5/21/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Drank at Enoteca de Luca. Nice and persistent yellow fruit, some citrus. 88-89

5/18/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

2000 Chateau Hosanna - this Pomerol was uber-classic with plenty of soft plum fruit, tobacco, red berries and a long finish of milk chocolate…maybe not quite at the level of Trotanoy or VCC but in the same sort of classic wheelhouse. 93-94

5/18/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

2021 Javillier Bourgogne Blanc Oligocene - this humble BB took almost an hour to open in a wide bodied decanter to reveal persistent citrus fruit, green kiwi, starfruit and lime and hint of oyster shell on an improbably long 10-15 second finish. 90-91/100 which for a BB is insane.

5/12/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

This bottle of ‘96 Pichon Comtesse didn’t quite reach the sublime heights of the ‘82 (LOTB: 97/100) but was supern nonetheless. Classic plum fruit, cassis, green pepper, lead pencil notes on the finish. At peak for my taste preferences easy 95/100.

5/11/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Henri Giraud Champagne “MV16”. This was awesome. Huge sour apple, pinot cherry, sherry, tangerine oil and brioche notes on a long and smooth finish with a fine mousse. Not as oxidative as Selosse and reminds me of an even more concentrated Ulysse Colin. I have a bottle of the flagship Argonne in the cellar and can’t wait to try if the “second” wine is this good…nice way to celebrate the first day of our first date anniversay weekend ;) …easy 95/100.

5/9/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Decanted and followed over 2 hours. This had a magnificent bouquet of exotic Asian spicebox which slowly evolved to burnt caramel and then that trademark Ridge MB eucalyptus and mint. Long palate of black fruit and aniseed though somewhat coiled. Tannins that need another few years but this is already drinking quite well at 17 years. Drink now with robust food or hold for another decade. 96

5/9/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Double decanted and followed over 2 hours. This was incredible it kept evolving in the glass from Musigny-like smoke and red berries to the more “authentic” right bank Bordeaux chocolate and violets. Super long finish. 96-97.

5/6/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

2016 Les Carmes Haut-Brion. Second glass coravined for my wife and I over burgers at home (first glasses were 30 days ago). Deep red fruit and crunchy soil. Very high toned green stem and whole cluster nose, nothing like a Bordeaux, again, like the winemaker’s Rhone roots. Next glass in another 30 days…94/100

5/5/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

This took a good hour to open up, and then some, even after double decanting. Floral and hint of matchstick nose. Kiwi and mineral palate. Slight burnt notes. Drinks like a young top Chablis without the oyster shell notes. Very impressive but young next bottle later this year. 93+

5/3/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Rhone Paulee in London: This was served from two bottles. The first was a little over the hill, the second, which this note describes, was on point. Amazing aged green fennel. Green pipe tobacco. Sour cherry lozenge. Pretty good finish. Very similar to an aged Right Bank Bordeaux with Cabernet Franc notes. I’ve had better aged wines but this 42 year old Jaboulet was charming. 93-94 drink up

5/3/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Rhone Paulee in London: Stewed fruit. Book leather. Not as good as the ‘98 and ‘99 that I have had recently but still good. A touch tired. 93

5/3/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Rhone Paulee in London: Strawberry, fennel, white pepper nose. Aged fruit. 20 sec finish. Sweet fruit explosion!! Not quite as magical as bottles of the ‘07 and ‘05 that I have had but still magic. Truly the best Rhone winemaker. 96

5/3/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Rhone Paulee in London: My bottle. Beautiful acidity and autumnal notes. Double decanted but really should have remained in the decanter. Still young but in early drinking window. My second place at the lunch after ‘06 Rayas and many others agreed. 94

5/3/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Rhone Paulee in London: High toned nose. Young red fruit. Tannic. Very nice with plenty of stuffing just way too young. Score withheld.

