Xmas wines

[marcs]

Nothing fancy here but some nice hits.

2015 Cantemerle (half bottle) -- absolutely gorgeous nose on this one, living up to its Margaux (adjaecent) quality in 2015. I find that sometimes more recent vintages of Bordeaux are too heavy/fruity to have that elegant Bordeaux nose to them but this wine hit perfect. Just that simultaneously deep and ethereal cassis fruit offset by just the right quality of freshly tilled earth you can't find in Napa. The palate was somewhat more rigid and tannic and was just solid -- absolutely fine and had Bordeaux typicity but didn't have the beauty of the nose. Good food match to offset the tannins. Some years to go. A good Cantemerle here! The sometimes overly heavy 2015 quality did not appear at all on this Haut-Medoc.

1995 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino Ugolaia -- didn't have high hopes for this one as I've never had a good Brunello (although to be fair I haven't had that many either) and they don't age as long as some other regions. But it was a home run. Had a warm round fruit core offset by tangy appetizing acidity and a unique mushroomy / fungal flavor that was subtle and very pleasant. I have not found that flavor in other regions. Excellent match with Italian food. No wines do acidity quite like Italian wines do when they are on, and this one was on.

2008 Bouchard Le Corton -- proof of Burgundy concept...take a mid-level Burgundy in a mid-level year, age 15 years, get you some magic (OK it's a grand cru but Bouchard Le Corton is not that fancy, until recent years it was under $100/bottle). Very Burgundy in its dried leaves and light/acidic/tangy quality, but underneath was a subtly beautiful red fruit quality, like whole wild strawberries to roll around on your tongue. Fantastic food wine, not in the sense of uh-oh I need food to make it palatable (it was fun on its own) but in the sense of being deeply appetizing and crying out for food.

2001 Leoville Poyferre -- The only dud here. I just don't like LP that much it seems. Felt and tasted mature, smooth, good fruit and in the zone of still having some structure but not being too tannic. But underneath the smooth warm fruit was an unpleasant quality of earthiness, not the good earthiness but a kind of muddy dull blandness that cut off any subtleties in the wine. An unpleasant dull heaviness. Not quite "yuk" but not fun either. I have had the same experience with some other vintages of Leoville Poyferre and also some vintages of Leoville Barton. I am tempted to claim this is a worked / manufactured quality in the wine but I really don't know. Anyway, that was my experience.

[DavidG]

Nice report marcs. I bought a buch of 2105 Cantemerle and have been popping them right and left. No complexity yet but I agree the nose is great and the palate is solid.