Opened a 2009 Antoniolo Gattinara Osso San Grato yesterday. Decanted around 2 pm, and consumed over about six hours last evening. While it was showing quite nicely those first few hours, by the time I neared the witching hour it really had filled out, both in richness and flavors. I still have a few in the cellar, and I suspect this wine will continue to improve.
6 Likes
From the case acquired on release, deposited and buried deep in MILâs cellar, forgotten for a decade, and only recently rediscovered. Sadly the last bottle, so good.
Yes, I checked. No other hidden treasuries there, but lots of Hofgut Falkenstein since 2018.
3 Likes
Such a lovely wine - havenât seen it for years. It still exists- I just looked on their site - 25 euros for either the Rousse or the DorĂŠe. Tempting! No idea what theyâre like nowadays.
Love this wine and time is so good to it.
3 Likes
Great meal at le Chat BottĂŠ at Beaurivage in Geneva tonight. 1 Michelin star but it seemed a little stuffy when we got there. Not at all! As the meal progressed and we got to know the staff it was a lovely and entertaining meal. Great food, great somm.
Our friend wanted a red to go with the tasting menu so I picked the Agnes Paquet Auxey-Duresses 2016. Beautiful. Spicy perfumed nose, medium body, great acidity, tart but profound red berries. Lovely.
I also wanted a glass of white with the salmon dish and the somm blinded me on the 2019 Bernard Huber Malterdinger. I called young, Chardonnay, with some oak but not Burgundy nor French. I couldnât find where it came from. Germany and 30% pinot blanc. Good, fresh, flowery nose + typical Chardonnay markers.
I also asked for an accompaniment to dessert (a play on figs and sage). The somm blinded me once more on a deep amber/brownish sweet wine. I called fortified. He said yes. The color threw me off but the incredibly perfumed nose should have led me to Muscat. Australia Chambers Rosewood Rare Muscat. Beautiful. Prunes, Sultana raisins, all spice and a touch of caramel. Very deep and complex with a sweet kiss of acidity. Wonderful.
Even though the dining room and initial vibe is stuffy, I strongly recommend this restaurant. Very strong tasting menu and great staff. This was a great meal. But⌠Geneva prices.
4 Likes
I had the 2020 Thivin a couple days ago. It is definitely on the ripe side, but not so much as other 2020s Iâve had.
In the last couple of months, we have tasted three high end 2008, the Hudelot RSV, Tremblay Chapelle and a Trapet Chambertin.
The Tremblay was the pick of the three, but all are in early stages of maturity, and beautiful wines.
2017 De Montille Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans
A delicate floral, slightly spicy nose. Sublime elegance on the palate with luxurious small red berries and a superbly satisfying long finish. Try this with fresh funnel chanterelles and iberico! What a Volnay! What a wine!
5 Likes
Magdelaine 2nd label. Youthful but drinking well. No signs of being too ripe, just a lovely junior version of Magdelaine.
Would you be surprised to hear that I have neither ever tried this second-label wine nor even seen it? Itâs funny, considering.
Not surprised at all. Never seen them either. Googling did not help very much either. This was an auction purchase here in NZ and the bottles had the French tax capsules (CRD) on them. So they were a private import from France. I am suspecting the 2nd label was sold mostly in France.
1 Like
2003 Chateau Ausone. From CT review
4 hr decant. Opened with trepidation since right bank 2003s get a lot of opprobrium. This had a lot going for it â a little of everything: blueberry, coffee, cinnamon and clove, indeterminate florals (well, I couldnât be more precise at least ). Is it a transcendent wine ? No, but itâs damn good and to me a very good showing in a challenging year. Avoids the obvious pitfalls : This is not stewed, over extracted, jammy etc at all. It doesnât hit the heights of a great wine in a great year but it does show some pedigree. Maybe it will get better with more age â Ausone is a trickster â but I have my doubts about that. As it is, the worst thing I could say about it is that it is generically classy.
Btw, the cork was fresh and one of the tightest I have ever come across. With the Durand I thought I might shatter the neck. Medium sediment.
5 Likes
Today for Chateau de Fargues 1999. Trasportation without insulators under 30+ celsius degrees led to its leaking. A fill level of top shoulder also seems risky for such a young wine. When I opened it, my worries came true. Though the bouquet smells unaffected, the structure is going down - the wine is for sure recedingâŚThis underperformance might also be attributed to the vintage in which Fargues made its wine with only 120+ g/L residual sugar, who knows.
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2020 Caroline Morey Chassagne-Montrachet ChambrĂŠes - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet (08-10-2023)
Day 1: Pop-and-pour but enjoyed over 4-6 hours to let it develop in the glass.
Man I love the nose from the Colin-Morey power couple. Feels like a slightly less reduction and oak-power than PYCM wines, and I find Caroline's to have a tad bit more elegance and finesse.
Toasted oak, popcorn kernel, flint, cold butter and fresh citrus fruits.
Palate had a bit more ripeness to it, but there's an amazing citrus acidity paired with the amazing touch of cold butter, brioche and toffee. There's a ripeness, warmth and slight alcohol heat adding bitterness taking a bit away from this lovely feel.
The aftertaste lasts what feels like an eternity with both the toffee and high citrus acidity.
Day 2: Nose still has that popcorn, oak and flint, but it's more subtle now, giving more way to citrus fruits, butter, quince and flowers.
The heat and warmth have also subsided and palate has gone softer with more focus on the high acidity citrus fruits, apple, cold butter and toffee.
Overall this is just an amazing Village-level and I'm in love with the white wines from Caroline. Let it rest a few more years in the cellar or at least give it a few hours of decanting! (92 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
4 Likes
It is a prevalent fallacy that Burgundy cannot be enjoyed young. I had my share of mature wines, with more duds than hits.
Is this going to be better in 10 years? Maybe, but who has the time, and I find it fine as it is.
1 Like
@Steve_McL talked me into drinking a bunch of wines on a Monday. Some were good, but the two Fourrier were tops. '16 is spanking good, with much in the tank for future development.
6 Likes
2019 Terroir Al Limit Terra de Cuques Negre (Priorat, Spain)
Blend of Carignan and Grenache, formerly known as Torroja, now includes a wider array of fruit sources.
Quite juicy, mid-weight, darker fruit profile with violets. Itâs a little short on the palate, but easy drinking. The 2015 Torroja was denser and more complex from memory.
2 Likes
Ferrière 2014 - Sadly, on the basis of this bottle, a Ferrière to avoid. Plenty of the usual poise and elegance, but a bit thin, and especially unripe, so very green with a bitter finish. Maybe a bad patch but Iâm not over-optimistic. I had to subsitute it with a FonrĂŠaud (Listrac CB) 2015, which was much better.
1 Like
Disappointing to hear this, I would have assumed this to be a winner, given the vintage and the winery. Coincidentally, I popped a 2019 last night. A baby for sure but also quite delicious.