5/3/2024 - Lord of the Bottles wrote:

A Private Rhone Paulee in London: My first Celestin but unfortunately this bottle was off. Musty nose. Gamey fruit and acidic palate. Score withheld.

5/3/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Rhone Paulee in London: Rich and floral. Light fruit. Nice but a little outshone by the Beaucastel Roussane ‘12 and ‘20. 93

5/3/2024 - Lord of the Bottles wrote:

A Private Rhone Paulee in London: Slightly musky nose. Old shortbread palate. Funky. Not my style but others liked it.

5/3/2024 - Lord of the Bottles wrote:

A Private Rhone Paulee in London: This did improve in the glass but was just too tired and slightly oxidized. Score withheld.

5/3/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Rhone Paulee in London: Very rich but not cloying. Sweet honey and white flowers. Looong finish. Really nice. 95

5/3/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Rhone Paulee in London: Young green and yellow fruit. Not as mature as the ‘12 served alongside but more high definition. Really nice and fresh. 94

4/28/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

This had an uber concentrated palate of Granny Smith apple, pineapple, tangerine oil, lemon confit, and a loooong finish of liquid rocks kind of like sucking on some minerals. To me, a hypothetical cross between a Batard Montrachet with all the richness and your classic riesling which at 12+ years is developing secondary oiliness. Next stop G Max!!! 94/100

4/26/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Classic DRC green stem and rose nose. Beautifully balanced cool Pinot fruit and a hint of underbrush on the medium to long finish of concentrated morelo cherry. Not powerful just Zen-like in its balanced palate of red cherry, pomegranate, and black tea. This does not have as much of the roasted Asian spice box notes I have gotten with La Tache and Richebourg nor the chocolate notes with Grand Echezeaux but is superb in its own approachable way. 97 palate 95 nose 96 overall.

4/26/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

My first Prieure Roch and did not dissapoint, though at 22 years this particular bottle is right at the edge and for my taste holding longer would be detrimental. Immediate roasted coconut and singed spice nose. Like walking into a kitchen of an Indian restaurant. Tart fruit palate that was not as spellbinding as the nose but did evolve to stewed fruit and roast mutton with a more pleasing palate after an hour. 97 nose 93 palate 95 overall.

4/25/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Compared to the ‘16 served alongside this was obviously more complex and had a nice secondary nose of game, but was actually the weaker wine. Not as much depth on the palate as I would have hoped, a lot of ‘01s are getting tired now. Some soft fruit left on the palate. Medium finish. Still a good drink 92-93 and better drink up…

4/25/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

This was obviously very young but drinkable. Lot’s of power on the nose and palate. Dark and brooding black fruit, nice balance. No secondary notes yet. Drink now with air for the primary phase but I would hold. 94 for now.

4/25/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Served en magnum. Like the ‘03 Morey 1er also served en magnum this was also dark and brooding but did have Gevrey underbrush character and a fairly open nose. Slightly burnt back end of the finish. 92

4/25/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Served en magnum. Spicy nose, dark and brooding. Good concentration but too young and not as interesting as the ‘09 Morey Grives served alongside. Maybe in several more years this will improve. 92

4/25/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Compared to the Morey Grives served alongside this was notably more advanced and lost its freshness. Tertiary nose which was interesting but somewhat weak palate. Drink up.

4/25/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

High toned nose. Dark powerful fruit. Long sweet finish. Did close somewhat by the end so advice pop n pour. Does show the generousity of the ‘09 vintage but fresh and remains Old World in style. Great depth for a Villages. 93

4/25/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Green pineapple and kiwi nose. Underripe pineapple, green apple, starfruit palate. Long mineral inflected finish. This was really very good for my first-ever Aligote. 92-93

4/25/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Easy honeyed nose. Buttery and crisp at the same time. Nice finish of somewhat intense sweetness. 90

4/25/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Crisp and dry but enough sweet fruit to keep the finish interesting. Very good aperitif or could be drank with fish. 88-89

4/21/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Day 2: A little more secondary notes of musky perfume and underbrush. Darker fruit this time. I loved how the wine transitioned from a sexy candycane beast to a more brooding farmyard animal. 92

Overall score ovee two days: 92.5

4/19/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

This took a while to open in the glass. Surprisingly restrained for the vintage, some fruit in the background along with interesting dill nose. Decent finish. 92

4/19/2024 - Lord of the Bottles wrote:

Very fruity if not quite over the top. Some earth nuance. Like an everyday Cali cab. A bit alcoholic.

