Cellar Favorite: 1967 Château d’Yquem Sauternes Premier Grand Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Jan 2021
I have been fortunate to taste the legendary Château d’Yquem a number of times since the early 1980s but hadn’t had the opportunity to actually drink it in many years. That was until a generous friend brought a surprise bottle along to an indulgent Château Petrus vertical this fall, to be shared among a small group of wine lovers at the outstanding Peppercorn’s Grill in Hartford, Connecticut.
Cellar Favorite: 1961 Taylor’s Very Old Single Harvest Port
Portugal, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jan 2021
After half-a-century, Taylor’s have just released a 1961 Very Old Single Harvest Port. The 1961 growing season was no write off.
Cellar Favorite: 2012 Domaine François Raveneau Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Jan 2021
It’s always a pleasure to pull a bottle of Raveneau from the cellar. These are among my favorite wines from anywhere in the world. Of all the domaines I once covered but have since handed off to other critics at Vinous, Raveneau might very well be the one I miss visiting most, as the wines are so often transcendental.
Cellar Favorite: 1997 Marcassin Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, United States: California
, Dec 2020
Marcassin’s 1997 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is without a doubt one of the most compelling wines I tasted in 2020. At 23 years of age, it has aged exquisitely.
Cellar Favorite: 1998 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy: Center & South
, Dec 2020
As soon as it feels like winter, when sweaters start to be worn indoors and the meals turn meatier and richer, all I want to drink is mature Barolo and Taurasi. It’s at this time of year that I pull a mixed case of the two from my storage, and stand the wines up so that all I need to do is choose, pull, decant and indulge.
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Cellar Favorite: 2019 Paulus Wine Co. Chenin Blanc Bosberaad
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, South Africa
, Dec 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed Joaquin Hildago’s recent article on collectible Argentinean wines, and it got me thinking about parallels with South Africa’s own collectibles. It’s not just Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Cellar Favorite: 2012 Vietti Barbera d'Asti La Crena
Italy: Piedmont, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Dec 2020
We don’t often think of Barbera as a wine that requires a decade or more to reach peak maturity; but then again, most Barberas don’t possess the potential to even last that long. However, when they can and they do, it’s a very special thing.
Cellar Favorite: 2001 Domaine Yvon Clerget Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Nov 2020
Following our lengthy tasting of 2018s and 2019s, Clerget opened and served blind three older bottles made by his father, Yvon.
Cellar Favorite: 2017 Domaine Didier Montchovet Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Nov 2020
Why a piddling Bourgogne Hautes-Côte de Whatever? What numbskull chooses to cellar such low ranking Burgundy? And who the hell is Didier Montchovet? Pull up a chair and let me explain why I chose this particular wine.
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Cellar Favorite: 1999 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, United States: California
, Nov 2020
The 1999 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon has earned a highly respected place in the cellars of collectors in the know, and we’re not talking about the more popular Howell Mountain bottling.