u/JJxiv15

My journey started with the southern Rhone, and I always love returning to it. Having recently opened a Costco Kirkland Gigondas as a weekday pour, I decided to open up a better one with this Domaine Saint-Damien bottling, more traditional in profile. This particular bottling is 80% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre. Production notes - vieilles vignes indeed with ~60 year old Grenache & ~50 year old Mourvedre vines, fully destemmed with a month long maceration in concrete tanks, followed by year long aging in 50 hl foudres of older oak to minimize the impact of oak on the final product. Stored at 55, popped and poured, aired out in the bottle and enjoyed over 3-4 hours.

Visually, a medium ruby in the glass.

On the nose - at opening, tea leaves, potpourri, with a smoky note leading to licorice. The fruit is all stewed/pastry filling - black cherries and plums, cherry jam. Two hours in, the herbs finally emerge - the classic garrigue & white pepper seasoning. Note that as it warms, the strong alcohol becomes very perceptible in the nose, watch out for the recoil!

On the palate, medium bodied with a strong tannic component at 7 years old - mouthcoating and mid-grained to start, with an average acidity but a very, very noticeable 15% alcohol - a hot vintage year very noticeable in the final wine. Good finish with strong cherry preserves & natural herb flavors. Definitely serve in the low to mid 60s to take some of the edge of the alcohol off, with a bit of airtime to mellow out the still grippy tannins.

Jeez, this needed a grilled lamb chop or something, that's what I was missing. A mistake to have it without a meal! With time and temperature (plus protein!) to offset the heat & tannins, this is a delicious Grenache blend with plenty of those classic Rhone herb & kirsch notes. Even after 4 hours, the southern Rhone note I chase the most, that meaty/chocolatey note found in some mourvedre/syrah containing blends, was not present, but it did not detract from the appreciation!

First time with Pomerol! Not that I’m a newbie with right bank Bordeaux, but it's usually Saint-Emilion & Fronsac for me. I rarely pass up on great vintage wines from reputable producers when they're in my price range and preferred age range (15-30 years) - all the moreso when they come with exceptional provenance. My local shop acquired a case of these as ex-Chateau wines - bottled in 2002, and aged ~20 years in their own cellars before the market release. Little bit on Chateau La Cabanne - averaging about 45 year old vines on clay/gravel soils on the western slopes (~80 ft elevation) of the Pomerol terrace, with an excellent reputation. Typical right bank here, primarily Merlot - 92% with the remaining 8% Cabernet Franc. Stored at 55, decanted and enjoyed over three hours - paired with a steak & potatoes lunch.

Visually, a deep ruby, leaning garnet with a bricking edge. Cork came out easily enough with an ah-so, perfectly intact. Fair bit of sediment.

On the nose - plums & kalamata olives at opening. Still plenty of black fruit, blackcurrant & blackberry. After an hour of decanting, we're getting into baking spices & herbs - bay leaf. By hour two, we've got faint vanilla, cocoa, incense & hookah smoke.

On the palate, medium+ bodied, with very, very fine grained tannins remaining - grippy, but nothing a decent meal wouldn't balance out. Acidity remained strong at 26 - and an unnoticeable 13.5% alcohol. Gentle flavors of black fruit and herbs on the way down with a middling finish length, but despite the relative balance, I still felt as if something was missing, something to push it into greatness.

Parting thoughts - compared to recent aged Bordeaux I've had: a 2005 Pedesclaux, a 1997 Sociando Mallet, a 1996 Croizet-Bages (all admittedly on the other side of the river), I would only mark this as more enjoyable than the '96. While I did enjoy the complexity of scents, I found the flavors and components middling - better smelling than they felt actually being drank. Not to say I have any bias towards Merlot (I still haven't seen Sideways, lol) - but perhaps even with such a good vintage and provenance, it’s still not the Bordeaux profile I crave. And that’s okay!

Wandering the tight walkways of La Maison des Millesimes in Paris this past April, looking for decently priced aged Bordeaux, I spotted this 1997 Sociando Mallet that looked as if it was bottled yesterday - fill well into the neck, with a perfectly intact label & capsule! Despite knowing it was a less than stellar vintage, I wasn't going to pass up trying another vintage of my favorite unclassified producer - for $50, it was an easy choice. Most recently I can remember the 2004 which I found wonderfully enjoyable, and my next one at home is a 2016 to try. Finding the exact blend was difficult - Vinous notes it as 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot. Stored at 55, popped and poured with no decanting.

