Pale yellow-green color. Noticeably musty nose of mildew and damp cardboard.
Heavily corked. Darnage. NR (flawed)
Luminous, youthful yellow-green color. Quite sweet and rather concentrated nose with ripe aromas of peach, some beeswax, light vegetal notes of sappy herbal character, light nuances of pear and a hint of ripe pineapple. The wine is broad and quite noticeably ripe on the palate with a full body and moderately concentrated flavors of juicy nectarine, stony minerality, some fresh pineapple tones, a little bit of beeswax, light apple jam tones, a hint of quinine bitterness and a touch of sweet apricots. Despite its ripeness and body, the overall feel is quite precise and structured, thanks to the high acidity. The finish is long, firm and structured with ripe yet rather acid-driven flavors of stony minerality, some nectarine tones, a little bit of sappy herbal bitterness, light pineapple nuances, a hint of beeswax and a sweet touch of apple jam.
A noticeably ripe and juicy yet surprisingly structured Marestel Roussette. The wine is quite dramatic and some attendees preferred the less opulent vintages over this, but in my books this wine performed really well for such a warm vintage, retaining great sense of structure and minerality along with all those juicy fruit flavors. The wine is very youthful still, but is drinking remarkably well right now. However, seeing how well these Marestel wines can age, I have no doubts this could improve for another decade or even two. A terrific Savoie white. (92 pts.)
Luminous, youthful yellow-green color. The wine has a sweetish yet somewhat restrained nose with an acrid punch of SO2 along with vague notes of savory spice, some appley tones, light notes of beeswax, a little bit of youthful pear-driven fruit, a vegetal hint of sappy herbal character and a touch of ripe nectarine. The wine feels firm, structured and quite restrained on the palate with a medium body with quite light flavors of stony minerality, some ripe citrus fruit tones, a little bit of tangy salinity, light burnt sugar tones, a vague hint of burning feeling in the throat from the SO2 and a touch of honeyed richness. The high acidity keeps the wine wonderfully structured and dry in taste. The finish is firm, steely and somewhat reticent with long flavors of dry citrus fruits, some tangy saline notes, a little bit of apple peel bitterness and a sweeter hint of white fruit.
Several people commented how the wine seemed to be rather high in free SO2 compared to any other bottles we tasted (a few people commented a slightly acrid / burning sensation in the nose or back of the throat and one started sneezing immediately). I’m not sure whether this was just an off bottle or if all the wines in this vintage had a higher dose of SO2, but it really made the wine come across as pretty mute in style, even though the overall feel was very lovely with bright acidity and firm, mineral backbone. Based on this taste, the wine is promising, but offers rather little enjoyment at the moment - I would leave the wine in a cellar for another 10 years or so; even without any extra SO2 it feels like a wine made to age, but with this much sulfites it feels like the wine could really use some additional aging to blow them off. If opened now, I recommend prolonged decanting. (87 pts.)
Surprisingly evolved, medium-deep golden yellow color - noticeably deeper than any other of the surrounding vintages. Sweetish, concentrated and slightly oxidative nose with aromas of honeydew melon, some buttery notes, a little bit of diacetyl, light sappy herbal nuances and a hint of Sultana raisins. The wine is broad, dry and moderately evolved on the palate with a full body and quite complex flavors of cooked cream, stony minerality, some browned butter tones, a little bit of flint smoke, light honeyed tones, dried-fruit hints of wizened yellow fruits and Sultana raisins and a touch of bruised apple. The high acidity lends great freshness and sense of structure to the wine. The finish is quite long and moderately evolved with flavors of stony minerality, some honeyed richness, light peachy tones, a little bit of creaminess, a hint of browned butter and a touch of Sultana raisins.
I was surprised how evolved this vintage was - all the other 2010’s Marestel bottles we had were still very youthful, fresh and light in color, while this vintage showed quite a bit of maturity in its deep, golden color and rather tertiary notes. Based on the previous TNs in CT, it seems our bottle wasn’t an exception but in line with the vintage. I wonder what is going on here? Nevertheless, the wine is pretty lovely, showing good tertiary complexity, bright cool minerality and nice sense of structure. However, based on the evolved overall feel, I wouldn’t let the wine age for much longer - at its best it just won’t continue to improve from here, but at its worst it will only fall apart. A curious but ultimately quite enjoyable effort, although lacking a bit in depth compared to the older vintages that were more or less equally evolved in style. (90 pts.)
Youthful yellow-green color. Somewhat dull nose with aromas of dusty cellar, some peachy tones and a little bit of mildew. the wine is dull, medium-bodied and quite structured on the palate with understated flavors of dusty earth, some cellar tones and a little bit of honeyed richness. High in acidity. The finish is crisp and quite acid-driven with rather short flavors of stony minerality, some dusty earth and a little bit of mildew.
