Vinopolis November 11th Newsletter

Wine Spectator 90 points “Dark, dense and spicy, with black pepper and black tea overtones to the currant and berry flavors, gliding smoothly into the long, expressive finish. Best from 2015 through 2020”

Antonio Galloni 97 points “One of the highlights among the more recent releases, the 2010 Opus One is flat-out gorgeous. Dark cherries, plums, graphite, cassis and pencil shavings are all woven together in a fabric of notable class and elegance. The 2010 stands out for its exceptional minerality, tension and pure power. Readers will have to be patient. This is a picture perfect rendering of this great Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon vintage.”Schrader RBS Beckstoffer Tokalon Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 ($349.95) $299 special only 1 bottle

100% Chardonnay from the Biodynamically-farmed estate parcel in Montgeux, just outside of Troyes. Based on the 2004, 2003 & 2002 harvests – this beauty spent 9 years on the lees prior to disgorgement on January 5, 2012 with 6 grams dosage. Limestone, minerals, and brioche dominate the nose, with precise flavors and a fresh, creamy texture on the palate. “Perle de Nacre” is French for “mother of pearl.”

75% Pinot Noir & 25% Chardonnay, all from the 2009 vintage in Couche’s biodynamically farmed parcels in Buxeuil and Montgeux. 42% was barrel fermented, the balance in tank. This is a Rosé de Saignée, with the Pinot Noir left to macerate with the skins overnight to add the brilliant pink-salmon color. It smells like fresh wild strawberries, and  has a persistent and bright minerality throughout. The overall impression is of freshness and bright red berries. Only 4 grams dosage.

Burghound 92-95 points “Like the Montrachet, this is also presently quite aromatically reticent with its aromas of lemon/lime, wet stone and Granny Smith apples that are trimmed in a subtle application of warm oak. The equally expansive, taut and well-muscled broad-shouldered flavors possess an ample amount of dry extract and intensity on the driving finish that exhibits a faint saline character. I very much like the intensity here as well as the very dry backend and this should be superb if allowed adequate cellar time.”

John Gilman 95 points “The 2011 Bâtard-Montrachet from Louis Jadot is another brilliant wine in the making, soaring from the glass in a deep and very youthful aromatic blend of apple, lime zest, tangerine, complex soil tones, a touch of iodine and a gentle base of new wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very powerfully-built, with a rock solid core, snappy acids and stunning focus and grip on the very young, structured and magical finish. A very pure and racy example of young Bâtard-Montrachet that has been built to last!”

Burghound 93- 95 points “An ultra-pure and high-toned nose of wet stone, spiced pear and acacia blossom and green apple is also trimmed in just enough oak to notice. The markedly stony broad-shouldered and tautly muscular flavors possess almost painful intensity on the crystalline and explosively long finish. 2011 is a vintage where the Demoiselles is bigger than it typically is yet there is absolutely no loss of refinement or elegance.”

Antonio Galloni 96 points “The 2009 Vosne-Romanee Les Beaux Monts bursts from the glass with dazzling fruit that covers every inch of the palate. Sweet dark fruit, spices, tar and leather are some of the notes that flesh out on the stunning, multi-dimensional finish. This is a dazzling wine endowed with tons of class and sheer pedigree. It is not to be missed.”

Antonio Galloni 95+ points “The 2009 Vosne-Romanee Aux Genaivrieres opens with delicate spice notes, then explodes on the mid-palate with waves of flavor. Sweet crushed rose petal notes develop in the glass, weaving through the eternal finish. This is a gorgeous, fleshy wine graced with exquisite class. I especially like the way the Genaivrieres fleshes out on the finish. Frankly, it’s hard to move on to the next wine after this.”

Wine Advocate 91 points “Clove and cinnamon accents to the ripe cherry and purple plum of Chateau des Jacques’s 2011 Moulin-a-Vent Clos de Rochegres suggest that a dollop of Gewurztraminer was administered. Singed meat and crushed stone set-off the luscious fruit and deep spice on a polished palate that projects an almost pasty sense of sheer concentration, but at the same time not a hint of heaviness, let alone heat, in its succulently sustained finish. “

Wine Advocate 92 points “Chateau des Jacques’s 2011 Morgon Cote de Py – at only 13.4%, still the highest in alcohol of their vintage collection – leads with intimations of charred, roasted red meats and crushed stone along with sandalwood- and fruit pit-tinged, concentrated, ripe dark cherry and purple plum. Infectiously juicy, palpably dense, and finely tannic, this finishes with a luscious, dynamic, sustained exchange of stony, carnal, peaty and fruity elements…92”

