2014 Robert Barbichon Coteaux Champenois Rouge - France, Champagne, Coteaux Champenois (12/3/2020)
Super interesting and unique wine. The color is barely more than rosé. Really lifted, perfumed aromas that would have me thinking there was some VA if the alcohol was higher. Rose hips, macerated red fruits and subtle stones. No real tannic structure to speak of, so really does drink a bit like a rosé but without the mineral drive we usually seek. Spectral is a great word for it. I'm not sure we'd have a use for this one the regular, but we both really liked it and it is worth trying if you haven't already. Thanks to John McIlwain who threw this into a Chambers shipment. (91 points)
2017 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (12/4/2020)
As it always seems to be with this wine it shows a lovely mix of red and black fruit laced with flowers (violet?) and hints of spice. Silky texture and smooth, long finish that picks up a bit of mineral and continues with the Vosne-like spice. Young but approachable already although certainly will improve probably starting to show best on the younger side, say in 5-7 years. (92 points)
2012 Geantet-Pansiot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Poissenot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru (12/4/2020)
I love this vineyard and this producer. Yes, they are made in a fruitier style, but the preponderance of old "Pinot Fin" clones and the situation of this vineyard at the top of the Coombe really resonates with me. Like always, it's saline, sappy and rich, with dark fruit, minerals and maybe a hint of black licorice. There is a floral topnote and a bit of an earthy, leathery bottom note but the prevailing driver is the core of fruit. It starts to fold in a bit after being open for a few hours making me think while it is delicious now, it would be ideal to let it cellar for a few more years. I'll be tucking into them regularly, though, since this was the first from a case. This was a recent auction purchase from HDH in OCB where I've had good luck with bottle condition. This bottle showed some staining about 1/3 of the way up the cork indicating less than perfect provenance. Buying at auction is a crap shoot and that's why I only bid on stuff like this that falls under peoples' radar and I can get for a discount. Here, it was 34% below current retail, with auction vig and shipping (tax and shipping would need to be added to that retail, so probably an even better deal). I'm glad no one else seems to like this producer. (92 points)
2015 Domaine André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé Le Coteau de l'Epinet - France, Burgundy, M“connais, Viré-Clessé (12/5/2020)
Easily as good as the last bottle of this. Deeply pitched and intense and showed really similar to the last time. After a bit of air, it really spreads out. It will surely age but I'm not sure it will get any better than it is now. Everything seems to be in the perfect place and youthful enough to support the richness. I'd buy this regularly if it weren't so hard to find. (94 points)
2014 Dhondt-Grellet Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut Les Nogers - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (12/5/2020)
Structured mineral and citrus, as one would expect from old-ish (~55 years) Chardonnay from Cuis. On the bright yellow fruit end of the spectrum with more lemon drop and oil dominating. There is a touch of spice to the zesty finish. I'm interested to see how this rounds out with a bit of cellar time. If it broadens a bit and fills in while maintaining that verve, it'll be really compelling. (92 points)
2016 Flavio Roddolo Dolcetto d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba (12/7/2020)
Not quite at the same level as the 2015 Dolcetto Superiore, but not far off. More savory but still has that nice chewy fruit leather type thing (without diminishing the freshness). I think this still has some room to grow and unwind. (91 points)
2016 Morella La Signora Salento IGT - Italy, Puglia, Salento IGT (12/7/2020)
This showed better than the Old Vines from a few weeks back. Really bright nose of red berry fruits. Fairly structured, though the tannins are fine grained. Lots of acidity making the fruit crunchy. Herbs and some light game notes round it out. I think that both this and the old vines will be better with a few years of aging. I may pick up a couple more of each just to see. (91 points)
2011 Flavio Roddolo Nebbiolo d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Nebbiolo d'Alba (12/8/2020)
When trying out new Piedmontese wines, I've started to open a Roddolo alongside just to remind myself of what I truly love. Another great bottle of this, maybe the best yet. The baking spices, rose hips and cherry are just sublime. It has that haunting sous bois, leathery/savory almost umami thing. I'm starting to think of Roddolo as the Rayas of the Piedmont because the wines have a certain ineffable something to them that I can't really explain but recognize right away. (94 points)
2016 Nervi-Conterno Gattinara - Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Gattinara (12/8/2020)
Very pale color with a nose of kirsch and macerated cherries. A bit rustic and chewy on the palate. Perhaps I'm biased by the label, but it seems to be trying to be more like a wine from the Langhe than a northern expression of Nebbiolo. That being said, it was still a good wine and a very young seeming one. It could very well gain in complexity in the coming years or the structure could eat away at the finely laced fruit. Given other 2016s I've tried so far, I can't help but think that given the resources this was a bit of a missed opportunity. I'll probably grab a few bottles to lay away and see what happens. (90 points)
