Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg (Vosne-Romanée) -- 2013s Tasted from Bottle

This small estate continues to turn out gems of wine, each beautifully expressing its own terroir. The 2013 vintage is represented here in its best light. I reviewed these wines and other from cask and provided background information on the vintage at Mugneret-Gibourg here. (Continue reading here.)

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 1:46 AM  

Monday, May 30, 2016

Rebholz (Siebeldingen, Pfalz) -- 2014 Part I: Rieslings

Hans-Jörg Rebholz said that 2014 was very different in the Süd Pfalz, where his vines are located, from the rest of the Pfalz. In particular, the Asian fruit fly was much less of a problem in the Süd Pfalz, although he did have to deal with it for the Gewürztraminer. 


The cool nights gave low alcohol and minerality to the wines, he explained, and he thinks that potentially, 2014 is a very great year for him with wines very representative of the region and very much driven by terroir. Rain, a big problem for much of Germany, was not a problem in the Süd Pfalz, and accordingly, he didn’t have to throw out many grapes.

Starting with the Rieslings for this post, I agree that the wines are no less than sensational. (Continue reading here.)

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 1:32 AM  

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Domaine Hubert Lignier et Fils (Morey-Saint-Denis) -- 2013s Tasted from Bottle

Yet another excellent set for Laurent Lignier. These wines all show quite true to the way I tasted them from cask, which is reported, along with background on the vintage, here. The wines also are excellent representatives of their respective terroirs and of the freshness and energy of the vintage. (Continue reading here.)

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 1:46 AM  

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Theo Minges (Flemlingen, Pfalz) -- 2014 and earlier wines


Regina Minges said that she was very happy with the 2014 vintage: harvesting finished up on 15 October, and on 16 October heavy rain fell. She characterized the resulting wines as being in a wine range of styles from mineral to fruity.


This estate has been making topflight wine for some time now, but still has not received the recognition it deserves. Accordingly, it is a source for excellent wines that are priced below equivalent-quality wines from many more famous estates.

The following wines are but a fraction of the selection at the estate and for the most part represent what is available in the United States. (Continue reading here.)

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 6:00 AM  

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Domaine Jean Grivot (Vosne-Romanée) -- 2013s Tasted from Bottle


Étienne Grivot, now ably assisted by his daughter Mathilde, has produced an outstanding set of wines in 2013, as demonstrated by this selection.


More information about the 2013 vintage at Grivot and reviews of these and other wines from cask are here. Three of these four wines are showing better from bottle than my evaluations from cask (2013s were quite difficult to evaluate from cask because of the very late malolactic fermentations). (Continue reading here.)

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 1:27 AM  

Friday, May 20, 2016

David Duband (Chevannes) -- 2013s Tasted from Bottle

David Duband continues to impress me since his change of style in the mid-2000s. These wines have good fruit and overall elegance and are outstanding representations of their respective terroirs. 


I understand that Duband has recently begun to work biodynamically.

These wines may also appear under the François Feuillet label (Feuillet is a friend of Duband’s who has purchased many of the properties that Feuillet exploits). (Continue reading here.)

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 11:12 PM  

Monday, May 9, 2016

von Winning and Dr. Deinhard (Deidesheim, Pfalz): 2014 Rieslings


Some sorting in the vineyards was necessary here in 2014. Harvesting was on the early side. Quality is high across the board here. Of particular note are the Erste Lage wines, those that are not GG but carry vineyard designations: as in earlier years, they are very close in quality to von Winning’s GG’s and better than the GG’s of some other producers. (Continue reading here.)

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 4:46 AM  

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Domaine Jean Fournier (Marsannay) -- 2013s Tasted from Bottle


Additional background on the estate is found here, where I reviewed the 2014s from cask and bottle.


Laurent Fournier said that he had no problem with oïdium in 2013; there was a little bit of mildew and the flowering was uneven.

The following wines are all red. (Continue reading here.)

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 9:06 AM  

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Bergdolt-St. Lamprecht (Duttweiler/Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Pfalz) -- Part III: 2013 and 2012 Spätburgunder Tasted from Bottle



As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, Bergdolt is one of Germany’s finest Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) producers. Clones here are a mixture from Geisenheim, Switzerland, and there is also some massal selection from France, including the 777 from Ponsot. Some whole clusters are used in the wines, and for the last five years or so, the barrels come from Damy; before than François Frères had been the provider. (Continue reading here.) 

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 6:26 AM  

Friday, May 6, 2016

Domaine Catherine et Claude Maréchal (Bligny-lès-Beaune) -- 2013s Tasted from Bottle


Through the years, Claude Maréchal has proved himself with wines that provide significantly more than the appellations on the label promise. He’s now beginning to get the attention that he’s long deserved with his wines being featured in outstanding restaurants and wine shops around the world.


I did not visit in 2014 to taste these wines in cask or tank, but from bottle they offer plenty of interest. What is tragic is that 2013 was the second of three consecutive hail vintages. And those vintages had followed on the small-quantity vintages of 2010 and 2011, and were succeeded by small quantity in 2015 and undoubtedly 2016, too, with the frost this year on April 25-26. There hasn’t been a full vintage for Maréchal or many other Côte de Beaune producers since 2009. (Continue reading here.)

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 9:00 AM  

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Bergdolt-St. Lamprecht (Duttweiler/Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Pfalz) -- Part II: 2014 Riesling Tasted from Bottle



These wines demonstrate what is often the case at Bergdolt: you can get much more wine for your money if you don’t buy the GG’s here. In this case, the GG is the best wine, but the level of quality starts off extremely high with even the basic two Rieslings. (Continue reading here.) 

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 2:01 PM  

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Domaine Jean-Marc et Thomas Bouley (Volnay) -- 2013s Tasted from Bottle


This estate has always had great properties and made good wines, but with Thomas Bouley now in charge in the cellar, it is one of the star domaines of Volnay, even if many Burgundy buyers have yet to realize that fact.   


These wines and more were reviewed from cask and more information is given about vintage conditions here. (Continue reading here.)

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 1:50 AM  

Monday, May 2, 2016

Bergdolt-St. Lamprecht (Duttweiler/Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Pfalz) -- Part I: Sparkling Wines, 2014 Weissburgunders (Pinot Blancs), and 2014 Chardonnay

This high-quality estate (sometimes known as Bergdolt-St. Lamprecht) doesn’t get the press it deserves, but among those who are fanatic about German wines, it is known and highly appreciated. It’s true that for Rieslings, which are excellent here, there are many other outstanding producers in the Pfalz. But the estate also produces sparkling wines, Weissburgunders (Pinot Blanc), and Spätburgunders (Pinot Noir) that have but few peers in the Pfalz, and indeed are among the very finest in all of Germany. Incidentally, don’t automatically go for the GG Weissburgunder in preference to the other offerings. I’ve often come away from this estate finding other Weissburgunders showed better balance, to my tastes, at least.


Currently, the estate consists of 25 ha, but an additional five ha were planted in 2014 and 2015, a 20% increase, and there have been some vineyard acquisitions, too. (Continue reading here.) 

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 4:50 AM  

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Domaine Roulot (Meursault) -- 2013s Tasted from Bottle



I did not visit Roulot in 2014 to taste the 2013s from tank, but these wines illustrate that 2013 is indeed a very fine vintage here. (Continue reading here.)

posted by Claude Kolm has been writing The Fine Wine Review since 1986. At the end of 2014, it switched to a blog in order to allow more timely and in depth information about estates. @ 12:24 AM