateau Nairac: This Barsac sure isn’t Climens! We needed white wine to begin with, so this was opened to accompany the first courses, but no Foie Gras, alas. This reminded me very much of my half bottles of Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey.

2001 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile: Now this was simply glorious and perfectly accompanied the first courses. Laser like concentration, vivid, very very dry, but not lacking fruit in any way. My runner up for the evening.

Other people should have similar tastings with their own tasting group!

Why would you think they don’t? While people often post notes on collections of random wines, that doesn’t mean everyone drinks like that. Anyhow, it’s a good idea - I’m putting together a 20 year retrospective at the moment.

You picked a good vintage. Interesting about the Brunello - compared to PN from Oregon I don’t know but do a tasting of some of those and some Rioja wines, or do some Bordeaux grapes vs Bordeaux one time - make sure the wines have significant age, and the results can be really interesting.

I agree with you about the Cos - it’s always a little bitter to me as well.

I meant that people should try this theme specifically: 2001 vintage. I, of course, know that people do themed tastings with their own groups.

Great notes, guys, enjoyed the read and hope others will post their thoughts too. Ashish, funny thing, your note on the Nairac (one of the few 01s I’ve never sampled) bears a striking similarity to a recent 09 La Tour Blanche I had from half, where the botrytis is very much in ascendancy and saffron, apricot and quince-filled palate. An interesting wine to experience now, I may have to open another soon and see how it does with a couple days’ air time in bottle. The rest of our crew quite enjoyed it, and so did I, but not the usual typicity for me of a LTB.

Sorry for the slight drift—again, great notes and love the cross-section you got here.

Mike

Excellent.

2001 is the biggest year in my cellar. Of course 50% of that is German, but still it’s a great vintage for drinking!

Nice to read your notes, Leonard. You piqued my interest with the Dehlinger comment, do you have a connection to the winery? Most of my older Pinots are gone, but 99s and even 97s were drinking very nicely in the last couple of years. Not surprised the 2001 showed well!

Interesting comments on the 2001 Cos. That’s a wine I love, but I’ve also seen quite a bit of bottle variation. This one sounded quite young in comparison to some I’ve had. When you say “green” is that vegetal green, or more tobacco green?

Haven’t open a 2001 Trimbach in some time, still saving them, sounds like this is still a good plan.
Cheers

For me the Cos was vegetal green; I cannot speak for other bottles but that is what I found in this bottle. I love a hint of eucalyptus, mint, and of course cedar, but I associated this bottle with an “unripe green”; as full and dark as it was.

I had fun meeting everyone last night. Great wines and great conversation.

I’ve never had a green 2001 Cos, but it is a flavor I detest.

Gack… Ashish double-posted his notes so now everyone has to. Here’s my double-post:


This was one of my favorite offlines. For me it’s the right size of group since you can, at least with a bit of stretching, speak to and hear everyone at the table. The number of wines is right as well as you can concentrate on and revisit eight wines but it gets quite difficult if you get to 10+ - not that it isn’t fun to have more, of course.

I was really happy with the food and the wines.

The two Rieslings were a super contrast, and both seemed quite young. I expect they will both be long-lived. My strong preference was for the CFE which is just about the only Alsace wine I have bought in the last ten years. I had never tasted the 2001, nor do I own any. Compared to others, it is interesting as it is very dry but also more extracted than some of the other super dry vintages. You could get a bit of riper fruit on the nose but on the palate it was very minerally.

The pairing of the Sauternes with the melon course was fantastic. Each was exotic and aromatic in its way. Overall I really liked the Nairac. I didn’t think the other whites did so well with that course. The Prum was fine but I felt the melon washed out its complexity. The Trimbach’s fully dry style just clashed.

The Dehlinger Octagon showed just as well as I hoped. Their 2001s have been drinking extremely well over the past few years and I think there is still promise for the future. I’m going to open the Estate and the Goldridge soon. There are actually five bottlings from that year with the Reserve and the High Plains. You can buy the Estate and the Reserve at K&L right now (just one bottle each, $50 and $60, but these show up periodically and always at reasonable prices). This wine had plenty of acid and while the fruit is ripe, it has really mellowed nicely. There is a lot of spicy complexity to the nose, some of which comes from the distinctive oak treatment in the Dehlinger wines. It’s an all-American wine – no mistaking it for Burgundy, but this is the type of wine that made me interested in Pinot Noir in the first place.

I felt the Boudots started out quite tight and over time I got more and more on the nose – almost the opposite of what Ashish said. I think it’s an excellent wine but it is a bit hard on the palate. I expect it will be sublime in 10-15 years. You can see it heading to that point where it is relatively light in color but full of aroma and flavor, and if it drops some tannin and opens a bit more it will have the whole package.

