5/13/2024 - 5laton wrote:

Classic fully mature sangiovese with generous soft red fruit leather and sandalwood incense. Not especially deep or concentrated, but just so good. In perfect nick, and no rush - this has at least another five years.

10/22/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Perfect cork. Delicious and developing with savory nuances, but also a delightful freshness to the fruit. While very good from the start, it slowly improved over several hours of decanting. For my preferences this is still heading toward the early peak. I loved it but will hold my last bottle for another 3 years or so hoping to find a bit more maturity. This really whet my appetite for great sangiovese; might have to backfill some 2016s from classic producers.

7/11/2022 - 5laton wrote:

A beautiful bottle of this wine. The balance of the force is restored after several corked or otherwise disappointing bottles (of other things) recently.
On day 2 this went into a shell and was missing in action. But the last third of the bottle was very fine on day 3, showing a more developed classic Cote des Blancs profile.
My conclusion is that while this brings pleasure today, I will try to hold for 3 to 5 years before opening another, looking for a bit of development.

5/13/2022 - 5laton wrote:

A return to form from my last bottle, and a beauty that is starting to resemble the '95. Lovely golden bakery richness, with that wonderful 2004 freshness. It's still a bit tightly furled so clearly lots in reserve, although this bottle was easily enjoyable in a way that most young grande marques are not; for me it comes down to the pressure and sugar, neither of which are excessive here.

2/3/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Developing appearance with some browning/garnet tones amidst darker red. Developing aromatics with lots of new leather, soft dark red fruit compote, roasted poblano pepper, cocoa. Palate follows the nose, showing elements of a traditional California cabernet but also somewhat reminiscent of a restrained modernist Barolo. This still has miles to go but is in an attractive, moderately evolved place at present. The oak still pokes out, particularly on the nose. There is still some astringence to the tannins. I would rate this a strong hold unless consuming with significant animal fat.

4/12/2024 - 5laton wrote:

Very sweet with blurriness from unintegrated dosage. This did not evolve so positively like the last bottle, even over several days. Strong hold.

3/2/2023 - 5laton wrote:

Lot 14/2 disgorged March 2018. Utterly gorgeous. Still on the upswing, but so good now. Spicy gorgeous spicy red apple with perfect richness and an almost psychedelic kaleidoscope of nuance. Really exceptional and along with the 2015, probably the best Maillons I've had.

1/5/2024 - 5laton wrote:

A bit tighter than my last bottle, and showing that 2014 edginess. This needs another year or two for my preferences.

8/29/2021 - 5laton wrote:

2014 base, disgorged July 2020 after 5 years on the lees. This was better than my previous experiences with this wine (2011 base), showing a creamy, dairy quality perhaps from malolactic. But the palate feels locked up at present.
It's better after a few days sealed in the fridge, but this disgorgement needs more time in bottle for my preferences.

12/22/2023 - 5laton wrote:

Disgorged October 2018, this was an older release Zachys had recently for some reason. Classic muddled ripe strawberry, kinky spices, a hint of amarena cherry. Perhaps not the most concentrated version of this, but just love the unusual flavors this wine delivers.

12/19/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Had to pop another bottle to see if this was consistent. Disgorged December 2021 and dosed at 2.5 g/L, diam closure. Opened this a day ahead of time and just had a taste. Pretty and pure, but fairly closed as expected.
On day 2 the nose is lovely but the palate still rather closed.
Finished the rest on day 8 and it's more giving but still holding a fair bit in reserve. Will hold my stash of this release at least a year before revisiting.

12/4/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Disgorged December 2021 and dosed at 2.5 g/L. Alas, this bottle was much leaner and tighter than at the Caveau tasting earlier today. I left half the bottle to finish the following weekend.
Retasted 5 days later and it's opened up nicely, and is moreish. Really delicious with a lovely fresh, spicy red fruit style. This is definitely in my narrow wheelhouse for rosé Champagne, and I could drink a lot of it. Based on the disgorgement date, I suspect this release is based on 2018; I also received an email offer for a more recent disgorgement which was described as 2019 base.

5/8/2023 - 5laton wrote:

Lavinia, Madrid. Disgorged November 2021 and dosed "between 2-4 g/L". Very tight, even many hours after opening. No improvement on day 2, finally gave some pleasure on day 3. This is the second disgorgement I've tried of this wine I and I seem to consistently prefer it many days after opening, so I suppose I need to hold these for a few years.

