Recent content by mlawton

We did a similar tasting not long ago - 99 Reynards and Chaillots, 99 Juge C and SC, 99 Clape, 99 Jamet Brune, 99 Voge VF and 99 Gasse-Lafoy. No bad wines in the bunch at all, but the 99 Clape remains a bit extra. We started out single blind and (what turned out to be) the Clape immediately...

All Alsace or just the big "T"? I've had bad luck there with halfs and 750s. Superb when young, not so much with age. as often as I can get to Montreal (pretty often) and to Alsace (not often enough, tabarnak).

@Jayson please give me a Weinbach Gewurtz VT (or Altenbourg from a sweet year) with my foie, 100 times out of 100 rather than Yquem. But I also like a touch of salt with foie rather than sweet preserves.

While I am still enjoying sweet wines as well as off-dry and dry, Sauternes has always been boring to me. I'd much rather have something in my glass like a good MSR BA/TBA/Eiswein or a Foreau MR/Gouttes or even a Bongran "Cuvee Botrytis" than even D'Yquem, TBH.

Interesting, I have a bunch of the Hermitage, last one I opened honestly didn't get me excited to open more. As I recall, it didn't need more age, it just was not excitingor particularly interesting. I'll try another, soonish, now.

Well that's a downer. Grotte Alte was one of my favorites, at least the 2012/2013 vintages. I didn't find an excessive amount (or much any) of wood impact there, then. Guess I'll just have to live in the past then.

I had a 2000 Barbacarlo last year that was clearly aligned with the rustic but was very interesting and I liked it a lot. Sounds like your 2000 wasn't a sound bottle.

Yes, he has a stainless tank on the top floor of his winery where he does Carbonic every year (or did up until my visit in 2004/2005). He said he used it as "a spice" in his bottlings when he felt the "normal" wine was missing something. IIRC, it was some seriously grapey, tannic stuff in that tank!

J-M Clape told us on a visit in 2001 or 2002 that the 1999 was the best wine he had ever made, while he blinded us on the 1991 which was outstanding. We also had a 1999 in a 1999 horizontal in early 2024 (along with 1999 Allemand Chaillots and Reynard, Juge C and SC, Gasse-Lafoy, Jamet Cote...

Kick it Root Down.

2019 Giacosa Langhe Nebbiolo is a terrible wine. Truly. Multiple bottles down the sink. Quite disappointing.

Nice story, and your California Syrah actually changed over the 3 days it took me to finish it. The second day, I didn't pick up the same acidity, the wine was even more a twin of the Graillot. Then the 3rd day, still good, but the last sip was a bit gritty. Very enjoyable and pleasant...

Yes, I've been slowly drinking them, last one was in a group tasting of Cote Rotie and Cornas from 1999 in fall 2024. Jamet Cote Brune, Clape, Reynard and Chaillots, Juge C and SC and Voge VF among others. The Lafoy-Gasse was certainly not out of place. The outlier was the Clape actually...

I just went to check my basement (last night) and found a bunch of Steve's wines from the early 2000s. Brought up a 2000 California Syrah, it was delicious and not OTH to my taste at all. I also opened a 1999 Graillot Crozes. Brothers from another mother. ESJ had a bit more acidity but not...

If I am lucky enough to have a plate of Foie Gras in front of me, there's nothing I'd rather have than a lightly sweet Gewurtztraminer with it. A Weinbach non-VT/SGN is pretty much perfect. I'd much prefer that to a Sauternes. Or a Trimbach Cuvee de signeurs de Ribeaupierre with a Tarte...