Enjoying this knowing my Cornhuskers already punched their ticket to their first ever Sweet 16 last night in one of the games of the tournament so far.
At this point, it’s a “pick’em” between the Bérêche Brut Réserve and Caillez-Lemaire’s “Éclats” for the title of, “Kline Fam house Champagne”. They just delivery in the way I want/trust/expect and can afford. This is the November 2025 disgorgement. Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three hours. The Brut Réserve pours a straw color with a persistent mousse. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of apple, pineapple, raspberry, lemon curd, brioche, marzipan, and a mix of chalk and limestone minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with high acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and laden with minerals. So easy to love. Drink now but you can hold for many years if you want as well. — 2 months ago
2000 vintage. Great fill and cork. Opened with a Durand and decanted. A little sed but manageable. tasted 40 minutes and 1.5 hours after opening. Medium body. 14% ABV on the label and not questioning it since this effort was throwing nearly zero heat. All secondary and tertiary impressions at this point and they were unified and present. Some dark fruit still but emphasis capably drawn towards the black olive, durty earth, finish. Really knitted together currently. Maybe another 5-spot in this guise? Maybe another decade? Hard to tell but showing beautifully now. 01.28.26. — 3 months ago
Just delicious- lovely balance — 3 months ago
Over the years, I have been very fortunate to experience a few unicorns and I guess it’s time to add one to the list. “La Romanée” is the smallest Grand Cru appellation in all of Burgundy. At just a hair over 2 acres, production from this vineyard totals roughly 300 cases per year. In contrast, DRC’s production of the directly adjacent Romanée-Conti is nearly twice that number. La Romanée is actually a Monopole of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair but production was the responsibility of Bouchard Père & Fils for nearly 30 years. That is, until the 2006 vintage. Since then, Louis-Michel Liger-Belair has shifted that responsibility back to the Domaine.
Opened and poured into a decanter about 30min prior to service. The 1999 “La Romanée” pours a slightly deep ruby with a transparent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing, intensely sanguine, and beginning to show some signs of secondary characteristics: black cherry, bruised strawberry, roasted meat, mushrooms, and fine spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finish is long and has a slightly ferrous quality, again giving off those sanguine vibes. This is phenomenal, old school GC Burgundy. What a truly special treat. Drink now with patience and through 2049+. — 4 months ago
Dark purple in color with a wide reddish rim.
Black fruits with wood, earth and chocolate notes on the nose.
Full-bodied with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, spices, light oak, licorice, chocolates, peppercorn, coffee, earth and black tea.
Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a delicious Grenache based blend from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Rich and concentrated. Showing good structure, but still very young, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Complex and well balanced, tangy and engaging. The high alcohol is not too noticeable. Needs time to open up properly, so be patient.
Wine Spectator 92 points. Robert Parker 94 points.
A good quality wine that will pair nicely with a big piece of steak.
A blend of mostly Grenache, with all 13 grape varieties allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, from 80 year old vines. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$100. — a month ago
My last bottle of the 2015 Enfant Jesus. Showing better than our last tasting which was unimpressive to be honest. Still tasting somewhat new World in this warm 2015 vintage. A bracken like brambley note coming through together with violet/rose florals. Enjoyable but not worth the money. Cannot see this improving with further cellaring. — 3 months ago
Angelo Casagrande
This wine is so good for the $. And always is. The 2023 blend is: Gewürztraminer : 30%
Pinot gris : 24%
Riesling : 19%
Sylvaner : 18%
Pinot blanc : 6%
Muscat blanc à petits grains : 3% The sylvaner is only 18% so it’s interesting it’s identified as a sylvaner blend. Lively, aromatic nose. Peach, pear, quince, citrus on the palate. Lively acidity and great minerality. Every sip I pick up something different. And it’s under $20. Slightly off- dry. Value. — 24 days ago