Tastings by Michael

November 18, 2023November 27, 2023

1982 Volnay 1er Cru “Les Caillerets”

1982 Volnay 1er Cru “Les Caillerets”, Henri Boillot, Volnay, Côte d’Or, Burgundy, France. Henri Boillot is a famous winemaker in Burgundy. The Boillot family began to make wine in the early 1900s. Henri Boillot, grandfather to today’s senior winemaker Henri Boillot, created the winery. Henri Boillot (should I call him jr.?) joined the winery then run by his father Jean Boillot, in 1975. In 2000, they built a new winemaking facility in Meursault. So this 1982 Volnay 1er Cru “Les Caillerets” is from the former winery in Volnay.

It seems that Henri Boillot (jr.) has introduced quite a lot of improvements that have been the basis of today’s fame. His son Guillaume joined the winery in 2008, and they have been responsible for winemaking jointly ever since.

Grenade color. On the nose, the 1982 Volnay 1er Cru “Les Caillerets” shows mainly tertiary aromas, like leather, game, smoke and sous-bois and cigars, with some fruity nose of redcurrant and raspberry. On the palate, the wine is dry, with medium acidity, medium alcohol, tannins expressive but well integrated, and a good body. Initially, the finish was a bit short. This improved after the wine had been opened for more than an hour, the finish was rather long and pleasant. A wine that has passed its peak, probably was better about 10 years ago. TBM 89 points.

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November 1, 2023November 27, 2023

2000 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

2000 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Domaine Armand Rousseau, Gevrey-Chambertin, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France. Until now, I only tasted few wines of Armand Rousseau, a legend whose reputation hasn’t escaped me. Tonight we are tasting a masterwork of his, and yes, we are convinced it is a truly great wine.

Beautiful ruby color. On the nose, complex and lovely aromas – still some primary ones of red fruit (redcurrant, raspberry, red cherry), some notes of secondary ones (ceder, cigar box) and tertiary aromas like leather, game, mushrooms. On the palate, the 2000 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is dry with medium+ acidity, showing off the aromas we found on the nose, medium alcohol, tannins well integrated but still noticeable, medium+ body. The finish is long and very pleasant. TBM 94 points.

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#armandrousseau #charmeschambertin #charmeschambertin2000 #charmeschambertingrandcru

October 29, 2023November 27, 2023

2020 Riesling Zilliken

2020 Riesling Zilliken, Saar (Mosel), Germany. Did you already have a Riesling truly enchant you? Today I had that experience with this wine from Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken. This was a second time with this wine, the first time was at the winery a few months ago.

The Winemaking

It struck me that the wines ferment in old large barrels, not in stainless steel tanks. Few wineries do this. Allowing a little bit of micro oxidation avoids reductive notes in the nose. Furthermore, this ads to the complexity of the wine. It also adds to the complexity (and costs) of the winemaking. The old barrels are stored in two underground stories, below the building of the winery. The barrels do not give any wooden aromas to the wine. The inside is covered with cristals of tartaric acid, so that the wine doesn’t really touch the wood. Even if it did, the barrels are so old that any aromas of the oak will have vanished and washed out.

The Wine

A straw colored wine. You take a sniff and are almost overwhelmed with those complex and delicious aromas that are so typical for a Riesling that shows first signs of maturity. You sense grapefruit, apricot, peach, and this lovely petrol note of Riesling with some maturity. Very nice, and makes you long for the first sip. On the palate, the 2020 Riesling Zilliken is semi-sweet, but its expressive acidity lets you think that you have a wine with a lot less residual sugar in your mouth. Light on alcohol, only 9%, with medium body. The acidity and the residual sugar play with each other in your mouth – and you don’t care who wins. A lovely experience, only Riesling does this in this perfection. This wine is truly delicious, and enchanting. TBM 93 points.
Recommended for @cave.prime.

October 22, 2023November 27, 2023

2021 Riesling “R” Kabinett

2021 Riesling “R” Kabinett, August Kesseler, Rheingau, Germany. Kesseler is a vintner of high renown in the region of the Rhine valley, producing Riesling and Pinot Noir. This Kabinett is a typical “Kabi”, it appears semisweet due to the rather high level of acidity, even though it has 30 gr residual sugar and one would think this is “sweet”.

