Bollinger and Chapoutier

Dinner at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon.

2008 Bollinger R.D., dégorgée le 28 Octobre 2022 - the nose was yeasty and a little toasty. Acidity was high on the palate.

2007 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Meal Blanc - the nose was very, very buttery and ripe, and this was heavier than a white Burg would be.

2006 Joh.Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel - this was really, really sweet. Lovely and elegant, and so classic, with honey, marmalade, and apricot notes.

2022 Geantet-Pansiot Corton Le Rognet - this was really fragrant, with blueberries and also a little metallic.

2000 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon - unfortunately not great, dusty and chalky. More savory on the palate. Pretty disappointing.

Full post on dinner is here.

Italian quartet

Dinner at Yong Fu.

First pair:

1995 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Montfortino Riserva - decanted more than 1½ hours after opening, but the wine did not open up after another 15 minutes. There was some woodsy fragrance along with a little mint. After more than 30 minutes in the decanter this was a little more open. Certainly the more tannic of the pair, but the acidity was there. After another 40 minutes, and about 3 hours after first opening, the wine was finally open, and we had more fruit showing.

1998 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano di Neive Riserva - this was more mature and more advanced of the pair, with the color being lighter and more amber. The wine was more fragrant in the mouth, much more oxidized, and more flamboyant. After another 30 minutes this became pretty savory and showing soy sauce, but at the same time this was still caramelized, nutty, and sweet. Beautiful.

Second pair:

2010 Roagna Barbaresco Crichët Pajé - I could feel the richness and the power of the wine, but this just wasn't very open even after an hour in the decanter. It did get better later on, but was showing a little toasty as well as a little dusty.

2010 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato Cà d'Morissio Riserva - nose was minty, and the wine felt younger and fresher. The acidity was definitely higher. This was open enough and drinking pretty well.

Full post on dinner is here.

Krug Beyond Time

Dinner at Andō.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 173ème Édition, Krug ID 124019 – toasty nose. High acidity but with more depth on the palate.

2024 Beyond Time Viognier - this was VERY floral, with lots of lychees. Very ripe and sweet on the palate.

2022 Tiano and Nareno Travesia del 1908 - fresh and lively, minty and a bit earthy.

Full post on dinner is here.

Ulysse Collin and more

Dinner at Wing.

2020 Ulysse Collin Les Pierrières, dégorgée en Janvier 2025 - a little vanilla on the nose, with mineral and flinty notes, and there was almost a little bit of wampee.

2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - this was so classic with the petrol and white truffle, and also white flowers. Reasonable sweetness on the palate.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - opened 2½ hours before serving. The nose was pretty toasty, and still had a lovely amount of fruit, with leather and meaty notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

Prieuré Roch and Ogier

Dinner at La Marine in Noirmoutier.

2021 Stephane Ogier Condrieu Les Vieilles Vignes de Jacques Vernay - the nose was really fragrant and floral with lots of lychee and rose. Not surprisingly this was very ripe on the palate.

2020 Prieuré Roch Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots - started drinking around 1 hour after opening, and initially this still wasn't open. This got better after 10 minutes in the glass, and the nose was pretty powerful with dried flower petals and eucalyptus. It got leaner on the palate more than 1½ hours after opening, getting more grippy with higher acidity. I guess it was just still too young and not ready.

Full post on dinner is here.

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.