There was a separate discussion on WB about 2001 Cos a few weeks ago. I thought I remembered hearing that it was the first year when they really changed their style, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. It is softer than some of the wines they made in the 80’s but not out of character. I loved it and would happily drink it anytime, but if they were my bottles I would try to wait 10 years or so as I expect it will be super then. It showed very well for me with the meat dishes which helped to cut the tannin.

The Brunello tasted quite young and a bit rough. It had quite a bit of ash on the nose and I’m not sure if that is from wood or some characteristic of the grape. I also enjoyed it with the meats.

2001 La Chapelle is one I hadn’t tasted previously so I was excited to have it. It is a step up from the late 90’s wines, I think. My taste in these wines is for older ones but I felt it was drinking quite well. It had a really nice iron/mineral streak in its nose.

Hi Alan,
I have no connection with Dehlinger Winery, other than being a long time and contented consumer. It is the only wine I buy year in, year out. Tom Dehlinger does not participate in the Russian River Barrel Tasting, Pinot Days, nor any other events that I know about. I call it my “family” winery, because my brother and sister and my nephews and nieces all came out from New Jersey and started buying Dehlinger on their own. My beloved sister (RIP) would hold on to some wines for a longer time than I would typically, and there were some very pleasant surprises. I never thought that the Goldridge Pinot and the Claret would age but they did, and beautifully. Both of Tom’s daughters have returned to the fold. Eva studied Earth Systems Science at Stanford, possesses a Certificate Program in Winemaking (2011), and attended Université de Bourgogne, Vigne, Vin, Terroir, 2013, and works in operations and winemaking, and Carmen in customer service and sales. The staff includes veteran vineyard manager Martin Hedlund who has been at Dehlinger since 1988, and a year-round vineyard crew of five.Tom Klassen has the position of enologist.

I am surprised that they now accommodate tastings now, and, in addition from the web site: “Those on the mailing list receive a newsletter twice yearly, in January and August. The newsletter describes the current releases in detail and chronicles the latest developments of the winery. The wines are allocated giving preference to steady, established customers, but with smaller amounts available for newcomers. Mailing list customers have access to bottlings that we do not release to the larger marketplace”.

The Fall Open house is particularly noteworthy as, apart from the chance to taste the new vintages, Carole Dehlinger grows every conceivable variety of squash and it is laid out adjacent to the vineyards, specifically for us.

I returned tonight to the 2001 Pertamali Livio Sassetti Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva, that I brought to the offline last night. I want to state that it is on me, insofar as the wine not showing well, in that that I was not familiar enough to know that a Brunello Riserva, notwithstanding it’s age, requires breathing and decanting. There was perhaps about 25% or less in the bottle, and I enjoyed it along with a grass fed Angus steak, served with pan roasted garlic and shallots and olive tapenade. The nose was really very forward: floral, violets, black cherries, leather, tobacco. On the palate, what was new was a mineralality; though still tannic, tight, and burly, the only sediment noted appearing to be tartrate chrystals.

I don’t imagine that my question has to do with only this wine though; it is perhaps something I have never understood. When an older wine has a very forward bouquet, yet is still quite tannic and tough on the palate what conclusion might be drawn from this? Does it augur well for the future, or possibly does it not signify in any way, or might it be problematic? i have asked this question in a separate Wine Talk thread as well, hoping for some thoughts about this.

2001: A WINE ODYSSEY — BERSERKER OFFLINE @ THE PALACE - The Palace Steakhouse, SF (7/1/2015)

I enjoyed the Berserker company immensely, and it was a rare treat to be able to taste so many textbook examples of great wine styles. The Trimbach Freddy Emile and the Nairac were easily my favorite wines of the night, and for me, both paired excellently with every course.

The food was, as I’ve come to expect from The Palace, well executed, and modest in flavor and complexity, which is superb for a wine dinner. Highlights were a dulce de leche souffle and a perfectly done rare steak that followed the also-excellent lamb pictured above.

Whites (and a sticky)

• 2001 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile - France, Alsace
  Summary:
  The lesser sibling to Trimbach’s legendary Clos Ste Hune, Cuvee “Freddy" has a reputation as one of the purest varietal expressions in Alsace. The vineyards are the Grand Crus of Geisberg and Osterberg, right in Trimbach’s home town of Ribeauville. Marl-limestone-sandstone soil and steep southern exposure provide conventionally good conditions for great Riesling (unlike the full-limestone soil of Clos Ste Hune). Because the grapes are sourced from two different Grands Crus, Trimbach cannot label CFE as GC, even if they wanted to (which they don’t).