The 2021 Riesling “R” Kabinett is a very pleasant, easy-drinking wine (the French would call it a “Glou Glou”). Refreshing, light. Great drinking pleasure. Straw color. In the nose, white and yellow fruit – lemon, apple, pear, white peach. Nice mineral notes (firestone). On the palate, the wine comes across as semisweet, with high and refreshing but pleasant acidity that really compensates much of the residual sugar. Reasonably long finish. Great wine that comes at a very reasonable price. TBM 89 points.

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September 27, 2023September 27, 2023

2012 Riesling von der Fels trocken

The 2012 Riesling von der Fels trocken is a dry Riesling from Rheinhessen. Klaus-Peter Keller is a famous winemaker of Riesling in Germany. His G Max is legendary, his GG’s are very hard to find. I was able to find his premium entry level wine “von der Fels”, and it was a bit of a sobering experience. A good Riesling, but I have had better ones at this level from other producers. The myth was demystified.

I tasted the 2012 Riesling von der Fels trocken, Keller, Rheinhessen, Germany. Clear appearance, with a golden straw color. In the nose, complex and full aromas typical for a mature Riesling – stone fruit like peach and apricot, citric notes, and a beautiful note of petrol. On the palate, the wine is almost dry, with a nice freshness and good body. Long and pleasant finish. TBM 89 points.

September 27, 2023

2013 Barbaresco Montestefano Riserva

The 2013 Barbaresco Montestefano Riserva is a lovely wine, produced by the Produttori del Barbaresco, the cooperative of smaller vintners in Barbaresco. A priest in Barbaresco founded the cooperative in 1958, recognising that the smaller producers only had a chance of surviving if they combined their forces, thus creating the critical mass to produce high quality Barbaresco. The Produttori del Barbaresco now joins some 51 vintners, altogether a total of more than 100 hectares. They produce around 500.000 bottles a year, 50% of which are basic Barbarescos, 20% Langhe Nebbiolo and 30% Barbaresco from the nine classical single-vineyard sites.

Terroir and Winemaking

Single-vineyard wines like this 2013 Barbaresco Montestefano Riserva are only produced in great vintages. The Montestefano vineyard has a total surface of 4.5 hectares, with south-south-east exposure. Its soil is calcareous limestone. 32 days of skin contact, fermentation at 30°C. Wines age for 36 months in oak barrels, followed by bottle aging of another 12 months. In other vintages, this may vary – the 2015 had only 9 months of bottle aging. The Produttori mark total number of bottles produced on the bottles (17.104 in this case, plus 1.448 Magnum bottles). Each bottle shows its individual number (this wine is 2.209). The Produttori del Barbaresco claim that the wine has a potential of 20 years, according to the data sheet.

Barbaresco vs Barolo

Like Barolo, Barbaresco is made 100% from the Nebbiolo grape. The Barbaresco region’s microclimate is a bit warmer than the Barolo region, consequently allowing the grapes to ripen a bit earlier. DOCG requirements for Barbaresco differ a bit from Barolo, taking into account that Barbaresco is ready for consumption earlier than a Barolo.

Description of the Wine

The 2013 Barbaresco Montestefano Riserva shows a ruby color of medium intensity, on the nose you discover complex aromas of black fruit, chocolate, leather and game. On the palate, the wine is dry, with medium acidity, good body, well integrated firm tannins. The finish is long and very pleasant. TBM 92 points. A lovely Barbaresco, certainly good to drink now but definitely with potential to develop further.

September 20, 2023September 27, 2023

2011 Enchanted Path Shiraz & Cabernet

2011 Enchanted Path Shiraz & Cabernet, from McLaren Vale, Australia. The winery is Mollydooker Wines. They make the wine with 71% Shiraz and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon. A powerful wine, quite nice. Intense ruby color. In the nose, complex and pleasant aromas of black fruit, dark cherry, dark (even dry) plum, notes of leather, cigar box, chocolate and liquorish. On the palate, the wine is dry, medium acidity, full bodied, with a slightly hot sensation due to its high alcohol level (15,5%), nice long finish. The alcohol is a bit dominant and leaves a slightly hot sensation. It needs to be enjoyed at the right temperature, between 16 and 18°C, otherwise, the alcohol may show a bit unpleasant. TBM 91 pontos.

