What are we drinking in the Omicron ominous?

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sun Feb 13, 2022 11:20 am

Racer Chris wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 10:14 pm Fun afternoon

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The BV was way past it's peak. It was fun to drink at first, but became more work with each small glass. There was some improvement initially, but an obvious note of celery became the dominant feature after a while. It was a little better alongside my spaghetti/meatball dinner but I ended up pouring the last glass down the drain.

The St Emilion was a real pleasure though. Way into the forest floor/herb/leather spectrum and easy to drink by itself, although it would definitely go well next to a steak or roast chicken. Mary said, "That's very drinkable."

PghMike · Post by **PghMike** » Mon Feb 14, 2022 1:31 pm

2016 Pichon Baron

Seemed a little shut down. Took alot of coaxing through swirling even after a five hour decant. Deep purple with a nearly black core. Nose of black plum, rosin and pine tar. Didnt find the fruit too powerful but in balance with the tobacco and cedar. Definitely a crushed/wet stone component to the texture from the tannins.
The powerful tannins and acidity paired well with steak but this one needs years in the bottle at this point. Components are there for an excellent wine in the future. Rating the future potential at 95-97.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Feb 14, 2022 1:52 pm

Thanks for taking one for the team Mike.
I'd imagine this is a 50 year wine.

PghMike · Post by **PghMike** » Mon Feb 14, 2022 7:26 pm

JimHow wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 1:52 pm Thanks for taking one for the team Mike.
I'd imagine this is a 50 year wine.

I wouldn't be surprised at all. Was hoping to catch the early window but clearly was too late on this one.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:08 am

With the Super Bowl meal (wings, nachos and pizzas) we opened a 2016 Chateau Haut-Breton Lagaraudière that was very good Margaux. Good medium intensity, smart red fruits, blackberries, margauxberries, something seductive, with good plush mid-palate. Decent length, with more black earthy tones. Not that long. Very good, balanced, maybe missing a little "oomf" of concentration. Tn: 89.

Tonight, the 2014 Domaine La Suffrène Bandol is full of elegance. Only 60 % mourvedre (almost at the minimum required by the aoc, that is 50 %), completed with grenache, cinsault and carignan, that give a lot of softness to the wine. Dark color, nice nose of spicy blackcurrants, meat or cow leather, rosemary, black pepper and cocoa. In mouth, the mourvedre is vindicative, with lot of black plums, blackcurrants, blackcherries, meat, with nice acidity and austerity too. There is a strong violet grape character too, maybe some ink and finally black chocolate flavors. For the price, convincing. Tn: 90-91.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:19 am

With Lucie's amazing duck legs in a mixed non sweet fruit sauce, turnip mashed potatoes, and ribbon zucchini we drank

1995 La Lagune. 11 out of 12 bottles of this are putrid, but this one was amazing. Beautiful nose of margauxberries and cassis and leather. Firmly textured for a La Lagune of this age, it complemented the duck well. Good bottles of the 1985 have been good since the early 1990s and show no signs of going down hill. Unfortunately, the chance of getting a good bottle at an auction in the USA is 1 in 12, so the price of a good bottle is more than the cost of a bottle of a first growth.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:27 am

That 1995 La Lagune is especially known to be variable, be sure to keep away, especially at auction.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:36 am

Tonight, for Valentine's Day I opened a half bottle of 1986 Ch.L'Arrosee. It wasn't like the '81 from a couple days ago at all. Not especially earthy, this was loaded with fresh fruit and much brighter.

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:35 pm

No heart on my Valentine’s Day bottle this year but my bottle was made with heart. D’Artagnan veal osso bucco and a 2009 Burlotto Barolo that was double decanted for 6 hours; lovely aromatics of black cherry pastille candy, roses and herbs that gave way to a juicy yet tart, wild strawberry and earthy menthol sappiness that lingered. 93

Musigny 151 · Post by **Musigny 151** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:43 pm

Racer Chris wrote: ↑Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:36 am Tonight, for Valentine's Day I opened a half bottle of 1986 Ch.L'Arrosee. It wasn't like the '81 from a couple days ago at all. Not especially earthy, this was loaded with fresh fruit and much brighter.

