Had a throwdown last night with Leo and Brian. The wines were a 99 Monfortino, 02 Jadot Richebourg, 82 PLL and a 90 La Chapelle. All wines showed beautifully and my fav was the 82 Pichon.
1 Like
Lovely entry level Burg from a high value producer. Needed about 45 minutes or so to open up. Amazing value for around $50. Bought a couple more.
5 Likes
I just ordered a case and a half of Marcus’ sparklers to share with friends.
7 Likes
I’m going to end up doing the same and adding in some WV PN to fill out a case when the weather cools.
2 Likes
We are having a rainy day so a 2020 Chateau des Tours seemed a good choice.
Strawberry, tobacco and spice on the nose. Ripe sweet stawberries follow on the palate. Lovely balance and length with more spice on the finish. Just a hint of warmth on the back end. Lovely drinking right now but will certainly improve with more cellaring
7 Likes
These two made for a GREAT evening! My first Bryant…and won’t be my last! A wonderful showing from this 17 year old classic.
5 Likes
L’Olivera Agaliu 2024
Gifted to me by a colleague. 100% Macabeu. Fragrant and fresh. Decent concentration with some texture on the mid-palate, fruity, plenty of citrusy acidity. Good.
2 Likes
Another humbling Friday blind tasting with a theme of Old World wines, which was little help in nailing down the wines.
The Envinate showed both reduction and a nutty oxidation but with bright acidity that led me to Jura. The J & S Dauvissat was the best wine I’ve had from this producer, with bright gold color and rich Chardonnay fruit, but not showing much acidity, my guess was a 2015 Chassagne. I brought the Pinon, which was showing brilliantly, a great example of sec tendre Vouvray and showing much more freshness than the dark gold color suggested. The 2014 Dauvissat was advanced, with cheesy notes that distracted from my enjoyment, not a bad wine but not close to expectations.
The MastroJanni was lovely and most of us correctly guessed Sangiovese though its brightness and elegance steered me away from Brunello. The Lambert’s ash, pyrazine, and dark fruit screamed Loire Cabernet Franc to me, though I thought old school Chinon and guessed a Couly-Dutheil Clos de l’Echo. I guessed Nebbiolo on the Le Chiuse Brunello as the anise and tar steered me wrong, but it was a good wine.
My biggest miss was the 1990 Bramaterra, in part from playing the person and not the wine. It showed earthy notes with leather and red cherry, with color indicating age, which reminded me of some heat-affected Dominique Laurents that the person who brought it had brought in the past, so my guess was a slightly heat-damaged 2014 Laurent Gevrey. I should have listened to what the wine was saying, but it was lovely.
I didn’t get a picture of my 1998 St.-Cosme Cote-Rotie, but it was terrific, loaded with olives, smoked meat, and white pepper with enough brambly fruit to keep the savory elements from being overpowering and held together by ample acidity. I’ve had it a few times since release but this was the best bottle so far. I think it has reached peak, so I’ll probably drink my last couple of bottles over the next few years.
7 Likes
Hottest day of the year. A bit extra on the whites. RM, PM and Aubert all showed great. MB very nice but could’ve used more air
3 Likes
2020 Thymiopoulos Terra Petra Rapsani
Didn’t really need to decant, poured into decanter anyway but started drinking immediately. It did expand a little over time but it was good enough right off the bat. Scents of tomato vine and strawberries, with dried strawberries and a slight pepper finish on the tongue.
1 Like
I’m a pretty big Gewürztraminer fan, and people recommended Scheurebe to me as another aromatic varietal. So here goes, first Scheurebe tasting:
Nose of mainly ripe peach, a joy to smell. Taste is primarily ripe peach and passionfruit, a real flavor bomb, very nice. What I also like about this is the acidity that finely cuts through the strong aromatics.
7 Likes
Opened the 2001 four years ago with my daughter to celebrate her 21st birthday! Some stewed fruit but overall a wonderful CdP. 2001 is not a bad birth year to have!!
2024 Perry Colin “Oregon Blanc” Willamette Valley Chardonnay
First taste of a mixed six-pack from BD17. First night was super acidic, tight, totally closed down. Drank a half glass without much pleasure and corked it.
Day two totally different wine. Still incredibly young, tightly coiled, but nose has beautifully clean lemon pith, green green green apple, and river stone minerality with light flint. Palate follows initially with green apple and lemon, then intriguing evolution of light oak and flint. There is a fullness/cream and spice to the mid-palate that is lovely without being obtrusive at all, then finish of ripping acidity and tart apple.
Right now still super tight, but very finely built wine. Going to give my other two bottles at least a couple of years. Yet another Oregon Chardonnay producer to keep an eye on…
3 Likes
This was quite an interesting comparison on two wines I would not normally order. Had some staff heading off to Europe and one of the girls loves Veuve Cliquot and was looking forward to her visit there in a couple of weeks. As a farewell we cracked a bottle of Veuve NV. It was rather good, good richness from the Pinot, a little coarse in the finish and with a touch of RS but the gathered crowd of non wine geeks were impressed. To compare I cracked a bottle of NV Taittinger. It was finer, more citrus and white fruits, showing more Chardonnay character. It was a bit short and seemed younger, but also with similar RS levels to the Veuve. The crowd fav was the VC and I tend to agree!
3 Likes
2023 Darling Den Chosta Syrah
Moss, bell pepper, green onion on the vegetal side paired with medium to high acid and dark red fruit. Light florals and residual pepper. Dark color, low alcohol.
Pretty tight for the first 45 mins. Less prominent fruit, more vegetal. But became more cohesive with air and turned into something quite enjoyable. Really impressive at 11.5% alcohol.
1 Like
Grabbed this at the Bar Room at the Modern. Drinking great, and a relative bargain at 210 on the list (looked when I got home and that seems like basically current retail).
1 Like
Chicago offline with @Matt_England and others:
- 2019 Azienda Agricola Mattè Trento Riserva Extra Brut
- 2023 Kinsman Eades Chenin Blanc Aberro
- 2021 Hirsch Vineyards Chardonnay
- 2023 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurène
- 2022 Kinsman Eades Syrah Aberro Le Mani Vineyard
- 2022 Beta Cabernet Sauvignon Mariana’s - My WOTN
- 2022 Beta Cabernet Sauvignon Maus
- 2014 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard - Most votes WOTN
- 2019 Miner Family Napa Valley Red Wine
7 Likes
Thanks for hosting! Good company and good food too! It was a toss up for me between the Bedrock and the Marianas and gave the slight edge to the former