5/18/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

A big and brawny “young” Latour. Extremely dark, verging on black, no orange at the rim. One taster detected some funky notes on the nose but no one else. Instead, big concentration of blackberry and cassis. Surprisingly modest tannins. Good acidity. Drinks very well now. But needs more time to develop nuance and complexity since it is monolithic just now.

5/18/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Much further along than previous bottles, the ‘14 BdM Corton Charlemagne is almost voluptuous in it openness while still maintaining good acidity. Very mid to dark yellow fruity. No fade over 3 hours. I hope its evolution stops here since BdM Corton Charlemagne’s have a record of aging exceptionally well.

5/12/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Very pleasant and perfect for drinking now. Fruity but not overdone. Not a whole lot of Zin character but nicely balanced and acidity is just right. Soft tannins yet not tiring.

5/12/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

The 2004 Dom Pérignon is in a great spot now. Medium yellow, decent mousse, not overly aggressive. The usual DP citric fruit and hint of ginger. Nice texture. Demure yet flavorful and interesting.

5/11/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Nice in an oaky creamy modern style. Black and blue berry, intense and long. With the right food it goes down easy and it’s not too tiring.

5/11/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Potent, modern, powerful, bright. Would be rather anonymous but there is an interesting streak of iron and licorice to add interest. No fatigue, will go on nicely.

5/3/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Drink Bordeaux’s bottle. Superb, powerful, intense yet lifted by acidity and its balance. A lot of tobacco leaf to begin. Then Latour flavors of cassis and black licorice. Very Pauillac. Fully ready.

5/3/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Mature Coche Genevrières can be magnificent, with the oily texture and full body you sometimes get with Coche. Perhaps marginally less concentrated that a mature Perrières but that is quibbling. Starts at light in color then deepens to mid gold without losing focus or complexity. Elegant for its size, too. Arguably a trifle low in acidity. Great, don’t wait.

5/3/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Interesting and unusual, as common with Goisse. Advanced. No bubbles after the initial spritz. Medium full. A note of ginger dominates at first. But not really a step up from the original disgorgement and not compelling.

4/27/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

It was so backwards the last time I tried it this time I let it breathe in the open decanter for almost an hour. That proved to be a good move since it dramatically opened and deepened to the extent it seemed fully mature. It showed very big for Meursault Perrières, viscous, buttery, yellow fruity. Delicious. Yet there was a slight letdown because the acidity did not seem quite up to the task to buffer the big fruit. Therefore I am concerned about the future but I can sure enjoy it now.

4/27/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

An excellent bottle, from Rare Wine. Deeply mature but well preserved. Appropriate mousse. Very Krug - rye bread, whiskey barrel, caramel, brioche. Good acidity. Full body. It won’t improve so I hope it will hold on for a while.

4/23/2024 - sdr wrote:

No obvious flaws in this champagne but no special character. Anonymous. Not tired or underripe though.

4/23/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

A very nice effort from this disastrous vintage. Plenty of pleasant bready fragrance and better than decent mid palate impact. Mature now. Moderately good champagne character and good balance and acidity and doesn’t taste underripe. Just lacks the concentration of better vintages.

4/20/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

This was a Mähler-Besse bottle released in 2005 that I purchased maybe a decade ago. Beautiful deep ruby robe. Gorgeous fragrance of pure “Margauxberry” (violet and dark plum). Medium weight. Very, very pretty and nice acidity. Elegant. Soft to no tannin. Lovely flavor - but very light since there is no grip.

4/20/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

I was surprised by the intensity and domination of the pineapple scent and flavor of this Chablis. It’s a pleasant white wine but without detectable Chablis cut and salinity. Full body, modestly viscous. Good length. Mature but no oxidation or fading.

4/19/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Developing well but short of the defining Dom Pérignon character. Even fairly simple at this stage. Youthfully energetic. Surprisingly large bubbles and short lived foam. Give Dom Pérignon from a great vintage at least 20 years to see what it has.

4/19/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Now entering prime time, the ‘04 P2 is richly flavorful. More bread and yeast than the citrus of young DP - or even a P2 on release. Powerful acidity, great length, intense. Drink now for its energy or wait a bit longer for it to soften up and become more complex.

4/16/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Clean fresh and pale, the wine is a delight to drink. It quickly gets lost though among other white Burgundies, even if they are all Chablis. Moderate detail and finish. Perhaps I should not expect more from a Premier Cru.

