3/29/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Magnum] Notes from memory last month, rich and dense, weighty and powerful but not overblown and not unduly advanced or oxidized. A perfect BYO magnum for an enormous seafood feast at a casual oyster house on the Sunshine Coast. 92 - 93.

3/8/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Determined to be 156ème based around 2000 harvest, no Krug ID, no code on the label, but found a code engraved on the bottom of the glass. Makes sense as this was both fresh and bright with plenty of acidity but had developed weight, richer golden fruit flavours, and some of that stylistic Krug sherry character. Excellent wine, excellent condition, in a great place for drinking now but good bottles clearly have runway ahead.

4/3/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

On the more advanced and oxidative end of the spectrum, not in line with previous 96-point encounters. Now, this was still pleasantly drinkable with lots in the way of caramel, butterscotch, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc., but lacking that blanc de blanc cream and fresh white and yellow fruit. Interestingly has seemingly very high acid. Deep gold colour in the glass. Pristine bottle in tissue paper from OWC.

3/22/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Consistent showing to the 11/11/22 note, also blind, also excellent. Chai and spicy tea. Lifted, ethereal, hauntingly beautiful. Sweetness to the red fruit, '85 is a good guess. Completely integrated / resolved. Imagine this is about peak performance / perfect drinking, wouldn't hold on much longer than five years. Beautiful, excellent bottle.

3/22/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Late night pop and pour. Big and tight still only yielding somewhat / gaining some Vosne expression. Black cherry, dark, Grivot stylistically. Spicy, some Dr. Pepper / cherry cola.

3/22/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Did not expect much after the first of these two bottles was totally brown, but this was completely brilliant. In remarkably fresh condition, all appropriate age and maturity with no undue oxidization whatsoever. Deep and rich yellow fruit with a developed nutty and creamy character. A certain crystalline cheese note in the background that was sort of interesting. Total surprise and a real pleasure to drink.

3/22/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Beautiful nose, very Coche-like with the cotton candy and faint reduction. Round, oily palate. Mouth coating and length. Mouthful, a lot of stuffing and power.

3/22/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Booming fresh, mineral, high salinity out of the gate. Blue bubblegum and cotton candy. Chiseled, white flower, purity. Laser focus. No fat or butter. Reminiscent of Coche.

3/22/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Showing a little too advanced, barely clinging to life, not necessarily oxidized, just tired, muted, also cold. Spearmint, sweet mint, grassy. Floral, honey. A certain ice tea in a pleasant way. Improved somewhat towards the end but overall incorrect.

3/22/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Reductive, yeasty, brioche, sulphur, immediately reminiscent of DP oenotheque, which I don't always find in CdC. Palate is youthful, vibrant, sharp acid. Crispy lemony, but good. Reference, excellent condition. High citrus. Young showing.

3/22/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Oxidized.

3/7/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Fully developed, open, perfect place for drinking now, full blossom, imagine this is peak performance window for this wine. Beautiful aromatics that live up to top Vosne, reminiscent of older Meo and Rouget, remarkably. Sous bois with red and black cherry and spice. Not terribly complex but completely beautiful and a lighter / softer iteration of its more serious cousins. Textured tingling palate. 92-93, impressive. Superior to a 2010 a few nights later.

2/29/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Very good but a slightly more advanced bottle. That or the wine is starting to fade somewhat. Still very good and lots in the way of black olive. Less in the way of smoked meats / scorched earth. Last week, notes from memory. ~94.

1/23/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Fun to try, notes from memory, totally massive and a little overblown / really shows the heat. This shows a little more like Cabernet than Syrah or at least Cote Rotie, not much smokiness, no florals, no olive, etc., Pleasant and nice to drink on a freezing cold evening apres ski.

