TN: Long European Holiday

WINE TALK
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LONG EUROPEAN HOLIDAY - (6/18/2025-7/5/2025)

Spent time visiting friends in Scandinavia, Ireland and the UK. Used it as an opportunity to open some great wine in casual settings. No notes on a few bottles during the trip or the dozens of Guinness.

Lovely Wines Night 1 in Sigtuna

Arranged for some wines to be delivered ahead of our arrival to share with the friends hosting us

  • 2015 Pascal Henin Champagne Grand Cru L'Appel de la Foret - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (6/18/2025)
    80% Pinot noir, 20% chard. Disgorged 6Oct21 with 4 g/l dosage. Toasty, lemon curd with a little nuttiness on the finish. Loads of flavor, the acid starting to come more into check than the last bottle I had, making it a more complete wine.
  • 2021 Guilbert Gillet Bourgogne-AligotĂ© Les Grands Champs Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne-AligotĂ© (6/18/2025)
    bottle 705. Waxy texture, incredible tropical fruits, but the texture is king. There’s a little spice and some acid on the finish providing structure and “seriousness”. What an awesome wine.
  • 2021 Guilbert Gillet Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Narbantons - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru (6/18/2025)
    bottle #144. Decanted for 3.5 hours. Such spicy dark red fruit on the nose. Red fruit, dark purples, supple, spice, lovely finish. A wonderful wine drinking beautifully now.

Night 2 Sigtuna Wines

Tasting notes took a break for Midsömmar in Skinnskatteberg

  • 2018 A. Limar Champagne Les Pieds dans la Terre - France, Champagne (6/19/2025)
    70% Chardonnay, 30% Meunier, from 1981 plantings in Belval-Sous-Chatillon Vineyard. Vines were pruned short, natural grass cover, minimal mechanization. Brut Nature. Bit of salinity up front, with lemon, quince and some yuzu toward the finish. Had a nice richness on the middle of the tongue even without any dosage creating a nice overall drinking experience. A new producer for me that I’ll look to follow.
  • 2019 A. Limar Champagne Grand Cru Les EnclaveĂ©s Mailly - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (6/19/2025)
    1985 Pinot noir plantings in Mailly. Low intervention farming, disgorged with 1.5 g/l dosage. Delicious. Cascading orchard fruits, sweet key lime pie, the acid on the finish is really pleasant and restrained. This one is delicious.

Lovely Selections at Alba Winebar in Södermalm

Allison's birthday, and we had a lucky find on the Miroirs in the back of the fridge at the wonderful Alba, second bottle lovely in its own right, but not fair against the Miroirs

Copenhagen - Dinner at Pate Pate and After

  • 2022 Matassa Brutal Rouge - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, CĂ´tes Catalanes (6/23/2025)
    Syrah, Grenache noir, and a tiny bit of muscat. a bit natty off the start, with a very minor spritz. Deep red fruit, turning slightly lighter and brighter as it warms and opens up. The dark and seriousness went wonderful with the cheese and charcuterie.
  • 2022 Jean et SĂ©bastien Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru SĂ©chet - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (6/23/2025)
    absolute rush of tropical fruits. Very easy to drink, maybe a little low in acid, but reaching for a fault. Certainly not mind-blowing but very solid.
  • NV OdyssĂ©e 319 Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (6/23/2025)
    100% Chardonnay, 2022 base, disgorged July 2024, 5.8 g/l. Rich and sweet ripe apple. Little lemon lime zing. Not bad at the CT average price, but falls flat for what I paid.

Copenhagen - Dinner at Bæst and Afterward

Lattard was brought over from Sweden as we hadn't finished it earlier in the trip

  • 2021 Olek Bondonio Barbaresco Roncagliette - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (6/24/2025)
    but of air before diving in. Tannins are strong but not overbearing. Loads of cherry, spicy finish, loads of character and depth. Went really well with the food at Bæst.
  • 2022 Adrien Lattard Bourgogne-AligotĂ© - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne-AligotĂ© (6/24/2025)
    865 bottles produced. rich, almost caramel roundness up front of the fruit on pop and pour, but it disappears almost immediately. As it warms a bit, the fruit comes roaring out in spades of tropical notes, still holding the richness of pop and pour. Pretty awesome effort from this producer.

Options at a Lovely Little Shop in Ramelton, Ireland

  • 2023 Andre Goichot Fleurie - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie (6/26/2025)
    Wonderfully wide open and bursting with bright red fruit flavor. Lots of character, even at its low cost, great easy drinking red that is proudly Fleurie.
  • NV Lanson Champagne Brut Black Label - France, Champagne (6/26/2025)
    2018 base. Disgorged 5/24. A nice NV at the right price. Good fruit, acid, everything. Just a solid choice.

Dinner Bottles at Bridge Bar Inn Ramelton, Ireland

A fantastic hidden gem of a restaurant, and wine list in the middle of County Donegal. Worth the detour.

