NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Rosé- France, Champagne
Funky as always. Lots of roses, mushrooms and earth. Tons of acidity…a champagne that could easily be decanted. (94 pts.)
1990 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Smooth and silky. Has that honey/floral/melon note that you’d expect on an Hermitage blanc, but with age this was gorgeous. Incredibly balanced and elegant. What a wine! (96 pts.)
2012 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Smokey, flinty, & lush nose. The palate was rich with peaches and tropical fruits. Nice balance on the finish with some nice minerality. Should be nice(r) with age. (92 pts.)
1995 La Pousse d’Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos des 60 Ouvrées- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Beautiful color and aromas of rose petals, soot, & cranberries. Palate was very tart, but with air it opened up a bit. I’d like to think it will just take some time to flesh out a bit.
2002 Domaine des Perdrix Echezeaux- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
A deeper, richer pinot with some oak. The palate was smooth and the tannins really seemed to come through for me. Some earthy notes on the finish - my recommendation would be to hold and/or decant for quite a while.
Smelled oxidized, in a Selosse-y type of way. The color was a dark golden…just beautiful. The palate was so acidic and energized with great orchard fruit, Just dizzingly deep and complex with layers of fruit, earth, and floral notes. Hard to find fault. (97 pts.)
1995 Kalin Cellars Chardonnay Cuvée LV- USA, California, Sonoma County
A typical Kalin Chard. Clean, pure fruit with nice popcorn aromas. The palate was beautiful. A bit sweet, but nicely balanced and elegant. (92 pts.)
I’m having flashbacks to last year getting dragged to this auction with Tooch and CFU hungover to drink some Coche, Selosse and DRC. Great notes so far.
1998 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon P2- France, Champagne
Very pale in colour. Almonds, biscuits, bread on the nose. The same on the palate with a fair bit of tropical elements. Yeasty and rich on the palate, this definitely shows more than a bit of leesy influence. The only thing that detracts a bit from this is a slightly bitter finish. Still, this is a fantastically concentrated and dense champagne with tons of complexity. (93 pts.)
NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Rosé- France, Champagne
Disgorged November 9, 2012. Quite a bit of funk on this guy. Ripe stone fruit and strawberries on the nose and palate. The oak clearly shows, but it’s very well-integrated with the intense acidity and minerality. This definitely has a good oxidative character, but this maintains its freshness immensely well. The acidity has a real teeth-stripping quality about it. (95 pts.)
1990 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Waxy and fruity on the nose. The palate has extraordinary depth, with lots of spice and tropical fruit, with none of the sweetness. A barely perceptible touch of oak on the palate as well, bolstered by high (by white Rhone standards) acidity. Love the concentration and complexity on this. One of the best white Rhones I’ve ever had – and by a long shot too. (93 pts.)
2012 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Very, very pale colour. A moderate whiff of sulphur on the nose. Slightly floral with some slight brown spice notes as well. Despite the acidity, this is quite round. Clearly a bit of sweetness and some ripe white fruits on the palate. Shows a slight bit of oak as well which I imagine ought to integrate with a bit of time. I do like the balance between ripeness, minerality, and acidity here. (93 pts.)
NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Substance- France, Champagne, Avize, Champagne
Disgorged December 4, 2008. Dark colour – almost the same as the rose. A heavily stylized wine, you really have to be into the style to enjoy this one. So much mushroom and earth on the nose, it’s practically an old Burgundian funk. Power beyond power on the palate. This has insane density – stone fruit and chalk shows very prominently. Another enamel-stripping wine; I’m going to have to visit the dentist after this. (98 pts.)
1995 La Pousse d’Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos des 60 Ouvrées- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Bottle 01934. Lovely florals on the nose. Red fruited and aromatic on both the nose and palate. Perhaps a bit austere but that can’t be too surprising given the vintage. Coarser tannins and very high acidity, but I think given air this will ease up quite a bit. (88 pts.)
1995 Kalin Cellars Chardonnay Cuvée LV- USA, California, Sonoma County
Interesting nose with lots of ripe fruit and spice. Definitely this is one of those riper chardonnays. Thankfully there isn’t oak though, and this makes it a lot more enjoyable. There’s a potent popcorn note on the palate that reminds me a lot of Coche, but this is definitely a lot sweeter than the chardonnays I’m accustomed to. An eye-opening California chardonnay. (90 pts.)
1988 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé P3- France, Champagne
Copper colour. Immensely rich nose with some spice and floral notes. Only a slight hint of yeast. Super intense and quite a bit of floral aromas on the nose as well. It’s surprisingly fresh how this is showing. Tons of lively acidity and the bubbles have a real good bite. Showing a slight bit of citrus peel, red berries, and stone fruit. Very long finish. (95 pts.)
1994 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia- Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Yeah, there’s definitely a good whiff of American oak on the nose from that greenish dill note. But really, how can you not expect that? The palate has fantastic ripe plum notes, coupled with a fair bit of funky earth and leather. This is austere and fruity at the same time. Black magic, I say. Especially at the prices that these wines command, it’s quite embarrassing how I don’t have any of these in my cellar… (93 pts.)
2002 Domaine des Perdrix Echezeaux- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Just a bit too much animale and funk for me. Sappy and rich but I just couldn’t do this one. NR (flawed)
1993 Louis Jadot Corton-Pougets Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Very nice colour. Bright cherry and plums on the nose. Quite a fair bit of ripe fruit on the palate as well. Earthy and dense, this has been fully resolved at this point with the tannins still present but giving a lovely velvety texture. Drink now. (93 pts.)
2009 Henri Boillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Embrazées- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Tons of oak and sulphur on the nose. Whoa. Super pale colour, but very ripe and rich palate, showing some good tropical fruits and fat on the palate. There’s a bit of a waxy texture here as well, but this is surprisingly not over the top for a 2009. (93 pts.)
