86 Cos and Chavost

Dinner at Bâtard.

Chavost Eurêka, dégorgée en Janvier 2024 - nose was yeasty and a little flinty. There was some toast on the nose which came out with some aeration, and eventually that floral fragrance emerged. The palate was a little bitter, and the finish is still pretty short.

1986 Cos d'Estournel - served right after decanting and showed notes of sweet grass and smoke, and this is classic claret with a mature elegance. Opened up beautifully less than 30 minutes later to show plenty of cedar and woodsy notes. Drinking very well.

Full post on dinner is here.

2001 Solaia

Dinner at Estro.

2022 Jankara Vermentino di Gallura Superiore - the nose was very much tropical stone fruits. Palate was dry to start but ripe in the middle, and slightly bitter on the finish. About an hour in the nose was showing caramelized sugar.

2001 Antinori Solaia - decanted about 40 minutes after opening and stoppering, and drank about 50 minutes after decanting. Smoky, minty, and woodsy notes on the nose. So, sooo fragrant. Nice and silky on the palate. Drinking so, sooo well right now.

Full post on dinner is here.

2004 Turley

Drinking at home.

2004 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines - started drinking some 40 minutes after decanting. The nose was really fragrant and fruity, with lots of jammy fruit, but also kinda alcoholic on the nose. Very sweet on the palate. Second pour was about 1 hour and 15 minutes in, and the wine was still very sweet and oaky, woodsy notes are now more obvious on the nose, but now with more acidity on the palate. The third pour was about 2 hours and 45 minutes in, and now the acidity was even higher to balance out the wine's tannins. The nose was now so fragrant with mint and eucalyptus, forest pine, and cassis. Drinking so beautifully tonight!

Giscours and Ruinart

Drinking at a friend's home.

2003 Giscours, en magnum - preserved with Coravin. Smoky, woodsy, and earthy nose. Still got the tannins. Not bad.

Dinner at Bistro du Vin.

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs - actually sweeter on the palate than I remembered.

Bordeaux and riesling

Dinner at the Chairman.

1990 Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett - nose of white flowers, lemon, and a hint of caramelized sugar. The nose was much more elegant than expected, without the usual notes of polyurethane. There was only a hint of ripeness on the palate along with lots of acidity, which gave the wine a long finish.

2014 Mouton-Rothschild - the wine was opened the night before. Very fragrant nose with lots of mint, sweet fruit, and some smoke underneath. This paired very, very well with the taro and smoked duck thanks to the smokiness in both.

1990 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel - very big nose with honey, nutty notes, a lot more plastic and polyurethane, some acetone. Really viscous, round, and sweet on the palate. The wine showed more marmalade and orange blossom water with additional aeration. Really lovely.

2004 Vieux Château Certan - at first whiff the wine was much more smoky than expected. Started drinking more than 1½ hours after opening. Very fragrant now with a lovely woodsy nose. There was also a little bit of vanilla on the nose. Tannins were still here but very well integrated by now, with a good acidity balance on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Laherte Rosé

Drinking at home.

Laherte Rosé de Meunier, dégorgée en mars 2023 - there was more depth on the palate than usual, maybe because the wine was served at a slightly higher temperature. A hint of metallic notes on the nose in addition to plenty of usual red fruits, and a tiny hint of flint.

Burg night

Dinner at Hidden.

2020 Frédéric Cossard Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Croix Rouges - ripe and caramelized on the nose with metallic notes, like La France pear or Anjou pear. The first pour was too warm and was really metallic on the palate, too. The second pour was colder thanks to more chilling, and showed flint on the nose. Acidity was on the high side, and kinda tasted like a dry French cidre.

2019 Hubert Lamy Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblogs Vieilles Vignes - started drinking a little more than an hour after opening. We've got some flint on the nose, a hint of vanilla and some oak. This was a little fatty when warmed up slightly in glass, but the acidity was still high and very grippy or tannic on the palate. The finish was quite long thanks to the acidity.

2011 Perrot-Minot Mazoyères-Chambertin - started drinking more than 1½ hours after opening. Nose was showing eucalyptus, a little coconut butter, and vanilla oak.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bongwater night

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2005 Inflorescence La Parcelle Côte de Béchalin, dégorgée en avril 2012 - the nose was really nice and toasty, very fragrant with nice notes of marmalade, toasty corn, and amazingly very nice and perfumed with floral notes.

2020 Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coulée de Serrant - still flinty on the nose but more ripe on the palate thanks to the grapes being harvested late.

2008 Jean-François Ganevat Cuvée Prestige - the nose was really oxidative, very savory on the nose, very much like the vin jaune from Jura.