Super interesting and unique wine. The color is barely more than rosé. Really lifted, perfumed aromas that would have me thinking there was some VA if the alcohol was higher. Rose hips, macerated red fruits and subtle stones. No real tannic structure to speak of, so really does drink a bit like a rosé but without the mineral drive we usually seek. Spectral is a great word for it. I'm not sure we'd have a use for this one the regular, but we both really liked it and it is worth trying if you haven't already. Thanks to John McIlwain who threw this into a Chambers shipment. (91 points)
2017 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (12/4/2020)
As it always seems to be with this wine it shows a lovely mix of red and black fruit laced with flowers (violet?) and hints of spice. Silky texture and smooth, long finish that picks up a bit of mineral and continues with the Vosne-like spice. Young but approachable already although certainly will improve probably starting to show best on the younger side, say in 5-7 years. (92 points)
2012 Geantet-Pansiot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Poissenot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru (12/4/2020)
I love this vineyard and this producer. Yes, they are made in a fruitier style, but the preponderance of old "Pinot Fin" clones and the situation of this vineyard at the top of the Coombe really resonates with me. Like always, it's saline, sappy and rich, with dark fruit, minerals and maybe a hint of black licorice. There is a floral topnote and a bit of an earthy, leathery bottom note but the prevailing driver is the core of fruit. It starts to fold in a bit after being open for a few hours making me think while it is delicious now, it would be ideal to let it cellar for a few more years. I'll be tucking into them regularly, though, since this was the first from a case. This was a recent auction purchase from HDH in OCB where I've had good luck with bottle condition. This bottle showed some staining about 1/3 of the way up the cork indicating less than perfect provenance. Buying at auction is a crap shoot and that's why I only bid on stuff like this that falls under peoples' radar and I can get for a discount. Here, it was 34% below current retail, with auction vig and shipping (tax and shipping would need to be added to that retail, so probably an even better deal). I'm glad no one else seems to like this producer. (92 points)
2015 Domaine André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé Le Coteau de l'Epinet - France, Burgundy, M“connais, Viré-Clessé (12/5/2020)
Easily as good as the last bottle of this. Deeply pitched and intense and showed really similar to the last time. After a bit of air, it really spreads out. It will surely age but I'm not sure it will get any better than it is now. Everything seems to be in the perfect place and youthful enough to support the richness. I'd buy this regularly if it weren't so hard to find. (94 points)
2014 Dhondt-Grellet Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut Les Nogers - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (12/5/2020)
Structured mineral and citrus, as one would expect from old-ish (~55 years) Chardonnay from Cuis. On the bright yellow fruit end of the spectrum with more lemon drop and oil dominating. There is a touch of spice to the zesty finish. I'm interested to see how this rounds out with a bit of cellar time. If it broadens a bit and fills in while maintaining that verve, it'll be really compelling. (92 points)
2016 Flavio Roddolo Dolcetto d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba (12/7/2020)
Not quite at the same level as the 2015 Dolcetto Superiore, but not far off. More savory but still has that nice chewy fruit leather type thing (without diminishing the freshness). I think this still has some room to grow and unwind. (91 points)
2016 Morella La Signora Salento IGT - Italy, Puglia, Salento IGT (12/7/2020)
This showed better than the Old Vines from a few weeks back. Really bright nose of red berry fruits. Fairly structured, though the tannins are fine grained. Lots of acidity making the fruit crunchy. Herbs and some light game notes round it out. I think that both this and the old vines will be better with a few years of aging. I may pick up a couple more of each just to see. (91 points)
2011 Flavio Roddolo Nebbiolo d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Nebbiolo d'Alba (12/8/2020)
When trying out new Piedmontese wines, I've started to open a Roddolo alongside just to remind myself of what I truly love. Another great bottle of this, maybe the best yet. The baking spices, rose hips and cherry are just sublime. It has that haunting sous bois, leathery/savory almost umami thing. I'm starting to think of Roddolo as the Rayas of the Piedmont because the wines have a certain ineffable something to them that I can't really explain but recognize right away. (94 points)
2016 Nervi-Conterno Gattinara - Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Gattinara (12/8/2020)
Very pale color with a nose of kirsch and macerated cherries. A bit rustic and chewy on the palate. Perhaps I'm biased by the label, but it seems to be trying to be more like a wine from the Langhe than a northern expression of Nebbiolo. That being said, it was still a good wine and a very young seeming one. It could very well gain in complexity in the coming years or the structure could eat away at the finely laced fruit. Given other 2016s I've tried so far, I can't help but think that given the resources this was a bit of a missed opportunity. I'll probably grab a few bottles to lay away and see what happens. (90 points)