A corked bottle. The cost was 17,25€. NR (flawed)
Concentrated golden yellow color with youthful pale green highlights. Rich, complex and somewhat evolved nose with aromas of beeswax and chopped nuts, some wizened peach tones, a little bit of acacia honey and a hint of candied ginger. The wine feels dry, quite concentrated and slightly oily on the palate with moderately ripe flavors of spicy red apple, some stony mineral tones, a little bit of beeswax, light sappy herbal tones and a hint of juicy stone fruits. The high acidity lends great sense of structure and intensity to the wine. The finish is long, structured and slightly sweet-toned with intense, acid-driven flavors of fresh white peach, stony minerality, some sappy herbal notes, a little bit of crunchy red apple and an evolved hint of honeyed richness.
A rich, concentrated and very balanced Altesse. Feels very similar to the wonderful 2009 vintage, only slightly lesser in all aspects - or, perhaps I should say 2009 feels like the 2011 but with more of everything. Even though this vintage doesn’t reach the opulence of 2009, the wine shows nevertheless lovely sense of depth, structure and sophistication. Although showing some evolution at the moment, it feels like the wine still has stuffing to improve from here, at least a little bit. Great stuff. (91 pts.)
Quite deep golden yellow color. Juicy and noticeably ripe nose with some evolved nuances perhaps a little bit of botrytis influence; complex aromas of wizened apricots, some beeswax, a little bit of poached pear, light orange marmalade nuances and a hint of sweet brown spices. The wine is broad, ripe and juicy on the palate with a full body and complex, dry-to-dry-ish flavors of honeyed richness and honeydew melon, some ripe apricot tones, a little bit of orange marmalade, light cloudberry jam nuances, a toasty hint of honey waffle and a touch of cooked cream. There are lots of very rich flavors giving the wine an illusion of sweetness, but I feel the wine is technically dry or barely off-dry. The high acidity lends good sense of balance and structure to the wine. The finish is rich, broad and sweet-toned with complex, ripe flavors of nectarine, some honeyed richness, light notes of beeswax, a little bit of cloudberry jam, a hint of orange marmalade and a touch of cool stony minerality.
In our vertical tasting this was one of the most impressive wines we had - surprisingly similar to the 2011 vintage, but with more of everything. The wine does seem to show some sense of maturity, but it still differs from other similarly evolved vintages by having this extra layer of richness and complexity, which might come from slightly botrytized grapes - a method not unknown in the Marestel Cru. However, the wine isn’t sweet - even though it might feel such - as the maximum permitted RS for the appellation is 8 g/l and it really doesn’t feel like an off-dry wine, only has similar flavors that might fool one into thinking it has more sweetness than it actually has. Despite the obvious ripeness and the illusion of sweetness, the wine is nevertheless remarkably structured and balanced, thanks to cool mineral core of the wine and the high acidity typical of Altesse. A terrific effort in every way. (93 pts.)
Concentrated and deep but also surprisingly youthful greenish-yellow color. Sweetish, fragrant and wonderfully characterful bouquet of ripe white fruits and honeyed richness, some aromatic green herbs, a little bit of cantaloupe, light evolved notes of wizened yellow stone fruits and cloudberry jam, a perfumed hint of white flowers and a cooling touch of eucalyptus. The wine is remarkably crisp, focused and intense on the palate with a medium body and clean, concentrated flavors of lemony citrus fruits and ripe Granny Smith apple, some evolved creamy tones, a little bit of honeycomb, light steely mineral notes, a hint of tangy salinity and a touch of ripe, slightly wizened nectarine. The bracing acidity lends tremendous sense of energy and structure to the wine. The finish is crisp, lively and precise with lengthy, mouth-cleansing flavors of steely minerality, lemony citrus fruits, some ripe Granny Smith apple notes, a little bit of honeyed richness, light apricot nuances, a hint of tangy salinity and an evolved touch of cooked cream.
This was a very singular vintage in our Marestel tasting, showing such remarkable precision, intensity and tension that no other vintage came even near. With its zesty, lemony citrus fruit flavors, pronounced minerality and bracing acidity, this wine was remarkably similar to an excellent trocken Riesling from Rheingau or Pfalz, but with a distinct, more alpine quality so typical of Altesse. The wine had a sort of neutral, even slightly austere backdrop to its flavors, but the aged qualities and the sense of concentration made sure the wine never came across as lean or too austere. What was the most remarkable thing, however, was the youthfulness of the wine: at times this wine felt even younger than vintages half of its age! The wine was remarkably complex already now, but seeing how youthful it was (and how well these Dupasquier Marestel wines can age), it’s not difficult to promise tons of future potential for this wine. It is superb now and will get better with age. Probably my favorite wine of the evening, along with vintage 2004. (94 pts.)