July 22, 2023July 22, 2023

2016 Querciavalle Chianti Classico

The 2016 Querciavalle Chianti Classico is the “workhorse” of the Losi Family – their business card among the Chiantis. They produce several other wines, of course a Chianti Classico Riserva, and in really good vintages also a Gran Selezione (which is spectacular). At the entry level, there is a Querciavalle Vigna della Campana – a red wine on majority Sangiovese grapes, that passes through French oak to have it ready and drinkable more quickly (the year following the vintage). Chianti Classico and Riserva need to spend much more time maturing, which can drain the cash flow. Therefore, it is good to have a wine that can be sold the year following the harvest.

The Losi family has been in the wine business for more than five generations, and when you come to the village, there seems to be one of their cellars under virtually every house. No herbicides and no pesticides, they produce a wine that truly represents the terroir.

The 2016 Querciavalle Chianti Classico has a ruby color with grenade reflexes. The nose is intense and complex, with aromas of red fruit – cherry especially, some spices, as well as a few tertiary notes as leather, smoke and game. On the palate, the wine is dry, with tannins quite present, but well integrated and silky, medium + acidity, a great mouthfeel and a medium-long finish.

Overall, the 2016 Querciavalle Chianti Classico is a great example of a Chianti Classico. Strongly recommended. TBM 91 points.

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023

2002 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes

2002 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes is a mature, well-done red Burgundy wine made by Geantet-Pansiot. This domaine was originally created in 1954, after the marriage of Edmond Geantet and Bernadette Pansiot. They began with 7 ha of vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin, slowly expanding over the years. Their son Vincent Geantet has been in charge of the winemaking at this domaine since 1989. The 2002 vintage had been a warm, but very good vintage. The malolactic fermentation ended early, and the wine was bottled already in October of that year. When tasting in 2004, Stephen Tanzer criticised that the wine had too strong an oak element – something that we, tasting in 2023, did not find.

Ruby color with a slight grenade reflex, this wine showed beautiful cathedral windows in the glass. We enjoyed this wine in the Manhatta restaurant in New York. They serve the wine in Zalto glasses – very fine and thin, these glasses show the best of the wine. In the nose, there is red fruit, redcurrant, red cherry, some flowery notes. On the palate, the 2002 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes is dry, round, fruity, mineral with nicely integrated tannins. A very elegant wine that has obviously benefited greatly from maturing.

TBM 92 points.

2002 Chambolle Musigny Vieilles Vignes Geantet-Pansiot

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023

Philipponnat 1522 Grand Cru

Philipponnat 1522 Grand Cru is a Grand Cru Champagne of the 2014 vintage, made by Philipponnat. The name of Cuvée 1522 is a tribute to the year in which the Philipponnat family settled in the village of Ay. This is a village in the heart of the Champagne region. Apvril le Philipponnat owned vines at Le Léon, between Ay and Dizy in the Champagne region, from 1522.

Vintage 2014

According to the website – the word from the Cellar Master – the following describes the condition of the vintage. 2014, a year with chaotic weather and full of surprises. A mild and rainy autumn and winter were followed by a superb spring, warm, dry and sunny, leading to a very early bud break. Summer was particularly rainy and temperatures were autumnal by the end of August. Considering the rainy weather, grape soundness was satisfactory, notably with very low levels of grey rot, and no powdery or downy mildew on the clusters. The year was unusual in that sour rot and spotted wing drosophila appeared in certain sectors. Due to fast picking and strict sorting during the harvest, the quality of our intake was very sound with a fairly exceptional average weight of clusters. The harvest took place from 13 to 25 September 2014.

Making of the Philipponnat 1522 Grand Cru

This Philipponnat 1522 Grand Cru champagne is made with 81% Pinot Noir and 19% Chardonnay. The Pinot Noir grows in the Léon vineyard, thus, one of the most traditional properties. The Verzy vineyard is the source of the Chardonnay. The wine stays 08 years on the lees. The dosage is minimal, only 4,25 gr/l, therefore, this is an Extra Brut Champagne.

Analysis of the Champagne

In the glass, the Philipponnat 1522 Grand Cru Champagne presents itself in a golden straw color, brilliant, with very fine perlage. In the nose, it shows complex aromas of pear, almonds, spices and brioche, with slight peppery notes. On the palate, this Champagne is dry and fresh, with a wonderful perlage, underlining the aromas and ending in a long and pleasant finish.

We enjoyed this wine to begin celebrating my wife’s birthday. A truly marvellous champagne!

TBM 93 points.