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I would have actually said the opposite, since the Valentini Trebbiano really blossoms with age, and it's next to impossible to find mature examples, where you could, in all likelihood, quite easily pick up at least semi-mature Pégaü: 2011, 2009, 2004 for example drink very well today and aren't too...

<searches Guffens-Heynen on wine searcher> Shakes head at mostly triple digit prices. Sorry about that... though I think they're more than worth the tariff: I've served them blind against what would be four-digit bottles on wine searcher and watched them emerge as the wines of the night. I think on...

even in this heavily trafficked region by the critics that there are truly great undiscovered wines in the Wild? I don't know about heavily trafficked... Since I started covering Champagne at The Wine Advocate, I have tended to spend a month per year in the region (less this year, sadly, as lockdow...

Mel Knox wrote: ↑January 10th, 2021, 6:29 pm Olivier Merlin

I have been a bit disappointed by recent releases, but each to their own.

I like the wines a lot, but sometimes the levels of volatile acidity can be quite elevated (something Benoît accepts, even embraces). Obviously, that's distinct from "mousiness", i.e. acrolein, but I don't know how precisely John was using his terms... In any case, I don't think I tried th...

I've had a few bottles that were sound and very good, reconditioned bottles that were quite nice but nothing more, and rather musty bottles. More brett plus weedy fruit than TCA. One left, which I guess I'll probably open soon.

Honestly, I would be surprised, given that the US is the largest export market for these wines by a margin <...> You might be right. Time will tell. But I think that for the more general public, Pouilly-Fuissé is better known than Montagny. I also think that for a lot of consumers, if they see a 1e...

Since the 2020 vintage will bring 1er Cru to Pouilly-Fuissé, I think we can expect that to some level, prices and scarcity will rise. I think it means that I should be on the lookout for recent vintages since I've been late to the Mâconnais game especially for whites. I was going through my CT incl...

No, the info is not widely known. In fact, before I posted, I asked one of my go-to sources for history on Bordeaux about it, and it was his view that only French oak was used. He is usually spot on. I've double-checked his info on occasion and I have not yet found him to be inaccurate. I just fini...

Hi William May I ask where you read about the use of Baltic oak in Bordeaux? That is not my understanding, especially in the 19th century. I think that French oak was used in Bordeaux since Roman times. Acacia, Chene & Chataigner being used most often. I am not sure why they would ship wood fro...

Hi William May I ask where you read about the use of Baltic oak in Bordeaux? That is not my understanding, especially in the 19th century. I think that French oak was used in Bordeaux since Roman times. Acacia, Chene & Chataigner being used most often. I am not sure why they would ship wood fro...

If you have bins that are deep enough to head-to-tail bottles it works pretty well. That's how they are able to stack bottles "sur pile" in the cellars of the Maison. Alternatively, one should just drink exclusively '70s and earlier Krug, before the introduction of the new bottle shape. ch...

I think the tendency to fixate on vintage—as so perfectly exemplified by the way 2005s were collected a decade ago—is part of a mentality that closes our minds to those "exceptions to the rule", to our detriment. So, are you saying it would be detrimental not to buy every year? Can I quot...

I am under the vague impression that a long, long time ago - in the 19th century - Bordeaux first growths had very long oak elevage, as in many years. When did this change? And what kind of oak was this? It was generally Baltic oak. The move to French oak was contemporaneous with the move to more a...

I am under the vague impression that a long, long time ago - in the 19th century - Bordeaux first growths had very long oak elevage, as in many years. When did this change? And what kind of oak was this? It was generally Baltic oak. The move to French oak was contemporaneous with the move to more a...

jhans wrote: ↑January 4th, 2021, 2:05 pm William this is great information. Looking forward to reading your complete report at TWA. Any idea when it will be published?

Should be January 7th, just putting the finishing touches to it now...

This is a subject to which I am devoting some thought, as I am just finishing up my TWA report on the 2019 vintage from barrel and 2018 revisited from bottle! So some brief observations / opinions: The 2018 white Burgundy is a ripe vintage in the sense that the fruit tones have a more or less "...