We did a vertical at the chateau before the sale. Without doubt, the best wine there, and my last bottle was incredibly attractive still.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Thu Feb 17, 2022 1:04 pm

Had some interesting variety this week so far but no great wines.

Currently sipping 2015 Remoissenet Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru Sous Fretille Blanc.
I really like the style of these wines and have been buying them for decades.
Colour is light gold, some viscosity and shows vanilla and toasty oak, citrus, honey, baked apple and quince on the nose and palate. The oak is obvious but seems to layer the wine and the fruit Is deep and rich. The vintage isn’t exactly classic for whites but it does offer some minerality to balance it. Anyway I always enjoy Remoissenets.

2016 Bourbon la Chappelle Medoc.
An unpretentious Medoc with no claim to fame but offers a decent mouthful. Medium bodied with ruby red colour and nose of old oak, dark fruit, cherry and tobacco. Similar palate with moderate intensity and good acidity. Not very tannic and probably should be drunk soon. Not bad.

2015 Grosset Piccadilly (Adelaide Hills) Chardonnay.
Grosset is famous for Riesling though the entire range are really nice.
This Chardonnay shows aged characters on the nose and palate but has Puligny like minerality and toasty, stony flavours to balance the rich fruit. Best Aust wine I’ve had for some time and I’ll hunt down more. Lovely balance with intensity and balance. Excellent at least.

De Villemandy Champagne NV.
There is a long story here as it was picked up on an e-commerce site by the case - priced as a single bottle. Seriously the import duties and GST would have been twice the selling price.
It isn’t a great Champagne but offers plenty of flavour with some minerality and pithy acidity. Needs more mid palate density for high points but sip and forget.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Thu Feb 17, 2022 1:15 pm

stefan wrote: ↑Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:19 am With Lucie's amazing duck legs in a mixed non sweet fruit sauce, turnip mashed potatoes, and ribbon zucchini we drank

1995 La Lagune. 11 out of 12 bottles of this are putrid, but this one was amazing. Beautiful nose of margauxberries and cassis and leather. Firmly textured for a La Lagune of this age, it complemented the duck well. Good bottles of the 1985 have been good since the early 1990s and show no signs of going down hill. Unfortunately, the chance of getting a good bottle at an auction in the USA is 1 in 12, so the price of a good bottle is more than the cost of a bottle of a first growth.

Stefan
Sorry you have had such a rough time with these.
What seems to be the cause? Seems like a batch problem.
The estate isn’t exactly a BWE favourite but I have had mainly good experiences with it, though a few failures.

For what it’s worth I took a bottle of this to an event in NYC largely organised by Arvind in Dec 2000 and it was from memory quite good.
Cheers
Mark

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu Feb 17, 2022 1:19 pm

Claudius…
When it comes to La Lagune, Stefan does not want any of the rest of us to bid on them at auction. I think you will see a common theme in his notes.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sun Feb 20, 2022 11:43 pm

Double decanted at lunchtime, finishing the bottle with dinner.
Very nice but I think past peak.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Mon Feb 21, 2022 1:02 pm

I’m sipping 2016 Lanessan Haut Medoc.
Initially I did not like it much - the acid is a bit shrill, and the smoky oak a bit too firm.
After a few hours in a decanter it is much better. Nice dark red colour, nose and palate show cassis, dark cherry and cedary oak.

