5/18/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Funny to think of a wine about nine years old seeming young. Still, this bottle drank well. Black fruit, some garrigue. Lively and energetic, not at all overbearing. Not as big as expected, but also not complex at this point.

4/25/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Skip the flavor descriptors: the important thing to note is that this wine was rich, juicy-fruity, even a little fat. Good concentration and depth, still with some tannic firmness to keep things in harness. Notwithstanding, I could see dropping this into a California pinot tasting (decent ones) without notice. I quite liked it, but I can't see this appealing to Burgundy snobs.

4/11/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Last of my original stash, first bottling available to the mailing list. Recent notes basically spot on. Bright blackberry and black current, with a little licorice and tobacco and spice on the finish. Soft, as you might expect at this age, but still with substantial lift and energy: the tannins have all but receded, and the structure is mostly acid. Shows most of the TRB markers. An easy wine to drink, very tasty, missing the concentration to really elevate the wine.

4/4/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

I was tempted by some recent pro reviews suggesting this was in its drinking window. True, but early window, even with a brief 60 minute decant; not much in the way of tertiary development. Nice aromas and good flavor intensity, most fruit, with a little hint of green mint and herbs. Decent structure and tautness with mostly integrated tannins. A bit thin the first night, but a little fleshier the second night. Interestingly, I detected no oak the first night, but definite oaky notes the second night, albeit ones that blended in after a bit of air. This was quite enjoyable to drink.

3/28/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Predominately lemon with some pear/apple. Very spicy with some smoke. Big, round and a bit heavy. This accomplished what few Aubert I've had have managed: to taste fairly ordinary.

3/23/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

First of a new lot I purchased recently. Closer in type to the last bottle I had. Nice aromas. Blackberries and a bit a bitter herbs. A bit soft, midweight, a bit gritty. It's not going to blow anyone away, but it was an easy and pleasant wine to drink. Based on this bottle and the last, I don't think this will last much longer.

3/21/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Still delightful and delicious. Mainly yellow orchard fruits, a bit candied, a nice balance of sweetness and acid. Similar to what it was in its youth, just a little more mellow.

2/29/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

After a few disappointing 2004s in recent years, this was more like I remember from Aalto: vibrant dark berries, floral nose, smoke. Lush and long. Not for the oak-adverse, but it is high-class oak and it harmonized well with the fruit, so that the fruit was never smothered. An enjoyable drink.

2/17/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

My impression is quite similar to Josh Raynold's note many years ago: Explosive spice-accented aromas of ripe black and blue fruits and incense. The fleshy, sweet, expansive palate offers concentrated blueberry and cherry compote flavors, along with suggestions of licorice and earthiness. Yes, I stole most of that, but it fits. Still good structure, chewy tannins, long finish and good lift. An excellent wine overall.

2/10/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Lemon, smoke (probably from lees contact rather than oak, but I don't really know for sure), with a little vanilla and a spicy finish. Good body, with a nice acid streak. I was a little surprised how "chardonnay" it tasted. Her pinots are distinctive; this was much more middle-of-the-road.

2/3/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Not quite as funky as the last bottle (same lot), and a little less interesting. Predominately tasted like fizzy apple cider, with some citrus and a bit of brioche. Good body and persistency. Not bad, but nothing special. Disg. 2022.

1/27/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Recent notes posted here are quite variable, and I've found Clos du Caillou to exhibit considerable bottle variation in any event. This bottle was fantastic. It tends to the concentrated fruity side of CNdP, but it was a superb example of the type. It demonstrated the typical notes of the grape types of its make-up: red and dark berries for the grenache and black raspberry, boysenberry and earth representing the mourvedre. Deep, concentrated fruit, copious spice, room-filling incense on the nose, all buttressed with ample structure. It was vibrant and energetic, belying its 18+ years of age. This must have been quite the mouthful when it was actually young; I expect it has softened a bit with age and come into the balance it shows today. Based on this bottle, it could go for years yet, but it was so delicious and fun today, it will be hard to resist my remaining bottles.

1/25/2024 - ChrisR wrote:

Nothing wrong with it, but not exciting. General yellow fruits (mainly pineapple), a hint of petrol with air, a bit soft, a bit sweet.

1/20/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Well, better than my previous bottle. That one was rather strident and garish. This one had settled down, with more varietal characteristics, albeit still pretty oaky. The final glass was the best, exhibiting the best balance and the most integrated oak. Particularly in light of other recent tasting notes, I stand by my earlier suggestion that this is a wine meant to be drunk either young or 10+ years from the vintage.

1/16/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Drank at dinner, so no detailed notes, but damn, this was good. A heavenly nose, and such intensity on the palate. I'm almost sorry I shared it with the rest of the dinner party.

1/16/2024 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

No detailed notes, but this was exquisite. So good I almost regret sharing this with a big party.

