Last fall, after an evening in an importer wine event, me, @Mikko_R and two other wino friends headed to Wino - a wonderful small spot in Helsinki to enjoy good food with great wines. We went there not to just eat, but to celebrate the other of the two non-berserkers in our group as he was leaving his post as a sommelier at Wino to a similar one at a new Champagne bar in the center of Helsinki.
As the occasion called for something celebratory, we let this said friend select the wines - after all, as a sommelier of the restaurant, he had a pretty good idea what wines they had at the cellar. Suffice to say, we were not disappointed!
- NV Emmanuel Brochet Champagne Premier Cru Extra Brut Le Mont Benoit - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (1.11.2023)
A single-vineyard Champagne composed of organically farmed Pinot Meunier (40%), Pinot Noir (40%) and Chardonnay (20%). The base wine is fermented spontaneously and aged for 11 months sur lie in oak barrels. The vintage composition is 2017 (30%) and reserve wines from 2016 to 2011 (70%). Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Although the wine is labeled "Extra Brut", the wine is non-dosé. Total production 8,699 bottles. 12% alcohol.
Pale and still somewhat youthful yellow-green color. The nose feels sweetish, somewhat wild and very complex with aromas of toasty nutty notes and waxy funk, some apple jam, a little bit of ripe peach, light creamy oak nuances, a leesy hint of autolysis and a rich touch of dried yellow fruits. The wine feels dry, crisp and concentrated on the palate with a medium body and intense flavors of sweet Golden Delicious apples, some unripe nectarine tones, a little bit of creamy oak and leesy richness, light wild nuances of waxy funk, a hint of stony minerality and a touch of floral complexity. The high acidity lends great sense of structure to the wine and the voluminous, persistent mousse feels so fine and silky. The finish is long, focused and a bit funky with a complex, acid-driven aftertaste of ripe Golden Delicious apple, some funky waxy tones, a little bit of nectarine, light creamy oak nuances, a hint of nutty autolysis and a touch of savory wood spice.
A fantastic, characterful and beautifully complex Champagne with great sense of intensity, structure and freshness. The wine has a somewhat noticeable streak of waxy funk, which intermingles wonderfully with the ripe yet fresh fruit flavors and a distinctive undertone of creamy oak. So many layers here. The wine isn't particularly youthful anymore, but I have a hunch this wine will continue to age and evolve wonderfully for many more years. An absolute banger. Very highly recommended.
(94 points) - 2020 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Meursault (1.11.2023)
13,5% alcohol.
Youthful, pale yellow-green color. The nose feels very youthful but also quite closed at first, showing only those typical PYCM aromas of flinty smoke and struck match. However, the nose slowly opens up to reveal a complex nose of grilled pineapple, some fresh peachy tones, a little bit of wet stone minerals, light creamy oak nuances, a hint of crunchy red apple and a touch of savory wood spice. The wine feels dry, youthful and tightly-knit on the palate with a moderately full body and intense flavors of ripe citrus fruits and stony minerality, some creamy oak tones, a little bit of grilled pineapple, light reductive notes of gunpowder smoke, a hint of ripe nectarine and a woody touch of savory oak spice. The high acidity lends sense of structure and intensity, making the wine feel pretty high-strung despite the size and ripeness. The finish is bright, racy and quite acid-driven with a long, complex and very intense aftertaste of ripe pineapple and apricot, some smoky reductive notes of gunpowder smoke, a little bit of fresh nectarine and red apples, light creamy oak tones, mineral hints of wet rocks and salinity and a touch of nutty wood.
A beautiful, complex and impressively structured powerhouse of a Burgundy. The wine has that Meursault heft and concentration, but the cool, focused sense of minerality and almost electric acidity make the wine feel so very high-strung despite the sense of volume and substance. The overall feel is, naturally, still remarkably young; that smoky reduction so typical of PYCM makes the wine feel quite closed at first. It really takes a bit of time for the wine to get things going, but when they do, the wine is really firing on all cylinders. An extraordinary Burgundy that combines ripeness, fruit and concentration with freshness, structure and minerality. Quite enjoyable and very impressive already now, but will get even better with more age. Very highly recommended.
(95 points) - 2004 Château Rayas Côtes du Rhône Château de Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (1.11.2023)
100% Syrah - a rare thing in CĂ´tes du RhĂ´ne - mainly from very old vines. Vinified in whole bunches, macerated with the skins for 10-14 days and aged in old oak casks. 14% alcohol.
Very deep, dark and almost fully opaque blackish-red color with a maroon hue. The nose feels moderately evolved and quite noticeably meaty with bold aromas of wizened dark berries, some earth, light evolved notes of beef jerky and gamey meat, a little bit of tapenade and Kalamata olives, a hint of dried blackberry, a touch of ripe plummy fruit and a whiff of smoke. The wine feels bold, concentrated and somewhat evolved on the palate with a moderately full body and rich, intense and complex flavors of wizened blackberries and other dark berries and tapenade, some meaty notes of umami, light sweet pruney and vaguely raisiny tones, a little bit of peppery spice, evolved hints of game and umami and a balsamic touch of VA. The overall feel is pretty stern and structured, thanks to the moderately high acidity and quite ample and grippy tannins. The finish is rich, long and quite grippy with a complex aftertaste of wizened blackberries and dark plummy fruit, some peppery tones, a little bit of meaty umami, light gamey notes, a balsamic hint of VA and a touch of olives.
A very rich, textural and wonderfully complex Syrah. The wine feels somewhat bigger and weightier than most Syrah wines from Norther RhĂ´ne, but that varietal Syrah character does make the wine still taste more like a Northern RhĂ´ne wine than a classic CdR from Southern RhĂ´ne. The wine is now in a good spot, starting to show some tertiary characteristics of game, beef jerky and dried fruits, yet retains great sense of intensity, structure and depth of flavor. Most likely the wine can keep for years more, but seeing how the overall feel is starting to show its age, I really don't see any additional aging is necessary. Drink or keep for a handful of years more. Highly recommended.
(94 points)
Posted from CellarTracker