6/11/2022 - 5laton wrote:

80/20 chardonnay and pinot noir. Disgorged 2/14/2020, with 13 years on the lees and no dosage added.
Buttered toast, slightly caramel nose, not much fruit left to the palate here, this is all secondary. Reminds me of the Cuvee Louis but not as far gone as recent releases have been. Has a nice contrast between the rich, oxidative flavors and the bone dry palate sensation with no sucrosity whatsoever. The acid is a bit out of balance on the finish at present, and the CO2 pressure is a bit strong. I like this, but found the 2004 l'Aerienne drunk a few weeks ago more distinctive, and preferred it. That's the one I want to go long on. Although I do think this one needs additional post-disgorgement rest.
The CO2 has settled down a bit on day 2 and this is quite impressive. Nonetheless it is still not as expressive as the 2004 l'Aerienne at this point in time, and I would be inclined to give it 1-2 years rest before opening.

5/16/2022 - 5laton wrote:

First time tasting these late released gems from Tarlant, this one is 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir fermented in barrel. Malolactic was "not provoked", whatever that means. Disgorged March 26, 2018 -- 12 years on the lees -- and no dosage added.
This shows a golden hue suggesting its age, but I found the nose and palate rather youthful, with only moderately developed richness. It reminds me very much of the multivintage Cuvee Louis, but with less intensely oxidative caramel/butterscotch than I've found in recent releases of that wine. Still very high pressure. I liked this very much and find the contrast between 2004 freshness and acidity and the slightly exotic character of the fruit quite attractive.
It's surprisingly unevolved on day 2. I suspect this could be a 30 year wine, at least, and wish I had a lot of it.

11/11/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Powerful and interesting, spiced apple cider style, but for my preferences it's an odd combination of high (perceived) dosage and strong oxidative/secondary development. For this style I need bone dry like Egly; this lacks drinkability for me.
The final glass a week later was so-so.

11/4/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Labeled as "Le Mesnil sur Oger", this is 100% chardonnay from base vintage 2015 plus reserve wines from 2014, dosed at 1g/L.
I found this rather lean and inward without much CdB personality. Perhaps slight improvement on day 2, but I did not find it pleasing until day 4 when it finally put some weight and richness on the bones, yielding a more classic expression. Based on this showing I'll hold my remaining bottle 3-5 years.

10/18/2018 - 5laton wrote:

Les Suchots tasting (The Wolf): Riper, flatter nose than the 2010 Bouchard Suchots with some developing vitamin pill, also a ripe strawberry fruit character that reminds me a bit of grenache. Rather structured, with some green stem notes. I don't really care for this today and blind might have guessed a more elegant southern Rhone. A disappointing showing. My 8/8

10/18/2018 - 5laton wrote:

Les Suchots tasting (The Wolf): Very pretty, crystalline red fruit nose. Really nice juicy palate with sweet red fruits and nice fresh acidity. Some nice spicy notes in the background. This is a fuller bodied, textural wine. My 3/8

10/18/2018 - 5laton wrote:

Les Suchots tasting (The Wolf): Classic spicy, red fruit nose with a hint of alcohol. The palate feels a bit acid deficient, although it could be related to serving temperature. My 5/8

10/18/2018 - 5laton wrote:

Les Suchots tasting (The Wolf): Spicy but slightly muddled nose with some lift. Juicy palate with sweet route fruit but not a ton of complexity yet. But there is some subtle spice starting to emerge. Feels young but promising. My 4/8

10/18/2018 - 5laton wrote:

Les Suchots tasting (The Wolf): Sweet red fruit nose. Nice palate of perfectly ripe red fruit and subtle spice. Sexy, but with good freshness too. I really liked this, a success for the vintage. My 2/8

10/18/2018 - 5laton wrote:

Les Suchots tasting (The Wolf): Darkly ripe nose, Priorat like. Sweet dark fruit palate. This is a big modern wine with licorice notes. This got a bit better with air but was not one of my favorites today. My 7/8

10/18/2018 - 5laton wrote:

Les Suchots tasting (The Wolf): Quite cloudy appearance. Strongly developed nose, actually worrying. Palate also developed, awkward, stinky, showing some heat - perhaps served too warm. As it sits it starts to come together but I didn't love it. My 6/8

10/18/2018 - 5laton wrote:

Les Suchots tasting (The Wolf): Really nice. Developing, exciting, fresh, spicy. This kind of has it all for an adolescent Suchots. Doesn't show the density or tannins I might expect in this vintage. Toasted coffee bean / cacao notes as it warms. My 1/8

3/2/2024 - 5laton wrote:

Lightly corked

2/25/2022 - 5laton wrote:

This comes across as fairly simple, and the sweetness sticks out. It's a disappointment compared to Pascal's other 2008 Coeur releases, which I've loved. The Mesnil was precocious and hedonistic about a year ago; the Vertus was delightful and elegant last week.
On day 2, the nose has improved dramatically. It's quite classic and mineral now. Alas, the palate is still overwhelmed by the dosage and as a result the wine is unbalanced at present.
This may very well sort itself out in time. But for now, unlike Doquet's other 2008s it's a strong hold.