12/31/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

I took a small sip before I poured into the decanter. Very clenched and very, very green. Fortunately, three hours in the decanter did wonders. When I returned to the decanted wine in my cellar, the aromas filled the room. The wine had clearly opened up, showing black berries, mulberry, leather, earth and a supporting notion of tobacco that lingered pleasantly on the aftertaste. A bit plump, but still vibrant and holding onto enough structure that it tasted proper, with a long finish. I'm not even sure it showed the 2003 vintage characteristics, other than being a bit prematurely aged. A really superb wine and at peak for my tastes (with some decanting).

12/28/2023 - ChrisR wrote:

Soft cork, thoroughly saturated. Bitter cherry, sous-bois. A bit muddled; the underbrush isn't clean like it should be. Good texture: firm, yet round. I'm not sure this is a sound bottle.

12/26/2023 - ChrisR wrote:

Oxidized, sour and dead.

12/14/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

The first of a new batch I recently purchased. Compared to my earlier bottles, this was richer and fruitier in general and riper on the nose. Interestingly, the palate was greener than the nose, with tobacco and cedar nipping at the edges. Still, all things considered, this for the most part a ripe blackberry bomb, albeit with good structure and energy. I can't say it was young, but it had a surprising profile for a 20+ year old wine.

11/9/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Somewhat tart red berries coupled with copious forest floor. Exhibiting a somewhat delicate fruit profile, it nonetheless displayed enough weight and viscosity to lift it out of the lightweight class and into the welterweight class (pinot adjusted). A proper pinot that represents good value for the money.

11/4/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

My last bottle from my futures purchase two decades ago. A curious contrast to my previous bottle. That one boasted a pretty red fruit flavor, little green and a most becoming weightlessness combined with decent intensity. This bottle was more standard: darker fruited, denser, and a solid green accent with air. A bit soft, as one would expect from this vintage at this stage, but structured nonetheless. Texturally different from the previous bottle with a different flavor profile, but nice.

10/25/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

It was interesting reading the other notes, which are rather all over the place. This was in a deeper register than I had expected: copious yeast and bread, with stone fruits underlying. As much as a tried, I wasn't picking up citrus; maybe some tangerine to mix with the apricot, apple and pomegranate. Possibly a bit cidery. A little more interesting than "just champagne." Good value for the price I paid.

10/20/2023 - ChrisR wrote:

Very tart cherry, a little oak and a little something dark, like earth. Lacking some body, with a somewhat hollow mid-palate. Honestly, somewhat simple, maybe even insipid. I would not object if others say this was shut down or a poor bottle, but this had little of the richness or vibrancy the pro notes promised.

10/11/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

A mix of tropical and citrus fruits, finished with honey, a hint of cream and a kind of smoky spice. Balanced and harmonious, concentrated yet light-footed, nearly delicate. A very good wine, and pleasurable to drink.

9/8/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Greener than my last bottle, almost to green pepper, outweighing the red-black fruit. Medium-bodied, soft like you would expect from a 30+ year old wine, with a fine acid line. Not bad, but the green detracted from the overall experience.

9/7/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

I was not wholly impressed when I first had this wine 2-1/2 years ago, but it was better this time. It still leads with the rich and smooth dark fruit, but the vanilla was only a ghostly hint this time, and the oak had transmuted to spiciness and a hint of smoke. There was more grip and structure with this bottle, and the finish even turned a little dry. In short, it went from a (to be honest) somewhat boring wine to what I think of as a high-quality cabernet. This was my last bottle of this vintage, but it gives me hope that my other vintages will turn to the good.

9/1/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Very similar to my last note. Powerful nose. Black raspberries and dark berries, quite a bit of green, like fresh-cut juniper, some spice. A bit soft, but not heavy. The softness makes the wine seem a bit prematurely aged, but otherwise it seems authentically Bordeaux.

8/20/2023 - ChrisR wrote:

Muted fruit with a prominent aroma of sulfur. Sure, we can gussy it up by calling it "gun flint" or "gun powder," but let's call it what it is. No real change with several hours of air. My friend dumped it after a couple of sniffs and a little taste as unpleasant. The texture and body are nice: full and materialist with good structure. I know "reduction" is the hot thing in white Burgundies, but drinking wine that smells like a stale fart is taking things too far.

8/16/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

I have to be in the right mood (and it's not often), but in that mood, a stupendously rich blueberry/blackberry/oak concoction hits the spot. The fruit is so concentrated and opulent, it's practically a meal in itself. 20 years on, and it still fresh. A singular expression of wine. And thus not for everyone.

7/29/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Similar to my last experience. Apples, pears, more dough than last time, and more depth and length. Pleasant without being a standout.

7/20/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Good, a solid B effort. A pretty red color not echoed on the nose or the palate. Dark fruits, an odd combination of damp and scorched earth, spicy, and a bit volatile on the nose. Conveys a sense of solidity and thickness while remaining a bit soft. If this had been a Chateauneuf, that flavor profile would have people whining about "hot, alcoholic mess," but, since this is Burgundy, we know it can't be.

7/13/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Spectacularly good -- in its style. Very rich, dark fruit, smoked meats, good structure (thankfully the tannins have finally integrated), tremendous depth and length. If you like CNdP with red fruits and lighter body, this will not be your jam. But it was really good, the first time I've had a Deus Ex Machina that lived up to its billing.