2005 Mugnier Marechale is showing beautifully right now. I've had this wine a few times recently, and compared to Mugnier's Chambolle it's still pretty tight to me. But then, it's Mugnier; post 2000, it's incredibly rare to have a closed bottle. A bit like Fourrier in that regard. The one I had tod...

Larry Link wrote: ↑January 3rd, 2021, 10:29 am
William have you tasted the 2004s from Domaine Leroy, and if so what’s your opinion on them? Do they defy the vintage reputation?

Yes. They are among the better 2004s but one can see why Lalou declassified them.

Logically, the vintage should define what is possible. So in a cold, rainy year, a winemaker won’t be able to make opulent wines. We may keep finding interesting exceptions, but making wines when weather conditions are poor, forces the winemaker to be on the defensive, limiting the wines he can and...

One of my favorite wines was a 1980 DRC Grands Echezeaux (paid $35 for it). I understand the idea of buying from multiple vintages, etc., and it makes a lot of sense, but is 2004 really the vintage for which you want to make that point? Sure there are a few good wines there, but there are so many d...

Lots of interesting topics in there! 2005 did come in the middle of a shift in fashion back towards classicism, a part of which was a renewed appreciation for elegance and transparency over concentration and weight (though, as I mentioned above, I think '05 has both qualities in spades). That pendu...

Wish I had clipped the threads from the old board from the height of the '05 buying frenzy when many people wisely predicted, "You know, in 10 or 15 years these are going to be shut down tight and you're all going to call them overrated" So the apologia was built into the plaudits? I thin...

Last week had the 2014 Narvaux. Upon opening showing very reductive, missing depth and fruit. So I put back the cork and left it untouched for 24 hours. A completely different wine emerged. Typical broad Meursault flavours buffering its PYCM liniar spine of acidity en minerality. Even some caramel ...

Wish I had clipped the threads from the old board from the height of the '05 buying frenzy when many people wisely predicted, "You know, in 10 or 15 years these are going to be shut down tight and you're all going to call them overrated" So the apologia was built into the plaudits? I thin...

This is Dom Perignon in the Moet caves. As far as the eye can see. http://ossi-net.com/Wine_images/Dom%20Perignon.jpg For those that don't know, it might be worth adding that these are undisgorged bottled aging on the lees "sur pointes". If the chef des caves feels that a wine has been su...

alan weinberg wrote: ↑January 2nd, 2021, 9:13 am Nice. Never had a 72 CDP.

It's actually a very fine but for whatever reason not at all talked about vintage for the reason. The 1972 Clos des Papes is the best Clos de Papes I ever drank. Four down, one to go, and each bottle just irresistible.

I tend to think that Champagne's big houses lend themselves better to some sort of hierarchical classification than the growers. Producers such as, to pick three examples, Selosse, Lassaigne and Prévost have such strong individual styles that they will necessarily evoke strong personal responses. In...

I would like to drink more Soldera this year. Went down a bit of a rabbit hold reading Neil Beckett's excellent World of Fine Wine article about him today. That guy would have made fabulous wines in Burgundy, that's for sure. I almost visited him as a student but it didn't work out, which is probabl...

Prefer the Cristal by a handful of points, personally, but the styles are very different of course...

I showed this to a viticulturist friend who asked if it was the Wehlener Monsantogarten... [snort.gif] that said, neither of us were volunteering to cultivate slopes this steep by hand, without herbicides. Another issue with New World Riesling, and especially US Riesling, is a lack of interesting v...

Question is why can't the New World produce Riesling like the Germans, with few exceptions of course. See Below: I showed this to a viticulturist friend who asked if it was the Wehlener Monsantogarten... [snort.gif] that said, neither of us were volunteering to cultivate slopes this steep by hand, ...

Interesting! I've got a 2015 Volnay Saint-François that I got in a mixed case from an importer stashed away without knowing much about the Domaine. I visited this fall. We last covered them in 2005/2006, when David Shildknecht gave them very good reviews, but since then, nothing. Which is bizarre, ...

Wholesale was $185 so quite the markup but Kermit has been hiking prices like crazy. Wholesale on the 2017 went to $235. But.....based on quality.......I'd say it's fair though not sure what that even means anymore. Was that due in part to the tariff? Looks very close to a 25% increase -- the tarif...

