Vacation Wines

[RPCV]

Packed up a few wines for our usual trip to the lake.

2000 Larrivet Haut Brion

Opened one hour before service, no decant. Nice garnet color fading at the rim. Nice aromas of cedar, black cherry, licorice, and tobacco. Perfectly ready to go, medium-bodied with a nice glycerol mouth feel. Clean finishing wine. Drink up.

2000 Lagrange (St. Julian)

We had this after the Larrivet Haut Brion. Opened two hours before consumption. Larger framed and much more classic. This wine has a saturated bright ruby-purple with brooding aromas of cassis, violet and cedar. Cherry and lead pencil lead the slightly unresolved tannins on the palate. Great wine and no harm drinking these now, just decant.

2000 Moulin St. Georges

Opened one hour before consumption. Aromas of redcurrant, mocha, game and dark chocolate. Supple, round and expanding, with a slight chewiness to the mouth feel. A fairly dense wine but one that is ready to go....needs food.

2000 Duhart Milan

Sadly, this was corked.

1998 Muller-Catoir Haarter Burger Spatlese

I will refrain from the descriptors on this one....I was rendered speechless. A wine of Grand Cru quality and definition and certainly my wine of the year. Consumed in the shimming light of a lake Michigan sunset alongside my lovely wife.....it was magical.

2010 Huet Clos du Bourg Sec

Quince and citrusy aromas rise from the glass with a smooth transition to the palate. Lovely wine all around. These will keep for a few more years but I will opt to consume the remaining bottles in the next 2-3 years.

2007 Huet Vouvray Petillant

Sappy and exotic on the nose with mango, peach and a hint of catalpa blossom. Demi-sec in character, the exotic flavors present the palate with a balance of chiseled acidity. Glorious and á point.

2010 Simon Bize Bourgogne Blanc Perrierres

My go-to white burgundy these days. Classy, pure and defined. Solid wine for the money.

2006 Martina Brunello

Opened two hours before service and consumed with pasta, red sauce and meatballs. Lifting cherry nose and chalky, ripe tannins with a glycerol finish. Good wine and ready to go. This was a nice bargain at release ~$24.

[DavidG]

Nice batch of 2000s. Glad to hear that they are ready for action... Sorry about the corked Duhart.

I'm also a fan of the Huet Vouvrays and have to remind myself to restock.

[Nicklasss]

Nice set of wines. So the 2000 seemed open for business, and for the coming years.

Sorry about that Duhart-Milon. I opened a 2000 not so long ago and liked it very much for it classical style.

FWIW

"this 2000 Château Duhart-Milon has a nice red and moghany color. Nose is medium power, but is really complex: Cedar and lead pencil to start, open on some red berries, spices, santal wood, and cherries. In mouth, more power than on the nose, complexity is there too. Flavors of dark red berries, cherries, game, wood, minerals and just a very light touch of licorice. Very good présence, but in a austere way, like that AOC should be. Balanced, with a long burned leather and dark cranberry finish. Nothing modern here, traditionnal aftertaste, with medium tannins and good acidity. And like I wrote in the title, a "reasonnable" 12.5 % alcohol.

An excellent wine, that rose too much in price in the latest vintages.

Probably far away in style to the 2009 Château Canon La Gaffelière, but very good traditionnal Bordeaux. TN : 91-92."

Nic

[RDD]

1998 Muller-Catoir Haarter Burger Spatlese

Muller-Catoir makes stunning wines.

[AKR]

Thanks for the notes. It sounds like some of those should be consumed sooner rather than later.

I'm assuming they were all from your cellar?

[RPCV]

All purchased on release and stored at 56 degrees. The only wine I would recommend drinking up in the next 5 years is the Larrivet. The Lagrange had plenty in the tank and the Moulin St. Georges is entering prime drinking but can go for another 7-10 plus.