6/24/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Powerful aromas of tropical fruit, flowers and (I swear) a hint of petrol. Fruity, almost exotic -- think guava and cooked quince --, along with pears, apricot and an herbal quality. Concentrated, oily, but with firm acidity. For all that is going on, it was easy to drink. Quite a remarkable riesling.

6/22/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Cranberry, strong rhubarb and a dark note, like tar that transformed into sous bois. Good concentration and sappy.

6/22/2023 - ChrisR wrote:

Unfortunately over the hill; I should have had it years ago. Sour. With copious bitter green (which was probably there before it oxidized). Not a pleasant experience.

6/1/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Similar impression to DCWino's note, albeit I will not claim quite that level of detail. The wine gained weight and breadth on the second night, which offset some of the sharpness of the first night and made it a more complete wine. I will admit to having opened this earlier than I probably would have preferred, but I was curious to try, having heard good things about it. I think this will yield more with time, but that's just a guess. This did not remind me of a chateauneuf, since it lacked the glycerol mouthfeel and sweetness of fruit I find in most chateauneuf, but that's fine; this was its own thing and enjoyable for what it was.

5/19/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but that was one of the best bottles of champagne I've ever had. For my tastes, everything was perfectly in balance: fruit (with hints of red fruit sneaking in), acid, sweetness, bread and fine bubbles all in perfect harmony. Sadly, one of only two bottles of Ulysses Collin I own, having heard about it just before the pricing went nuts.

4/27/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Powerful aromas of blackberry, tobacco and a hint of brett. Black fruits predominate, with a strong streak of green tobacco. Fruitier and a bit lusher than the 2000 Leoville Barton I had recently, but tighter and more structured than the 2003 Leoville Poyferre I also had recently. The flavor profile screams Bordeaux (particularly with the old-school brett), but in a rounder, fleshier style, albeit still properly dry. There's a lot on display, but without that something special to elevate it to the highest ranks.

4/13/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Very powerful aromas. Black cherry initially, with dark chocolate, incense and a kiss of oak, where the fruit gradually darkened into a more dark berry flavor over time. Structured and well-mannered, finishing long and dry. An excellent merlot overall.

3/18/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

The 2011 Saxums have really suited me well. They are a little less intense and more congenial than other vintages. In this case, this was a wonderfully (and surprisingly) mellow wine. Fresh blackberries and black current predominate, with spice and black pepper notes echoing on the finish. The wine has good depth, decent structure and a long finish. And I don't feel like I'm being beaten up by tannins.

3/15/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

I still remember purchasing this bottle, my first Donnhoff, nearly 20 years ago in New York. Complex, with peach, nectarine, lemon, honeysuckle and petrol. A marvelous balance of acid and sweet, somehow both mellow and taut. I've had miserable luck with older Donnhoff, but this was just lovely.

2/2/2023 - ChrisR wrote:

Last one from my original batch. Like several others, it had a distinct metallic taste, which detracted from the experience.

1/19/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Heady aromas of black fruit, soil, pine/menthol and incense. Great mouthfeel with rich, concentrated fruit, yet firm and structured with very dry tannins on the finish. With the black fruit and tannins, it reminded me of a Left Bank Bordeaux, albeit a bit amped up in power and more glycerol.

1/15/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Quite the hit of sous-bois upon opening. With some air, some juicy cherry fruit asserted itself. Intense, bright flavors with a somewhat delicate body, albeit with a long finish. True to the stylistic intent, it nonetheless left me wanting more. Perhaps more will emerge with some age; this tasted young.

1/11/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

I keep wishing I would age my Aubert, but it never seems to happen. Cool nectarine and lime, with some spice and a touch of that typical-for-Aubert sweetness on the finish. Somewhat creamy, yet still with a good cut of acid. Nicely balanced and very delicious and easy to drink.

1/7/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Bring in da funk, fo sho! Very Pegau, with lots of funk, bordering on barnyard, but only intermittently over the line, garrigue, leather and black raspberry, with a hint of brown sugar or molasses on the finish. Vibrant and energetic, albeit properly soft. Altogether, a terrific Chateauneuf.

1/5/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Orange color. I mean orange; not yellow, not gold, maybe coppery. Tastes like sweet apricot juice, maybe with a hint of petrol. My last of four bottles. They have been getting progressively darker orange in color for a few years now.

1/1/2023 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Pretty much on par for a good vintage SHS: rich, luscious black fruit married to high-quality, spicy oak. The fruit and texture are so exquisite you forgive the lack of complexity. Surprisingly easy to drink for such a rich wine and, in the final judgment, simply delicious.

12/31/2022 - ChrisR Likes this wine:

Powerful aromas of creme de cassis, black raspberries, licorice, truffles and incense. Still tasting young, with dense yet vibrant, juicy fruit and prominent tannins. It was a bit of a battle between the fruit and the drying effect of the tannins, but eventually the fruit prevailed and the tannins provided a nice supporting structure. Delicious now, but it still felt like it has years to go to full maturity.