Visually, a deep garnet, with the hue already leaning burnt sienna. Perfectly intact cork removal, I could've used a regular corkscrew instead of an Ah-so for this.

On the nose, at opening - cigar, flavored smoke, tar, leather. Giving the glass a swirl, cedar & oak - walking a forest after a fresh rainfall, giving it some of that soil/earth. It's quite tertiary, with a bit of that barnyard funk as it warms thanks to brett. After over two hours in the glass, there's a distant blackcurrant note with faint mocha. The final scent to emerge was a sweet herb - five spice/allspice. Fruit notes are practically gone here.

On the palate - medium+ bodied, with a faint fine-grinned tannic nibble coating the interior of your mouth, which almost disappears after a few hours. Acidity is still quite decent, with an unremarkable 12.5% - wild, wet vintage. Flavor-wise, very very little fruit remains - dried prunes & stewed plums full of forest & dirt. To note - several components started to fade fast within two hours - what little fruit remained was gone, tannins became imperceptible, and what remained of the flavor profile with the decent acidity was just a passable experience. That first glass was a wonderful example of tertiary, 30 year old Bordeaux to me - but I could not finish the last.

I chase that perfect balance of fruit & aging components in my aged Bordeaux all the time, looks like this one was just a few years too far gone, and from a less than great vintage - almost all tertiary and faded fast. Still, a great learning experience, and one more vintage of SM checked off!

(Oh and thanks to u/huckdr for reminding me to open this w his post of an 82!)

I explicitly remember being blown away the first time I had this wine two years ago, albeit a 2002 vintage - going out of my way to track down as many as I could on WineBid, Wine-Searcher, etc. Which proved difficult considering the only ~6000 bottles made annually! It became my favorite wine quickly - leading to a visit of Domaine Baumard itself this past April where I made a point to rent a house on the Clos de Sainte Catherine hill itself and walk the vineyards. It was a transcendant experience - I almost quit my job and bought some vineyards on that trip! A chat with Maxime Baumard himself gave me some added background to the wines - manual harvesting in tries of 20-70 year vines on north facing slopes, with the typically Baumard lack of oak in the winemaking process. Stored at 45, popped and poured, no pairing. To note - my 2002 used cork, but they switched to stelvin closures by the time of this 2005.

Visually, a deep 24 karat gold in the glass - a metallic yellowish-orange.

On the nose - my goodness, intensely tropical. Ripe red/orange mangoes fresh from the tree, freshly cut pineapples, dried oranges. With more air and time, out came the toasty edges of flan, caramel, honey - stone fruit marmalade. As it warmed, marzipan and baking spices. Just utter decadence, a wonderful balance of fruit and aging notes at ~21 years.

On the palate, an oily/chewy texture that's comparable in viscosity to a crisp Chateau Climens sauternes. The most astounding component here is the perfect balance between the indulgent sweetness - at well over 100g/L - and the strong, tangy acid. Just what you look for in dessert wines. An eternal, minute long finish of tropical candied fruits, fresh honey, and dried stone fruits. The 12.5% alcohol is completely unnoticeable. The feeling is almost indescribable to me, someone with an insane sweet tooth - it's a perfect dessert wine - every component in harmony.

The 2005 vintage was hot and intense in the Loire, and the resulting concentration of sugars and flavors resulted in a fantastic year for my favorite dessert wine. Having visited and walked these vineyards myself, having stayed in the house shown in the label, having spoken with Maxime Baumard and walked their grounds, each sip from these wines brings me back to those places. I've managed to track down 5 different vintages of this wine in the US, (and more during my visit) and I look forward to sharing them and spreading the good word about this wine!

Clearly, our goal is to emotionally wreck ourselves! The lady and I have been talking about these three movies for a long time and finally agreed to just knock all them out at once - all first time watches for us, in which we only know the vaguest of plot points.