Medium-deep amber color. Complex and rather evolved nose with somewhat oxidative aromas of nuttiness, some spicy wildhoney, light fusel notes of grappa, a little bit of ripe quince, a creamy hint of panna cotta and a touch of caramel. The wine feels rich, broad and quite tertiary on the palate with a full body and dry yet sweet-toned flavors of caramel, oxidative nuttiness, some honeyed tones, a little bit of ripe nectarine, light mineral notes of tangy salinity, a hint of bruised apple and a touch of orange marmalade. The high acidity keeps the wine nicely in balance and relatively big body well in check. The finish is evolved, juicy and somewhat oxidative with a long aftertaste of roasted nuts, some tangy salinity, a little bit of honeyed richness, light nectarine tones, a hint of evolved smoky character and a hint of orange marmalade.
A rich, concentrated and surprisingly evolved vintage of Dupasquier Marestel that feels almost prematurely oxidized compared to the still very youthful and steely vintage 2008. This wine shows richness and weight not that common in many vintages of the wine and multiple attendees in the tasting wondered whether there was some botrytis in the wine, which is certainly possible and nothing unheard of in Marestel. All in all, the wine shows great sense of concentration and good balance regarding the structure, but flavor-wise the wine seems to be somewhat past its peak, and based on the earlier notes in CT, this vintage apparently never was one for the long haul. Since the wine is still somewhat rewarding - albeit quite evolved and somewhat tertiary - at the moment, I heartily recommend to drink any remaining bottles sooner rather than later. (88 pts.)
Medium-deep and somewhat evolved golden-yellow color. Somewhat odd, slightly dull and not entirely pleasant nose with quite understated aromas of green apples, some woolly lanolin and a little bit of urea. The wine is broad, full-bodied and rather understated on the palate with light flavors of vague spice, some woolly notes of lanolin, a little bit of ripe yellow fruit, light earthy notes, a hint of apple jam and a touch of dusty earth. The acidity feels high and due to the reticent taste, the alcohol shows a little bit. The finish is short, dull and somewhat woolly with flavors of vague appley fruit and some stone dust.
In the tasting we wondered whether this was an off bottle - perhaps mildly corked - or just aged so that the fruit flavors had faded, but couldn’t really reach any conclusion. Based on the earlier notes in CT, the wine seems to have been quite aged already early on, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if it hasn’t held up that well. This bottle was a rather disappointing effort amidst all the great vintages. (77 pts.)
Deep, luminous lemon-yellow color. Ripe, moderately evolved and wonderfully fragrant nose with complex aromas of perfumed floral tones, sweet lemon marmalade notes, some apple sauce, light beeswaxy nuances, a little bit of pineapple, a mature hint of dried nectarine and a touch of cooked cream. This is very captivating from the first sniff! The wine is evolved, quite concentrated and even somewhat oily on the palate, yet surprisingly firm and structured at the same time with a medium-to-moderately full body and intense flavors of honeysuckle, some peanut butter, a little bit of wizened apricot, light stony mineral tones, a hint of sweet exotic spices and a touch of apple peel bitterness. The moderately high acidity keeps the wine really nicely in balance while lending it good sense of structure at the same time. The concentrated finish is very long and quite powerful with intense flavors of honeydew melon, some beeswax, light floral notes of honeysuckle, a little bit of ripe nectarine, a hint of stony minerality and a touch of tertiary nuttiness. The aftertaste tapers into a sweet, honeyed point.
Whoo boyo what a wine! In our vertical tasting this vintage stood two heads taller than the other vintages (well, except for the precise, tightly-knit 2008 vintage) and while the wine was noticeably ripe, powerful and concentrated for a Roussette de Savoie, it did never feel particularly heavy or ponderous in any way - all thanks to its balanced acidity and bright mineral core. A very impressive wine that is closing in on its plateau of maturity, although I believe the wine could continue to evolve for a handful of years more. A superb wine in every aspect, easily one of the best Savoie whites I’ve had. Highly recommended. (95 pts.)
