Dureuil Janthial and Pélican

Dinner at La Marine in Noirmoutier.

2022 Dureuil Janthial Rully 1er Cru Le Meix Cadot - classic Burgundian nose with a very buttery nose. There was ripeness on the palate, but the finish was dry.

2018 Domaine du Pélican Arbois Chardonnay En Barbi - surprisingly oily on the nose. Actually a little disppointing overall, as it wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. A food wine, I suppose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Drappier and Landron

Lunch at Elise in Noirmoutier.

Drappier Brut Nature - pretty easy to drink, and great with seafood thanks to zero dosage.

2018 Domaine de la Louvetrie La Haute Tradition Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie - pretty rounded on the palate. Texture and depth were OK.

Full post on lunch is here.

Glandien and Banneret

Dinner Geoélia in Paris.

JM Sélèque Solessence, dégorgée en Decembre 2024 - as expected with this winemaker, the acidity was on the high side.

2024 Maison Glandien L'Ouverture Blanc - flinty nose with stone fruits. Good acidity on the palate accompanied by some roundness.

2010 Domaine du Banneret Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge - this was VERY savory with smoky nose. I could still find the fruit here, but overall this was just very, very farmy and bretty. Definitely in the Beaucastel school of CdP.

2024 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Kabinett Alte Reben Gisela 8 - kinda elegant, with pretty high acidity on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Henin Gamin du Ter-Terre

Lunch at Le Gabriel in Paris.

Romain Henin Le Gamin du Ter-Terre, dégorgée le 23 Fevrier 2024 - more than 2 years after dégorgement the nose has developed some maturity, definitely showing more oxidation with marmalade, and a little bit of metallic notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

2023 Pierre Girardin

Dinner at Maison Ruggieri Palais Royale in Paris.

2023 Pierre Girardin Le Châtaignier - big nose of toast with flinty notes. Very dry and lean acidity.

Full post on dnner is here.

Lafite 1905 - 2005

Dinner with Caprice at Château Lafite-Rothschild in Pauillac, hosted jointly by Antoine Granger from the château and the Caprice team.

1979 Krug, en magnum - lovely toasty and nutty nose, with a little bit of straw. This was very much alive with thrilling acidity. What an amazingly wine! The third magnum was even better, with a huge, toasty nose that was also reductive at the same time. Sooooo amazing, and I love it!

2005 William Fevre Chablis Le Clos, en magnum - flinty nose with notes of stone fruit. Pretty round and ripe on the palate.

First pair: opened and double-decanted, then stoppered for 5½ hours and aired for 30 minutes prior to serving.

2005 Lafite-Rothschild, en magnum - smoky nose that was a little ripe, not so open right now. More tannic on the palate, even at the ripe old age of 21 years.

2000 Lafite-Rothschild, en magnum - WOW! This was soooo fresh! Nose of smoke, graphite, cigar box, and mint. Sooo smooth, soooo elegant. Pretty savory on the palate, and I hate to describe it as brett but there seemed to be a touch of it, along with leather. Another 30 minutes in the savory, bretty notes were pretty obvious.

Second pair: opened and double-decanted, then stoppered for 6 hours and aired for 30 minutes prior to serving.

1990 Lafite-Rothschild, en magnum - softer on the nose but more minty, a little woodsy, smoky and slight dusty, savory, leather, and was there also a touch of brett? Obviously this was more mature on the palate. About 30 minutes in this finally opened up further, and the nose was pretty fragrant. The nose kinda died about 1 hour and 20 minutes in, but the palate was still going.

1986 Lafite-Rothschild, en magnum - the nose was soooo fragrant and woodsy. Also savory, but much less brett. A real lovely wine.

1955 Lafite-Rothschild, en magnum - beautiful, fragrant nose, with lovely notes of cedar, smoke, graphite, and pencil lead. The nose still got the fruity acidity. The palate was savory and very much oxidized now.

1905 Lafite-Rothschild - the color was pretty light and not quite pink. The nose was so, so, soooo fragrant, with the red fruits and a little peppery, along with some coffee and toast. So elegant. What an amazing treat!

1976 Rieussec - lots of honey, botrytis, marmalade, and honeydew melon. Beautiful. So sweet and unctuous.

Cognac Très Vieilles Réserve Lafite-Rothschild - really sweet with lots of caramel on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cos d'Estournel tasting

Lunch at La Maison d'Estournel, Saint-Estephe.