Wine Spectator 91 points “A fresh, bouncy style, with crunchy acidity running underneath the white peach, Meyer lemon and Cavaillon melon flavors. There’s a brisk note of dried chamomile flower on the finish. Drink now. 1,665 cases made. ”  (a blend of viognier, marsanne, roussanne and picpoul)

Mosel Fine Wines 92 points  “This offers a great subdued and racy nose made of fresh spices, fresh herbs and smoke. The wine is lively and zesty on the palate and leaves a razor-sharp feeling of sweet tannins in the finish. This is a glorious Kabinett in the making and one of the best of the last decade. It is that impressive! There is still avery sharp edge to this wine at this stage but this will mellow away nicely over time.”

Mosel Fine Wine 92 points “This wine, made from parcels in Trogelchen and Stablay, offers a great nose of fresh white flowers and some apple paired with great fresh notes of spices. An electrifying acidity comes through on the palate and brings tension and depth to the wine. In fact, this is a gorgeous wine in the making which shares some similitude with 2010: it is that lively!

Mosel Fine Wines 91 points “This offers a great nose of fresh peach, quince, bergamot and southern spices. The wine is still on the smoky side on the palateand juicy acidity carries some stunning and lively scents of passion fruit sorbet into a medium-long finish.”

Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “Gorgeous and lively scents of yellow peach, cassis and anise are nicely buffered off by some silky whipped cream on the palate and leave a superb feel of zesty fruit in the long finish. This modern remake of the great Auslese from the 1990’s is just irresistible.”

Mosel Fine Wines 95 points “This cask made from clean fruit only was so  different from the AP09 that Christoph and Willi Schaefer decided to bottle this beauty separately. And what a beauty it is. This is all about energy and purity. It starts off with some undercooled and subdued scents of fruits, before white flowers as well as smoke come into play on the palate. But what sets this wine apart is the utterly brilliant balance and aromatic depth. This is just breathtakingly good and all lovers of delicate Auslese that retain a great drinking side should plunge onto this offering”

Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “This offers a fresh and playful nose of fruits and spices. The wine is intense and refined on the palate and leaves a glorious feel of passion fruit, apple and pineapple in the finish. This should age beautifully well.”

Mosel Fine Wines 93+ “Made from partially botrytized fruit, this rich Auslese retains nevertheless a great juicy side thanks to pineapple, brown sugar and only a hint of honey in the finish. A gloriously playful feel of acidity comes through and lifts everything up. This superb Auslese should age beautifully well and could eventually surprise everybody!”

Mosel Fine Wines 96 points “This hits all the right buttons and epitomizes the Schaefer style. Deep flavors of yellow peach, some herbs and white flowers all blend together to give an incredible feeling of silk and depth which leaves no one indifferent. Everything is nicely balanced and the finish is just pure finesse and complexity. This is a stunning Auslese in the making

Josh Raynolds 91 points “(90% viura and 10% malvasia, fermented in new French oak, where it then spends three months on its lees):  Green-tinged gold.  Powerful aromas of honeydew melon, orange zest and toasty lees.  Sappy, round and concentrated, offering intense melon, citrus fruit and spicecake flavors and a slow-building vanilla quality.  Finishes smooth and long, with mounting spiciness and a touch of fennel.”

Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2004 Vina Ardanza is a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha from 30-year-old vines in Fuenmayor and Cenicero. It is aged for 36 months in four-year-old American oak. It has a very enticing bouquet with dark cherry, Christmas cake, dried fig and espresso with fine delineation and bags of exuberance. The palate is medium-bodied with taut tannins, underpinned by a keen citric thread that cuts through the licorice-tinged, dark berry and allspice-tinged fruit with style. It is simply delicious on the bittersweet finish. Drink now-2020+”

Wine Spectator 96 points “Offers seamless flavors of kirsch, chocolate, dark plum and allspice, fresh and elegant, with a towering structure and intense red berry accents. Unctuous and long on the finish, showing loads of grip”
Wine Enthusiast 96 points “A dark, black-fruited wine, with the fruit hanging off the hard tannins. The wine is dark and concentrated, the fruit expressing itself as fragrant black currants. This dry wine is very firm and destined for a serious, long-term future”  James Suckling 96 points “Extremely floral and fruity with hints of lilacs and crushed fruit. Full body with refined tannins integrated with a solid core of fruit, and a rich, round texture. This is lightly sweet and follows through to a long, long finish. 3,000 cases produced of this mechanically trodden wine”
Wine Advocate 93-95 points “The Warre’s Vintage was picked beginning on September 18 at Quinta da Cavindha, with fruit also sourced from Quinta do Retiro and Quinta da Telhada. It is a blend of 37% Touriga Naçional, 23% Tinta Franca and 40% mixture of old vines. There is a lovely sea spray note on the 2011 Warre’s that emerges after ten minutes in the glass. It is nicely defined with a tangible mineral component. The palate is very well-balanced with fine tannins, very well-judged acidity and a languorous feel, as if everything is in place and it does not want to show off. This is a lovely, refined 2011 – one of the most elegant 2011s. This is a classic Warre’s. 3,000 cases declared”

