Young and wound just a bit tight. It opened as it aired, but remained a touch severe despite excellent depth. It needed another gram or two of dosage for drinking now, but I suspect age will allow it to fan out and then the current dosage will be fine. It also seemed more like a red fruit wine than a Blanc de Blancs. Probably the site speaking Chardonnay with an accent! 
2014 Retro Cellars Petite Sirah - Napa Valley
Third and final bottle of this vintage for us and it continues to be a delight. Tooth-staining dark purple, almost black, in the glass. I doubt you could shine a flashlight through this, itās so opaque. On the nose, I get violets, a touch of tree bark, and warm blackberry compote. Thereās a density to the palate, yet it never comes across as ponderous in any way. Lots of rich dark fruit is balanced by a savoriness that just screams for a red meat companion. The finish is a bit short and could benefit from a little more acid to provide some lift, but Iām nitpicking. This is a very enjoyable wine. Iām surprised Retro doesnāt get more exposure, as Iāve been impressed by every bottle Iāve had from them.
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We had my wifeās 70th birthday a couple days ago. The Buisson-Charles Meursault was excellent. The Laherte Freres Blanc de Blancs was stellar, my WOTN. The 2010 Drouhin Clos des Mouches had a metallic note that I didnāt care for. The 2005 Mugneret was excellent. The 2010 Cameron Abbey Ridge was excellent as well.
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Congrats to your wife and loving this lineup! 
Too bad on the Clos des Mouches, lovely wine when itās on.
Opened a 2010 Ducru today.
An hour into decanter. Quite youthful, fresh and lively. I like the bright acidity. Letās see how it unfolds over the next hour or so.
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Thanks! I used to hang with the former GM of Domaine Drouhin quite a bit and had a number of opportunities to taste this a couple decades ago. I would agree that it is superb when it is on.
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Weird evening.
We started with cocktails and miscellaneous: Moscow Mules for the Mrs, Guinness and Old fashioned for the guys.
I called the restaurant I had booked where they allowed me corkage in the past and, no can do! The guy refused to allow me to bring my own. I ask to talk to the owner and heās not there. Apparently, itās a new guy and he wonāt let me do it. Darn it. I had a couple of BAMAs and a Maggie ready to go. Too bad, no time to switch restaurants and I felt like meat (good meat at this place).
So off we go knowing full well the wine list at that place is miserable. I glance over the wine list and see a new addition:
2004 Bodegas ValdeviƱas Ribera del Duero Tinar de Mirat Crianza
Very dark fruited on the nose with plenty of cedar/new wood aromas, leather, tree sap and damp earth. This smells a little too ripe for me but letās have the palate decide. Easy first palate on the same dark fruit, plenty of fruity concentration and chewiness but there is a nice acidic structure to this and plenty of tannins that are still alive and kicking. It doesnāt feel heavy or ripe on the palate and actually was a great pairing to a beef skewer from Savoie flambĆ©ed in pine liqueur. Good structure still at 20 years old but still plenty of dark fruits to balance it all out. All in all, a good effort and a good wine.
We also had a Chard/Viognier blend from somewhere in France to go with the Fondue Savoyarde that my wife and buddy shared and that was a hot mess of a disaster.
Once back home, I really felt like having that 1996 BAMA I had on hand to bring to the restaurant:
My buddy and I would normally go through that like a couple of hot Global knives through freshly churned butter. But, lo and behold, he gets a sudden and crippling tooth ache! After finding a couple of emergency dentists in the area, I find myself alone, in my living room with everybody in bed and done for the evening. Will that stop me? Ha! X-Nay! 1996 BAMA it is.
1996 is a weird vintage to me. Iāve gone through 6 of them over the past 12 months or so and itās been all over the place! Some too tired, some seemed fine but underwhelming and some were pretty darn good. This was the best yet. So ābest yetā that as Iām writing this, there is but one glass left in the decanter. I went through the whole darn bottle myself.