Up first, Aftersun - recommended to me by the good folks on Reddit, picked up the 4K steelbook recently - really like Paul Mescal as an actor, and going into this one more blind than the other ones. I know there’s a vacation, but -

Next, The Fablemans! Usually I catch all of Spielberg’s films on release in cinemas or right after on disc, but this one slipped thru the cracks. Movies about movies/moviemaking/family are some of my favorites, and one of my friends likened the emotions to being Cinema Paradiso-esque, so sign me up!

Lastly, last year’s Hamnet. One of our good friends gifted us this film, telling us about the stellar performances, and we’re finally getting around to it a few weeks after.

Truly, sometimes I enjoy going into new movies completely blind, that’s made for some of my favorite watching experiences.

All paired with a seven year old southern Rhone Gigondas to soften up the ol emotions.

What about you fine folks, what’s everyone watching today? It’s been a while, but I always love seeing your picks and recommendations!

Hot vintage, hot summer! Early September harvest for this particular wine, which I found quite bold for a Beaujolais. Needed something refreshing for this brutal Miami summer - think it was 106 when I got home from work today.

Strong ripe red fruits - raspberry, strawberry. That wonderful candied fruits component of the region. Bit of herbs & spices as it warms - with a hint of soil and earth at the bottom of the glass That delightful light tickle of carbonic maceration. Bright, fruit forward, refreshing, with med+ acid. Surprisingly, the 14% alcohol does not call too much attention to itself. Med- tannins, good finish with plenty of fruit flavors.

Great quality wine for $30, just enough complexity above a weeknight wine to look for ideal pairings and ponder while outside on a hot summer day. Serve slightly chilled! I need to have their Tardive bottling next!

The oldest wine I’ve consumed to date! I have two of these in my collection, waiting for the right moment to open them - and tonight, game 1 of my beloved Knicks return to the NBA finals, was that moment. To celebrate their first championship and manifest a game 1 win! No background from me tonight, too excited - but 50+ year old Sauternes from my favorite producer?! Stored at 55, popped and poured. Cork came out surprisingly intact using an Ah-so, albeit very carefully. Figured I’d include pictures of it for the curious!

Visually, a deep amber, caramel.

On the nose - at opening and at first whiff - strong smell of figs, some bruised apple, a bit of oxidation - expected given the age, but it started opening up shortly thereafter! All tertiary and botrytis notes here, no fruit left - caramel, dulce de leche, honey, burnt sugar - baking spices and pie crust. A pastry shop, flan, some toast. The oxidative notes went to the background and stayed there. It’s all desserts, my friends!

On the palate, I was surprised by how much acidity still remained. Still zinged the tongue, incredible! Labeled as 15% (excuse me?) but utterly imperceptible at this point. Very sweet still, but that acidity balances the ol girl just wonderfully. Not too cloying, either, surprisingly spry on the tongue - in my vintage wine book, 1970 is labeled a good vintage, and certainly notable in the longevity of this wine! The finish, of course, is still eternal. Despite the flavors being all nuttiness and baked goods at this point, it’s a great experience of a 56 year old harvest!

Very happy I opened this tonight. His brother I’ll save to open with company to share this experience with. My Sauternes preference is that perfect balance between primary and tertiary components (most recently with a 1988 Lafaurie Peyraguey) - but this experience is still extraordinary.

LETS GO KNICKS!

PS - I’ve attached pictures from my vintage book of this wine, reviewed and tasted in 1978. Fascinating to compare my notes with his to see how the wine has evolved!

Quick notes here on this one -

Needing a quality simple white to pair with a seafood dish, chose this Inama Soave Classico as the pairing. 100% Garganega, made in the volcanic soils of the eastern slopes of Mt Foscarino in the Veneto region, at ~650 feet altitude. Stored at 45, popped and poured, enjoyed over 2 hours (kept chilled).

Visually, yellow with a slight greenish tinge.

On the nose, quite mineral at first! Salt, wet rock, with crisp green apples and fresh limes joining soon after. The faint almond nuttiness becomes more prominent with more air time, and I could swear I picked up a bit of spicy mustard, a little peach. Quite enjoyable cold & with the meal!

