2022 Jean-Philippe Fichet Auxey-Duresses Blanc
Liked this a lot, although didn't really explore this as much as I should have - my attention was mostly on the reds. But this is lovely with the lightness of touch and the clarity to the flavours that I always expect from Fichet, very pretty and easy to drink though somewhat simple in terms of its fruit and depth. At the price I'm not sure I'd be a buyer; I find Fichet's Bourgogne Cote d'Or VV a far better value (and about similar in quality).
2011 Alzinger Riesling Smaragd Dürnsteiner Hollerin
Very pretty; sweet floral scents lead into a palate full of rich stone fruit and citrus flavours. It doesn't have the mineral depth of other Alzinger bottlings, but comes across more fruit and floral-forward with a roundness on the palate (which might be both the site and the vintage) that makes it very easy to drink right now.
2014 Henri Jouan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbé Vieilles Vignes
So I got an email from a retailer recently offering the latest Jouan vintage, I saw the prices, balked, and said I'm done buying these wines. And just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in.
This is gorgeous, an immediate wow that just keeps getting better and better. More developed and aromatically expressive than I might have expected at this age, though it takes a little time for everything to come together. At first it's all about a core of sweet floral and red fruited flavours that are incredibly sappy and fresh, but with air it turns more savoury and complex as the aromatics build; more leathery and savoury earthy scents keep emerging with time and after a couple of hours it's become one of those wines where I'd be happy just sitting and smelling it. Seems to be just entering a great drinking window, and I'm excited I have a couple of these stashed away.
1986 Pierre Barge Côte-Rôtie
Corked. Dammit, second time I've come across this wine and the TCA gremlins have shown up both times.
2000 Noël Verset Cornas
At the halfway point of a case I bought several years ago, and this is on a plateau where it's drinking wonderfully. Everything about this is classic Verset, somehow conveying wild and sauvage character with remarkable finesse and lightness. This isn't one of those wines that's meant for a big tasting dinner - it really needs a few hours at a table to evolve as new layers of saline, smoky, earthy, and meaty depth keep emerging around the core of fruit. But what's really remarkable here is how the different parts all come together so seamlessly into a whole that's far greater than the sum of the parts. An amazing wine to sit and follow over a dinner, and drinking so well now that I might not wait too long before reaching for another from this case. (Note to David, I might ask you to grab that one from Horse Ridge the next time you come to Albany
)1999 Domaine de Vallouit Côte-Rôtie Cuvée Spéciale La Voniere
I love these old Vallouit wines so much. This is just terrific, combining the rich fruit and power of the vintage with the wilder, almost feral characteristics I've come to associate with Vallouit. There's really bright acidity on the palate that gives the flavours incredible lift and vibrancy, an intense black olive and briny/saline character around a core of deep red and black fruit, and so much savoury smoky and meaty depth that keeps building with air. The balance is impeccable - the more acid-driven profile here is such a perfect counterpoint to the warm fruit and richness of the vintage, and it adds a sense of restraint and elegance in a vintage where I've found so many Côte-Rôties are real powerhouses.