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2010 Biggio Hamina Cellars Pinot Noir Zenith Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (12/12/2016)
Red fruits, cinnamon and cardamom spice and flowers on the nose.
Flavors of tart/sappy red fruits (strawberry, cherry) with cinnamon/cardamom and a pronounced green note; think forrest floor. Plenty of juicy acidity and the tannins, while noticeable, are in the background. In a good spot; should drink well for another 5 years or more.
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1995 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (12/8/2016)
Opaque cranberry color with some bricking at the rim. Very earthy and a bit fecal on the nose.
Earthy with some saddle leather, cigar, spice and just the barest hint of sour red berries in the background. High - acidity and a slightly thin mouthfeel. This wine has a wonderful sense of place. Classic Chinon flavors; drinking well now, but for my tastes at or past its peak. Drink.
Note: held up well on day two. (89 pts.)
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2003 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (12/7/2016)
Amber colored with a nose of honey and orange. The palate is honey, brown sugar and just a bit of orange rind. Viscous and bordering on heavy. Not incredibly sweet, but suffers from a lack of acid. Would suggest a HOLD to allow the sugars to dial back some more. (87 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
Todd’s wines are a great value and delicious. I dig his use of whole clusters and found the Zenith quite refined. Generally speaking, I’m a fan of Oregon 10s.
The Olga was another nice value at around $40ish retail, but not nearly as good as the 89 or 90. Still, it is archetypal Chinon.
I like sweet wines to end a meal, but the L-P fell flat for me. A 2003 Rieussec displayed similar flavors and similarly lacked acid; nonetheless, I found it far more enjoyable. I note that the average CT score (with almost 300 reviews) was a 92.9…I was a bit of an outlier and thinking back, my score might have even been a bit high. I wish I had added a drop of lemon juice to the wine just to see how a bit more brightness would have changed the wine. As it is, I’m glad I only purchased one bottle on a lark. I note that we opened at dinner with another couple and they LOVED it.
