I like the mix of your bag, Nic--nicely done!

I've had a number of tasty 97 Brunello and 88 Bordeaux recently it seems--sounds like the Casanova di Neri and Lynch Bages are keeping on with that pattern. Thanks for the notes!

Michael

How about the tannins, Jim? I found it pretty darned tannic 15 months back. 1998 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac-Leognan . Rich ripe plum, sweaty saddle leather and brown spice aromas just leap out of the glass after a pop and pour. Also along for the ride are aromas of smoky campfire embers, moch...

Hey, thanks, Chris! I appreciate this note. My wife and I had a nice visit to P-L a few years back now and tasted I think the 2001 through the 2005. We bought some 04 for our daughters' birthyear stash, but I also recall thinking it was one of the better quality to price ratios in their line-up at t...

Two weekends back, Zach invited a bunch of winos up to his ski house in Vermont for another weekend of wine, poker and fun. We’ve done two winter events there and this was the second summer outing. The group was smaller than normal (6 of us), but the rituals were much the same—tons of wine, lots of ...

Last week I played a very pleasant round of golf with Trung in the morning and then joined him and Tom at his house for a delicious Vietnamese lunch and some 1996/1997 Barolos. Starter: 2008 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Loibner Klostersatz . This wine smells like a breath of springtime i...

I guess I am getting old. I have in fact had two other '93s and not very long ago, either! I may have to seek out some other producers from that year to fill out my perspective on the vintage some more--any suggestions? 1993 Château Leoville Barton St. Julien . 11/2009 There are a lot of jalapeno pe...

I was the host for our most recent poker event in July—our thirtieth as a formal group. My idea was to serve bottles made entirely or at least primarily from a single grape variety and see how well people could pick out the grape that made each wine. I did announce the 11 different varieties right f...

Indeed! :D I took the leftover wine home, however, and on night 2 the wine was still less giving than I recall it being a few years ago, though it was certainly more approachable than on night 1. So, I do believe the wine is in a bit of a tight phase right now, though probably not as bad as it seeme...

Great to hear about that 99 Latour Corton Charlemagne!

I know exactly what you are talking about with regard to the 2001 Pichon Baron. A bottle in March 2008 was just fantastic--I rated it well above the 01's from Gruaud Larose, Leoville Poyferre and Cos d'Estournel that night. We tried a bottle just 2 nights ago and this time it was a whole lot tighter...

Jacques, others commented that the wine was "austere" but for me it was more sour tartness. It was just bought that day, from what I understand, so it simply could have been a less than perfect bottle, too. Glad to hear you had better experiences! FWIW, my favorite of the 04 Fevres I've tr...

Jud and Lisa hosted our regular group tasting at their house in July, with a theme of white Burgundy. We sat out on the screened porch, watched a gorgeous sunset over the ocean and drank beautiful wines with a series of delightful potluck dishes prepared by the hosts and guests. 2004 Chateau de Fuis...

Nice tasting, thanks for the notes. Glad to hear the 1990 de Malle is doing pretty well--I think we have that one on tap from my brother in law's cellar later this year.

-Michael

Back in June, I joined 4 friends for a tasting of Savigny les Beaune La Dominode wines at our usual restaurant of choice for these Burgundy explorations. Starter: 2000 Domaine de Montbourgeau L'Etoile Cuvee Speciale . Three of us dug this wine and two most definitely did not—it is that sort of wine....

Interesting commentary comparing the 2000 Pape Clement and 2000 SHL. They are, as you say, both very good--with my preference going toward the Pape Clement. To me, the SHL is very black fruited, polished and smooth, but a bit aloof and cool at this stage. The Pape Clement is much more inviting and e...

I had a somewhat abbreviated experience with the wine a few weeks back. It was being served at a tasting that I had to unexpectedly leave in a hurry, but here were my impressions based on just one fairly quick (for me) glass: This smells of dark cherry, plum, fig, chocolate pudding skin and exotic s...

Well, I know it is a biodynamically farmed site and based on the Ceritas (and I sort of recall a Flowers from some years back), I'm interested to try more from this locale. De Loach, Bjornstad and Tandem are the ones that come to mind, though there are likely others. No clue on the Estate wines--the...

The Ceritas is a pretty small operation, though I think you can buy it from Rare Wine Company for about $50. According to one of the attendees, John Raytek of Ceritas is also the assistant winemaker at Copain winery, and is married to Phoebe Porter Bass, whose family owns the Porter Bass Vineyard. B...

I was invited to dine with my friend Ed’s group last month. When he told me this august group of francophiles had chosen a theme of California Chardonnay for the evening, I almost dropped dead from shock. I should have known then and there that there would be some very old bottles dusted off that ev...

Blair and Kelly invited a gaggle of folks over to watch some World Cup football last month, and we all descended on their place with a mish-mash of wines and food to watch a pretty good match with a positive outcome for our side. It was a great day all around. Whites: 2000 Pierre Gimonnet Champagne ...

