- 2005 Le Clos du Caillou Côtes du Rhône Vieilles Vignes Cuvée Unique - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (12/9/2007)
I've now had a few, but failed to write notes. I alway sense strawberry and dark raspberry in young Grenache-based wines, & this was no exception. Fruit driven, with nice minerality and balance. Beautiful CdR at a reasonable price. (90 pts.) - 2005 Peninsula Cellars Gewürztraminer Old Mission Peninsula Manigold Vineyard - USA, Michigan (12/9/2007)
Similar notes as last bottle. Very enjoyable. It's lost most of the residual CO2. Intensely floral wine, with lychees, rose petals & white fruit. (88 pts.) - 2000 Château Lusseau - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (12/8/2007)
Drank the day it arrived in its shipper, bottle-shock and all. A feminine, elegant wine. Subtle aromas of black cherry, moist earth, tobacco. At the stage where the fruit and secondary characteristics coexist without one dominating. A solid, beautiful wine. Missed day #2; by day #3, the sealed bottle had badly oxidized. (89 pts.) - 2000 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (12/1/2007)
Dark berries, now dominated by secondary aromas; leather, tobacco, licorice. A slight green quality, but still nice. This is my least favorite vintage of this wine. It was on my yearly "buy list" prior to the recent price increase. (89 pts.) - 2004 Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (11/30/2007)
Amazing. Crisp and clean; green apple, some tropical tones, and mineral notes. Brisk attack leads to long, elegant finish. (95 pts.)
I later opened a 2002, and found that to be marred by oak; still a solid wine, but not the caliber of the 2004. My own explanations [AKA guesses] are 1.) the 2004 in the 375 cc aged faster and integrated the oak better than the '02 750cc; 2.) The wine maker thought the ripe '02 fruit would soak up more oak; or 3.) I'm a complete idiot for opening these wines so young (in my defense, I've had several oxidized white burgs from the late '90's) - 2004 Januik Syrah Lewis Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (11/27/2007)
This has evolved nicely in the past year. Dense but bright purple. Dark berries, coffee and chocolate on the nose. Very youthful, without any secondary aromas or flavors. Balanced and elegant despite its concentration. Great fruit, outstanding wine making, and excellent value. (90 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
I'm always surprised when I see a note that a wine such as the 2000 Lusseau would deteriorate so quickly for such a young'n. Maybe I'm not as sensitive to oxidation.
