The four-person group (including me, @IlkkaL, @Mikko_R and one non-WB fellow) that made a trip to France in the spring of 2025 (which I have been documenting in my recent travelogue) convened about twice a year to plan for the upcoming trip. Yes, we actually planned for this trip for several years. No, we did not really achieve much if anything in these meetings - they were just good excuses for us to open some decent bottles of wine. About 98% of the trip was organized by us just chatting in a private message group, whereas in these “planning meetings” of ours we just cooked, drank and talked about how amazing the trip will be, which producers we would love to visit and in which restaurants we were going to eat.
Anyways, we had a nice summer meeting last July a year ago at the group’s non-Berseker’s house. Just the four of us and a bunch of wines. I guess we also talked something about the trip as well, but this time we weren’t really even planning on planning our trip - we were just enjoying my favorite week of the year that is better known as the Finnish summer.
Here are the decent bottles we had this time.
- 2014 Isabelle & Denis Pommier Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (13.7.2024)
100% organically farmed Chardonnay from parcels totaling to 1 hectares (2,5 acres) in 1er Cru Fourchaume. Fermented in stainless steel tanks (2/3) and oak barrels (1/3). Aged for 18 months. 12,5% alcohol.
Luminous and quite intense yellow-green color. Very focused and intense nose of sweet tropical fruits like pineapple along with juicy Golden Delicious apples, some creamy oak tones, a little bit of chalk dust, light crunchy notes of fresh nectarine, a woody hint of savory oak spice and a faint touch of smoky toast. The wine feels crisp, precise and quite electric on the palate with a medium body and very intense flavors of lemony citrus fruits and incisive steely minerality, some crunchy fresh pineapple and Granny Smith apple tones, a little bit of tangy salinity, light nuances of salty liquorice, oaky hints of subtly nutty wood spice and creaminess and a toasty touch of smoke. The bracing acidity lends a tremendous amount of energy, intensity and structure to the wine, making it feel very high-strung yet not austere or aggressive. The finish is crisp, incisive and intensely flavored with a very long and tangy aftertaste of lemony citrus fruits and Granny Smith apple, some creamy oak tones, light mineral notes of salinity and incisive steeliness, a little bit of savory wood spice, subtly toasty hints of smoke and salty liquorice powder and a touch of grilled pineapple.
An amazing, very electric and ridiculously intense 1er Cru Chablis that is as 2014 as they come. The wine is all about ripe yet very brisk and crunchy fruit flavors, pronounced minerality and piercing acidity; exactly the way I want my Chablis - I wish they could make wines like these still today, but with the slowly rising temperatures it seems harder and harder each year. Anyways, the wine is not ridiculously tightly-knit, but it is super youthful for its age; the wine tastes more like just a few years old instead of one that has already a decade under its belt! I guess it is obvious that this is a superb Chablis that is drinking really well at the moment, but seeing how remarkably youthful the wine is now, I can see this evolving and improving for at least another decade, if not even longer. An outstanding wine for the fans of brisk, high-strung Chablis.
(94 points) - 2016 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges (13.7.2024)
100% Pinot Noir from old-vine parcels in Nuits-Saint-Georges village-level vineyards. The fruit is hand-harvested, manually sorted and cold-soaked for 5-6 days. Fermented spontaneously and macerated with the skins for 2-3 weeks. Aged in predominantly old barrels for approximately 15 months. 13% alcohol.
Deep, somewhat translucent cherry-red color. The nose feels beautifully fragrant and expressive with youthful, vibrant aromas of crushed raspberries and ripe cherries, some floral notes of violets, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light sweeter nuances of dark plummy fruit, hints of dark brambles and a touch of crunchy crowberry. The wine feels firm, crunchy and pretty chewy with a medium body and dry, intense flavors of tart lingonberries and fresh red plums, some sour cherry bitterness, light floral notes of violets, a little bit of spicy Pinosity, a sweeter hint of ripe black raspberry and a touch of earth. The overall feel is surprisingly stern and tightly-knit with the high acidity and rather grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is long, grippy and acid-driven with a focused, youthful aftertaste of tart lingonberries and sour cherry bitterness, some earthy tones, a little bit of ripe raspberry, light floral violet notes, a woody hint of savory oak spice and a touch of juicy dark forest fruits.
An excellent, quite stern and dead-serious NSG that might come across as juicy, floral and fragrant in the nose, but turns out to be very dry, chewy and structure-driven on the palate. Even at 8 years of age, the wine still comes across as very youthful and spry, showing very little to no signs of aging. The wine might not be particularly approachable at the moment - at least without food - but it is nevertheless very impressive and eminently delightful in its own, dour way. This wine is not for people who love playful, delicate Burgundies - this is more like a Barolo drinker's Burg. Great stuff with lots of upside. Recommended.