I feel 2005 is in the excellent-outstanding range but struggle to see in GOAT territory. To me, the finesse, purity and transparency in 2010, the best 2016s and probably 1999s trump 2005. It's a very muscular and powerful vintage. I've drunk through a few village wines and they're all over the plac...

Thanks Blake. Have you had the 2012? If so, how does this compare? I used my wineaccess coupons/deals for the 08 and got a few bottles for $57.50 landed, which might have been my wine deal of the year. Not Blake, but it's a bit richer and more muscular, not quite as chiseled, and the Bollinger waln...

What other WB producers make wines that are built for ageing? This is just short list, with no aspirations to be exhaustive, of producers whose wines I buy, to the extent of my means, with a view to aging: Domaine d'Auvenay / Leroy Coche-Dury Guffens-Heynen Hubert (Olivier) Lamy Paul (Thierry) Pill...

William you are a treasure trove of information, thank you for contributing to this site. I’m a huge fan of the wines from PYCM, and echo William’s comments on aging. Try an MP from 2006, or his Batard from 2007 and you will understand how they improve with cellaring. His 15s are amazing, and for m...

I think this notion that they are extremely reductive is a bit of a confusion of terms, in so far that the wines have a rather smoky/nutty/toasty oak signature from Chassin and François Frères which is often mistaken for reduction, and that they often have quite high levels of free sulfites, which ...

I think this notion that they are extremely reductive is a bit of a confusion of terms, in so far that the wines have a rather smoky/nutty/toasty oak signature from Chassin and François Frères which is often mistaken for reduction, and that they often have quite high levels of free sulfites, which ...

I think this notion that they are extremely reductive is a bit of a confusion of terms, in so far that the wines have a rather smoky/nutty/toasty oak signature from Chassin and François Frères which is often mistaken for reduction, and that they often have quite high levels of free sulfites, which l...

2x 1962 d'Angerville Pommard 1x 1993 Roblet-Monnot Volnay 1er Cru (anyone who hasn't been following this producer.... well, they might want to rectify that soon!) 6x 1994 Montus Madiran Very nice buy on the Montus. No one ages Madiran, which is a shame. A recent pairing with calves liver and onions...

1x 1993 Roblet-Monnot Volnay 1er Cru (anyone who hasn't been following this producer.... well, they might want to rectify that soon!) Interesting! I've got a 2015 Volnay Saint-François that I got in a mixed case from an importer stashed away without knowing much about the Domaine. I visited this fa...

2x 1962 d'Angerville Pommard
1x 1993 Roblet-Monnot Volnay 1er Cru (anyone who hasn't been following this producer.... well, they might want to rectify that soon!)
6x 1994 Montus Madiran

I just bought a few of these in France, so good to hear!

Once again, a quite interesting video. Makes you wonder why other producers have not tried the same methods? With the prices she gets for her wines, the incentive seems to be there...growing a canopy out seems a fairly low cost change in vineyard management, given the big picture. We are not talkin...

Well, YES, I don´t think (like William) that Leroy Narbantons tastes similar to a Chambolle Baudes, rather than a typical Northern Cotes-de-Beaune from the corner Savigny/Pernand/Aloxe, only on very high level usually not to be found in a Savigny 1er Cru, but with a TOP Corton Grand Cru. It reminds...

I am reading a fascinating book, “The Politics of Wine in Britain” by Charles Luddington. One of its central points is that much of the way we drink wine, or ascribe ranking is as much a product of the politics at the time as the inherent quality of the wine. It is an interesting thesis, and I plan...

Would like to put it in a blind tasting with some non-Leroy Vosne and Chambolle wines to test that contention! To me, perhaps just free-associating when tasting, her Narbantons makes me think of Chambolle Les Baudes FWIW... If it tastes similar to Chambolle Baudes it's not true to it's terroir. Are...

I think by focusing on the pricing, I may have framed my original question poorly. Savigny Narbantons generally can be made into perfectly nice wines. But even if you take those made by the best producers, it is still a third tier Burgundy. Lovely, but never that profound. Except it seems for Leroy...

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