1978 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
A bit cloudy. Quite a bit of meat on the nose, with some light floral notes as well. Initially, there was a lot of weird funk on the nose, but this definitely cleared up to show those florals. The palate has a similar quality about it, showing a fully resolved character. I get the feeling this could have done a lot better with more air, but hey, who am I to turn down old Produttori? (93 pts.)
2011 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur- France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Almost colourless. There’s a forward white fruit note on the nose, but this doesn’t seem to have the same citrus qualities I associate with Raveneau. The palate does have a lovely salinity, with clarity and precision, but this shows a quiet calm contemplative quality rather than any mineral or acid explosion. But hell, there’s no debate that this is a great bottle of Chablis. (93 pts.)
2008 Domaine Francois Lamarche Clos Vougeot- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
A bit of a four-square well-made 2008 red wine. It hits all the checkboxes – bright red fruits, a fair bit of acidity, and obviously unresolved tannins. This shows some oak on the palate as well. I’ve no complaints about the quality of the wine, but it doesn’t speak to me at all. (85 pts.)
1997 Romano Dal Forno Recioto della Valpolicella- Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Recioto della Valpolicella
From half-bottle. This isn’t red wine, this is black wine. Inky and dark. The nose shows some sweet florals, ripe plums, and definitely some raisins (hm, big surprise). Perhaps a bit of a herbal amaro note as well? The palate is very dense and it’s the tannins that bring balance to the wine – it’s a cerebral exercise t find the balance that the tannins add to this. A fantastic bottle of sweet wine. (95 pts.)
1995 Romano Dal Forno Garganega Nettare Veneto IGT- Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT
From half-bottle. The colour of motor oil. Rich, dense, and very powerful. Lots of baked and dried stone fruits on the palate, with a fair bit of acidity to give this super dense and powerful wine a good bit of lift. I really love the concentration and depth here, and I’m sure this has everything it takes to age another 50 years. (95 pts.)
1985 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett- Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Light golden colour. Lots of green herbs and tart pineapple on the nose. It hits all the points for an aged Kabinett, but it definitely doesn’t live up to the label. There are clearly no issues with this bottle, but based on the producer, you’d expect so much more. Great acidity and a bit of roundness thanks to the sugar, but this is almost too dry for my palate. No doubt well made, but this doesn’t hit the highs I’d expect a top Kabinett to. (88 pts.)
2004 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rabajà- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Oh god, this is what nebbiolo should be. Phenomenally beautiful nose with dense floral aromas and a bit of earthiness as well. This is showing exceptionally well on the palate with a lot of florals still. The tannins are still coarse so I’ve no doubt this will be able to age for the long haul, but based on the sheer cerebral enjoyability of the wine today, I’ve very, very bullish. (95 pts.)
2004 Coche-Dury Meursault- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Wow, the straight up Meursault drinks at this level?! Classic Coche popcorn nose and palate with incredible acidity. No fruit at all. This wine evokes huge wet boulders. If I can level some criticism at this wine, it’s that it feels more diffuse than a single-vineyard Coche might. But this lowly village wine easily blows other more “esteemed” chardonnays out of the water. (95 pts.)
2007 Domaine Leroy Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Well, this has the textbook Leroy nose. Earthy and powerful, but at the same time, there’s plenty of bright red fruit playing some counterpoint to it. If anything, the oak does show a bit prominently on the palate, but that seems to be a function of the lighter vintage. There’s a sweet bright red cherry note on the palate, with some heavier tannins that seem slightly out of place. Still, it’s hard not to like this wine. (93 pts.)
1991 M. Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Inky black (but this was the dregs). There was a lot of oak on the nose, but to be honest, the oak didn’t show that prominently on the palate and there’s some nice acidity as well. It’s obviously a bigger, more bombastic style thanks to than the Northern Rhones that I prefer, but in all fairness, this ain’t bad at all. (90 pts.)
2006 D. Henriet-Bazin Champagne Cuvée Marie-Amélie Blanc de Blancs Brut 1er Cru- France, Champagne
A very nice note of almonds on the nose. The palate is quite sweet with some interesting candied fruit character. Bracing acids, with some chalkiness that settles on your teeth. There’s just a slight hint of sweetness as well on the palate thanks to some riper fruits. This seems to straddle the line between the oxidative and fresher styles… if anything, I wish this would make up its mind. (90 pts.)
2006 Guiborat Fils Champagne Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru- France, Champagne, Cramant, Champagne
Quite a bit of leesiness (that’s totally not a word) on the nose, as well as some tarter green apple aromas. Definitely captures your attention right away. The palate doesn’t show as round as I’d expect based on all the lees that I got. Instead, you get some almond notes, as well as a slight bit of bitterness on the back end. (88 pts.)
Some thoughts on pricing:
-the SQN bubble has popped
-Bordeaux was surprisingly less soft than usual
-there was a 6-bottle lot of 05 La Tache that had to be reopened for lack of bidding interest the first time around
-prices were very aggressive on the old Unicos
The auction results are on the HDH website. People are still paying hundreds of dollars (or more) for dead bottles of SQN white and rose, so I the bubble seems to be doing ok.
I glimpsed at the results and didn’t find any surprises. The reserve/low estimate for la tache at $20k is high and hammering at slightly under $3.5k is not too shabby. The current SQN phenomenon reminds me the time when a 6l of the 91 dominus hammering at $20k. Also the seasonal factor and not being a marquee auction didn’t help.
I followed the Bordeaux live on the interwebs. As I am a guppy in this aquarium, I bid on a few second wines and got skunked on the Dame de Montrose and Hauts de Pontet but I got a case of the 2009 La Petite Eglise, which I’m very excited about. The price was very good.