(93 points) - 2016 Franck Balthazar Cornas Cuvée Casimir Balthazar - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (13.7.2024)
The young-vine bottling of Franck Balthazar, the grapes sourced mainly from approximately 10-yo vines in La LĂ©gre (70%) with some old-vine (averaging 50 yo) fruit from Les Mazards (30%). No destemming, all fruit in whole bunches. The grapes are fermented spontaneously and macerated with the skins in concrete vats for approximately two weeks, after which the wine is aged for 14-18 months in old 600-liter demi-muids. Bottled unfined, unfiltered and with a tiny addition of sulfites. 13% alcohol.
Still remarkably youthful and quite opaque blackish-red color with a slightly blueish hue. The nose feels youthful, fragrant and expressive with heady aromas of blueberries and blackberry juice, some perfumed floral tones, a little bit of olive, light brambly notes of black raspberries, a greasy and slightly smoky hint of crunchy bacon and a touch of stemmy spice. The wine feels youthful, firm and sinewy on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and juicy, intense flavors of fresh blackcurrants and blackberry juice, some sweet bilberry notes, a little bit of crunchy red plum, light inky tones, a hint of olive and a touch of crushed peppercorns. The overall feel is muscular yet not too stern or aggressive with the high acidity and ample, moderately grippy tannins. The finish is long, juicy and quite grippy with an intensely-flavored aftertaste of ripe blackberries and sweet bilberries, some savory olive tones, a little bit of tart red plum, light spicy notes of crushed black peppercorns, a smoky hint of charred bacon and a touch of floral lift.
A fantastic, beautifully clean and still remarkably youthful Cornas - especially when you take into account how the wine sees so very little SO2! This is supposed to be Franck's early-drinking cuvée, but even at 8 years of age, the wine shows astonishingly little evolution! Not that the wine isn't drinking well, because it is just gorgeous now. However, if you like Syrah with those savory and meaty tertiary nuances, well - I guess you have to stick to the rule of 15. Return to this in 2031 or later.
(93 points) - 2004 Renato Ratti Barolo Rocche - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (13.7.2024)
100% Nebbiolo from Rocche dell'Annunziata. Macerated for approximately 10 days, aged for 2 years in French oak barriques and large Slavonian oak casks of 2500 liters. 14,5% alcohol.
Surprisingly deep and even moderately opaque dark crimson color with a somewhat evolved maroon hue. The nose feels brooding and slightly sweetly-fruited with attractive dark-toned aromas of black cherries, some wizened dark berries, a little bit of ripe black raspberry, light notes of loose tobacco, a fragrant hint of exotic spices, a sanguine touch of iron and a whiff of old leather. The wine feels dense, chewy and balanced on the palate with a full body and intense flavors of black cherries and wizened dark berries, some woody notes of savory oak spice, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light brambly notes of raspberries, a hint of pipe tobacco and a subtly sweet touch of toasty oak spice. The overall feel is not that polished, but it isn't classically styled, either. The combination of assertive, grippy tannins and high acidity makes the wine feel still rather stern and tightly-knit. The finish is juicy, powerful and quite grippy with a long aftertaste of ripe dark fruits, some sour cherry bitterness, light woody notes of savory oak spice, a little bit of tobacco, a sweet hint of juicy dark plums and a touch of toasty mocha oak.
Even if I love old Nebbiolo, I don't really think Renato Ratti's Barolos offer their best when they are old. And by old, I mean 30-40 years old. When Ratti's wines have reached this age, they've been already somewhat tired and lacking nuance and complexity. Conversely, I think these are Barolos that hit their stride in their middle age - pretty much like this wine, which is around 20 years old now. The wine is starting to show some tertiary notes and the fruit has developed an aged, sweet-toned dried-fruit note, but the wine still retains good sense of intensity, some youthful vibrancy and an impressive structure. As it often is with young Ratti Barolos, the toasty French oak still does show to some degree, but I feel it has integrated with the fruit pretty nicely and will continue to do so over the next decade or so. Even if the wine still has something left in the tank, I'd say it has reached its optimal drinking window and will probably plateau in the next 5-10 years. Most likely the wine will keep just fine for a much longer time, but I'd say one shouldn't wait until the last minute with this wine.
(93 points) - 2010 Ridge Lytton Springs - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (13.7.2024)
A blend of Zinfandel (67%), Petite Sirah (23%), Carignan (7%) and Mourvèdre (3%) from the Lytton Springs vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. The harvest started on 9th of September and ended on 14th of October. Fermented spontaneously, macerated with the skins for 9 days. Additions of 1 g/l tartaric acid and 0,5% water were made during the vinification. The wine was blended using 32 separate fermentation lots, selected from a total of 46 separately vinified parcels. Aged in American oak (20% new, 53% second, third or fourth use, 27% fifth or sixth use) for 14 months. Bottled with a light filtration in December 2012. 14% alcohol.