12/9/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Too early: this was very closed and just not giving or interesting on day 1, even after several hours of decanting.
Leftovers on day 2 have an attractive smoky, fried poblano nose. Blue fruit, grainy tannins, interesting and prominent mineralogy on the palate. This is an interesting wine with a very rocky personality, it is extremely tight and limited today but should be quite interesting with time.
A fresh pour from Boston round bottle a week later was again quite closed. However nearly three weeks after opening of this bottle, a fresh pour from BR was really outstanding. One of the freshest, most savory and interesting cabernets I've had this year - blind I'd probably be in Santa Cruz mountains due to the chaparral-like dried herb notes.

6/17/2023 - 5laton wrote:

This initially came across as slightly maderized. With air the nose freshened up, but the palate still tasted rather old despite being absent the depth or mature texture I was looking for.
Revisited the following day from Boston round, I found this quite appealing at cellar rather than room temperature, showing a more delightful combination of fruit and herbal notes and less maderized character. Yet still with a quite soft palate that does not show the magical texture of a mature wine. Overall, a somewhat disappointing showing.

9/4/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Impressive brassy color, but the wine is very light and citric. This is usually a big-boned wine with big bass notes, so this is concerning and potentially meh. But with air an intriguing note of burnt orange peel appears on the nose, giving me hope there is more there there.
On day 2 this shows an aromatic of wheat toast and some mineral notes. The palate is again mostly lemon/light citrus, mineral, and subtle wheat toast. It's still a bit wound up but I'm again left with the impression that this is a rather slight wine compared to what the cru usually delivers.
Finally coming out of its shell on day 3. First time the wine is recognizable as Marguet, if not yet Bouzy, but more importantly it's rather tasty. I am confident now that this will come around to something tasty to drink, if likely not quite as compelling as other vintages of the cru.

7/22/2022 - 5laton wrote:

No notes, but this was brilliant as always. Consistently in my top 3 Marguet ever. Beautiful!

5/24/2022 - 5laton wrote:

At Nostrana. This showed far younger and less evolved than previous bottles, which came from a friend's passive SF cellar. Love this wine but from a cold cellar it still needs 3 to 5 years for my preferences, minimum.

5/24/2022 - 5laton wrote:

At Nostrana. Quite dark in color, resembling Arizona green tea w/ ginseng and honey. The wine was lovely though, with a delightful mature texture. Needed 30 to 45 minutes to get going. Thanks Kirk!

5/23/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Tasted over 3 days, this is indeed the real deal but will need at least 2-3 years. Glad I bought a lot.

5/17/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Quite excited to finally taste the home cru in this vintage. As expected it's initially rather shrill and a bit beer-y with foam. Left alone in the glass for a bit, a heartbreakingly pretty perfume of perfectly ripe golden delicious apple (that honeyed floral thing the real tree-ripe fruit has) and light caramel appears. The palate is tricky but hints at the promise of the palate. Quite promising, and I look forward to following this over several days.
The beeriness has receded on day 2, and it shows a touch more development to that golden fruit, but otherwise not a lot of change.
On day 3 it's really coming around, so pretty and much fresher than the 2015. A certain lusciousness is emerging. Next bottle in a couple of years.

3/18/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Another delicious bottle of this, thanks JC. This no longer shows the delightful in-your-face fruit and upfront bass notes it had on release, and now wears its village level pedigree more comfortably. I preferred it several years ago but it's still delicious and may still have somewhere new to go with a few more years of development.

3/7/2024 - 5laton wrote:

Delicious and in the pocket. Touch of burnt hair reduction, and acid still a little firm here - but no worry. Drink now and over the next five years.
Clearer aromatics and overall just a bit better on day 2 - but I think we are firmly into bottle-by-bottle territory at this point.

