Francois Carillion 2017 Chassange Montrachet Premier Cru Les Macherelles
Immediately upon pouring the wine you notice the golden yellow clear color with an immediate explosion of complex aroma. The taste follows with the same complexity. I detected honey, honeysuckle, pineapple, hazelnut, and butterscotch, Despite being a soft feminine wine there were still some earthy flavors, one of which I tasted mushrooms that I do not recall tasting before in a White Burgundy wine. In addition, the finish was long-lasting and as the wine opened up with warmer temperatures the finish had a smoky characteristic. The wine was well balanced with nothing out of place. I described the alcohol as "cool" as it really did not overshadow the other flavors. There was some oak but it was very subtle and almost not perceptible. Overall it was a great wine but softer and with fewer mineral flavors like a Puligny.
Lafite Rothschild Bordeaux 1998
In the cellar for years under fairly ideal conditions I decided it was time to drink it so took it on the QM2 for dinner. The color was classic dark purple but I thought I might have detected an almost imperceptible slight brown edge meaning the wine is ready to drink. I was surprised by the amount of complexity on the nose and taste, I just don't remember Lafites being this complex. I could smell and taste it easily, cherry, figs, eucalyptus, cedar, cigar box, coffee, honey, and licorice. There was also that earthy complex smell and taste of horsey flavors from a racetrack. Obviously well balanced and not over-oaked. A lingering finish that I can still taste the morning after. An outstanding wine that is hedonistic after 20 years of great storage and maturation.
Laurent Perrier NV Le Cuvee Brut Champagne
My 1st impressions were bubbles and bright. What a nice value-priced champagne. To me the aroma and bouquet were excellent and the taste clearly demonstrated the tastes of pear and lemon. I detected a faint amount of Cedar. I also described the wine as smooth. The finish was not lingering but was pleasant. Overall I felt it was an excellent champagne at its price point and is a great value and I recommend it.
2013 Paul Pernot Batard Montrchet Grand Cru
I have always loved Paul Pernots wines. I was fortunate to meet him a few years ago and do a barrel tasting at his home. His wines to me are excellent and show a great amount of craftsmanship. His Batard Montrachet is one of my favorites. The vineyard is on the downslope just across the road from the Montrachet vineyard. The 2013 has a golden-rich color indicating a great complexity along with the idea it is ready to drink.. The appearance and the aroma and bouquet were excellent. There was a complex taste profile along with exceptional balance. For a grand cru, it had a light body. But other than that it was classic. I tasted a lot of flowers including violet. Complex tastes of lemon, pear, apple, and pineapple were present. The oak was not overbearing and I did detect a slight amount of cedar and cigar Box. The finish was not particularly long but it was pleasant and overall the wine is clearly excellent.
2011 Leoville Les Cases Bordeaux
Robert Parker was not a big fan of this vineyard because the wines are not big and jammy. The exact reason why I like the vineyard. The wines are softer and not as tannic as many other Bordeaux. I was able to do barrel tastings for the 2015 vintage a couple of years ago and fell in love with the wines. Tonight we had the 2011 which again was excellent. It clearly was lighter body and not as jammy as other Bordeauxs but being feminine like that is an attraction for me. I have always loved the ladies. I felt that it was complex with flavors of tropical fruits including pineapple. There was a lot of BlackBerry and black current in it. I found a hint of licorice. There is a fair amount of Cedar and cigar along with some dark chocolate? I also found a slight amount of sweetness to it somewhat unusual. The finish was excellent. It did have a prolonged finish. I appreciate the softness and the pleasant mouth feel that it offers and I highly recommend this vineyard for those who appreciate a softer lady like Bordeaux.
A tasting of all five first-growth Bordeaux on the Queen Mart 2 Memorial Day 2023
Chateau Margaux 1998
My 1st impression was a strong aroma of fruit that filled the room and I could smell with the glass on the table. The aroma and taste were complex with a taste of honey BlackBerry blackcurrant cherry's Cedar Box cigar smoke and some barnyard hay. The mouthfeel was very velvety. The wine was still young. There was lots of tannin but it was well balanced with the fruit. I found it to be a high-quality wine maybe a little softer than most Bordeaux. I think what impressed me the most was the complexity along with the smoky fruitiness of the wine.