Deep and quite opaque dark cherry-red color. The nose feels fragrant and rather sweet-toned with aromas of boysenberries and juicy dark fruits, some blueberry tones, a little bit of sweet oak spice, light vanilla tones, toasty hints of allspice and coffee and a touch of fresh redcurrant. The wine feels ripe, silky and intensely-flavored on the palate with a full body and quite bold flavors of boysenberries and sweet dark plums, some vanilla oak tones, a little bit of fresh black cherry, light toasty notes of mocha and allspice, a hint of fresh blueberry and a touch of crunchy red fruits. Despite the ripeness and somewhat sweetly-fruited overall profile, the wine shows great sense of structure with its high acidity and firm, moderately grippy tannins. The finish is long, rich and quite grippy with an intensely-flavored aftertaste of boysenberry jam, some ferrous notes of blood, light oaky notes of vanilla and toasty mocha, a little bit of dark plummy fruit, a hint of ripe bilberry and a touch of dill.
A firm, vibrant and intensely-flavored vintage of Lytton Springs that is still remarkably youthful, at almost 15 years of age. I enjoyed the nuanced fruit flavors and great sense of structure here, but the oak impact seemed to be a bit more pronounced than is typical in Ridge wines - especially when you take into account how the wine has had some time to integrate the oak with its bold fruit profile. Oh well, I guess the wine just needs some additional bottle aging. This is pretty good now, but further cellaring wouldn't hurt the wine one bit.
(91 points) - 2013 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (13.7.2024)
The wine gets its name from the Eutypa Lata infection which afflicts some of the oldest d'Arenberg Shiraz vines. This disease can attack any part of the canopy, but often it attacks one "arm" of the vine, rendering it infertile and dead, making the remaining arm produce very concentrated fruit. The grapes are transferred to open-top fermentors where the grapes are foot-trodden through 2/3 of the fermentation, after which the must is basked-pressed and racked into a mixture of (mainly) new and old French oak barriques and some American oak barriques to carry out the rest of the fermentation. Aged on the lees in these same barrels for 18 months, until the final blending. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 14,6% alcohol, 1,4 g/l residual sugar, 7,3 g/l acidity, pH 3,47.
Inky, more or less fully opaque purplish-black color that stains the glass. The nose feels rich, sweet and powerful with intense aromas of ripe dark plums and blackberry jam, some toasty oak tones, a little bit of savory and peppery spice, light green minty nuances, a hint of dark chocolate shavings, a touch of blueberry liqueur and a woody whiff of savory oak spice. The wine feels like quite a blockbuster based on the nose only. The wine feels dense, chewy and robust on the palate with a very full body and powerful, ripe yet dry flavors of dark plums and extracted woody bitterness, some green minty tones, a little bit of peppery spice, light blackberry jam tones, a hint of sweet, toasty oak and a touch of cherry liqueur. Despite all the ripeness, the wine feels impressively firm and structured with its surprisingly high acidity and stern, assertive tannins that pack quite a grip. The finish is rich, grippy and somewhat warm with a very powerful aftertaste of ripe dark plums and juicy blackberries, some woody tones, a little bit of peppery spice, light extracted bitter notes, a hint of blackcurrant jam and a toasty, bittersweet touch of dark chocolate.
A big, burly and chewy vintage of The Dead Arm. Even at +10 years of age the wine is still very youthful, showing no noticeable signs of aging. The oak feels still very much un-integrated and perhaps a bit too pronounced for my taste. However, true to d'Arenberg style, the wine isn't fat nor flabby, but instead very firm, muscular and chewy, packing more than enough to balance out all that fruit. I think the wine is still too early to show its best, but with this much power and structure I expect the wine age wonderfully for another decade or two before hitting its peak. An impressive blockbuster of a wine with lots of upside.
(91 points) - 1996 Château Tour de Pez - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (13.7.2024)
Typically a blend of Merlot (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) and Cabernet Franc (10%). 12,5% alcohol.
Somewhat translucent cherry-red color with an aged rusty hue. The nose feels sweetish, dark-toned and very classically styled with evolved aromas of ripe blackcurrants, some herbaceous leafy tones, a little bit of earthy sous-bois, light sweeter nuances of wizened dark fruits, a hint of leathery funk, a touch of bell pepper and a whiff of pipe tobacco. The wine feels dry, firm and silky on the palate with a medium body and very classically styled flavors of ripe and slightly wizened blackcurrants, some tart chokeberry tones, a little bit of leafy forest floor and loose tobacco, light herbaceous notes of bell pepper, woody hints of cigar box and bell pepper and a sweeter touch of dried dark fruits. The structure relies more on the high acidity than on the supple and quite resolved medium tannins. The finish is dry, savory and somewhat grippy with a long, complex aftertaste of wizened blackcurrants and ripe dark plums, some herbaceous leafy tones, a little bit of pipe tobacco, light woody notes of cigar box, a hint of gravelly minerality and a savory touch of meaty umami.