2017 Cos d'Estournel Blanc - nose of green apple, a little flint, a hint of pungent notes but not pipi de chat. Got the acidity on the palate, but also rounded.

Tasting at Château Cos d'Estournel.

2018 G d'Estournel - very minty, earthy, and pretty oaky. Very smoky, with ripe fruit and a little vanilla. Very approachable, and fairly soft for its age.

2015 Les Pagodes d'Estournel - the nose was bigger and more smoky, with more leather and savory notes, along with a hint of brett. Pretty supple on the palate.

2014 Cos d'Estournel - the nose was smoky with nice cedar notes. This was a leaner wine, much more concentrated, and the tannins are still here.

Dinner at La Maison d'Estournel.

Champagne Michel Reybier - some toast on the nose, but not too much depth here. It's clean and easy to drink.

2019 Cos d'Estournel - minty, smoky, young but certainly accessible. Not so tannic on the palate.

Full post on the day is here.

2020 Geantet-Pansiot

Dinner at Joséphine Chez Dumonet in Paris.

2020 Geantet-Pansiot Marsannay Champs Perdrix - pretty young, a little muscular and smoky. There was good acidity on the palate, and this worked well with the morels so that the sharp edges of the wine were gone... leading me to think that this is a good "food wine". This opened up more after about 15 minutes, and became more complex on the nose with a little sous bois.

Full post on dinner is here.

2017 Belgrave

Drinking onboard Qatar Airways.

2017 Belgrave - no surprise that this tasted like it's been opened for a few hours. Nose of cassis and black fruits, with smoky grilled meats and also earthy notes. Decent acidity on the palate and still got the tannins.

2002 Torbreck Descendant

Drinking at home.

2002 Torbreck Descendant - started drinking 1 hour after decanting. Still a bit alcoholic on the nose, with pretty big nose of oak, and the smell of the grape skin was pretty strong, along with black fruits and blueberries. Very sweet on the palate.

MNSC - Derby

MNSC dinner at the Derby Room, hosted by Curry.

2013 Raveneau Chablis Valmur - huge, toasty nose, with lovely lemon notes. Nice and buttery.

2013 Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre - more grassy notes on the nose, more ripeness AND more acidity.

First flight: opened more than 3½ hours prior to serving.

2007 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts - nice and smoky, earthy, meaty. Opened up further with time. 95 points.

2007 de Montille Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Malconsorts Cuvée Christiane - nice and fragrant nose, very elegant. Softer. 95 points.

Second flight: opened more than 5½ hours before serving.

2013 Mugnier Musigny - very fragrant nose with a little leather notes. Slightly grippy on the palate.

2013 Dujac Bonnes Mares - this was more complex, with a more toasty nose. 96 points.

Third flight: opened 5 hours prior to serving.

1995 Lafleur - really smoky, pretty bretty and savory. The brett faded and this was showing beautifully. 97 points.

1998 Lafleur - sweeter on the nose, more elegant. Pretty open and smoky almost 6 hours after opening, with a bit of grass.

Full post on dinner is here

1990s party

Dinner at SẾP.

1990 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nice and toasty on the nose, with a bit of straw and some Chinese licorice, but also a hint of wet cardboard, perhaps. Good acidity on the palate.

1990 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile - the nose was really nice, showing classic notes of petrol / truffle and white flowers. Still pretty fresh, and there was good acidity on the palate with just a tad of ripeness. Even after 2 hours this was still really good.

1990 Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot - definitely showing nose of leather and almost a little bit of piquillo peppers. Light color and lighter on the palate.

1990 Marcel Juge Cornas Cuvée C - CORKED, but still nice and open, with leather notes and a very big, farmy finish.

1990 Hubert de Montille Pommard 1er Cru Rugiens - a bit more concentration here, with a lovely nose of eucalyptus along with smoky, grilled meats.

1990 Georges Mugneret Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots - this was fairly elegant, with a fragrant nose of leather. Very nice.

1990 Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist - peaty and smoky on the nose, but actually there was lovely caramel underneath the hospital disinfectant.

1990 Beaucastel - lovely fragrance of leather with a hint of farmyard on the finish. Surprisingly this was sweet on the palate.

1998 L'Evangile - decanted more than 2 hours prior to drinking. A lovely Bordeaux, with a very fragrant nose showing cedar and smoke.

1990 Climens - nose of honey, marmalade, honeydew, and also nutty. Wonderfully sweet on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.