Just a smidge of complexity beyond its cheaper cousins, thanks to barrique fermentation, six months batonnage, and a few hours of skin contact - the mouthfeel is creamier, not as light, with a very faint nibble of tannin from the barriques. Strong acidity and a well-hidden 12.5% alcohol pair with the slightest hint of sweetness. Flavors of citrus, stone and nuttiness in a brief, crisp finish that was just what this hot afternoon needed.

Still prefer Etna whites at this price point myself!

First time with Ribera del Duero! It was between a 2020 Psi and this 2022 Protos 27 to begin my experience with the region, settled on the more affordable bottling to start. I've drank plenty of Rioja, so I was looking forward to the differences in production/soils/climate when using the same Tempranillo grape. Well, therein was the first difference I learned - the Tempranillo clone in RdD is Tinto Fino, with far thicker skins adapted to the differing geography & climate. And what a geography - ~3000 ft high, dry, hot days and cool nights, good chances of frost. Paired with grilled ribeyes & rice, stored at 55 - popped and immediately decanted, enjoyed over three hours.

Visually, a deep, deep ruby with a hint of purple.

On the nose, INTENSE black fruits & olives, with blatant dark chocolate and cocoa notes. As it warmed, this smoky/spicy/sausage note reminiscent of a Chianti, with a bit of dried herbs at the tail end. Notably less oaky than a rioja, with none of the strong tobacco/cedar/cigar box notes I'm used to in my rioja. Someone described it as "new world" on CellarTracker, and I feel that's accurate - very fruit forward/strong.

On the palate, heavy with intense, mouth-coating tannins. The type of inky, toothstaining red that begged for the day's juicy ribeye. Mouthwatering acidity, a notable 14.5% alcohol, and even with decanting, the tannins gripped the same at 2 hours as they did at open. Very little reduction by the last glass at hour three. This definitely felt too young, or in need of much more air time. It's STRONG. Looking at the production methods, 16 months in new French oak (instead of the American I'm used to with LRA), manual harvesting of 50 year old vines, stainless steel fermentation. How do I feel about it? Undecided at this first bottle. It felt too familiar to other wines I’ve had.

Let me open up the slighly older Psi from Pingus before offering more insight on the region. To wit, it took me a bit to get accustomed to the oaky punch of Rioja - clearly there's enormous differences at play here in terroir & climate, so I will definitely explore further - looking at Pesquera, Emilio Moro, and Torremilanos for my next bottles, and certainly open to any recommendations in the sub-$50 range!

Craving an aged left bank to go with yet another homemade steak, I chose this bottle after having drank a relatively disappointing Croizet-Bages a few weeks back, knowing Pauillac couldn't let me down twice. Chateau Pedesclaux is located right off the Gironde, east of the tiny village of Le Pouyalet - but very close to its more well-esteemed neighbors of Pontet-Canet, Clerc Milon, and of course the Rothschild properties. While a fifth growth, my reading shows that it’s under new ownership in 2009 when the quality of the wines started to improve drastically - however, I went mainly off the quality of the vintage & producer recognition here. Purchased at Flatiron Wines NY for $50, right at my target point for producer, vintage, age, & price. Paired with a grilled sirloin steak and salad. Stored at 55, popped and poured to start, decided not to decant and just let the bottle air out while I enjoyed it over 3-4 hours.

Visually, not even the slightest hint of bricking at the edges, still a very deep red color at its age. Intact cork removal with an Ah-so. Impeccable provenance to my eyes, looking at the condition of the cork, capsule, label, and fill level.

On the nose, plenty of strong black fruit to start - blackcurrant, blackberry, a blatant plum note. As it warms, the oaky notes emerge - cedar, vanilla, a wonderful bit of mocha, the sensation of sweetness. Further in the glass, smoke & 90s #2 pencil lead. After two hours, the baking spices and baked goods notes take center stage, with the fruits still quite present in the background - the exact flavor profile I chase! Wonderfully complex, with barely any tertiary notes.

On the palate, I thought the wine to be just structurally perfect. Wonderfully integrated very fine tannins that coated the mouth, with an undetectable 13% alcohol - on the bold side of medium bodied, with plenty of strong acidity present to cut through my steak pairing. This felt wholly in its prime, with plenty of years to go at this balanced peak of notes & components. Flavors of pastries & black fruits in a lengthy finish.