With time I get more Merlot characters of plum and red fruit, and I sipped it with the largest steak I’ve eaten for a very long time. I think it was a slice of Brontosaurus……

This is a good wine with some complexity but isn’t particularly intense and whilst it offers some freshness and a touch of herbal characters, it does not show quite enough depth and I’m not sure I’d bother buying it again. It is like a beginners wine to explore the Medoc. I think it will improve more over the next decade though don’t expect it to be a great wine.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Mon Feb 21, 2022 3:20 pm

With delivered pizza we drank 2013 Ridge Geyserville last night while watching the NBA All Star game. The Geyserville is classy for a Zin--balanced, fruity, and floral--but, unlike my name sake, not impressive or distinctive.

marcs · Post by **marcs** » Mon Feb 21, 2022 3:30 pm

I thought the 2016 Lanessan was excellent and am going to post a separate thread explaining why

Along those lines - I am starting to feel like having this one giant TN thread is discouraging people from posting separate threads on their tasting notes…I feel that reduces traffic for the rest of the forum. TNs are the bread and butter of a wine board and the format of putting them all in one giant thread seems like it would discourage conversation around each one.

But I realize this thread probably feels more convenient for many people…what do others think?

JoelD · Post by **JoelD** » Mon Feb 21, 2022 3:39 pm

marcs wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 3:30 pm I thought the 2016 Lanessan was excellent and am going to post a separate thread explaining why

Along those lines - I am starting to feel like having this one giant TN thread is discouraging people from posting separate threads on their tasting notes…I feel that reduces traffic for the rest of the forum. TNs are the bread and butter of a wine board and the format of putting them all in one giant thread seems like it would discourage conversation around each one.

But I realize this thread probably feels more convenient for many people…what do others think?

I agree with this. Or maybe just posted short notes for what you drank all week in one spot and let others respond to that.

I haven't been drinking much the last 6 weeks so I haven't had anything worth posting about really

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Feb 21, 2022 4:34 pm

Yes it’s not a big deal but I agree, I usually prefer to see notes posted separately, it accentuates that more activity is occurring in the site, rather than hidden within one thread.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Tue Feb 22, 2022 12:34 pm

marcs wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 3:30 pm I thought the 2016 Lanessan was excellent and am going to post a separate thread explaining why

Along those lines - I am starting to feel like having this one giant TN thread is discouraging people from posting separate threads on their tasting notes…I feel that reduces traffic for the rest of the forum. TNs are the bread and butter of a wine board and the format of putting them all in one giant thread seems like it would discourage conversation around each one.

But I realize this thread probably feels more convenient for many people…what do others think?

I would not expect it to ever be an excellent wine though with some more time I would expect it to be better, more integrated and interesting.

I think this wine lacks mid palate intensity and depth. It shows reasonable structure and went well with the food, but it does not really grab me. It was a step up from the AC Medoc we drank last week (same vintage) but in retrospect I’d rather pay a bit more and get a Cru Classe.

One point about the usage of this thread. It asks what we are drinking in the COVID days and thus it seems to make sense to include new reviews but I get your point and will start a new thread next time.

Cheers
Mark

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Wed Feb 23, 2022 2:28 am

Tonight with grilled quail, brown rice, and GW Bush's "favorite" vegetable we drank 1988 La Lagune. The match was perfect. The wine was well within its "plateau of maturity" with soft tannins, blackberry (not automatic for LL) flavors, and a Graves/Margaux nose that was inviting without being overpowering. Quite impressive for the seventh best vintage of LL in the 1981-1990 decade.

Too bad that if you buy this wine at auction it will likely be awful. LL at auctions from this period are mostly ruined, probably because they were stored at 80F for many years.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Wed Feb 23, 2022 11:56 am

I was supposed to go to a Cru Bourgeois dinner on Monday night, but was thwarted by Covid. I was going to bring along Sociando Mallet 1996 and La Lagune 1985, which should not have been allowed because it is a classed growth, even though it does not belong to a famous commune. In the event the La Lagune 1989 won the tasting in a landslide. It was in everyone’s top two, with Chasse Spleen 1985 and Poujeaux 1996 in distant second and third places respectively.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Wed Feb 23, 2022 12:16 pm

Guys
These days I only buy back vintages on any French wine when it is directly sourced in Europe and even then I will micromanage the supply chain. However, why is the 88 La Lagune in a worse place storage wise than anything else from that vintage? Was there on importer who messed it up?