1/23/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Seemingly too young right now with screeching acid and high toned lemon citrus. I am not generally a 2007 fan / have limited experiences, but I would say that, right now, this doesn't show that lovely blanc de blanc cream or brioche. Definitely powerful, just searingly acidic and singularly citrus.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Has to be the same producer and site as the last glass (2019 Fourrier Clos St. Jacques Cuvee Centenaire) just a different vintage. Comparatively a little quieter than the last but still quite a big wine. less familiar with these younger vintages.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Young, stemmy, quite spicy. Expressive nose with big projection. (I was clearly wrong about stems) Explosive palate, but still elegant. Ostensibly vines from 1910 and only two barrels made each year.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Teas, spice, developed / maturing fruit, very beautiful nose. Good fruit and lots of acid to the palate. I would say distinctively older DRC given the stems and greenness. Lovely spice, integrated and soft palate. Quite baffled when this was revealed, I was thinking at least 1990s. Nothing at all like a 2007 Richebourg a few months ago. Curious showing, certainly accessible and drinkable now. Shockingly light and resolved... 93 - 94.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Raspberry spritz, lacquered, and a little cough syrupy. Group finding this showing up and down. Clearly much younger and different amongst this flight. Curious example. NR.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Big. Black cherry. Wood and baking spice. Also lots of elegance here, a fine palate. Integrating nicely, darker but already nuanced. Palate is tight but drinkable. Meaty. Don't know much about he vintage and generally don't drink these younger wines.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Big but very fresh. Cool fruit and spice. Stylistically similar but would say not Rousseau, more (too much?) sweetness to the fruit. Also much younger. More like Fourrier? Carbonic. Sticky tannin. Big, bright, powerful.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Fascinating comparison to the last glass (2000 Rousseau Beze) once revealed. Tonight I would say the '00 showed better, more ready and expressive, even if this '01 is technically bigger and has more and riper fruit. Coming around, also forward. Can hold these.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Elegant, pretty, red cherry. Concentrated red fruit power on the palate. Nuanced and detailed though, I thought deceptively youthful but actually just a little young. Very nice.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Punchy red and black cherry, fairly big. Dark spice, present oak. Younger but expressive and flashy. Racy, floral. Very big but also detailed and intriguing. Can happily enjoy and appreciate this now but there are clearly years of runway here. Enormous Burgundy.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Glorious floral bouquet, chai teas, blueberry fruit, incredible perfume. Fabulously showy / expressive with huge projection out of the glass. Amazing palate to match, aged fruit and completely silky and resolved. Actually still has power and intensity but is all integrated. Good fruit and acid still. Insane aromatics. Much better showing that I could have hoped for, very pleased indeed. 96+ Wound't wait much longer, have to imagine this is a peak showing.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Magnum] Clean. Stunning magnum, massive, buttery, totally forward and opulent. An enormous powerhouse of a white Burgundy. Classic Leflaive, everything you hope for, flint and reduction, plenty of mineral and acid behind the round gold fruit. Only improving the longer it spends in the decanter. Half early on, and half after dinner which was definitely bigger and more expressive. Thrilling and captivating when these are clean.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Prefer glass #1 on the nose ('14 Ente Ambres). This has an enormous palate and is clearly just opening up. Apparently this was opened and decanted two hours before serving. Guesses seem to centring on Lafon. 93-94.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Smells Coche-like with terrific flint and reduction. Expansive and also creamy palate, explosive lemon citrus. Sulphur and flint. Sharp. Can definitely appreciate the hype around these, this is quite brilliant.

1/5/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

In remarkable condition. Clean. Buttery popcorn. Brioche. Still has citrus and acid. Very much alive with effervescence still there. Honey.

1/3/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Library release / new label. Excellent bottle. Completely classic. Tons of black olive.

1/3/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Good brioche here, warm, round, crisp, good example of the vintage. This was Dom-like, maybe with a tiny bit more red fruit. Very powerful.

1/1/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Super clean, bright, energetic, steely. Not especially detailed or complex or interesting, but of high quality.

1/2/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Good. Spicy. Both indicative of Meo and Vosne. Not especially complex or detailed but completely enjoyable. Quite a showy nose. Decent value here, would buy and drink again. 92+

12/30/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Light / thin. Not especially indicative of Dujac style.

12/31/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Magnum] Brilliant. Superior to a magnum of 2002 a week ago. Completely fresh and bright, wonderful toast. Complete, harmonious, open knit. Delicious, crunchy orchard fruit and citrus spritz.

12/25/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Fine bottle, fine wine, but I find these more of a novelty than truly pleasurable now. All apricot and a wicked headache.

12/25/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Three-Liter] Clean. Beautiful nose, lush red and black fruits, opulent, warm and inviting, chocolate covered cherries, dark chocolate, cigar box / tobacco, some leather, lots of damp forest. An enormous wine, obviously lush. Palate is a total mouthful, massive, punchy, still completely structured. Clearly drinking this too young, another 30 years comfortably. Tons of black fruit stuffing. Chocolaty red fruits, raspberry. Lots in the way of red cedar, still considerable and not totally pleasant grit to the tannin. Completely massive wine… in some ways reference Bordeaux but also quite modern, a little too big and punchy. I don’t have a ton of experience with Petrus but I would say I get a lot more elegance and nuance out of ‘89 Haut-Brion, by comparison much more expressive, integrated, lighter. Curiously after five or so hours in the decanter the fruit seemed to fade and this retreated into another monolithic and tannic wine. This was really good, I think a perfect Jero, as clean as you could hope for, I just think for the hype and mystique of this wine there should be a little more differentiation and nuance than there was (there was some) and think that overall Bordeaux is still a bit singular / one dimensional, even at the highest references. Bottle bought on release at Sherry-Lehman ~1992/3 and cellared since.

