Friday vino and a great one…2003 Giscours and 2004 Clos du Marquis. Giscours by a long nose…it’s the cassis in the nose for me and something in mid palate…both showing very well for nigh on 20 years
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Maybe 1-2 points less but still very lovely. I often experience some bottle variation with Boyer’s wines, but rarely worry about it. As usual, I also underestimate the necessary decant time for his wines.
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Think I paid 26€ for this. Approachable and absolutely stunning. Only bought two bottles back then. That was a mistake.
Now around 36 euros for the 2016 so still acceptable?
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Yes. I would say that vintage is a 50+ euro wine (for my preferences).
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Went young this evening. P. Usseglio CdP, 2019. Really intense, but really nice. Not sure I’ve previously opened a 2019 CdP, but this bottle is impressive.
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Let’s keep going.
Lots of pictures.
1998 Clos Yon Figeac
You win some, you lose some. Drastic defeat. 3 purchased, 3 dead. Not oxidized just death by old age. Thin, some VA on the nose, memories of red berries and thoughts of better times. RIP.
1989 La Rose Pauillac
Some bottles are more dead than others. This was just putrid. Weird nose of damp closet and lamb wool. Air and time brings out sewer water and rotten fruit. Begone. Vade Retro Satana.
1996 Lilian Ladouys
Ah! Properly aged Bordeaux. Finally. Upon opening, the tannins were so forward that I thought it might be corked. Double decanted + 3 hours of air after it was back in bottle. Nose: old saddle leather, tobacco, ripe raspberry, cherry, earth and forest floor. Nice medium+ body with medium acidity and tanins that went from aggressive to supporting cast after proper handling. There is a savoury streak from leather to almost saline/mineral finish that is just heart warming. A lovely middling class bottle. Score.
@Jeff_Leve your CT note in 2014 had this as 82 points and fading. 9 years later my bottle was still alive and kicking. Crazy how different bottles can evolve in various ways. I’m so happy I’m not a wine critic 
This was preceeded by a Lamiable Rosé. I got 12 of this for 19 euros a pop at auction:
Terroirs: Tours sur Marne, Bouzy
65% PN, 35% Chard
60% 2015, 40% réserve perpétuelle
Disgorged 01-2019
RS at 7.9g/l
It feels much dryer than 8g/l. Strawberry, citrus and some dried herbs. Mineral, sharp, dry finish. Don’t go looking for this but at 19 euros, pretty decent.
After the Rosé, we had a Louis Michel 2020 Chablis.
There was another bottle of Champagne but i didn’t bring that one and did not see the bottle and didn’t feel like it warranted me to look for the empty.
2019 Benjamin Leroux Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets
Wonderful! What a lovely wine so young. Lightly spicy nose, small red berries that just roll on the tounge so nicely and transitions to a luxurious long, smooth finish. Just cannot stop grinning…
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Hey Phil
It’s not always the bottle as I imagine I tasted it from Lilian. It’s more about personal taste. Close to 30 years of age for a Crus Bourgeois is a long time.
FWIW… When I enter wines on CT, I often find disagreements on older bottles I think are past their prime. Regardless, I’m happy you liked it more than I did.
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19’ Bedrock Bien Nacido Chardonnay. Damn this is drinking beautiful.
Also had a 19 Carignan last night that was really singing.
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2009 Bouchard Pere & Fils Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Under DIAM, 375ml. Light straw color. Muted nose and shy on the palate immediately after pouring. Opens up after 1 hour. Excellent.
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I think that’s absolutely it. I tend to really like wines with age even when tertiary flavors really take over. That 1996 Lilian Ladouys had some fruit on the nose but the palate was all about evolved flavors. This really doesn’t speak to everyone.
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Two years since my last one. Much better now. This is a serious Syrah! Really good. I will probably write a note on it when it is empty.
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2020 Luís Seabra Xisto Ilimitado Branco
My best find from my imaginary wine touring of Portugal during Covid times. A bit reminiscent of a slightly oaked Chablis to me, flinty-mineral lemon, but with a wider fruit profile. Lingering pleasant aftertaste of lemoned apricots. A winner for me. Last of a few 2020’s that we have enjoyed. On to the 2021’s.
Very Recommended.
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Thank you for posting. This reminded me of another Seabra wine I had back in 2019 - a red (Douro Xistro Cru) — that blew me away. A somm recommendation that really paid off. Glad to know this was not a one-off and that Seabra also handles whites with similar aplomb
I had the 2018 Seabra Alvarinho Granito in 2021 and it showed a lot of promise. It was too tight/closed but it felt like time or aggressive carafing would have really let it bloom.
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Thanks for the note. I was chatting with a friend who lives outside of Lisbon about Seabra’s wine and he mentioned that he blocks malolactic fermentation to keep some acidity in the white wines. Is that your recollection when you visited with him?
We are headed to Portugal in a couple of weeks and I’ve really enjoyed reading the notes from your recent trip. I’m doing some ‘homework’ trying out Portuguese wines lately, although my local shop selection is pretty limited. We did enjoy a Casa de Mouraz tinto that was a palhete from Dao recently. A light glou glou style that was very easy to drink.
