To Tony

La Grange Park, IL
Tasted Wednesday, May 1, 2024 by acyso with 123 views

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

  • 1959 Laurent-Perrier Champagne Cuvée Grand Siècle Flawed

    France, Champagne

    Dead on arrival.

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  • 1989 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut La Grande Dame 95 Points

    France, Champagne

    You know what -- this was better than the Krug I had a few days ago. Shocker, I know. But this was everything the Krug was missing: more of a structure, more acidity, just more oomph overall. Chewy structure, mature fruit, but also holding so much minerality and balanced acidity. A real surprise of a bottle.

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  • 2006 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons 90 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    I didn't love this, but these days, Chetillons just doesn't really do it for me. It's fine, solid blanc de blancs, with a good mineral core and plenty of chardonnay-driven acidity (even in 2006!), but overall lacking weight and the level of complexity and palate presence you expect from a wine that costs, well, what it costs these days.

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  • NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Brut Rosé 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    Disgorged April 25, 2023, 1.33 g/L dosage. You know what, I have to say that this bottle didn't live up to my previous experiences with this wine. I don't know if it's because this is a very fresh bottle (probably because it is). There's certainly a lot to like here -- the crispness and brightness, with just the slightest suggestion of red fruit. But this is missing the more oxidative, chewy mineral texture that I have come to expect. This bottling has always been a bit of a weird wine in the Selosse stable, as it always comes across far less oxidative than all the other bottlings. And despite my seemingly negative comments here, this is still a marvelously delicious bottle of champagne.

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Flight 2 (13 Notes)

  • 1969 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon 100 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Early Togni, of course. Absolutely stunning, from the beginning all the way to the end. The most Bordelais of the wines tonight after a few hours of air, but at the start this was opulent and so very much fruit-driven. Just an accent of balsamic, with a complex mix of red and black fruit here. Mature but still showing so much life here. It's sappy, concentrated, and layered. The fruit definitely leans towards the black side, and the herbal, leathery elements don't come out until much, much later. That this wine evolved so much over the course of the evening and has so much vivacity at this point in time and how well it evolved over the few hours is a true testament to the stellar quality here.

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  • 1970 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    A bit of a runt in the lineup of 1969 and 1974. But that's hardly saying anything. On the nose, a hint of Sharpie market and volatility, but it's never overwhelming or overbearing; it serves more as an accent. It's more pronounced with its wood shavings than the other wines and right from the get-go there is this maddeningly pretty herbal, perfumed nose. It's delicate without being dilute or weak. A stunning wine in its own right, but a step down from the magnificent 1969.

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  • 1974 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    A fat better bottle of this than the one from a few years back. It's quite distinctive with its sappy, dark fruit. Whereas the 1969 and 1970 showed a mix of red and black, this showed far more black. Interestingly, there's an accent of American oak here -- whether this actually was done in American oak I've no clue. This was somewhat tight and ornery at the start, but a modest amount of air made this much more perfumed and floral. A modest touch of pyrazine here.

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  • 1974 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard 100 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    What's there to say? This is really all that it's cracked up to be. The nose at the beginning was somewhat muted and honestly a little disappointing; what this wine needs is a half hour or so for it to truly blossom. What a seriously decadent bottle of Napa cabernet. The minty, eucalyptus thing needs a fair bit of air to show up but it definitely does show up, imbuing this with the classic Heitz Martha's profile. The palate is silky and resolved, with intense red fruit here. It's pure and clean, and there's absolutely so much nuance on the palate. Coupled with the sweet, mature fruit, this is an absolute delight.

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  • 1971 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard 100 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Stunning, gorgeous stuff. This poured a little cloudy at first, which had me worried, and the nose, like so many of the other wines tonight, didn't seem to be as expressive as it could have been. Again, those 15-30 minutes of air did wonders here. This manages to hold its whopping 13.9% abv (in 1971!) incredibly well. Would that Napa be able to do the same nowadays. The most un-cabernet-like of all the wines tonight, this had a delicate, strawberry perfume that might have been more at home with Rayas. It's certainly on the higher end of the register here. The palate presence of this wine is similarly stunning -- delicate, perfumed, and ethereal. For me though, it was the texture of the wine that really sealed the deal: it was so silken and resolved, but still with enough of a structural core that gives just enough pushback.

    71 Cabernet Sauvignon, Eisele, bottled May 1973
    The Eisele vineyard is on gravelly soil up against the eastern hills of Napa Valley. Production in 1971 was low and the grapes attained full ripeness. Fermented dry on the skins and allowed to macerate an additional seven days, the wine then went through a full malolactic and was racked to small cooperage. This excellent wine is big, with the potential for at least ten years of bottle aging. PD (10/73)

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  • 1976 Joseph Phelps Insignia Flawed

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Mostly Eisele fruit. Unfortunately, muddy and corked.

