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Looking Back To Go Forward: Lafite-Rothschild 1868 – 2015 (Jul 2018)

The 1989 Lafite-Rothschild, a wine that I have had several times both from bottle and magnum, is a better wine than the 1990, although I wonder whether its best days are now behind it. There is noticeably more bricking on the rim compared directly with the succeeding vintage. I also notice a touch of VA…

The 2019 Champagne Summer Preview (Jul 2019)

The 2005 Dom Pérignon is starting to enter its first plateau of maturity, where the aromas and flavors show the early signs of the development that takes place over time in bottle. Apricot, candied orange peel, dried flowers, mint and pineapple are nicely delineated in the glass. Soft and silky on the palate, the 2005…

The 2019 Champagne Summer Preview (Jul 2019)

Bollinger’s 2008 Grande Année is rich, ample and full-bodied, with all of the pedigree of the vintage on display. Dried pear, dried flowers, chamomile, red plum and mint develop as the 2008 shows the breadth and creaminess that are such signatures of the Bollinger house style. A whole range of brighter, more floral and chalky notes appear later,…

The Best New Wines from Australia (Jul 2004)

Red-ruby. Musky aromas of raspberry, cassis and espresso. Sappy and dry, with slightly tart flavors and a green element on the back end; this came off as less sweet than the 2000 St. Henri Shiraz . The tannins are somewhat dry-edged. (Unfortunately, my bottle of the 2001 RWT Shiraz was corked.)

1997 and 1996 Red Burgundies (Mar 1999)

Good deep red. Higher-pitched bitter cherry, currant, vanilla and roasted nut aromas, plus floral and stony nuances. Juicy and intensely flavored, with lovely inner-mouth sweetness. Complicating notes of licorice, coffee and pepper. Finishes firm and fresh. A very suave, gently extracted Charmes with a lovely balance for the vintage.

The 2001 Red Burgundies at Age 15 (Apr 2017)

Bright, fresh medium red. Shimmering perfume of red fruits, caramel, truffle, porcini and damp earth. Wonderfully vibrant and complex in the mouth, offering terrific precision to the flavors of black cherry, mulch, tar and smoke; there’s a faint noble vegetility here that reminds me of a young Romanée-Conti! Tannins are serious and present but arrive…