Andrew K’s standard for wines is extremely high and I admired him. Please do not interpret my comments in a negative way.
PLEASE remember we are all wine-lover in each of our own way…
Nice to see all the defenders come out for humble Domaine Rollin!!
Today’s Rollin talk is timely because I had a few on deck for drinking.
Tonight was 2022 Rollin Savigny-les-Beaune Aux Grand Liards. Fragrant juicy 2022 fruit, but with more definition than a bottle last year. That one showed a bit clunky and foursquare, this one is verging on suave, with firm layers of ripe fruit balanced by a crisp structure, which is a combination I dig. That said, the stern savory Savigny notes could be classified as ‘rustic’.
I like it but I don’t love it. However, given the improvement from the previous bottle, am open to the idea of continued development.
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Initially super shy on both nose and palate, I was preparing for a pretty forgettable bottle, but boy was I wrong. It took three hours of air for this thing to become both enormous and enormously seductive, but in such a nasty and dark way. Dark, as in a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn’t there, sort of dark. Leather and black currants, maybe a liquer they figured out how to make out of coal, counter-balanced by tons of florals on the nose. Probably sounds crazy.
I’m about to start grouse hunting in northern Minnesota for the next two months and I’ll save the other bottle of this that I have for a day that’s grey and overcast, windy, drizzle and never gets above 40 degrees, and my feet get wet in my boots and never really warm up again until I get home and build a fire, fingers trembling to carry in the wood because I’m chilled to the bone. This wine will nurse me back to health. Massive, monstrous, dark, powerful, over the top spice. Positively gigantic aromatics that seem to be detectable on the coffee table four feet away. Incredibly long finish - 95 points
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I went to drop wine in Ramsey NJ, and I picked up a few bottles including some 1996 Ecard Narbantons Grabbed a bottle, and went to the Cafe Panache, a BYO (no liquor license) and the food turned out to be excellent.
We opened the wine, and immediately the nose was noticeable even before it was poured. Wild strawberries, violets and cinnamon. Beautiful. The palate was a little less spectacular, good but with the slight shrillness of the vintage, although the complexity came through. A little less acidity, and this would have been special.
18 for nose, 16 for palate.
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It was intended to mean exactly what the word means. You can make up new definitions for words if you want, but mediocre isn’t a strong critique. It’s just meh - take it or leave it. As I mentioned, I choose to leave it.
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I recently got an offer for the 1994 Bryant that was under. $300, which I think was less than what it sold for young. Tells you what the market thinks of that wine.
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Decanted at home around 5:30 and returned to bottle and taken to a restaurant. It had been upright for several weeks and thank goodness because it had lots of sediment. Smelled great immediately. Tannins resolved but fruit still quite nice. To be honest, I might have enjoyed this more than the Rousseau CSJ 1993 i opened a couple of months ago. Fully ready to go but properly cellared bottles (such as this one) still have several more years of providing enjoyment. Bought on release.
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Just to be clear, we have folks here, that if they go to the house of a friend who only own Riedel glasses, they will bring their own ultra-thin glasses?
This is fun character study.
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I only own Riedel glasses (well apart from some IKEA ones but we won’t go there).
I feel a bit like a kid at school who has just been told his Nike trainers aren’t cool.
If someone did do that at our place they’d get the Vin Ordinaire in their glass (the 23 Dujac Chambolle Musigny).
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In general, I’ve usually brought wine and stems when I’ve gone to other people’s houses.
I don’t always bring stems; for example if I’m traveling sometimes it’s unwieldy especially if I’m bringing a significant amount of wine, but I would say I do 90% of the time.
The only times I have brought stems to another person’s house have been my parents for a holiday, wandering over to the neighbors’ backyard BBQ with a bottle or two and a glass each, and when I’ve been asked to bring some stems.
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Thanks Rauno!
Depends on the occasion. But we do it for some gatherings if the host may not have enough glasses for everyone (to have several per person), or to spare the host a bit of cleaning, in the case of parties.
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Same here. I have lots of different stems for burgundy, but usually default to my Riedels!
I almost always take a Wine Check carrier with three Gabriel Golds with me if I’m going to a wine dinner at someone’s house, though I only bring them to restaurants if I know they have substandard stems, which for me doesn’t include Riedel or their equivalents. Of course, just about every wine dinner I go to at a private home is hosted by friends I know well. It saves them the time and effort of cleaning two or three stems and the inevitable risk of breakage. I also like consistently drinking from the same glass, which eliminates one variable when evaluating wines.
If I don’t know the host well, I’m less likely to bring my own glasses, as I don’t want to inadvertently give the impression that I don’t think their glasses are good enough. If that is my opinion, I’d rather wait until I know them better before giving it. 
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His spit cup however, is a classy red plastic solo cup or a battered cocktail shaker. 
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You know I switched to a blue solo cup a couple of years ago and the cocktail shaker is still pristine. 
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You admire the inability to see beauty and extraordinary in things that are not “the best” (most expensive in many cases)?
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Hmmm…my message may need an explanation as it may cause confusion.
Yes - I was like Andrew K when I started my young French wine life with Bordeaux - for example Parker’s 99 point and/or 100 points; then I switch to drinking Burgundy …and listening to the Church bells ringing in Chambolle : Mugnier and Roumier.
Then…life changes and my taste changed also. I am now the President of the 2 Ms ( Mercurey and Marsannay - and no more Musigny and Montrachet ).