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Robert Parker 94 points “The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape (a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah and 10% Cinsault) comes from two lieux-dits, La Crau and Valori. It exhibits a deep plum/purple color as well as sweet aromas of kirsch, cassis, licorice and lavender. Richly fruity and pure with low acidity and terrific purity, it should drink well for 10-12 years. “

Wine Spectator 93 points “Ripe plum, cigar box and iron notes are backed by solid tannins and lively acidity in this muscular red. There’s also a suppleness in the texture that should increase as the tannins are absorbed. Best from 2015 through 2032.”

Antonio Galloni 94 points “The 2005 Cepparello is striking. It possesses stunning depth and a darker profile of fruit than is typical. The 2005 was quite compact when first released, but what a difference a few years in bottle make. Today the 2005 has begun to blossom into a big, dramatic wine for the year.”

Antonio Galloni 96 points “The 2006 Cepparello is a super classic wine. It brings together the best elements of the house style in its breathtaking aromatics, delineated fruit and striking overall balance. All of the elements are in the right place for the 2006 to develop into a spectacular wine. The 2006 stands apart for its nuance, depth and overall detail. Juicy red cherries, raspberries, rose petals and licorice build to the huge, dramatic finish. The 2006 is one of the all-time great Cepparellos. It bears more than a passing resemblance to the stunning 1988. The 2006 has blossomed beautifully in bottle over the last few years, and it is now clear I underestimated its potential.”

Antonio Galloni- Vinous 93 points “Conterno’s 2011 Barbera d’Alba Cascina Francia emerges from the glass with an exciting mélange of savory herbs, rose petals, wild flowers and dark red fruit. Here the expression of fruit is broad, ample and generous, with layers of fruit that cover every inch of the palate. The Cascina Francia is expansive, while the Cerretta is a bit more focused. Both are fabulous.”

Antonio Galloni- Vinous 95 points “Conterno’s 2009 Barolo Cascina Francia wraps around the palate with gorgeous depth. A wine of volume and breadth, the 2009 fleshes out beautifully on the palate with layers of harmonious, silky fruit. Sweet tobacco, mint, flowers, spices and the most beautiful pure fruit all flesh out on the voluptuous, inviting finish. All the elements are in place for the 2009 to develop into a superb Barolo, but readers will have to be patient as the wine was just bottled. I remember what happened the last time Conterno bottled a Cascina Francia, but no Monfortino. The vintage was 2007, and I deeply regretted not having purchased that wine.”

Antonio Galloni 98 points “Sweet tobacco, mint, pine, mocha, wild flowers and leather are just some of the many notes that emerge from the stunning 2006 Barolo Riserva Monfortino. Exotic and aromatically expressive to the core, the 2006 finds superb depth and richness on the palate, all backed up by considerable structure. The 2006 is a huge, towering Barolo. As always, I suggest tasting the wine over the next few months or after age ten at the earliest, as it is likely to shut down hard sometime over the coming months. The 2006 is one of the most tannic Monfortinos in recent memory, right up there with the 1999 and 2002. Conterno fans will not want to miss this riveting, Barolo, a wine with few peers, some of them sitting in the Conterno cellar still unbottled.”

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2011 Henri Boillot Burgundies; a broad line-up including:

 

Burghound 95 points “There is just enough reduction present to suppress the nose though it seems reasonably clear that it is both ripe and clean. There is superb size, weight and mid-palate density to the mouth coating big-bodied flavors that ooze dry extract that does a fine job of buffering the firm acid spine on the very dry, even saline-infused finish. While I would call this a wine of finesse in the same vein as the Bienvenues, it is relatively fine in the context of the appellation. Either way, this delivers outstanding quality though be aware that it’s going to need plenty of cellar time.”

Burghound 94 points “A very mild hint of reduction reduces the expressiveness of the otherwise cool and pure floral, citrus rind, stone and soft spice notes. There is plenty of volume to the rich, intense and mouth coating middle weight flavors that exude a fine minerality on the gorgeously complex, strikingly well-delineated and bone dry finish. This saline-infused and clearly built-to-age effort is spectacular.”