These are exactly the kind of Bordeaux wines I chase. A fantastic vintage, from a quality producer, at that 15-25 year window that has a chokehold on me, and right at my $50 price point. Couldn't have been happier with the bottle, my one regret was buying just one. Regrettably, my only remaining Pauillac is a 2019 d'Armailhac that's still a few years away from me opening it!

Hopefully I get it down to 75 at days end! Today’s theme, clearly, fantasy - haven’t seen any of these four movies.

Up first, Ridley Scott’s “Legend” - seen it parodied endlessly, heard a ton about the production, but never got around to it. It was a gift, too, so I’m looking forward to the Darkness effects and Tim Curry’s performance. And a baby Tom Cruise!

Next, Dragonslayer. I know nothing about this movie. Bought it solely as a recommendation from this subreddit during a B&N sale. So I go into it completely blind! It’s probably the one I’m looking forward to most.

Third, we have one of her favorite films - Willow! I also know very little about this one besides Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis being in it. I want to assume it’s a similar fantasy plot line? You know, heroes? A damsel in distress? A great evil and mythical creatures? She’s been asking to watch it for a while, so I bought it instead of streaming.

Lastly, the live action How to Train Your Dragon. The animated one is my favorite animated picture of all time, so I’m fully willing to give this one a chance. Heard great things about it, ready to enjoy that John Powell score one more time.

No wine for now, just coffee.

Would love to hear your thoughts on these films as I get thru them!

My guilty pleasure, one of my favorite appellations, and 25% of my cellar - the Sauternais! A bit about Chateau Doisy-Vedrines - interestingly, despite being in neighboring Barsac, they label themselves as Sauternes (which one is allowed to do), and while the exact blend of the vintage was difficult to track down, the plantings of the Chateau are 80% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc, & 5% Muscadelle - average vine age of 30 years. The aging is done for about a year and a half, in 50-60% new oak barrels. This next tidbit I found particularly interesting - yields for them that year were 10 hectoliters a hectare, or about 40 sf of vineyard to make the halfsie bottle I'm enjoying. This particular bottle was a fantastic find for me at $12 - a wonderful vintage year & as a 2nd growth producer, I knew I'd be hard pressed to find a better bottle at that price point. Stored at 45, popped and poured - enjoyed sans pairing over two hours.

Visually, still a medium gold. Cork came out clean & intact with an ah-so, with plenty of tiny calcium mucate deposits on it.

On the nose - well, I went in expecting to pick up the usual tropical or stone fruit notes, but was immediately uppercut by strong chemical scents of superglue & acetone. Hello, ethyl acetate! Fortunately it wafted off within 10-15 minutes, replaced by tres leches, pie crust, creme brulee, brown sugar - faint at first, then increasing in intensity as it warmed & got air. Very little fruit notes here, I'm inclined to think the higher % of new oak barrels imparted more of these type of notes than I'm used to (my usual Barsac tends to be more Climens). The botrytis notes of honey & caramel joined the party soon enough, but it would take until the last glass for some fruit to appear - orange peel, roasted pineapple. This is wonderfully complex!

On the palate, we've got decent body here - not the lightness of a Climens nor the gobsmacking decadence of a Coutet, rather a middle ground. Faint tannic nibble thanks to the barrels, with an above average acidity (compared to its peers, anyway) to help balance a ~140g/L sweetness. The alcohol is only notable as it warms up (13.5%), but the finish - that finish! Flavors of being buried alive in a Miami bakery lasting over a minute.

I have a Doisy-Daene & a La Tour Blanche from 2009 to compare this with, but the relative absence of fruit notes at this young age (to me) made for an interesting experience and memorable flavor profile. It was an intense year - hot, humid, plenty of sugar and alcohol, and I can feel that in this bottling. I haven't sampled the 2009 yet in my usuals - Climens, Suduiraut, Lafaurie-Peyraguey - and that's a comparison I look forward to making. Bottom line, the complexity/intensity of scent & flavor I received for just >>$12<< - hard to beat!

(Bonus photo of additional info from my Bordeaux and its Wines tome, albeit a little outdated!)