In any event, LL did well in the 80s and it was a wine that I sought out in the 80s and 90s and always enjoyed it apart from the occasional off bottle. Being “only” from the Haut Medoc, it was better QPR than many similarly ranked wines and I gulped down many bottles of this wine and always enjoyed it.
I’m not surprised it trounced the CB’s in a tasting. The 2000 was arguably a miss and I did not buy it again until 2009 though I’ve bought a handful of vintages since.

After drinking the Lanessan 2016 a few days ago, I would happily drink LL any day in preference. I am not saying Lanessan is crap, it is simply that it did not ring any bells in my head and I’ve had various CBs that to my palate were better, Sociando Mallet of course but Others including Potensac in particular.

Cheers
Mark

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Feb 23, 2022 12:25 pm

lol...
Claudius....
Stefan is joking.
If you look at his notes, you will find that EVERY bottle of his and Lucie's favorite estate, La Lagune, is "notoriously" damaged.
He does not want LL to rise in price at auction, and so is therefore "badmouthing" it, to ensure lower auction prices.
We have an impact on the market here at Bordeaux Wine enthusiasts, a la the $595 bottles of 1989 Lynch Bages!

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Wed Feb 23, 2022 1:59 pm

Jim
Ok ok I get it….
Though I don’t want the price to increase either especially over here in the East where we slapped hard with taxes and duties.
Cheers
Mark

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Feb 23, 2022 2:01 pm

You gotta watch out for that Stefan guy, he's a sly one.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Wed Feb 23, 2022 2:27 pm

Delete your slanderous posts, BD, or I will sue you!

Meanwhile, back to the serious storage issue, Mark. My theory is that since La Lagune is not allowed to append some fancy place name to its label, owners deem it unserious and typically store it their kitchen pantries standing up.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Thu Feb 24, 2022 11:04 am

marcs wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 3:30 pm I thought the 2016 Lanessan was excellent and am going to post a separate thread explaining why

I'm looking forward to your thread, as I just opened a bottle of '16 Lanessan and poured a glass last night.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Thu Feb 24, 2022 2:09 pm

stefan wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 2:27 pm Delete your slanderous posts, BD, or I will sue you!

Meanwhile, back to the serious storage issue, Mark. My theory is that since La Lagune is not allowed to append some fancy place name to its label, owners deem it unserious and typically store it their kitchen pantries standing up.

Stefan
Even worse they can ship it to SE Asia without refrigeration and probably as deck cargo on the slow boat from Bordeaux. As it is “only” a humble Haut Medoc nobody will bother with reefer freight or air cargo. Then it takes ages for the cargo to be unloaded, moved in and out of the stevedores and then carried in a little open truck in heatwaves and storms. If you actually see the lack of care in the supply chain it is a wonder that anything is drinkable here.

Cheers
Mark

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Fri Feb 25, 2022 5:59 am

Exactly right, Mark.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Wed Mar 02, 2022 12:21 pm

Currently sipping on an Aussie wine for a change.

2017 Oakridge Yarra Valley Cabernet.
This region is one of three good regions for Aust Cabernet - the others are Coonawarra and Margaret River, though some producers in several other regions do make excellent cabs. Yarra Valley is a bit cooler than Bordeaux and more similar to St Emilion in terms of overall climate.

Had I tried this wine blind I would have been unsure if it was Australian or Bordeaux. The wine offers good balance and 13% alcohol with freshness and complexity. 2017 was a lighter year with cooler weather and some rain but this is not watery or underripe. Nose shows French oak, cassis and red currant fruit, a touch of herbs and capsicum and touch of chocolate. Similar palate with firm acidity and moderate tannins, the fruit is to the fore. It has more acidity than most Aussie Cabernets and it isn’t sweet or cloying.

This is the style of Cab I’d like to see Australia make more of.