Quite similar to the bottle I tasted a few years ago, maybe slightly better and a bit more expressive. However, it is quite obvious that the wine is on its plateau of maturity and has been there for quite some time; the wine is not going to evolve and improve from here and any differences between different bottles are due to bottle variation, not to additional aging. This is a balanced, enjoyably evolved and very classically styled St. Estèphe. Not perhaps the most complex 1996 out there, but a lovely little drop all the same. A bargain at just 20€.
(92 points) - 2020 Thymiopoulos Blanc des Côteaux Cuvée Amphore - Greece, Macedonia, Naoussa (13.7.2024)
A blend of biodynamically farmed Malagousia (50%), Assyrtiko (25%), Vidiano (20%) and Aidani (5%). All the varieties are fermented spontaneously, but Malagousia, Vidiano and Aidani are macerated with the skins for a few days in amphorae, then pressed and aged sur lie in amphorae. Assyrtiko is vinified without any skin contact and aged in an oak barrel. Blended after 10 months of aging, bottled unfiltered. 13,5% alcohol.
Pale amber to medium-deep golden yellow color. The nose feels wild, characterful and slightly waxy with complex aromas of apple jam and bruised apple, some apricot tones, a little bit of floral spice, light beeswax nuances, a hint of peach marmalade, a mineral touch of wet rocks and a whiff of creamy oak. Although the wine is vinified only partially with the skins and just for a short time, the nose is still pretty much that of an orange wine - especially soon after opening the bottle. The wine feels ripe yet dry and subtly extracted on the palate with a rather full body and complex flavors of apricots and apple jam, resinous phenolic tones, some beeswax, light ripe citrus fruit notes, a little bit of acacia honey, a subtly bitter hint of extracted spice and a touch of bruised apple. The moderately high acidity keeps the wine more or less balance and there is a tiniest bit of tannic grip that adds a tiny bit of firmness to the texture. The finish is ripe, sunny and subtly grippy with a long, layered aftertaste of apple jam and peachy stone fruit, waxy funk, some stony mineral tones, a little bit of extracted bitterness, light creamy oak notes, a hint of honeyed richness and a perfumed touch of floral spice.
At first the wine felt like a rather typical orange wine made in a non-interventionist fashion, but also a rather balanced and characterful at that. However, with some air the more skin-contact qualities started to recede into the background and the wine started to exhibit more conventional white wine qualities, turning into a serious, complex wine that was both a white wine and an orange wine yet being neither at the same tame. A very distinctive and quite idiosyncratic effort from the master of Xinomavro that might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I found myself enjoying the wine - especially after letting the wine breathe for some time. It is hard to assess whether the wine will improve with further aging or not - and if it does, into which direction it will go. I will follow with great curiosity. Good value at 30,70€.
(92 points) - 2010 Domaine des Bernardins Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise - France, RhĂ´ne, Southern RhĂ´ne, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise (13.7.2024)
A blend of Muscat Ă Petits Grains Blancs (75%) and Muscat Ă Petits Grains Noirs (25%). The grapes are crushed and the free-run juice is fermented spontaneously. After a partial fermentation the wine is fortified to 15% ABV to halt the fermentation. Aged on the lees in stainless steel for 6 months. 15% alcohol.
Luminous, medium-deep amber color. The nose feels fragrant and very floral with intense aromas of tangerine and acacia honey, some roses and orange blossom, a little bit of spirituous alcohol, light apple jam tones, a hint of exotic spices and a touch of wizened apricot. The wine feels sweet, oily and quite voluptuous on the palate with a full body and intense flavors of apple jam and overripe apricot, some orange marmalade tones, a little bit of exotic spice, light floral notes of rosewater and orange blossom, a hint of spicy bitterness and a touch of acacia honey. The medium acidity feels a bit modest for such a sweet wine, not contributing much to the freshness or sense of structure. The finish is rich, sweet and juicy with a long, intensely-flavored aftertaste of acacia honey and orange marmalade, some floral tones, a little bit of apple jam, light bitter notes, a hint of dried exotic fruits and a warming touch of spirituous alcohol.
A delicious and pleasantly evolved Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise that shows a great deal of developed complexity, but - as is typical for the appellation - also rather little acidity. While the wine is eminently delicious flavor-wise, the overall feel is a bit ponderous due to the rather pronounced sweetness, oily texture and lack of freshness and structure due to the modest level of acidity. While very tasty, this is quite enjoyable for the duration of one - well-chilled - glass, as the wine starts to easily taste rather tiring, especially once it starts to warm up.
(90 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