That bottleās nose is all fresh red berries, some leather and meatiness, a touch of herbal medley and even a little bit of metallic twang. A pretty darn nice old school Bordeaux symphony. The palate doesnāt do 100% justice to the nose but it holds the road: fresh (almost thin) first palate, chewy and acidic mid palate and then a long crunchy red berries finish with a whole whack of tannins staying on the inner cheeks and gums. That mid palate really compensates for the somewhat thin entry. Old, fresh, serious and chewy. Iām loving this bottle tonight.
+1 on the 1996 conundrum, -1 on the tooth ache that had my buddy miss this. The bottle is empty. Aināt non left for tomorrow.
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On our way back from Oahu. We did our best to up the game in the recycling bin ***
*** (if itās not French, itās not mine)
Let me guess, zero travel shock.
Someone stopped at Costco.
Decanted for 2 hours before funneling back into the bottle. Drank 5 hours later over an hour at lunch paired with lamb chops. This wine lost its large primary punch from the last time I opened one in 22ā. Good paring with the lamb, will need to revisit again later this year.
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Good for you! Glad you had a good one - BAMA can indeed be infuriating.
Two relative disappointments:
2017 Domaines des Roches Neuves - Saumur - Clos des Romans
Each to their own - for me, this hasnāt improved since the last bottle tried in 2021. Pleasant aromas of lemon and honey, with a promisingly rich yet nuanced attack of the same, then it rather peters out, tasting even a little dilute. Not bad overall, thereās a definite feeling of understated class. The problem is that there are so many options elsewhere offering more for less.
2000 ChĆ¢teau Figeac - Saint Emilion
Brambly fruit and strawberries on the nose, with quite a rich attack of the same, very winsome and initially very impressive, but thatās it. It never really got out of second gear. Some have bemoaned a certain greenness, but for me, if anything the opposite was true. I could have done with more crispness, a fresher middle section and, well, less jammy flavours. Fine with food, but on its own, it was just not very interesting and a bit stodgy. 92 points for the lovely start.
Last night, some friends made an amazing risotto. I opened the following. All were outstanding!
2003 Domaine Huet Vouvray Franc de Pied Demi-Sec Le Haut-Lieu
1982 ChĆ¢teau LĆ©oville Las Cases
1977 Taylor Fladgate vintage port
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Wow, great stuff, that 82 LLC is killer. Love love that Huet Franc de Pied, but have not had the 03. Had the 09 a few months ago, major yum!
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At the Royal Taj restaurant in Columbia with my nephew and his wife for babysitting our dog.
2018 Weinbach Gewurz Cuvee Theo
2014 Aubert Chardonnay Larry Hyde
2020 Foillard Morgon Cuvee Corcelette
All drinking great and went well with the Indian food (especially the Gewurz) which was superb.
At diner tonight:
BelāāAir Marquis dāAligre 2003
Very nice! Decanted for sediment and served immediately.
Black-fruited nose with some earth, leather, rosebud/violets and minerality (slate?). On the palate the fruit is still black (cassis, dark cherry, plums) but the wine has less weight than the nose would suggest. The flavors are still present but the wine is lifted by medium acidity and feels light (not in a bad way). It shows a good finish with dusty tannins and some pepper on the end as well. This is by good as it is and I donāt see an upside to holding on to it. Good showing on a 2003.
ChĆ¢teau du Tertre 2014
Iāve had bottle variation with this. It needed about 1 hour slow-ox in bottle before it reached its peak. Red berries, some blackcurrant, some underbrush and a little oak spices. The palate is weightless lacking a tiny bit of fruit concentration but making up for it on a decent mineral finish. I donāt see this improving. The red fruit profile, medium acidity and fine tannins would make this a pretty versatile food wine. Good.
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- 2021 Vincent Pinot Noir Temperance Hill - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (2/11/2024)
Nose of pomegranate, bubble gum, and pickle juice. Palate of red berries, cranberry, and white miso umami. Ripping acidity - think Chablis or Muscadet levels. It's quaffable now, but probably needs a few years to be balanced. (89 points)
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