Cheers
Mark

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Wed Mar 02, 2022 1:50 pm

After a Lanessan mini vertical last weekend, I decided that Sangiovese would be best with my mushroom ravioli last night, so I opened another 2017 Felsina Chianti Classico. It hit the spot.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Mar 02, 2022 2:03 pm

Yes that's a beauty, Chris, drinking better than the reserva, not surprisingly.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Sat Mar 05, 2022 11:34 am

Back to Bordeaux.
This week, after the Chianti, I drank:
2014 Ch. Meyney - still needs a ton of air to fully express itself.
2016 Ch. Puygueraud - my first experience with this Francs, Cotes de Bordeaux. Its a very good Merlot blend, modern leaning but with good regional typicity and not overripe. Drinking well now but could use a little more time in bottle. Certainly a good value at $20.
Currently open: 2016 Ch. La Ribaud - another first for me. Interestingly, the blend in this Medoc is close to that of the Cotes de Bordeaux, mostly Merlot and CF. The similarity is apparent, and the Ribaud is also easy to enjoy.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sat Mar 05, 2022 3:28 pm

We drank a Grand Corbin Despagne 2014 the other night. Soft enough to drink now but firm enough for the steak we ate.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Thu Mar 10, 2022 12:49 pm

Last night drank 2017 Muga Rioja Riserva.
It is not nearly as good as the Prada Enea but a really well made Rioja with good structure and a tightness that I’d normally associate with Bordeaux rather than Spain. The oak is mainly French and there is lots of good dark fruits, cedar, smoky oak and good acid and tannins. The fruit tends to hide the firm tannins and after sipping through the bottle we were both thirsty and felt the tannins for some time.

The fruit is fresh and intense and this is a very good value - the Prada Enea was about 2.5 times the price when I last bought it. I bought 6 more so will leave the rest for a few years to tame the tannins.

Cheers
Mark

Dandersson · Post by **Dandersson** » Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:01 pm

Tonight: Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses 2016
Aromas of blackberry, black currant and blueberries, some herbs.
In the mouth, very fresh clear and pure deep flavors of blackberry, black currant and blueberries, some herbs and wet stone.
Great balance, ready to enjoy but this likely will be better with aging. To me this is like a softer Bordeaux. This is excellent QPR.
This is the first 30 mins of drinking, it is just great directly out of the bottle.

Some recent wines.
Olga Raffault Chinon Les Peuilles 2018
Aromas of dark fruit, deep black cassis flavors, a bit too young/fruit for my taste, very easy to drink. Good balance very mild tannins. Good QPR. This will likely be bought again.
After tasting Les Picasses today I do think the slight step up in price is more than rewarded.

Ermitage Du Pic St. Loup Tour De Pierres Rouge 2018
Great QPR, really nice blackberry fruit. Reminds me of a Crozes, this is pure and balanced. Syrah is dominating this wine. Simply a great not expensive wine. (S-G-M 50-30-20)

Escudo Rojo Syrah Reserva 2019
Good fruit flavors mainly dark blackberry/Syrah style. Rather off putting metallic nose that did not go away fully with time in the glass.
Nice wine but only good say 82-83.

Have a great weekend!

Best, Dan

Ianjaig · Post by **Ianjaig** » Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:05 pm

2020 Kumeu River Chardonnay Rays Road:
I don't drink a lot of New Zealand wines but was tempted to try this after its big brother (the 2020 "Mates") took out some recent awards.
Enjoyed this. Citrus, lime and green apple. Subtle and refined, not overly buttery at all. Very enjoyable and worth cellaring to see how it develops. Not sure if this is available much overseas, but I would recommend giving it a go.

Ianjaig · Post by **Ianjaig** » Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:37 pm

Dandersson wrote: ↑Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:01 pm Tonight: Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses 2016

I had the 2018 of this a while ago and enjoyed it. Found it improved with a little bit of time in the fridge.

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:51 pm

marcs wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 3:30 pm I thought the 2016 Lanessan was excellent and am going to post a separate thread explaining why

Along those lines - I am starting to feel like having this one giant TN thread is discouraging people from posting separate threads on their tasting notes…I feel that reduces traffic for the rest of the forum. TNs are the bread and butter of a wine board and the format of putting them all in one giant thread seems like it would discourage conversation around each one.

But I realize this thread probably feels more convenient for many people…what do others think?

I agree and also think it makes it easier to find TN's to append current comments to.