Great holiday meal last night with a broad range of wines that I was fortunate to enjoy. Many great things on the table, such a wide variety of things to try, and most all of them with 24 hours of air for the notes below, as I got to to sample all of the remnants of the wines again. Of note, the 2009 Cristal is hands down my Champagne of the year. That wine is simply genius, stunning and a treasure to drink. Say whatever you want about the 2008 and how it might age and the time it needs…I want pleasure now and whatever additive benefit one or two decades might give the 2008, candidly, I don’t have the will nor the patience for that journey. The 2009 is brilliant, a masterpiece…BRAVO!
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2004 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto di Serralunga d’Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (12/15/2019)
This was part of a meal we did last night, and fortunately there was some bottle leftovers to taste today. So, with the last few ounces, from the bottle that sat out open on the counter overnight, I am giving this another go. There is good concentration in this wine, as it has a level of stuffing that is created by the structure and the creamy yet pungent red fruit, what tastes to me like a cinnamon Red-Hots candy thing. I get this impression from the way the wine finishes, as it’s spicy and a bit fiery, like the candy. Even open 24 hours, there is still plenty of tension in the wine, finishing with some cedar tannin. My belief is that there is a long road ahead of this wine. -
2004 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Vigna Croera di La Morra - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (12/15/2019)
Tasted from a bottle that had been open 24 hours, so plenty of air for the wine. This seems to be in a good drinking place, with a candied cherry character, alongside some fresh acids. There’s also some tobacco leaf in the aromatic, too. Altogether, this is juicy, with a nice, bright ripeness that I enjoy. -
2008 Godmé Père et Fils Chardonnay Champagne Premier Cru Extra Brut Les Alouettes Saint Bets - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (12/15/2019)
Another terrific bottle of this wine. Disgorged November 2017, no dosage. This has a great a great texture, plenty of lime, honey and green apple. Drinking with a bright acidity and no signs at all of any age. Beautiful stuff again…retasted from the bottle left on the counter overnight. it’s still now, at room temp of 68f, too. Lemon pith, ginger, with a distinct stony core, along with some grapefruit and sliced apple. I really like this wine, in whatever conditions I ask of it. -
2008 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (12/15/2019)
Wow. There are a LOT of users of this wine still in the database. And for my own context, I last tasted this way back in 2010 so it has been some time. Of note, this bottle was opened last night for a dinner we did, and the remainder of it sat out on the counter in the open bottle overnight. Retasting today at room temp of 68f, no food. I do recall last night that this wine was big, with some heft, some of that tell-tale higher ABV in the aromatic. I don’t get that signature today but instead kind of a dill note, with just a wafting of the dark fruit. With this much air, the wine has really softened and evened out. Some dark fruit, iron, maybe some bittersweet chocolate and really overall tasting quite resolved. There is plenty of stuffing here, and enough acidity to also reinforce the wine. Overall, I don’t see any further upside here and would think that for the pleasure this wine gives, I’d suggest opening an enjoying now. There are a lot of folks with bottles of this in their cellars, and it might be a good time to open one of these and see if you agree with me. In a good place, in a modern style that is not overdone. -
2013 Mending Wall Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Calistoga (12/15/2019)
Last tried one of these back in early 2018, so just about two years ago. At that time, I felt a decant was a must. So for the TN here, I got the luxury of having a open bottle of 24 hours that simply sat on the counter overnight with several ounces in the bottle. No cork, no closure. This remains staining in the glass, although it would seem to my eye to be not as hauntingly dark as it was in 2015 when I had it for the first time. At that time, I called it the darkest wine I had ever had poured for me, and while it is still very dark, it doesn’t stain like it did. To taste the wine, it does remains a mouthful of fruit and density, yet even that density with the amount of air we have given this bottle has softened it up, to. Dark black fruit, iron, charcoal, some rocky tannin and some finishing dark chocolate. Still a big wine but after almost 6 years post harvest, it’s starting to soften and round out. Still have two left of these giants, a wine with a lot of power yet now beginning to fit into its adult pants and create a better balance of pleasure, too. -
2014 Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Le Parc - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (12/15/2019)
Gulp, guess I am going first. Selected this for dinner last night, and with just a little leftover in the bottle that sat open on the counter overnight, giving this another go. For context, this is 100% Chard, disgorged 02/2019 with no dosage. This plot is directly adjacent to Krug’s Clos d’Ambonnay, just off the main square of the village. Last night, this was pretty lean in tone and structured, with what I thought the dosage (absence of) impacting the perception of the wine. So, retasting now with all of the air the wine has seen, it is completely still. There is apple here, in the flavors of green/pippin. It also has the signature of Marguet for me, which is some of the dried herb quality. The acidity is moderate, with a spicy/minty, citrusy finish that his supported by some of the salinity of the vineyard. I like this but I would suggest a hold on this wine to let it develop more. For what it’s worth, this is my first of the 2014 single plot Marguet, and I still have another 4 more to work through over the next several weeks–Les Saint Remys, Crayeres, Bermonts and Grand Ruelle. Look forward to that. -
NV Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Pinot Noir Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut MV Les Barres - France, Champagne (12/15/2019)
We opened this last night and I stoppered it up and stuck the remaining few ounces back in the fridge for retasting today. Disgorged June 2019, 4-5 g/l dosage, 100% PN. Bit leesy and what seems like a toasted note, which makes sense as I do believe the wines are raised in wood. I am really enjoying this, as it has some nice structure that leans out some of the fruit, alongside some raspberry, tangy red apple, fresh squeezed lime and some lime zest. I actually think this tastes better to me today than it did last night as all of the flavors are working well together, and there is a seamless, pure feel to the wine. Terrific. -
NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée Rubis - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (12/15/2019)
This is my second bottle from the November 2017 disgorgement. And for context, we opened this last night, and it sat out on the kitchen counter and was allowed to go still. I’m tasting from the bottle leftovers, unchilled (room temp 68f). 90% PN, 10% Chard. Just a little prickle of CO2 remains, just for the tip of the tongue. I’d say this tastes better today than it did last night, when I thought the wine was a bit zesty, rough in balance. Distinctly PN in flavor with kiwi, strawberry, lime skin, along with a peppery/cinnamon kind of spice that is woven through the finish. The acidity on this is better defined than it was last night, brighter and more integrated with the fruit flavors. In total, this carries a nice zing of fruit and acidity, drinking nicely. -
2009 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne (12/14/2019)
This is my WOTY. Just beautiful. Crushed rock aroma, citrus blossom, lime. Impeccable balance yet structured, too. Every bottle I have is just sublime. This is why I love Champagne.
Posted from CellarTracker