Great note on that wine! Aromatically, it seems a bit more consistent with my note from last November. I really like the recommendation of pork buns and duck confit!

-Michael

After a morning round of golf last month with a couple of fellow wine lovers, the three of us grabbed some lunch and sat down with a small sampling of Chateauneuf du Pape bottles. 1998 Château de la Gardine Châteauneuf-du-Pape . The bouquet of this wine is warm and gentle—with fairly complex aromas ...

I joined 15 other local area winos back in June to taste through a line-up of 2003 Bordeaux at one of Boston’s finest dining spots. There were two tables, with identical line-ups and orders of service, with the exception being that one table had the 2003 Talbot and another had the 2003 Sociando Mall...

Jay, thanks for the note and insight. I've only had the wine once, so hard to comment on it being OTH, but I certainly agree about the harshness... 1996 Clos du Marquis Saint Julien . This wine feels ungiving on the nose to me, only slowly opening up over time to show glossy black fruit and earth no...

Every time I've had the 2007 Donjon, it has been extremely voluminous and mouth-filling, though not heavy or ponderous. More deadly serious and fairly introspective--needing time. In '07, my feeling is that the two Vieuxs could not be more different from one another--Vieux Telegraphe delightfully dr...

Great notes on the Peter Michael Chardonnays. I tend to prefer La Carriere over Belle Cote, but I haven't compared the two in 2005. My favorite Belle Cote has been the 2003 *over the 2005, with the 2004 third). Still, I think I would take 2002 or 2003 La Carriere over any of them, when they are on. ...

Some great stuff there, David. Thanks for the note on the '98 Autard. I have a lone bottle and had just seen that Parker scored it 93 in this month's WA retrospective. Sounds like it is drinking well now, but your comment about "still going strong" suggests it can be held a while, which I ...

Great notes, thanks, David. The only 2007 Loring I've tried so far is the Aubaine, which I thought was stuffed but also rather tannic and oaky--needing some time to come around. I was real interested in the Brosseau note, as I've had some good luck with Loring from that site--the 2005 was probably o...

These are just some random notes from wines drunk casually at home over the past few months. Whites and sparklers: N.V. Pierre Moncuit Champagne Cuvée Pierre Moncuit-Delos Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru . This is a really nice Champagne for sniffing, showing a lot of different facets to its personal...

Just went out and bought more '85 and '86 Laurel Glen tonight, Jay!

I think '89 was the first year for d'Armailhac--a real tasty wine that surprised the heck out of me when I first tasted it back in the day.

Our latest poker and wine get-together featured a couple of distinct phases, starting with Burgundies, moving the California Cabs and Syrahs and ending in a mish-mash of after-hours cellar diving. As usual, we drank the main tasting wines double-blind. Blind Starters: 2004 Olivier Leflaive Chassagne...

Wow, some tough grading going on with you guys! :D I've had the '96 just once--last September--and perhaps the fact that it was served double blind next to a '96 Clos du Marquis I didn't care for much at all helped push up my opinion and score. I will gladly drink it again, but will keep the expecta...

Thanks for the comments! The '85 Laurel Glen Sonoma Mtn is every bit as good as this 1986, and I think even more clearly Bordelais in style--showing a fine wiry character I found very appealing about 18 months back. I can't speak for younger vintages of Laurel Glen, but these from the mid-80's have ...

Our last group tasting featured Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa and Sonoma. Nothing was served blind and there was food aplenty to eat while drinking through the line-up. Starters: N.V. Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Tradition Brut 1er Cru . We started off with this sparkler that features an effusive bo...

Five of us gathered last month to taste through some wines from the Chambolle Musigny 1er cru vineyard of Les Charmes. The wines were served single blind and the order was organized by the owner of the restaurant, so nobody knew quite what to expect. Starter: 2002 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vince...

I am way, way behind on notes, so apologies that these are from early May... These were drunk with a small group of guys one evening over some cards and take-out food. 1975 Château Greysac Medoc . From magnum. This has a dull murky color to it and offers some light red fruit, a faint bit of earthy f...

A few of us gathered recently at an old speakeasy in the western ‘burbs to eat some fine dinner and taste through a range of South African wines with the owner of a local wine store that probably carries the largest selection of such wines in the area. He shared with us a lot of background informati...

I had the 2000 d'Armailhac served double-blind in April 07 and liked it a good deal. It was surprisingly accessible, I thought. I made a mental note to buy some after that and did pick up a solo bottle at random some time later, but think I will hold off a bit on opening it. "The nose offers de...

Last month for my birthday celebration, a few of us gathered at our friend Andy’s house for an outrageously delicious meal and some fantastic wines. Andy did most of the cooking, and as expected it was a feast the likes of which I’ll never forget. The food was outstanding and inventive and everybody...