Exceptional wines for this beginning of 2017 + surprises and a few disappointments

[Laurent_Gibet]

Calvados du pays d’Auge Camut Privilège (18 ans) : 19,5/20
Un monstre de puissance (fruitée) délicate. Exceptionnel.

[Laurent_Gibet]

IGT Toscana (Brunello di Montalcino) Soldera Case Basse 2012 : 18,5/20 - friday 6 october 2017
An expensive and also great elegant sapid Brunello, fruity, spicy, flowery. Classy italian triplet : acidity, alcohol, tannins. Very long. Worldclass.

[Laurent_Gibet]

Champagne Ulysse Collin Les Pierrières :
Blanc de blancs, extra brut. Third encounter and yet another great expression, thin, fresh, very long …

Pomerol Lafleur 2003 :
Without surprise, a great bottle, very ripe and very fresh at the same time. Elegance, length, happiness …

[Laurent_Gibet]

Last week, a travel to Burgundy was the occasion to dive again in the magic of chardonnay and pinot noir :

Germain Meursault Perrières 2004 : clear, mineral, very complex and very long.

Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny Amoureuses 2006 : a great spicy pinot noir, brilliantly starting his evolution. A bottle opened in the cellar by Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier (the 2016, by the cask, are somptuous)

Rousseau Clos St-Jacques 2005 : not really ready to drink but so good (flowery, fruity, with cumin).

Roumier Bonnes-Mares 2015 : ripe, deep, very precise, with a great presence.

Dujac Clos de la Roche 2011 : soft and strong, very fruity, with a persistant finish.

Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 2015 : everlasting.

Clos des Lambrays 2009 : meat, mint, cherry, spices … very delicate.
Jacques Carillon Puligny-Montrachet Referts 2015 : very tasty, thin, with lemon, vervein … (the 2016 are genuine splendors)

Hudelot-Noëllat Romanée Saint-Vivant and Richebourg 2016 (by the cask) both seem to have great futures …

But really not convinced by François Lamarche’s wines, that I found to thin (to say it briefly).

[Mike_Grammer]

Thanks for updating this thread, Laurent, and for your thoughts. I will add your top wines into the tallying for the WOTY thread

May you have still more remarkable bottles to come in the next month or so.

Salud,

Mike

[Jay_Miller]

@Laurent Gibet

Mike,

As I wrote above, I formerly tasted Climens 1997 with ups and downs (but never at a high level).

I had tremendous Climens 1988 (freshly balanced, lovely bitterness), several times, when the wine was younger. I cannot say if the wine ages badly or if the bottle was weak. I clearly expected more.

I’ve had several stellar bottles of 1988 Climens in recent years so I suspect it was the bottle.

[Glenn_L_e_v_i_n_e]

Climens ages beautifully. Had the 86 this year and a 83 in 375 ml. Both showings superb.

[Jay_Miller]

@Glenn L e v i n e

Climens ages beautifully. Had the 86 this year and a 83 in 375 ml. Both showings superb.

I agree with the '86 (haven’t had the '83 recently) and add that the 1990 is firing on all cylinders right now. I’d say not as great a wine as the 86 or 88 but peaking a bit earlier.

[Laurent_Gibet]

@Mike Grammer

Thanks for updating this thread, Laurent, and for your thoughts. I will add your top wines into the tallying for the WOTY thread

May you have still more remarkable bottles to come in the next month or so.

Salud,

Mike

I will, for sure.
With a Sigalas-Rabaud verticale 2015/1975 (the Sigalas-Rabaud 1914 (18,5/20) was in my greatest surprises in 2010).
And with different dinners closing the year.

[Laurent_Gibet]

Jamet Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune 2012 : Violet, pepper, bacon … expressive, very “Jamet”, flowery, fruity.
Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline 2010 : very “Guigal”, thin, spicy …

Both quite easy to identify blind (but I imagined Jamet 2010 for the elegant and slender Côte Brune 2012)

During this strip, I also appreciated these familiar expressions :
Barge Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune 2014 : strong, earthy, very long
Faurie Hermitage Bessards/Méal 2016
Faurie Hermitage Bessards 2016
Jamet Côte-Rôtie 2015 : unsurprisingly more powerful than the Côte Brune 2012 (and I discovered the new Jamet Condrieu Vernillon 2015, elegantly fruity).