The last of four red Burgs I bought to get me started on the region! It's a daunting exercise, building the knowledge base to finally get started with untangling Burgundy, which seemed overwhelming to me at first. The other three (Arlaud Roncevie, Richoux Irancy, Sarrazin Givry) were all quite unique in their own right, and the selection of this one was to start with an entry level Chassagne-Montrachet rouge. The inheritance rules of Burgundy always do a number on me, seeing how many Gagnards own vineyards out there - Jean-Noel inherited several small parcels, and for almost the last 30 years, it's been run by his daughter Caroline. This particular Pinot comes from the Morgeot 1er cru plot, on the southern end of Chassagne-Montrachet - southeast facing slopes about 750' high. Stored at 55, popped thej decanted, enjoyed over two hours.

Visually, a medium ruby in the glass.

On the nose - my goodness, it's as if the wine grew hands, and pushed my face down into soil. Very earthy from the start. Potting soil, dirt. I'm in construction, I've smelled some dirt. There's dirt. Dried leaves, tobacco leaves. As it warms - roses, potpourri. Notable allspice & clove. Fruits - blueberry, cranberry, dark cherry. It's a wonderfully complex scent to my Burg rookie nose.

On the palate - strong red fruit - cranberry & cherry, licorice, soil & pastry. Despite being just 13%, it was notable from the start, and moreso as it warmed (13 in Bordeaux to me is imperceptible) - rougher that I expected, with super fine tannins that coated every inch of my mouth. Middling acidity with a decent finish. Structurally, it felt somewhat out of control, compared to the harmony of the Arlaud Roncevie I mention above or the Givry. Perhaps with more time for all the components to come to terms with each other - the flavors were fantastic, the finish was decent - I'll have to think about this one further.

Parting notes - on to my next group of 4 red Burgs, ones from more well known appellations & producers. It's certainly bold, earthy, and still rough around the edges - but I enjoyed the nose & flavors plenty enough to certainly welcome more CM reds!

On a recent visit to Paris, one of the shops I was recommended to visit for back vintages was "Maison des Millesimes" - walked in with an open mind and $250 to spend on Bordeaux, and let the shopkeeper make recommendations. I had Sauternes and left bank Bordeaux in mind, and one of his selections for me was this 1996 Croizet-Bages with absolutely spectacular provenance, immaculate label condition, and a fill level past top shoulder - wonderful stuff for a wine nearing 30 years since bottling! I knew the producer as a fifth growth and by name (and from a decent vintage) but nothing about their history and reputation - yet I agreed to the bottle and took it home nonetheless. Primarily Cab Sauv blend (assuming as a left bank, the Chateau has not yet answered my eMail regarding the blend for this year). Stored at 55, popped and poured - chose not to decant at this age, but enjoyed over 3 hours. Paired with a grilled NY strip steak and salad.

Visually, a deep red leaning garnet, already bricking at the rim. No visible signs of damage on the label or capsule - cork flush with the rim. Bit of mold on the middle of the cork upon removal, but a clean withdrawal with an Ah-so.

On the nose, oaky notes emerged first - cocoa/mocha/coffee, somebaking spice from the oak barrel aging. Lovely distant hint of sweet pastry. Still some fruit left, to my surprise! A bit of blackberry & blackcurrant, which faded within thirty minutes. Plenty of cedar - grandma’s old wooden furniture, old barrels. As it warmed, floral & potpourri notes.

On the palate, on the downslope! Medium body, with very, very fine tannins that tickle the tongue & gums - just a faint nibble of grip left at this point. Acidity remains above average, and an unnoticeable 12.5% alcohol. Feels very, very light for a Pauillac, and as a pairing, the steak was almost overpowering the faint tannic grip and mouthfeel. Flavors of cocoa, coffee, cedar, bit of cigar humidor - fruit's gone! Very short finish, regrettably.

It's only afterwards that I noted, in reading online, a common use of the word "underperforming" when used to describe Croizet-Bages, especially from this time period, but I want to think this particular wine would've been fantastic 10-15 years ago, and that at 30, age had simply caught up with it. It's a heck of a learning experience for $50, but that's part of the game, and it's another producer and flavor profile added to the memory banks!