1992 Peter Lauer Riesling MSR Sekt Nature Réserve 92 AP #14. Offers a light fizz upon the pour, quick to disappear. Lightly bronzed gold, youthful enough, good clarity. Honeyed, smoky nose with lanolin, lemondrop notes, heavy enough to hover more than lift, fills out the white spaces with green apple to peach pit scents. Medium-bodied, very dry, toasty and smoky. Tart green apple, apricot to even strawberry fruit. Swift floral flourish in the mid-palate. The acidity is crazy strong. The fizz definitely well into “faded” territory. Orange zest infused finish. A bit raucous and only attracts a few fans. (Disgorged September 2016)
2010 La Pépière Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Clos des Morines Château-Thébaud. Clear and transparent, white straw hue, nice shine. Floral nose, citrus lift as well, hint of red pepper swiftly cloaked by melon, kiwi, apricot fruit, stays fresh throughout. Light to medium-bodied, the acidity is at a good plus level. Attractive mix of mint, tangerine, beeswax to golden honey, a subtle sort of complexity. Hint of pineapple but not that tropical, mainly serving up apricot, peach, golden apple flavors. Vanillin notes. Long and integrated finish, so pretty. Evolved well since last tasted in May 2015.
2000 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. Work yellow-gold in color. Butterscotch, molasses driven nose, peach cobbler, poached pear, no lift left and tends to wander off. In the mouth the acidity saves the day and breathes some life into it. Medium-bodied, dry and tacky texture. Straightforward array of pear, melon, apricot fruit, some vanilla but all that butterscotch has dried out which does help the overall experience. A few notes of tangerine. Not dead, and to its credit as it opens it gains a more erect posture.
2014 Roulot Bourgogne Aligoté. Pale green to white straw color, moderate shine. Tarry, minerally nose, like sauna smoke, rose petals, apple to pear skin, overall muscular but willing to yield to please. Light to medium-bodied, open for business with very energizing acidity, bright lights. Dominated by a mix of lemon and lime citrus. Noticeably fruity, full selection of pineapple, nectarine, apricot, pear flavors. Long finish, semi-blunt. At the height of its power, showed better than bottle consumed September 2016. (Composite Cork: Diam5)
2018 Falkenstein Riesling MSR Krettnacher Altenberg Spätlese Feinherb AP #7. Transparent, brilliant white straw, consistent core to rims. The nose driven by a component of warmed rubber, lower level of chalk, fleshy pear, red apple, apricot scents, smattering of rose petals and lime juice. Medium-bodied, firm and linear, knows exactly what it wants to do. Well endowed kiwi, pineapple, fruit as well as tangerine to lime citrus. Solid amount of chalk and minerality without this coming close to first violin. The acidity is in charge, a benevolent dictator. A broad floral lift finishes it off. Not as shrill as a bottle tried not long ago, September 2019.
2016 Falkenstein Riesling MSR Krettnacher Euchariusberg Auslese AP #5. Steady white gold hue with a strong green influence, very good shine. A few rubber notes in the nose, more so a confluence of apricot, melon, cherry fruit, powdered sugar and a subdued rose perfume, overall more dense than expressive, could be that it’s in a sleepy olfactory phase. Full-bodied, no movement not considered in advance, the acidic strength admirably noticeable given its heft. Brown sugar, molasses and quite sour lemon to lime citrus lends itself to a compelling tug of war in the mouth. Aggressive energy in the kiwi, papaya, nectarine to green apple fruit. Noticeable too is the lack of any rubber component. Even with a few years under its belt displays the rebelliousness of youth.
2015 Maria & Sepp Muster “Erde” Steiermark. Thick and hazy copper orange to brownish in hue, yellows at the rims. Nutty nose with orange peel and then a whole lot of white grapefruit, asphalt, warm tar, mud, apricot, papaya, guava fruit scents, really just what you’d expect an “orange wine” to be like. Full-bodied, while there’s an inert initial feel to it, the acidity gets it chugging along. Once it settles in it is more or less like eating a half of a white grapefruit. Tea leaf, tar, behind this is a floral dimension that remains muffled. Monochrome enough that even with repeated sips there’s no sense of movement, progression. Apricot, nectarine, guava fruit, if dry. In its own way it is enjoyable. But it’s not enjoyable in the sense of “hey, let’s open a bottle of wine!” Unspecified percentages of Sauvignon Blanc and Morillon (Chardonnay).
2017 Sine Qua Non “Tectumque” California White Wine. Flat gold hue, a little bit of green flecks, consistent throughout and nicely layered. Semi-blunt nose, waxy, does of light honey, cinnamon, rose petals alongside apricot, peach, nectarine fruit, curiously short and does not linger much. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture bringing vanilla, whipped cream, lemon meringue, mint and cinnamon stick to the fore. Mildly poached quality to the apricot, peach fruit. The acidity is average and whomped on by the weight of the primary material. Rolls on through the finish without getting tiresome. A good showing, its youth may actually help. 38% Roussanne, 31% Petit Manseng, 18% Chardonnay, 9% Viognier, 4% Muscat.