12/25/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Magnum] Clean! Open, round, ripe, but all balanced and straightforwardly delicious. Interestingly probably amoung the best example of Camille Giroud I’ve tried. Tropical yellow fruits but not overblown or flabby, still has some cut / sufficient acid. I imagine this is probably about peak drinking right now.

12/25/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Magnum] Reference, surprised how open and accessible this was, especially en magnum, no screechy acid here, totally harmonious, great toast and round apple fruit. Crisp / crunchy. I sort of expected this to be overwhelmingly high acid and too youthful but it was in a great place for enjoying now.

12/24/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Two consistent bottles of this, very pleasant, open, accessible, straightforwardly pleasurable. Would agree with the 2019 note that there is not much power or weight here, a very soft and short wine. Fading red cherry. At least it’s resolved and integrated and is easy drinking. 91+

12/24/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Big, starting to show some expression and perfume but still wound a little tight right now. Even decanted for a short while. Red and black berry, some pleasant florals and spice emerging. There is already an elegance but it is still bold overall and clearly needs another five to ten years. Should’ve known and sort of regret opening and sharing but hey it was Christmas Eve… I will try and sleep on the remaining bottles for a long while. ~93 now but more potential to the upside.

12/9/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Two bottles of this, one corked, one completely beautiful. A very lifted, elegant, clean, floral example of Dujac. Red roses and sous bois. Great perfume and big projection from the glass. Integrated and resolved and soft. I recall 2000 Bonnes Mares and Clos St. Denis showing more wood and power, but this is softer and more elegant, surprisingly so. Plenty of red and blueberry fruit and plenty of runway, but quite surprised by how mellow this is. It’s great, and certainly beautiful, not as big as I would have expected compared to most recent comparables. Would buy this. 94+?

12/9/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Two bottles of this, one too advanced and oxidized, and this second bottle very good, improved tremendously and came to life after an hour. More age and development than my May 2021 note. Nose is distinctively Leflaive with the sulfur and flint. On this particular bottle the fruit is especially ripe and golden, probably a little more advanced than the cleanest bottles although this is entirely drinkable and enjoyable. A lot of different savory spices here, saffron. A rare thing that you hope for if the showing is short of spectacular off the pop, this actually cleaned up and became fresher with time and air, maybe could have decanted? A big wine, powerful, majestic, texturally softer and lighter than Bâtard.

12/11/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Not bad. Clinging to life, fruit thinning out and quite metallic. A swirl coaxes a bit of freshness and there is still blackberry and raspberry fruit. Toasted but not particularly smoky. Texturally silky, fully integrated.

12/2/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Quite different from the ‘91 Boudots earlier. Darker, younger, probably a bit bigger, more brooding, lots of spice. (Second bottle, first one very, very faintly corked) Brief notes from memory, but I’d say true to Domaine style, definitely darker in the glass.

12/2/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Deceptively youthful. Guesses included ‘80s and ‘90s. Espresso, lead pencil, leathers, drying red and black fruit. Dry, very structured, very classic. Clearly Bordeaux. Has some dark fruit hanging on. Grippy, tannic.

12/2/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Consistent to the 01/26/2022 note, same source. Remarkably integrated and resolved. Guesses were late '90s. Black teas and soft black fruit. Gorgeous Vosne perfume, highly expressive. Would never guess 2010, the wood is basically all gone.

12/2/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

Not too much life left here. Gold colour, actually seemed to lighten up over an hour or so. Darker spices, saffron. Probably the right amount of oxidization, probably a little past its prime. Some redeeming detail, maybe a flicker of mint left. Dense and rich and oily. Fine while eating King Crab three-ways.

12/2/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Distinct Vosne spice, darker five spice, hoisin. Beautiful forward red and black fruit. Gorgeous perfume, highly expressive. After the reveal and thinking back to last week I would say this is darker and a little more brooding than that exceptional bottle of Aux Burlees, but certainly lots of overlap and similarity. Perfect bottle of this, excellent example. Clearly one of the best Clos Vougeots out there and from the greatest era at Meo.

12/2/2023 - The Vines That Bind wrote:

[Blind] Nose immediately reads Krug or Selosse with that obvious oxidative and open style. Warm and inviting. Crisp, tight, high tension. Green apple fruit. Awesome. Treat to try one of these again. First note on one of these since 2016.