Burghound 93 points “A beautifully complex and well-layered nose offers up aromas of ripe yellow orchard fruit, wood spice and herbal tea. There is an attractively textured feel to the opulent, concentrated and clearly very ripe medium weight plus flavors that possess good energy on the naturally sweet and mouth coating finish. This is lovely and the depth of material suggests that it should amply reward mid-term keeping.”

2011 Domaine Faiveley Burgundies; a broad line-up including:

Stephen Tanzer 93-96 points “Good deep red. A bit darker on the nose than the grand crus from Gevrey-Chambertin, offering explosive aromas of crushed raspberry, black cherry, exotic spices and a touch of smoke. Compellingly rich and seamless in the mouth, with terrific sappy verve to the urgent flavors of red berries, minerals and game. The very long, slowly rising finish boasts outstanding energy and thrust and saturates the mouth with sweet perfume.”

Stephen Tanzer 93-96 points “Bright, deep red.  Very deep aromas and flavors of raspberry, redcurrant, smoke and crushed rock.  At once penetrating and utterly fine-grained; explosive sappy perfume fills the mouth without leaving any impression of weight.  Pinot just doesn’t pull off this trick anywhere but in Burgundy’s top sites.  Finishes with noble tannins and outstanding palate-staining length.”

Stephen Tanzer 91-94 points “Good bright, deep red.  Soil-driven aromas and flavors of red berries, caraway seed, mocha, chocolate and spices, lifted by a floral topnote.  Tactile and intense, with strong saline minerality contributing to the impression of energy and precision.  Finishes with suave, fine-grained tannins and excellent lift.”

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Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2008 ($89.95) $59 flash sale special

Wine Enthusiast 95 points “Clos Apalta, depending on your point of view, is arguably Chile’s best wine. And this vintage is outstanding! Earth, minty spice, ripe berry, minerality and smoky aromas cover the bases. It’s superbly structured, with a fine texture and depth. Tastes lush and complex, with blackberry, crème de cassis, fine herbs and tobacco. Finishes classy. Drink now through 2016.”

Antonio Galloni 93 points “Conterno-Fantino’s 2004 Barolo Vigna del Gris offers an enticing array of floral aromatics that lead to sensations of candied cherries, small red fruits, spices and marzipan. With air, this sensual, feminine Barolo opens to reveal notable inner perfume and superb length. As is usually the case, the wine doesn’t quite have the stuffing to balance its tannins and it does dry out just a bit on the finish, but it is nevertheless a gorgeous, gorgeous wine. In 2004 Vigna del Gris contains fruit from both old vines and a recently re-planted section of the vineyard. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2019. I have long enjoyed the Conterno-Fantino Barolos but in recent years Claudio Conterno and Guido Fantino have taken their wines to an entirely new level. These Barolos can often be massively structured and difficult to evaluate at an early stage yet the 2004s have incredibly sweet, ripe tannins that makes them a pure joy to taste” Stephen Tanzer 93+ points “Good full red. Wonderful floral precision to the aromas of wild red fruits, mocha and smoky oak. Sweet, pure and primary, with terrific definition to the fruit-driven flavors of cherry and raspberry. Enticing floral, truffle and mineral notes add complexity to this classy wine. Finishes with lush, fine-grained tannins and terrific building length.”

Wine Spectator 94 points “Displays rich, decadent aromas of ripe berry and meat, with hints of mushroom. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and cedar and berry character. A big, chewy wine. Best after 2013. 390 cases made” Antonio Galloni 92 points “The 2005 Barolo Vigna del Gris is especially beautiful in this vintage, particularly in its well-delineated bouquet, which is striking. Dried roses, plums, mint and spices are some of the nuances that emerge from this elegant and restrained Barolo. The wine will benefit from another year or two in bottle to soften the tannins. This small-scaled Vigna del Gris is a gem. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.”

The only other listed price is a stunningly inappropriate $165 / bottle~~~~~~~~

 

Time To Say Goodbye 

Antonio Galloni 93 points “The 2008 Barbaresco Riserva Paje wraps around the palate with layers of dark fruit, spices and menthol. Today, the Paje is one of the more open of the 2008 Riservas, but there is plenty going on in the glass. Sweet floral and spiced notes add lift on the finish..”

Wine Spectator 93 points “Packed with rich, sweet cherry and raspberry flavors, this red is juicy and well-defined, backed by a firm backbone of tannins and bright acidity. The finish echoes the cherry flavor and introduces woodsy and spicy accents. Best from 2014 through 2024”