Cellar Favorite: 2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, New Zealand
, Jul 2019
I want Pinot Noirs that evolve into something intellectual and complex, with both character and deliciousness – just like this Felton Road.
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Cellar Favorite: 1979 Domaine Georges Roumier Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Jul 2019
You could make a strong argument that this Burgundy is the most significant of all my contributions to Vinous’ Cellar Favorites column. Maybe without it, things would have been different.
Cellar Favorite: 2012 Vietti Barolo Riserva Villero
Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jun 2019
Vietti’s 2012 Barolo Riserva Villero is absolutely gorgeous. In 2012, the Villero is especially lifted and aromatic, showing a distinctly floral and red-toned expression of fruit rather than the darker, more balsamic inflections that are typical of this Castiglione Falletto cru.
Abreu – The 2009s Revisited
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, featured, United States: California
, Jun 2019
I still remember the first time I tasted the Abreu 2009s. It was fall of 2011, the year Robert Parker asked me to take over Napa Valley coverage at The Wine Advocate. Those 2009s were so showy and unbelievably alluring when they were young. Needless to say, I was deeply intrigued to revisit them at nearly ten years of age.
Cellar Favorite: 1970 Gallais Bellevue
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Jun 2019
I procured two or three bottles of the 1970 Gallais Bellevue from a Saint-Émilion retailer not because I had a clue who or what Gallais Bellevue was, but because of the name of the proprietor, Paul Delon.
Cellar Favorite: 2014 Champagne Christophe Baron Brut Nature Les Hautes Blanches Vignes
France: Champagne, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jun 2019
The 2014 Brut Nature Les Hautes Blanches Vignes is the first wine I have tasted from Christophe Baron’s new project in Champagne, and it is magnificent.
Cellar Favorite: 2006 Weingut F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Unendlich
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Austria
, May 2019
Pichler’s 2006 Riesling Smaragd Unendlich (the name translates to ‘unending’) is one of the most remarkable wines – white or red – I have tasted in a long time.
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Cellar Favorite: 1992-2011 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, May 2019
I feel that people sometimes look down on Jadot’s Clos Saint-Jacques because unlike the other four, it is part of a large company’s portfolio rather than a family domaine. However, in blind tastings I find it stands shoulder to shoulder with the competition.
Cellar Favorite: 1934 Cheval Blanc
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, May 2019
Naming my favorite Bordeaux château is always a difficult task, but if forced to choose my top five, I would unquestionably include the property that is Pomerol in all but classification: Cheval Blanc. The vintage that alerted me to the pedigree of Cheval Blanc’s old vintages is not the legendary 1947 nor the fabled 1921, but the 1934.
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Cellar Favorite: 1969 Caves des Liards Montlouis Demi-Sec
France: Loire, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, May 2019
Consequently, when I came across a half-century-old Montlouis from Caves des Liards at importer Yapp Brothers’ recent tasting, I didn’t know what to expect. To my pleasant surprise, I found a delicious wine that has aged as well as the top Vouvrays I have encountered.