5/3/2023 - 5laton wrote:

2019 base with 20% reserve wines, disgorged January 2022 with 2 g/L. This was more raw, and less ripe than I expected. But I liked the style overall, and figured the release needs additional time.
Had a glass the next day and didn't care for it at all. Not oxidized or flat but just an odd, off taste. Puzzled, and judgement reserved.

12/21/2018 - 5laton wrote:

Lovely candied red fruit, floral personality. Much more generous than the 2011 Heintz BdB next to it, tastes like a few more grams of sugar here. This feels quite youthful and unevolved, I can't help but think it needs another 5-10 years to show what it is capable of.

12/21/2018 - 5laton wrote:

Lovely nose of slightly oxidized farmhouse butter, e.g. that has sat on the counter for a few days. The palate is very dry with fairly stiff, greenish acidity. Initially this is quite youthful, a counterpoint to Michael's recent advice to drink these up. However with air this shows a more strongly developed personality, at least in a Heintz sense. Additionally, rather than a deeply-imbued fine perlage (like one would find in a Champagne of this age) this has a sort of gentle foaming around the edge of the glass.
There's no question that this has plenty of time in the tank, but I'm left with the question of whether this will continue to develop into a great Blanc de Blancs, or a lovely mature Heintz chardonnay with a few residual bubbles.

8/10/2023 - 5laton wrote:

Enjoyable bottle, but it still needs additional cellar time for my preferences. Hold.

6/4/2021 - 5laton wrote:

While showing a typical 2015 Marguet profile of slightly overripe apple and yellow plum fruit, this was almost watery on the palate and seemed closed. There was a distinct natty character to the nose, which didn't seem entirely clean. This was a disappointment after a brilliant bottle of the 2013 earlier this year.
This actually came around a bit on day 2 showing better freshness, although it still feels like a lightweight in this vintage compared with the 2013.
Overall a strong hold for me, this release needs time to sort itself out.

3/18/2022 - 5laton wrote:

Bottle code 20120714. Per brooklynguy this is the bottling date and not the disgorgement date, so this indicates this release is based on 2011, was bottled in 2012, and disgorged in 2014. I bought this in 2016. OTOH, futronic claims it's simply the disgorgement date. C'est la vie.
Regardless, this was delicious. Somewhat austere given the low dosage and limited fruit, but not extreme. Initially some beautiful fresh mandarin/kumquat citrus up front, which faded a bit to reveal an incredibly mineral wine with fruit in the background. Superlatives like purity, transparency come to mind; this felt like drinking liquid essence of rocks. Fascinating and so different from experiences with earlier vintages like 2009, which had an almost decadent sort of orange creamsicle fruit up front.

4/14/2023 - 5laton wrote:

E&R tasting. Bonus wine thanks to Adam. Tasty but was blown away by the 2016 Avize et Cramanet poured just before it, at least for current drinking. Hold.

4/14/2023 - 5laton wrote:

E&R tasting. Bonus wine thanks to Adam. This was wonderful, and I probably preferred it to everything in the tasting lineup. Very excited to see I have a 6-pack in storage. No need to wait, but for my preferences it will continue to improve for several years.

4/14/2023 - 5laton wrote:

Unlike the 2017 Oger, this is immediately Marguet on the nose with that hint of coconut, and split-ripe mirabelle. The palate feels thinner and less concentrated than other vintages of this wine, but it's surprisingly friendly and happy to drink today. Love the deeply savory finish. Not the best example of this, but drinking great today - my #2 in this lineup.

4/14/2023 - 5laton wrote:

Very young, tart lime nose and a youthful, unevolved palate. Blind, I wouldn't have recognized this as Marguet; today it lacks the gentle sweet ripe fruit and oak notes that typically serve as a fingerprint. There's a nice saline hit at the back which I dig, but this is rather tough and limited today in its expression. My #7 in this lineup.

4/13/2023 - 5laton wrote:

Diam Mytik closure. Young but already lovely balance of fresh and rich, it will definitely improve for my preferences. Continues the trend of recent releases of this being less oxidative than what I remember previously.
Even better on day 2, and still so young. This is going to be really, really good with a few years.

10/8/2023 - 5laton wrote:

Bone dry, almost skeletal macerated apple with lots of mature, toasty character. In spite of the dry style, this is a very rich and ripe, fruity and full-bodied style with lots of depth. I would say that I admire more than love it.

8/1/2023 - 5laton wrote:

Disgorged January 2016, non-dose. Wow. Just an explosive mouthful of almost crystalline apple reduction, with lots of development coming in from the corners. So much sweetness to the fruit here despite this being a non-dose Champagne.