Chateau Haut Brion 1998
Another velvet smooth wine with plenty of fruit and plenty of complexity in addition to being extremely well-balanced. It was an outstanding wine with some very complex flavors. I detected licorice, BlackBerry, raspberry, cherry, prune, fig, eucalyptus, straw or hay, tobacco, and mushrooms with some dusty earthy dust. I found it to be an exceptional wine. I'm most likely biased as Haut Brion is my favorite Bordeaux 1st growth Bordeaux over the years. It was a very unique and pleasant experience to have this wine.
Chateau Latour 1998
Of the first three in this tasting, this was the weakest so far. The nose was somewhat subdued. You could probably detect a smokey cigar and tobacco aroma but it certainly wasn't overwhelming. The wine to me was more simple. The fruit was there but it was subdued. I did pick up some BlackBerry and I also was able to taste chocolate in this wine. I could actually taste the alcohol more so there wasn't quite the balance of the other two so far. It interestingly had a very long finish though. It was a good wine but in truth, I have had much better Bordeaux's and California cabernets. I have had the 1961 and the 1970 in this wine and to me, by my memory they were better.
Chateau Lafitte Rothchild 2001
Two nights before this tasting we had the 1998 for dinner. Please see my previous article on that. My 1st impression of the 2001 was the smell was very much full of tobacco and Cedar and Cigar Box. I found this wine to be a little bit more spicy than the others. I found a hint of pepper in it. It had plenty of fruit with blackberry strawberry and black current and again the predominant flavor for me was tobacco with a spicy twist.
Chateau Mouton Rothscild 2008
I believe it is common wine knowledge in the wine world that the 2008 Bordeaux were almost as good as the 2009 and 2010 s22 and clearly we're a bargain compared to those next two years. I would agree based on this tasting. The 2008 was different from the others primarily because it was a lot more jammy and much more earthy. It started out with a floral Blossom nose and the aroma and taste were packed with spicy flavors of licorice and cloves with lots of dried fruit of strawberry jam, prunes, and figs. There was classically Cedar oak and cigar Box that was quite pleasant. My main comment was that it was earthy and jammy at the same time and you had a great long lasting finish. It was a well-crafted wine. I suspect It's a Bordeaux that Robert Parker would prefer. I have also had the 1986 which for years has been a 100 points and I must admit that the 2008 probably could compete with it. It had all of it, complexity balance and finesse.
Israel Yarden Chardonnay 2015
Bright and fruity. The nose and taste had apricot, melon, and light acid with no oak. It was really nice and well made aging well. Everyone really enjoyed this white wine. On the initial smell, it was bright and fruity. After you tasted it you could taste apricot and melon. It has a light acid backbone and overall it was very well balanced. It's a little old for a Chardonnay but it's aging well and it appears to have been stored well. I was shocked to find such a high-quality Israeli wine. I'm used to drinking Yarden from Israel and I can highly recommend this particular house.
Chateau Kafraya from Lebonon Red Cabernet 2015
A smoky cigar nose with berries black currant and velvet mouthfeel with well-balanced acid and alcohol. There is some spice, chocolate, and eucalyptus like Lafite. The wine opens with an aroma of cigars and smokiness. And after you taste it you can tell the berry profile with blackberries and black current. It has a velvet mouthfeel. It's well balanced with good acid and alcohol again nothing is overwhelming. There's also a fair amount of spice in it and I detected chocolate and eucalyptus. After I had the wine my impression was that it was very similar in style to the 1998 Lafitte Rothschild that we had brought and in fact, I actually felt that it tasted a lot like the Lafitte. It certainly is a lot less expensive than Lafite.
Opus One 2015
It has been a few years since I have had Opus One. To me, the quality dropped off after 1985 and I always felt the price was too high for what you got. But I had the opportunity to drink it so I gave it a go. It had its usual deep color and opened with a pleasant balanced nose of fruit. The taste was to me oaky but also complex. I tasted a subdued blackberry taste There was dried fruit of fig and prunes. With the oak came cedar and cigar smoke tastes. To me, the nose was better balanced than the taste I rated it as fair balance. It had a good finish but the finish was mostly an alcohol taste which is why I felt the taste was not as balanced as it could be. Overall I again felt it is more expensive than it is worth. There are just too many low-priced wines that have a higher quality than Opus One.
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