2024 MUGA rose…we drink rose year round as our food choices don’t call for big reds as often as it used to
Just a beautiful 32 year old, plenty of life left. Structure for the future and balanced. Drink now or hold.
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With great shared Japanese eats at @onote.philippines, the 4 of us imbibed on:
2019 Domaine Vrignaud ‘Les Vaupulans’ Fourchaume Chablis 1er Cru
- Refreshingly smooth with pure clean fruit, delicious acidity and hint of hard candy. A Chablis where the wood (Vaupulans is a rare oaked bottling from Vrignaud) seamlessly integrated well into the structure.
2021 Bohorquez Verdejo Rueda
- A mid-weight mineral-laden white from Rueda where, arguably (and imho), the best Verdejo can only come from in Spain.
2006 Domaine Michel Lafarge Clos des Chênes Volnay 1er Cru
- Excellent drinking form with firm, ripe red berries and that Volnay earthiness. A treat to drink today.
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Delightful in a energetic bright youthful way. Attractive florality to the nose. Distinctive Dujac whole stem spicy note. Lovely mid red fruits, mouthfilling and long. Whilst this is yummy now, I will await awhile on the other bottles for more complexity and development
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Had dinner with our wine group and the theme was Rhone and Rhone like wines. Of course we started with Champagne.
Two from 1985, a Laurent Perrier and a Legras Presidence BdB, interesting but I like mine younger and a 2008 from William Deutz fit the bill. Apples and Apricots with a very mineral finish.
We had three flawed wines. the 1982 Chave was brown, and the Clos des Papes and Horton were both corked. Bummer. Of course I wrote Clos des Papes about it!
We had one white which wasn’t with the theme but it actually was my wine of the night. A 2007 Valentini Trebbiano which showed wonderfully. The individual that brought this pointed out Vanilla Cake and oxidative brown apple notes to this. It was truly excellent.
The two Hermitage, a 1990 Guigal and a 1997 Jaboulet, both showed that olive and blood typical with northern Rhones. But i found them both to be a bit tired and past prime.
Surprisingly, the three California wines were drinking beautifully for their age. A 1994 Thackery Orion, a 1992 Edmunds St John Durrell, and a 1974 Stags Leap Petite Syrah. The Petite Syrah was served blind and I thought it was a very young wine but the color did indicate something a bit older. I had no idea it was this old! It had a ton of very ripe plum flavors. I loved it. The other two were equally as good so all three of these tied for my second wine of the night.
The 2006 Grange Peres was the first time tasting this wine. This is a really big wine. I enjoyed it immensely. Very dark fruits and nice integrated tannins. But, I kept thinking would it be worth the price to me to purchase.
The 86 Guiraud Sauternes made me think why don’t I drink more Sauternes. Lots of stone fruit with this very mature wine. Yum!
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Three 2021s this weekend. A return to the classical spine.
Juliette Coutelas ‘Lune Gibbeuse’: 1st vendange; Only 295 bottles produced. Total Wineglobe transparency, the phenolic maturity here is remarkable, giving a beautiful “sucrosité” without a gram of sugar.
Alexandre Chaillon ‘Vitrail’: Serious shoulders from the barrel and tirage liège. High-energy at first, but Day 2 hit a reductive wall that the 2021 acidity couldn’t quite scale.
Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanée 2021: Vosne spices all over the nose. Jayer-school purity with a noble reductive shield protecting a vertical, floral laser of fruit.
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Always dig your posts. Nice notes.
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Chateau de Tours — Cotes du Rhone 2021
The list said it was 2020, but unfortunately it was 2021. It was apparent it was a little closed up and reserved, with a bit much heat, but there was moments of the usual Rayas beauty of spice and fruit. My non geek wife commented it had ‘iron’ and I kinda can see where she’s coming from. On average just a quite reserved wine with a few moments of ‘Rayas’ shining through, and that was of course in the last glass, so please air accordingly! I went home and saw I’ve earmarked my bottles for 2031, and I think I’ll stay with that ‘start by’ date.
Final night here in Paris before a month home in Korea.
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Les Maisons Rouges L’Eclos 2023
First time with this producer.
One of those new “style” Jasnières like Domaine de la Roche Bleue where it’s mostly bright lemon and rocks. I’ve learned through my aging experiences that these wines are better young. Drink it while it’s electric. Enjoyable.
Fumey Chatelin Arbois Savagnin Sous Voile 2019
First time with this producer.
No mistaking the sous-voile profile but this doesn’t have the screeching acidity of some Vin Jaune and Château-Chalon. It makes for a lovely wine to drink now as the mid-palate is quite mellow. No need to wait. Good.
Domaine de L’Écu Schistes 2023
It had been a while since I had a wine from this domaine. Typical for the appellation. Could show a bit more concentration but it makes up for it in sheer minerality. Enjoyable.
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- 2021 Patricia Green Cellars Chardonnay Estate - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge (3/16/2026)
Tasted after 2 hours of air. Citrus fruit. Saline and minerals. Lime zest. (91 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
- 2014 Haden Fig Pinot Noir Cancilla Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (3/16/2026)
Tasted after 1 hour of air. Sweet cherry fruit. Some cola notes. A bit of spice and forest floor. Nice mid palate lift. Showing no signs of age. Should go 10+ more years. (92 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
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Can’t say I’ve ever associated that with Volnay. Is this something you find across producers? Maybe more of a Lafarge thing?
Yes I do, but only on those that have maturity in them, like 15 years or so.
Have enjoyed a couple of days away and drank very well.
These 2 were standouts though, although 19 Roagna Barolo Pira deserves a special mention.
2024 Nocturne Wilson Vineyard Chardonnay
From the wizard Julian Langworthy of Deep Woods fame. This is top shelf Oz Chardonnay from single vineyard site in Margaret River - flint, tension, smoke and length to burn. These are a bargain for what’s in the bottle.
2005 Penfolds St Henri
At the very fine Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant. St Henri is a long time favourite and plumped for this one as we were celebrating my youngest’s 21st. Provenance assured. Magical wine. Classic dark satsuma plums, touch of cedar. Good richness and real complexity, with integrated acidity giveing the wine freshness. I would rather drink this than Grange - a classic Claret style.
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- 2004 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (19/3/2026)
Darker-fruited in profile but the cooler vintage helped to soften the more masculine, structured nature of the producer. More expressive with air as it delivered everything you want from a ~20 yo St Julien with a terrific finish that exceeded my expectations. At peak. (93 pts.)
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This was a pleasant surprise at the vertical we did recently. A lesser wine, but drinking better than, the 2000.
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Fess Parker Addendum is a very underrated cabernet sauvignon. Always excellent in my experience.
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Opened a 2021 Costers del Priorat Blanc de Pissarres tonight. 60% Garnacha Blanca, 30% Macabeo, 10% Pedro Ximénez. 13% ABV. “Hand harvested, three day skin maceration followed by spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, 50% in stainless steel and 50% in 225L French oak barrels.”
Hard to pin down individual fruit aromas here on the nose—let’s call it pear. I also get a slight amontillado sherry note and a bit of dry-erase marker VA. Feels cleaner on the palate, with good richness and texture. Medium acidity, but everything feels well composed. Not super long on the finish, but there is a delicate citrus-y note that appears here. Hard to rate this.