1972 Alexis Lichine (Domaine Méo) Clos Vougeot. Cloudy, washed out brick red color, the rims empty and diminished. Cedar, sous bois, fallen leaves grace the nose, the smoked cherry fruit scents holding on, excellent showing for where it is on its lifetime trajectory. Light-bodied, dusty and chewy with no real flow to it. Smoky and acidic, bringing asphalt, tar and forest earth nuances. That cherry fruit holds on to carve out a good finish. For its age and in being in a half bottle, quite the sip.
2002 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py. Ruby-red color, washes out some at the rims. Big billow, pregnant rain cloud type of nose, stuffed with strawberry, raspberry fruit, meadow scrub and lavender, just keeps expanding. Medium-bodied, still has tannic punch, this supported adequately by the acidity. Attractive lavender and lilacs, ginger spice, hint of grassy herbaceousness. Good richness in the cherry, raspberry fruit. Softly soaks in, sour finish, maybe a waft of dill. Extremely well integrated. Consistent with notes from July 2017.
2005 Clos de la Roilette Fleurie Cuvée Tardive. Purple to red-ruby hue, slight orange tint at the rims. Huge floral perfume in the nose followed on by thick blueberry, raspberry scents, still way too primary to even suggest tertiary elements. Medium-bodied, very smooth and even keeled, not a feather out of place. Chocolate, mint, lilac, potpourri, plenty of makeup. Maybe cedar now and then. In the end I can’t say it has not budged from its early days but raises an eyebrow for how young it seems. Thought it had good upside back in 2006, not sure if this delivered on that sentiment.
2017 Lafouge Auxey-Duresses La Chapelle. Bright ruby color touched by violet and magenta. Brashly youthful fruit in the nose, running from rhubarb and strawberry over to honey crisp and green apples, dash of lemon and tree bark, primary and friendly. Thick and full-bodied, starts off with gingerbread and lemon zest, opening into raspberry, blueberry, blackberry fruit, sweet then sour. Mid-palate fills out with freshly tanned leather, no signs of greenness. On the simple side, glues itself so firmly to the palate that this works against your enjoyment of it.
2002 Catherine et Pierre Breton Bourgueil Les Perrières. Crimson red, slight darkening to purple at the core. Arch nose of sous bois, muddy earth, animal hide, tar, huge sour lift in the cherry, red currant fruit scents. Medium-bodied, rough and rugged in the good way. Mixes in anise, bitter lemon and molasses pork glaze. The bell pepper is a minimal presence. Zesty red cherry, red currant fruit. The acidity throws jabs throughout, showing marvelously. Consistent with sample from March 2019.
2010 Bernard Baudry Chinon La Croix Boissée Rouge. Purple core, wide and glowing red-magenta rims, incredibly youthful appearance. Good amount of flatulence to the nose at first, bell pepper, graphite, leather, linear red currant to blackberry fruit scents, a real nostril cleanser with great length. Medium-bodied, floral with very ripe blackberry, raspberry fruit flavors. There’s bell pepper yet in a fully manageable way. Cedar and asphalt show it starting to mature. Clean, juicy, and long. Drinking youthfully and not quire sure at this point what tertiary development may be ahead. Pure pleasure now.
2012 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny. Purple to plum pink, warm glow to it, slight loss of intensity at the rims. Gentle lift to the nose, scorched earth, no greenness, candied cherry to strawberry scents, perhaps openly knit to a fault. Medium-bodied, soft and generous, the tannin does have oomph, suave and arguably should be more in charge. Consistent, not splashy, elements of leather, cedar, tar, orange peel. Fully ripened blueberry, strawberry, raspberry fruit. Clean, nothing out of place, can’t confidently predict much future development.
2018 Dirty and Rowdy Rosewood Vineyards “The Legends” Redwood Valley. Red-magenta to violet in color, plenty of glow. Nose of mixed red fruits, stone, dry brown earth, has a billowy lift. Medium-bodied, soft and juicy, features raspberry, rhubarb, cranberry fruit spritzed with lemon juice. The tannin feels low but stays consistent. Spicy, minerally, quite clean. It’s more about the depth of flavors than breadth. You could chug the bottle without a second thought. 55% Mourvèdre, 45% Carignan.
2000 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. Deep purple core, crimson rims, not really showing all that much age, moderate bricking. Blunt nose of eucalyptus, leather, black currant to cherry scents, mint, after it opens there’s a muddy earth element but not barnyardy, comes off as bottom heavy without much lift. Medium-bodied, not taut but certainly has lost whatever youthful fat there was, blueberry, the red cherry, blackberry fruit possessed of a welcome sourness. Moderate cedar, incense to tea leaf notes, there’s nothing that jumps out at you to speak of tertiary development. At this point more perceptible acidity than tannin, not an unstructured wine for its age. Drinkable, uninspiring, if it hasn’t made its move by now very low chance it will down the road. Had a much more positive experience with this back in May 2012 but it’s been variable over the years. Grapes sourced from the Morisoli Vineyard and Herb Lamb Vineyard.