4/19/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Pretty classic Pauillac, if somewhat foursquare. Smooth red and black fruit and cedar finish. More cedar on the finish. No pencil shavings or cigar wrapper here. I don’t see any “ Lafiteness” here, but a nice dialed-down bottle compared to some of the more concentrated ‘09 monsters served alongside that need years of sleep. 93

4/19/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Small glass after many bottles. Not quite the complexity of the ‘70 Cockburn’s served alongside but your requisite chocolate, fig and stewed fruit notes. Very good. 91-92

4/19/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Small glass at the end of many bottles so only brief notes. Beautiful nose of fig and fig compote. Dark chocolate and raisin, more fig on the long finish. What a treat. 93+

4/20/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Day 1: Coravined two glasses. Took a while to open, then …bam! Loads of concentrated cherry and red fruit with a long finish. So pure and concentrated…the after taste still there hours after. Like chewing on cherry candy, reminds me of a Drouhin 1er Chambolle on steroids. Let’s see what tomorrow brings solid 93+ for today.

4/19/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Nice wine if outshone by some other heavy hitters that evening. Light strawberry nose and palate. Earthy finish.

4/19/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

This seems to have closed up some since another bottle I had a year ago. Serious concentration but all black fruit and wood. Maybe in 5-10 years this will be awesome.

4/19/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Lovely champagne, if still a touch young. Brioche and lemon nose. Some white flower. 93+

4/19/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

My WOTN at a ‘09 themed dinner including some top Bordeauxs and Champagnes. Beautiful sandalwood and game nose. Generous stewed strawberry palate and long finish. Easy 94-95

4/18/2024 - Lord of the Bottles wrote:

A Private Tasting in London of various varietals: Meh. Leathery smoky nose which was interesting, but a very one dimensional palate of coffee and some black fruit. Weakest wine of the evening 87-88

4/18/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Tasting in London of various varietals: High toned nose. Palate a little simple, mostly black fruit with some remaining oak notes. Drinks like any nondescript decent New World Cab nothing to see here IMHO…

4/18/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Tasting in London of various varietals: My first time trying this well known producer. Fungal, slightly medicinal nose. Spicy, earthy, dead leaves, black tea, medium finish of blackberry. There are better aged Bordeaux blends out there but it was interesting to try. 93

4/18/2024 - Lord of the Bottles wrote:

A Private Tasting in London of various varietals: Either this bottle was a little off or the ‘12 Pontets are closing up. Earthy, woody nose. Foursquare palate of wood and blackberry. A bit thin. If I tasted this blind I would have guessed a decent Medoc and not Pauillac let alone Pontet Canet. 89

4/18/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Tasting in London of various varietals: This was decent, but I prefer my CdPs a bit fresher, and this was a bit tired by the end of the glass. Candy cane nose. Dark chocolate and soft fruit. Medium finish. 90

4/18/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Tasting in London of various varietals: This was “correct” but a bit foursquare compared to decent CdPs. Purple grape and black cherry. Nose better than the palate which was shortish and clipped. 88-89

4/18/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

A Private Tasting in London of various varietals: I initially didn’t think much of this, but the wine opened very well and got much better by the last sip. Smoky, nutty nose. Gamey butter palate. Some fruit left on the medium finish, though not much, and this needed the accompanying cheese plate to really bring the flavors out. Drink now if you don’t like your whites to lose freshness 91-92