4/14/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

A great example. Tonight besting the famous ‘89 because it’s much more developed. Beautiful fruit, tannins and acidity - much more fruit than smoke or hickory. It won’t get better even from perfectly stored bottles.

4/14/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

The maturity level of various bottles of ‘89 Haut-Brion varies a lot. This bottle, purchased near release, was one of the younger versions. Deeply saturated ruby, no orange. A little shy on the nose. Powerful core of intense cassis fruit. Long. Not very complex yet but that will surely come.

4/13/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

The wine soaked slick top of the cork did not inspire confidence this would be a sound bottle although the ullage was 1cm . Nor did the loose cork. But Bacchus was watching over me and delivered a marvelous bottle. The color was almost black with some maroon. Smells like charcoal. It tasted black too - licorice, black olive, black pepper and blackberry. The interestingly raw character of La Landonne was on display. Powerful and spicy. Opened gradually in the glass to become more complex, integrated and marginally softer. This will last a long time but it won't be better than now.

4/6/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

A good wine but well off the superb 1990 version. Medium deep ruby. Gorgeous bouquet, powerful aroma of sweet black- and blue- berry. Light to medium weight on the palate, soft tannins, excellent acidity. Perfectly fine to drink now but doesn't inspire me to write poetry.

4/6/2024 - sdr Does not like this wine:

Extremely exuberant mousse which died quickly. Light gold. Quite pleasant aroma of soft apple and cinnamon, only a hint of oxidation. Very charming on the mid palate at first; later became youthfully disjointed. A much fresher presentation than E-Os of the past. Try again in a few years; this could be interesting.

3/30/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Almost shockingly youthful, from a recent Wine Watch purchase. Deep ruby, orange edge. Beautiful aroma of dark berries and cassis. Slightly smoother on the palate than previous bottles although with time it revealed its origin with more rusticity and charcoal. Vibrant and complex. Excellent.

3/30/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

A puzzle. On opening there was a blast of yeasty oatmeal and an intense palate impression even if bit raw. Later though it retreated and became simple and lemony. After a couple more hours it began to blossom some and a bit of the original character emerged. Presumably it will sort itself out in a few years.

3/26/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

At first very closed and not showing much. But it gradually relaxed in the breezy Spring night air after a couple of hours to display a daintily oxidized pinot noir. Subtle and elegant but surely better in a few more years. Otherwise, decant well in advance.

3/26/2024 - sdr wrote:

The NV version of Maillons tastes very, very young and hard to read. Explosive mousse, medium bubbles. Quite bound up in its mineral expressionnwith sharp acidity. Missing mid palate at his point. Perhaps much better in a few years but hard to tell.

3/23/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Bob’s bottle. A beautiful wine which has left its exuberant primary phase behind and entered its early secondary phase. Deep ruby. The bouquet is still trying to make up its mind since it no longer is bursting with cherry berries and is developing earth, expresso and olive notes. We could see the family resemblance to the dazzling ‘61 version. “Mouton je suis.”

3/23/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

A dazzling example. A bit too coarse and aciditic on the finish for the first 30 minutes but fortunately then relaxed and integrated thereafter to make a near perfect tasting cycle. Astonishingly deep color. Marvelous concentration, deeply fruity. A lovely but evanescent fragrance of mint emerged. As with the greatest old wines it reveals more nuances with each sip. Mesmerizing.

3/23/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

A bit of a chameleon it was pale and fragrant immediately then dumb then opened to reveal a dense and viscous Chevalier-Montrachet with style and complexity. Seems almost mature. Promising.

3/19/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Extraordinarily young; tastes like a 5 year old. Bright and intensely cherry fruity. Good acidity. Promising, though.

3/16/2024 - sdr wrote:

Oh my, is this monotonous now. Delicate, slight, pale, lean. Lightly citric and that’s about it. No change over 3 hours in the glass. Needs at least several more years to see where this is going since this can’t be all there is.

3/16/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Very pale, superb mousse of pin point bubbles, energetic. At least several years from peaking; it’s too coiled and lemony just now. Promising though.

3/13/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Fabulous again. Supremely elegant. Mysteriously complex. Yellow orchard fruit. Fragrant. Delicate light sprinkle of tiny bubbles. Remarkably persistent. Deeply secondary and intriguing. Will go on but not improve.