Pale, moderately evolved amber color. Big, rich and somewhat oxidative nose with moderately tertiary aromas of plum pits, some ripe cloudberries, a little bit of oxidative nuttiness, light nectarine tones, a sweet hint of Sultana raisins and a touch of syrupy richness of caramel character. The wine is broad, evolved and somewhat tertiary on the palate with a full body and ripe, dry yet subtly sweet-toned flavors of damson liqueur, oxidative nuttiness, some apricot tones, a little bit of Sultana raisin, light dried peach nuances, a hint of chalky mineral bitterness and a touch of caramel. The moderately high acidity keeps the big body of the wine nice in balance. The finish is juicy, evolved and perhaps a bit tired with moderately tertiary flavors of nutty complexity, some peachy tones, a little bit of Sultana raisin, light beeswax nuances, a hint of syrupy richness and a touch of burnt sugar bitterness.
A rich, complex and very evolved Roussette de Savoie that seems to have passed its peak a little while ago and is now gliding slowly downhill, becoming little by little more oxidative and flatter in taste. Fortunately the wine still retains quite a bit of its fruit and vibrancy, but there’s no denying that the wine is very tertiary and oxidative qualities have started to creep in. Better to drink sooner rather than later, as the wine won’t benefit from any further aging. (89 pts.)
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1988 Domaine Dupasquier Roussette de Savoie Jongieux Marestel - France, Savoie, Roussette de Savoie (21.9.2021)
Unlike the recent labels of Dupasquier Marestel that say “Altesse” in the label, this bottle says “Jongieux” - the village Cru Marestel vineyard is located in - in its place. The label bears no alc%.
Luminous, deep golden yellow color and a clear, colorless rim. Complex and somewhat developed nose that is remarkably youthful for the wine’s age; aromas of ripe peach and honeydew melon, some nutty tones, light sweet notes of perfumed orchard blossoms, a little bit of cloudberry jam, light caramel tones and a hint of wizened white fruits. The overall impression is nuanced, quite powerful and still wonderfully fruity. The wine is broad, somewhat oily and very balanced on the palate with a rather full body and vibrant, youthful flavors of ripe peach and cantaloupe, sweet apple jam, some developed creamy tones, a little bit of beeswax, light nuances of browned butter, a hint of marzipan and a touch of steely minerality. The overall feel is quite round and mellow, but not soft or blowzy, thanks to the bright, high acidity. The finish is long, complex and moderately evolved with layered flavors of bruised apple, nuttiness, some lemon marmalade, light creamy tones, a little bit of ripe apricot, light notes of marzipan and a hint of steely minerality.
A remarkably youthful and wonderfully complex Roussette de Savoie that is not only alive for its age but also beautifully evolved, retaining a great combination of mature tertiary and vibrant, relatively youthful fruit. Although the wine shows remarkable depth and vibrancy, it still didn’t reach the heights of the best vintages in our tasting (2004, 2008) but it did come very close. A superb wine that is a true testament to the aging capabilities of Altesse. Most likely won’t develop much or at all from here, but will keep for years more. Terrific stuff. (94 pts.)
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2015 Boscarelli Vino Nobile di Montepulciano - Italy, Tuscany, Montepulciano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (21.9.2021)
A blend of Prugnolo Gentile (85%) with some Canaiolo, Colorino and Mammolo (15%). Fermented spontaneously in oak vats with maceration times continuing for a week after the fermentation has ended. Pressed into old 500-liter Allier oak demi-muids and Slavonian oak botti casks up to 3500 liters in volume. Aged for 18-24 months. 14% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Dark yet moderately translucent cherry red color. Very dark-toned and rather brooding nose with aromas of black cherries and fresh blackberries, some licorice tones, a little bit of wild strawberry, light tobacco notes, a solar hint of sweet marmaladey red fruit and a touch of smoke. The wine feels dry, clean and crunchy on the palate with a medium body and quite intense flavors of red cherries, licorice, some tobacco, light wild strawberry tones, a little bit of ripe dark fruit, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of earth. Impressive structure, thanks to the high acidity and firm, rather grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is dry and savory with moderate tannic grip and quite pronounced sour cherry bitterness with intense flavors of tobacco, some cranberry, light wild strawberry tones, a little bit of tart lingonberry, a hint of licorice and a touch of earth.
A very serious, impressive and thoroughly pretty Sangiovese (or Prugnolo Gentile) that is remarkably fresh and delicate for a 2015. Unlike some previous tasters, I really didn’t notice any obvious oak tones and all the sweeter nuances I found seemed to be the result from the hot vintage, but in spite of the warmth, the wine still comes across as very dry, fresh and precise with good emphasis on sour cherry tones, high acidity and relatively light body. The wine feels quite youthful at the moment and it’s easy to promise another 10-15 years of further aging potential for the wine. A very positive surprise for the vintage. And regarding how the wine was tasted blind - after one guess that was off (I went to Piedmont), I guessed correctly that this must be Tuscan Sangiovese. Guessed correctly Vino Nobile with sheer luck. (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