Rich and pleasantly brioche-y out of the bottle, with air this develops into seriously focused, pure, un-botrytized Alsace Riesling. Phenomenally high acidity with elegant varietal character.

Score: Around 9.

Visual:
Clear, day-bright. Light gold with reflections of yellow and straw. Moderate-plus concentration.
No gas or sediment. Diminished tears.

Nose:
Clean, moderate plus intensity nose.
Notes of baked green apple, with emphasis on “baked” - some brioche / autolytic notes (possible lees stirring?). Warm stone. Faint lime pith note.
As this opened up, some lemon (confected) and slight petrol/pool-toy (TDN) emerged. Notable (though not especially surprising) is the absence of any hints of botrytis in a Grand Cru bottling of such ripeness. This may be stylistic (the Osterberg and Geisberg GC vineyards are steep, with good winds that stave off rot). Also 2001 was cooler and more classical than the exceptional 2000 - perhaps it wasn’t a vintage conducive to botrytis.
Overall still youthful with some signs of development, especially towards the end of the evening (the brioche aromas blew off a bit, revealing more varietal character underneath).
This wine has some complexity already, but will develop even more with age.

Palate:
Dry (<3g RS, possibly bone dry), medium bodied with moderate alcohol ~12.5%? [yes—12.5%].
More baked apple yeastiness mid-palate, with some citrus tones and hints of warm stones.
No phenolic bitterness. Solidly high acid (very clean, balancing tart malic with strong tartaric character).
Phenomenally balanced in a classic dry riesling style.
The finish is moderately long, with balanced fruit, secondaries, and acidity all the way. (91 pts.)

• 2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
  Summary:
  From the famously steep “Sundial” vineyard, this wine is a classic Mosel Riesling (soil is blue and devon slate).

This wine is so young, so primary, and so classic! I was surprised by the strength of the burnt match, but it seems (according to the interwebs) this is perfectly normal for young Prum Riesling - especially from the Sonnenuhr vineyard. Moderately sweet, light, and saffron-scented, with good varietal character and sparkling acidity.

Score: Between 8.5 and 9.

Visual:
Clear, day bright, medium-straw with moderate concentration. I’m a bit surprised this was lighter in color than the Cuvee Freddy - especially since this has botrytis on it, and that usually hastens oxidation and thus deepening of color.

Nose:
Light burnt match (reduction), which yields to a light (but present) tone of petrol/pool-toy (TDN). There is a slight hint of grapefruit pith (thiol character), and a moderate influence of botrytis (warm saffron and rice tones). Fruit wasn’t dominant for me.

Surprisingly youthful and moderately complex, with both varietal character and botrytis influence. The burnt match certainly evokes a sense of warm crushed stones (Terroir!). The fact that it seems to be a reductive character doesn’t change the magic of this combination. I’m becoming more and more convinced of the argument that minerality is in fact the combination of high acidy and moderated reduction.

I think this probably needs a lot of time — decades, perhaps — for the struck match aromas to subside and for secondary and tertiary aromas to develop.

Palate:
Off-dry (I wrote ~15g/L, but given the ripping high acid it could be in the 30’s or 40’s).
Low alcohol (not even diminished - I feel almost no alcoholic heat). ~10%? [actually 7.5%].
Solidly high acid, both malic and tartaric, though initially the acidic spark is softened by significant sweetness.
No phenolic bitterness.
Superb balance with sweetness lifted by strong acid.
Complexity is just moderate at this point - I think it needs significant age to develop further.
The finish is long, with sweetness and acidity neck-and-neck. (88 pts.)

• 2001 Château Nairac - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
  Summary:
  This is textbook Sauternes, though primary. Saffron and savory gasoline on the nose, with bright acidity to balance the sweetness on the palate. I can’t speak as to the potential for development (I’ll defer to Ashish’s opinion that this may not have the stuffing to be great in the tertiary stage). I found it paired well with pretty much every course, from the melon amuse to the steak.

Score: Between 8.5 and 9.

Visual:
Clear, day-bright, medium amber in the glass despite its relative youth (botrytis hastens the deepening of color). No gas or sediment, slightly elevated tears.

Nose:
Strong saffron-rice tones (botrytis) with slight fig (oxidation) and a savory gasoline tone (not TDN - actually gasoline). There’s also a faint meatiness reminiscent of Jamon Iberico. Primary. No apricot character and no apparent oak influence (despite being fermented in 50% new oak and spending 30 months in barrels of unspecified age).
Youthful and primary.

Palate:
Luscious (>45 g/L), with moderate alcohol (12.5%?)[actually: 13%] and solidly high acidity (very clean, tilting more towards tartaric than malic). For context this is 90% Semillon, with only a bit of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle).