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  • 1978 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    An interesting note of cumin on the nose and palate here. Despite being mature with a mix of leather and dust, this still shows quite a bit of black fruit as well. In no danger of decline, tonight this wine came across to me as more structural than giving and straight-up pleasurable. One of the few wines that I felt could still stand to benefit from a bit of bottle age. My last bottle of this was around a decade ago, but the salient point I wrote then, which I still feel is true today, is that the modern Napa is not ever going to become anything like this. They really don't make 'em like they used to.

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  • 1970 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Mountain 95 Points

    USA, California

    There's a fair bit of a Bordelais bent to this wine as well -- it's showing lots of wood shavings and leather on the nose and palate. The thing that separates this from Bordeaux of this era is the generosity of fruit that Napa was able to accomplish. This has a relatively stern cabernet profile, in that the structure and the non-fruit elements take the drivers seat, but given the plush fruit on the passenger side, there is fantastic balance as well. I liked this a hair more than the 1974 alongside, which was a bit more heart-on-its-sleeve.

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  • 1974 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Mountain 95 Points

    USA, California

    This was, in contrast to the sterner, more structural 1970, a very heart-on-its-sleeve, easy-to-love bottle of cabernet. The fruit is opulent and plush, and there's still a good amount of fruit-driven sweetness here that is absolutely splendid. The profile is darker complexioned -- very little red fruit here, and there's an old-school Robert Parker richness here that I find just so easygoing and compelling. Very approachable and straight-up delicious, without the need to put in much thought, though that's not to say that this wine doesn't deserve thought.

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  • 1974 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 100 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Caymus is now the sole winery where I've had absolute, undrinkable garbage, and absolute, mesmerizing nectar of the gods. In contrast to most of the other wines at the table tonight, this is a punch-you-in-the-face delicious sort of cabernet. The nose is spectacular -- full-on fireworks and concentrated, sun-drenched Napa goodness. More black-fruited than red, with just a hint of pyrazine and American oak. On the palate, it's just more of the same -- it's not shy or demure -- just straight-up here-I-am Napa ripeness. I had high expectations for the wines tonight, but this bottle was the dark horse.

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  • 1974 Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Flawed

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Corked.

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  • 1974 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain

    Next to a magnum of the 1978, it's very apparent how ready and approachable this wine is. And yet in isolation, it kind of isn't. The fruit profile here is quite dark, and there's that classic old Diamond Creek perfume on the nose that is really amped up. On the palate, and developing with some air, you get more of a funky, sweaty animale note (not unlike good old Rioja) that somehow is so pheromone-ridden that you're clamoring for more. Despite how good this was, I very much preferred the obnoxiously youthful 1978 magnum more.

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  • 1978 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill 98 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain

    From magnum. Mind-boggling how obnoxiously young this is. Served blind, I'd probably guess something like 1991 (though it's not as fruit-forward and ripe) or 1992 (probably a better guess). There's a bit of chocolate and cacao going on with this wine, but coupled with the way the fruit shows (secondary at best) and how youthful those big tannins are here, it all works in perfect balance. That this feels kind of chewy on the palate says all you need to know about the further ageability of this. I only hope I can cross paths with a bottle of this again in the future.

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Flight 3 (3 Notes)

  • 1978 Joseph Phelps Johannisberg Riesling Selected Late Harvest 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

    From half-bottle. These old Johannisberg rieslings are something special. Somehow, the colour always turns out to be motor oil, but also somehow these manage to maintain so much freshness despite that opulent, sweet character. Very much in line with old-school German TBAs in profile, though this doesn't have anywhere the same amount of botrytis spice. It's more of a figgy, PX-like character but with the lightness and acidity of a riesling.

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  • 2005 Chateau St. Jean Johannisberg Riesling Select Late Harvest Belle Terre Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

    This doesn't have the darkness yet, but the tint here definitely seems to indicate that it's veering towards that. Maybe we just need to give this another 20+ years. This is more acid-driven, and drinks along the lines of a modern German Auslese more than the motor-oil-style of California Johannisberg riesling of yore. Despite the lighter, more airy profile, there is a lovely chewy minerality on the palate. Probably more interesting with time.

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  • 2001 Turley Zinfandel Delinquent 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Earthquake December 23, 2003 11:15 AM, 6.5 (Richter). The best Turley I've ever had. Maybe they ought to lean into the style instead of trying to make mediocre dry wines. There's a bit of an earthy quality to this, with the very pure red fruit showing a slightly desiccated style. It's funky and earthy, but there's enough sweetness that it all just kind of works together. The alcohol is high, but it actually feels balanced given that the palate has enough weight to hold everything together. Very fun to try.

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