BIRTHDAY AT ART OF CELLARING - Art of Cellaring San Antonio (11/1/2025-11/2/2025)
- 2010 Luis Anxo Rodriguez Vazquez Ribeiro Viña de Martin Escolma - Spain, Galicia, Ribeiro (11/2/2025)
Only small pour. Quite lively, acidic and fresh, quite stern and dry on the palate. Focused, lively and stress with a lot of acidic structure. - 2023 Cellier Saint Benoit Chardonnay Arbois Pupillin La Marcette - France, Jura, Arbois Pupillin (11/2/2025)
Started off this this and it was perfect. Fine lemony chardonnay notes. Quite light, but very focused and fresh. Loved the interplay of the lively acidity without this being austere. Quite delicious. (94 points) - 2019 Domaine Dujac Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Monts-Luisants Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru (11/2/2025)
Fun treat, this was a bit reductive but still showed plenty of character. Rounded and a bit denser than the Jura white. With the density come complexity. This seemed like a complete white. (93 points) - 1971 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny (11/2/2025)
Amazing wine that such a joy to drink. It's on the down slope but clearly alive. Quite light and ethereal in the glass. Needed an hour air to blow off some funk and get going. Mix of rose petals and forest floor notes. This was a delicate, light wine with excellent depth for village wine. I see the connection others have to Roumier's wines as this was a soulful emotional wine. - 1993 Bouchard Père et Fils La Romanée - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Romanée Grand Cru (11/2/2025)
Perfect fill and cork. Appeared well taken care of. This was an introspective cerebral wine. Double decanted, and needed a couple airs to wake up. Even then, nose was a bit shy, with wafts of Asian spice notes but little else. Palate was very dense, dark, and surprisingly tannic. There was depth and complexity here, but you had to look for it. Long finish though--and that's really where this started to shine compared to the others in the lineup. This bottle could honestly use some more time.
The other experienced burg tasters in the group liked this more than me. (93 points) - 1991 St. Innocent Pinot Noir O'Connor Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (11/2/2025)
Fun wine to throw in a lineup of burgs. Showed well initially, lighter style, with pleasant forest floor notes. Later transitioned to more of a cabbage note with air. So best in the first hour. Blind, most didn't hesitate to call this burgundy. (89 points) - 2010 Domaine Bruno Clair Bonnes Mares - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru (11/2/2025)
One of my favorites on the evening. Served blind, though I was in Gevrey in a structured year like '16. But the dense coiled pure red fruits eventually brought me to Chambolle(and then this is technically all Moreyfruit!?!). Fine sinus tannins really stand out. it's a structured wine but there's plenty of fruit here. Just hints of sous bois start to show maturity but this is still a few years away from really singing. (95 points) - 2010 Domaine Château De La Tour Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (11/2/2025)
This one couldn't get going. Insular and structured, with some mild spice notes. Showed more structure and promise than enjoyment now. Maybe will be better on day 2. Otherwise, best to hold.
Didn't move much on night 2. Still rather sullen, shy, with hits of sous bois. (90 points) - 2013 Forey Père et Fils Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (11/2/2025)
Very enjoyable if 180 in style from the other burgs. This was savory and spicy, with fruit very much in the background. Lovely nuanced nose. Still a bit austere on the finish but otherwise is drinking in a great spot. (94 points) - 2015 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (11/2/2025)
Needs a couple hours to wake up. Showed the solar year. Red fruited, forward and plump, with spice notes and complexity really showing on the finish. Palate wasn't showing the pedigree. Not as tannic as the others, supple and polished and hard not to crush.
On night two was less flamboyant, but also deeper showing more classic CV qualities with some pepper and spice notes on the finish. (94 points) - 2015 Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru (11/2/2025)
Surprisingly polished and elegant. Showed a much darker fruit profile than the '15 HN CV. Nose with a little reduction and meaty notes, but palate was complex, maybe with some stem inclusion, precise and polished. Quite concentrated without being heavy. Impressive wine. (93 points) - 2016 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Procès - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (11/2/2025)
Served blind, I made it to "whole cluster" and was thinking northern CdN like Gevry, then gave up. This was lively and nuanced, without the coarse tannins you sometimes see in NSG. Fruit on the red end of the spectrum, quite pure. Finish was penetrated and long and stood out from the others.
On night 2 the whole cluster still stood out, giving this a prickly/peppery quality. Fruit came across as rather sensual and pure. Really lovely wine but needs some time to integrate. (94 points) - 2016 Henri Jouan Clos St. Denis - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos St. Denis Grand Cru (11/2/2025)
Probably my favorite Burgundy of the night. This was much more accessible than I expected. Deep dark fruits, some blacks and blues, with impressive concentration without being heavy. Tannins are present but wrapped by the fruit, and lengthy spicy finish. I'm very happy to own another bottle of this. 95-96 (95 points) - 2010 Château de la Bonneliere Touraine Ante Phylloxera Clos de Maulevrier - France, Loire Valley, Touraine (11/2/2025)
Served blind in a sea of burgundy I though this was whole cluster modern burgundy. This was so elegant and pretty for a cab franc. Seamless with mild herbal notes mixed in the fruits. Fine polished tannin. This was a wow! wine for me, definitely puts Rougeard on notice. (96 points) - 2014 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (11/2/2025)
Late taste served blind. It was too cold, and all I got was structure. My brain said "Italy" but I couldn't find a varietal but knew it wasn't sangiovese. Red fruited, quite bright, with long searing finish. Firm tannins but in check for Nebbiolo.
I put the glass down to let it warm up and when I returned, it was gone. - 1945 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (11/2/2025)
There are fantastic technical wines and there are emotional soulful wines; this is the latter. Amazing dark and dense, almost black. Initial pour was quite volatile with a sour angular edge on the palate but this blew off with a hour of air, and while there was always a volatile edge on the nose, I would say this improved with 2-3hrs air. This had all the telltale characteristics of mature Pauillac, with pipe tobacco, cigar wrappers, with with a depth and complexity that can only be from time. This was still amazingly fruity, with mature black fruits wrapping the coarse tannin. I found myself drawn back to this many times over the night contemplating what it much have been like to make wine in a year where the world was trying to put itself back together. A wonderful emotional wine that connects one to the past. (not a wine that can be reduced to points; certainly a pinnacle expereince ) - 1970 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (11/2/2025)
Second time with this, I have a hard time with the nose as its quite hot, with some VA. Dried leafy fruits, quite powerful and deep. I'm not sure this is my thing - 2005 Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Auslese - Germany, Rheinhessen (11/2/2025)
This was wonderful. My riesling experience is quite limited, but this showed a nice golden fruit profile, subtle petrol notes. Both acidic and sweet, but seemingly in balance. I didn't find this cloying at all. (93 points)
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