Balanced and primary, with a long, sweet finish. (88 pts.)

Reds

• 2001 Louis Jadot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots Domaine Gagey - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
  Overall: Thin and slightly dirty with poor quality of fruit (diminished and stemmy yet somehow also overripe), though structurally correct.

Score: Around 8.

Visual:
Clear, bright, medium-minus concentration red with some garnet at the rim. No gas or sediment, moderate viscosity.
Nose:
I’m struggling with this. The fruit is dark, pruney, slightly overripe. It’s also reductive with a heavy dose of barnyard. My gut feeling is I don’t really like this, but it’s certainly interesting.
Palate:
Medium body, slightly elevated / un-contained alcohol. It feels a bit hot (alcohol is 13.5%), with the same slightly distasteful mix of fruit and barnyard. There’s an additional slightly stemmy tone (possible stem inclusion). The acid is solidly high, with the diminished tannins one would expect from pinot.
It’s technically balanced, but for me it doesn’t have the flavor concentration to contain even the modest 13.5% alcohol it is sporting. (80 pts.)

• 2001 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Octagon Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
  Summary:
  A correct New World Pinot with some complexity, elevated alcohol, and great purity of fruit.

Score: Around 8.5

Visual:
Clear, bright, medium-minus concentration ruby with no rim variation. No gas or sediment, moderate viscosity.

Nose:
Excellently ripe warm red cherry tone, with very slight reductive character and faint barnyard aromas. There’s a very light oak influence that I picked up after some time. Maybe 10-20% new oak.

Palate:
Medium bodied, with elevated alcohol (13.5? no - actually 14.6%, but holds it well). Savory, ripe red fruit, with a nice purity to it, as well as a slight burnt/reductive character. Acid is high, and tannins are diminished. (85 pts.)

• 2001 Château Cos d’Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
  Summary:
  Dirty and green, with a slightly overripe fruit quality I’m not a huge fan of. Structurally classic and undeniably complex. It blossomed with some air, which makes me think this will be much better with some more age.

Score: Around 8.5

Visual:
Nearly opaque, medium ruby with some hints of garnet.

Nose:
Expressive and a bit dirty. Initial notes of barnyard and underripe stewed bell pepper (pyrazines). Underneath there is tightly-wound ripe purple fruit, with a savory cedar/tobacco note. Over time the fruit blossomed into a somewhat bacterial ripe-to-overripe black cherry, with a fair whiff of Brettanomyces.

Complex and developing, but still very primary.

Palate:
Medium plus body, moderate alcohol (13.5%? - actually 13%).
The oak is more apparent on the palate, presenting as finely ground nutmeg with a touch of cinnamon character.
Moderate acidity, moderate tannins - definitely less then I’d expect from a relatively young top Bdx. (85 pts.)

• 2001 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  Summary:
  Searing, painfully intense raw white pepper rotundone. Screaming high acid. Slight tones of cured meat emerged with air exposure. This needs more time.

Score: I can’t rate this - I couldn’t see past the rotundone.

Visual:
Clear, slightly dull (low lustre). Medium red, nearly opaque.

Nose:
Clean, elevated-intensity. Dominated by raw, saline white pepper. An insanely strong whiff of rotundone that I found physically painful. After a lot of time and air, some secondary tones emerged— lambic, floral, and Jamon Iberico. All the while I was struggling with the searing white pepper.

Palate:
Medium plus body, elevated alcohol [14%]. Savory and floral in the mouth, with tones of cured meat. Screaming high acid and solidly moderate tannins.
Youthful, primary, astringent. Needs more time.

• 2001 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  Summary:
  A delicious savory, ripe Brunello showing signs of development and the structure to continue on for many years.

Score: Between 8.5 and 9.

Visual:
Medium-plus ruby, moderate plus concentration.

Nose:
Clean, moderate intensity nose of bloody red fruit, savory tomato, a hint of barnyard, and secondaries of incense, anise, fennel, black liquorice, and mushroom. No evidence of oak.
Definitely showing signs of maturation, and some complexity.

Palate:
Medium body, moderate alcohol, savory red fruit with a mushroomy quality in the midpalate. Acid is just elevated, tannins are elevated. Delicious. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Green as in green bell pepper pyrazine.

+1 mais oui~

These guys are out of their minds, the wine is fine

I didn’t get much pyrazine, but then again I kind of like a little of it. Maybe I overlooked it.

It’s Bordeaux, man.

I agree actually - pyrazine and Brett are totally classic for Bordeaux. Definitely showed typicity. I often dig the greenness as well. In this particular case the fruit ripeness seemed strange to me, but I’d concur this is all consistent with a top Left Bank Bdx.