A bunch of wine impressions (mostly French/Italian)

I used to take very detailed notes. These are mere impressions over the last few months.

2007 Taittinger Champagne Comtes – this was very enjoyable, brisk but gentle, light chamomile, long on the palate and focused. Very good now and no rush.

2000 Giacosa Barolo Falletto – wow, this is amazingly good. Perfect balance. Deep cherry palate. Still plenty of underlying structure but the sides are soft. Much to like here.

2007 Biondi Santi Brunello – surprisingly soft and open and ready, lacking in structure.

2013 Biondi Santi Brunello – already a beautiful wine. Perfect balance. The fruit is focused and precise and the wine is very pretty.

2015 Fontodi Chianti Classico – excellent, satisfying as usual.

2011 Muga Prado Enea Rioja Gran Reserva – well-made, modern, slick, but not overly so.

2006 Mastrojanni Brunello – good, dark, cherries, but maybe a year or two past its prime.

1999 Hudelot Noellat NSG Les Mergers - Lovely red fruits along with spice, vigorous, long, juicy.

2004 Kaesler “Stonehouse” GSM – eh. Aged new world GSM. Blackberry-cherry reduction.

2011 Fontodi Flaccianello – another excellent bottle. 2011 is not known as a star Tuscan vintage, but there were a host of well-made wines, and this is one of them. Still very fresh, juicy acidity, perfect with steaks on the grill.

1996 Lynch Bages, Pauilliac and 1996 La Conseillant Pomerol – the Pomerol has a note of iodine, tobacco, palate is more focused; the Lynch Bages showed rather smooth blue/black fruit, softer on the palate. Both youthful, but the Pomerol showing more concentration and more in reserve, while the Lynch seemed more approachable.

2001 Abreu Madrona Ranch – late-night cellar pull by Jim. Very good, layered, dark fruits, tobacco. Very well-made.

2004 Pavillon Blanc, Chateau Margaux Blanc – lightly nutty, round sides, lovely. Improved over the course of several hours, and the last glass showed plenty of energy.

2005 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Rosé – good, not great. Drink now.

2006 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Rosé – better than the ’05, more red fruit, rounder, very satisfying.

2007 Livio Sessetti Brunello Pertimali - excellent, cherries, tobacco, dark, deep, maybe a drop roasted.

2012 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Les Cazetiers – young, dark, needs to unwind further.

2005 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Les Cazetiers – With Jay Hack at Bobby Van’s. Decanted for around five hours, and still this was tight. There’s a core of cherry fruit and scents of potting soil and forest matter, but this is clenched up tight. Hold.

2008 Maume Charmes-Chambertin – silky strawberries. Not deep but lovely mouthfeel and palate.

2010 Pavelot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Serpentieres – a bit more evolved than expected.

2019 B. Mascarello Dolcetto – lovely dark fruit and a creamy mouthfeel without being heavy. Good purity. Delicious and held up for days.

2020 Temper Bandol Rosé – this year’s version is typically delicious, but whereas I recall peach notes, this year I’m getting more nectarine. Lovely.

Soilpimp Rosé – The cork reveals that this is Falkenstein. This is great, a bright palate of cherry, rosewater, juicy acidity. Very enjoyable. I should have bought more.

1999 Brovia Barolo Ca’Mia – with board members Greg Kahn and Jayson Cohen - Decanted about three hours before dinner. This begins rather brutish, slightly shrill with tannin, blocky on the palate. A few hours later, more in balance, lots of tar, cherry-menthol. Still chunky, and I think could use more sweetness of fruit, it’s not “pretty”. With steak fiorentina, this becomes a smoother, more demure wine, and it’s a remarkable change. I think this needs another decade in the cellar, minimum.

We had this alongside the 2012 Brovia Barolo Villero, which showed a beautiful cherry-raspberry palate, soft sides, much smoother and more user-friendly. Quite lovely.

2012 V. Dauvissat Chablis 1er Forest - I’m not generally a fan of 2012 in Chablis, as I’ve found them to be inconsistent. This one was great, just as it should be. Plenty of tension, lemon, minerals, high acidity and dry as a rock. Still tightly coiled. Many years to go.

1994 Graham’s Vintage Port – wow, the texture of this wine is so smooth and satisfying right after uncorking. The spirit is integrated well, the palate is round and soft and nothing is sticking out. The lack of tannin and structure is surprising, as to my mind, this is still a young port.