  • 2009 La Pousse d'Or Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru (6/27/2025)
    quick decant. Ready to roll. Cranberry, currant, purple fruitedness, lovely acid level. But of a light “funk” on the finish that I quite enjoy especially with our food, but it fades with air leaving a perfectly Complete wine.
  • 2022 Weingut Bianka & Daniel Schmitt Spätburgunder - Germany, Rheinhessen (6/28/2025)
    Interestingly labeled as Pinot noir for 2022 instead of sparburgunder. Very light at 11%, light mouthfeel, light red berries, a little bit of acid. A little simple but decently pleasant.

Bad Grocery Store Bottle

Yuck

Lunch at Honey & Co. in London

Went lovely with the middle eastern inspired food. Much more open that I've experienced most Envinate on pop and pour

  • 2023 EnvĂ­nate Albahra - Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, Almansa (7/2/2025)
    pop and pour, light reduction I get from a lot of the Envinate wines. Core of bright red fruits and deeper purple layered below it. Pleasant and easy drinking, with a bit of acid supporting the whole thing.

Dinner at Noble Rot Soho

While the list isn't as good as it has been in the past, the wines and food all showed brilliantly on this evening

  • 2020 Thierry Fournier Champagne Les Grands Champs Extra-Brut - France, Champagne (7/2/2025)
    2020 vintage, 100% Meunier, disgorged Oct 2024 with 2.5 g/l dosage, wonderfully open and floral. The meunier is front and center but more restrained in its bruised apple that can sometimes show. It keeps the fruit more subtle in a welcome way. The finish is completely restrained, with the Chardonnay poking its head out a bit. Wonderful with starters.
  • 2017 Domaine Jean-Marc / Thomas Bouley Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru (7/2/2025)
    quick hour decant. Wide open. Red fruit, spice note, slight oak influence on the finish. Great alone and with the food, good restaurant choice.
  • 1954 Justino's Madeira Verdelho - Portugal, Madeira (7/2/2025)
    lovely sweetness, toffee, coffee. Plum and raisin, incredible acid. Lovely old Madeira

Nightcap after Noble Rot

  • 2019 Jerome Blin Champagne La Pouillote Extra Brut - France, Champagne (7/2/2025)
    2019 base, 80% Meunier, 20% Chardonnay. Disgorged Sept 2022 after 30 months. 2800 bottles produced. Lovely spice, Quince, pear. Good sweetness, carrying the orchard fruit. Enjoyable.

Fourth of July Celebrations in Reading, UK

Met up with some friends at their place in Reading, had arranged for the champagne to be delivered ahead of time. Ran back all 5 bottles again on the 4th, showed just as incredibly the second time.

86 Musar was bought at Shrine to the Vine, perfect fill (into neck), tasted like it was from ~2012

  • 2021 Champagne Oudiette Les Gras d'Huile Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut - France, Champagne (7/3/2025)
    2,562 bottles produced. 2021 base, perpetual reserve back to 2015. Disgorged 15Oct24 with 1.5 g/l dosage. Beautiful green apple. The fruit is so pure, incredibly long lasting. Perfect acid on the finish, just a lovely wine as always from Oudiette
  • 2021 Champagne Oudiette Champagne Les Caourdets - France, Champagne (7/3/2025)
    2021 harvest, 2,744 bottles produced. 100% Chardonnay, disgorged 15Oct24 with 1.5 g/l dosage. Compared to the LGH, the fruit is less crisp, more rich. Lovely texture, could use a touch more acid to keep it lifted but overall a very nice wine.
  • 2021 Domaine Vincey Champagne Grand Cru Interlude - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (7/3/2025)
    3,427 bottles, 50% base 2021, 100% Chardonnay, disgorged May 2024, no dosage. Journey of fruits, straying green orchard, traveling into the deeper reds, carrying through the finish for a long time. Absolutely delicious
  • 2020 Domaine Vincey Champagne Grand Cru Chemin de Châlons - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (7/3/2025)
    1,845 bottles, 100% Mesnil Chardonnay, disgorged May 2024, no dosage. Red apple, a bit of vanilla, fresh but with stuffing.
  • 2020 Domaine Vincey Champagne Grand Cru Le Grand Jardin - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (7/3/2025)
    1,713 bottles, 100% Chardonnay. Disgorged May 2024, no dosage. Loads of pear, rich, acid, great feel. Great wine.
  • 1986 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley (7/4/2025)
    Perfect condition UK bottle with wine into the neck. 30 minutes quick in the decanter. Gorgeous color, loads of sweet red fruit still dominate, and expected tertiary notes are very restrained on the finish. Drinks 20 years younger than it is, though rather simplistic for a Musar.

Overall lots of amazing showings, many (Gillet, Lattard, Miroirs, Oudiette, etc.) expected, but also happy to have found some very new to me wines I'll pursue forward

Posted from CellarTracker

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