3/13/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

It hasn’t budged much from a few years ago. Tight and citric. Firm. Medium intensity. Promising, though. Rated conservatively for now.

3/8/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

While this may be a great champagne in due course it’s hard to predict just now. Very tight and coiled although not overpowered by acidity. Embryonic delightful notes of yellow citrus and jasmine. Delicate and gentle. No barrel or bready flavors of older Bollinger. Put it away for another 5 years.

3/8/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

From a bottle in outstanding condition purchased about 30 years ago, this must be 1982 Léoville Las Cases at its best. And that is very, very good - but not great. Very deep garnet, no brown. Nicely if modestly fragrant of dark berry patch. Excellent concentration of cassis, blackberry and pomegranate. No fade over two hours. And yet at age 42 I am still waiting for subtlety, nuance and complexity, much less mystery. To enjoy greatly but not to love.

3/2/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

I was extremely eager to try this universally praised alleged masterpiece for the first time. But at least for now it's awfully shy and not showing much in the mid palate. After three hours of breathing exercise though the bouquet became truly ravishing. Yellow flowers, almond oil, custard, yogurt. Gentle acidity. Obviously very young even if not harsh. Very different expression from 10 year-old Coche Corton Charlemagne of previous vintages.

3/2/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

A little more advanced than a previous bottle yet the 1990 P3 is still a brilliant blend of mature bread notes and lively citrus and acidity. Modest mousse, medium yellow which deepens to light gold with air. Very persistent. Gentle, mellow and charming. No reason to age this, enjoy now.

2/28/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

At peak, this is a delightful combination of traditional and (mostly) modern. It’s somewhat glossy and oaky-smooth but has a definite undertow of grit and dirt. Not profound but very easy to appreciate and not overdone.

2/27/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

If this bottle is representative the 2002 Cristal Rosé has lost a significant amount of energy. Still interesting for its supremely elegant vanilla raspberry fruit and gentle mousse it is no longer compelling.

2/27/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

A bit softer after another year of aging, this still striking wine was a favorite of the group. Dark cherry red. Massively mousse-y. Unique flavor profile of black cherry, cinnamon and spice. If you are not paying attention when you take the first sip you will as soon as it hits your lingual papillae. Nevertheless I think this style of extreme wine is best as young as possible.

2/24/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Almost freakishly good, apotheosis of St. Estèphe mature glory. Medium ruby, amber edge. Majorly intense on nose and palate. The blackest of fruit, juicy acidity, firm integrated slightly coarse tannins, great length. Cannot improve but it doesn’t have to. While it may not fade any time soon there is no reason to wait if you want to catch it at peak. The ‘89 seems more consistent and just as good as the (in)famous 1990 version.

2/24/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Meaty, broad and muscular; classic Bollinger. Very mature, hints of honeysuckle and caramel. But enough liveliness and walnuts fruit to render it tasty enough. Some tiny bubbles. But at EOL, drink up.

2/20/2024 - sdr wrote:

This has calmed down a lot and is actually drinkable now. Concentrated simple red fruits with adequate acidity. There’s plenty of EtOH of course but it doesn’t totally destroy the palate. The group liked it.

2/21/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

Remarkably pale, young and austere this atypical Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey might blossom with even more bottle age. For now though it’s about the acid, minerals and steel. More mid palate richness would be most welcome. Very odd for soft vintage 2011 white Burgundy which is mostly beyond peak or fading.

2/21/2024 - sdr Does not like this wine:

While living on the edge when I opened it at home by the time I reopened it at the restaurant it was clear it had aged drastically and deepened in color alarmingly. A bit of honeysuckle after a few hours was pleasant but not enough to rescue the bottle. Low acidity and flabby. So sad.

2/17/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

From a healthy example the ‘82 Léoville Las Cases is delicious but still rather monochromatic. You can greatly enjoy the concentrated cassis fruit and full mouth feel but after the second sip you wonder where is the nuance, detail and complexity.

2/17/2024 - sdr Likes this wine:

I have never tasted this before so I was an amazed by its vigor and quality. Very concentrated, very intense and long, very lively. Not extremely complex but the beauty of the red/black berry fruit wins you over.

2/17/2024 - sdr wrote:

I am rating this very conservatively because it presents as very, very young. Linear yellow fruit, high acidity. Botrytis is hidden. From half bottles it is much more demonstrative.