2020 Frédéric Cossard Skin-Contact "Rafling" - the color was orange and cloudy. Very ripe on the palate, more like a cider than wine with the tannins and the mouthfeel. Good depth on the palate and plenty of acidity.

2009 Hospices de Beaune Corton-Clos du Roi Cuvée Baronne du Bay, elevé et mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour El Bulli, en magnum - started drinking about 2 hours after decanting. Drinking really nicely now with some vanilla oak, so, sooo sweet that I could have taken it for a Californian pinot, with lots of coconut butter, too. Also blueberries. Tannins were still here on the palate. A lovely wine.

2013 Jean-Michel Stephan Côte-Rôtie Côteaux de Tupin, en magnum - started drinking about 2½ hours after decanting. Meaty and leather notes on the nose. The wine then really opened up some 3 hours after decanting, and became soooo floral with lots of violet. Beautiful!

Full post on dinner is here.

Krug, Trimbach and more

Dinner at VEA for the VEA x Gaggan collaboration.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 172ème Édition, ID 123005 - initially this was served too cold, but after warming up a little using my hands, the nose opened up to show the classic toasty brioche notes that I love so much from Grande Cuvée. The acidity was fairly high, and we had a little tartness and tannins on the finish.

2020 Trimbach Riesling Réserve - very big nose of petrol, much more powerful than "white truffle", although it almost seemed like there was a little sugar on the nose, too. Good, lean acidity as expected. Reliable as always.

2022 Marco de Bartoli Pietranera - the nose was very aromatic and floral, with a little flint and a bit metallic like pears such as La France. This was sooo fragrant with fruity sweetness.

2020 Mark Haisma Saint-Romain Blanc - this was buttery on the nose, but also showing flinty notes. On the palate this was more dry and lean than I had expected, which was nice.

2020 Rolet L'Étoile En Novalet - I had expected this to be oxidized and caramelized, and we've certainly got vanilla, too, along with some flint. The palate was a little bit sweet, although the acidity was still prominent for a good balance.

2019 Philippe Jouan Coteaux Bourguignons Cuvée Thomas - earthy, eucalyptus, leather, and animal notes on the nose. Drinking pretty nicely.

2019 Decugnano dei Barbi Pourriture Noble Muffa Nobile d'Umbria, from half bottle - some acetone and honeydew melon on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

2020 Pompois

Drinking at home.

2020 Le Clos des Treilles Pompois - the nose showed a little smoke, a little animal, and meaty notes.

2020 Cossard Pinot

Drinking at home.

2020 Frédéric Cossard Pinot Noir - beautiful nose of black fruits, juicy blackcurrants, black cherries, so sweet on the nose. Also notes of leather and this was a little rustic. Thirty minutes after opening the wine showed a little eucalyptus on the nose. There was a good amount of acidity on the palate but also a good body.

Krug Rosé 28 and Krug 172

Krug x Flower pairing with Olivier Krug.

First stop: Caprice.

Krug Rosé, 28éme édition, ID 123009 - nose of cranberries, red currants, and other red fruits, along with some toast. This was very lively and fresh, and the acidity was quite high. Gotta be the best Krug Rosé I've tasted.

Second stop: MONO.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 172ème Édition, ID 123005 - being young and fresh, the acidity was certainly high on the palate. The nose started with very strong nutty and toasty notes, and opened up further to that very familiar toasty brioche nose I love so, soooo much from Krug Grande Cuvée.

Full post on the afternoon is here.

2020 Petit Cheval Blanc

Dinner at Caprice.

Leclerc Briant Réserve Vendages 2018, dégorgée Decembre 2023, en magnum - acidity was pretty high on this, so the palate was pretty crisp. The nose was pretty metallic on the first whiff, but then turned pretty yeasty as the wine opened up in the glass.

2020 Le Petit Cheval Blanc - decanted and served about 30 minutes later. This showed really big nose of green apple and some muscat grapes, along with some flint. The acidity of the wine was fairly high, but we've also got a little bit of that roundness on the palate.

1987 Yquem, en imperial - nose of saffron, polyurethane, marmalade, Anjou pear. Good level of sweetness on the palate, but also got that little bitterness, too.

Full post on dinner is here.

Dom and Rivers-Marie

Dinner at Nine One.

2004 Dom Pérignon - this was drinking very well as it was very smooth and well-balanced. Wonderful nose of toasty brioche.

2010 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard - very ripe and sweet nose, like strawberry jam, along with really fragrant eucalyptus notes.

2021 Corisca Albariño - surprisingly this came with a little bit of fine tannins. The nose showed some oily notes along with petrol. There was some ripeness but the acidity on the palate was pretty high.

Full post on dinner is here.