Cellar Favorite: 1985 Domaine Christophe Roumier Vosne-Romanée Les Beaumonts 1er Cru
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, May 2020
Our Cellar Favorite column is meant to bring readers’ attention towards either mature bottles currently drinking well or recent vintages worthy of laying down. This entry fits neither of those criteria.
Cellar Favorite: 2007 Carlisle Syrah Cardiac Hill Bennett Valley
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, United States: California
, Apr 2020
Too few people think about cellaring the Carlisle Syrahs. That’s understandable, considering that the wines’ primary fruit and intensity gives so much pleasure upon release. But it is only with cellaring that the wines start to take on the complexities and characteristics that Rhône lovers so often seek.
Cellar Favorite: 1999 Podere La Vigna Brunello di Montalcino
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy: Tuscany
, Apr 2020
The 1999 vintage in Montalcino has always held a special place in my heart, and for very good reason; the cool and dry growing season resulted in structured wines with balanced acidity. The hard part was waiting for them to mature.
Cellar Favorite: 2013 Naudé Old Vines Chenin Blanc
South Africa, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Apr 2020
Winemaker Ian Naudé is one of the unsung heroes of the South African wine scene, a quietly spoken man who shies away from the limelight and quietly goes about producing limited runs of stellar wines.
Cellar Favorite: 2012 Château Latour
France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Apr 2020
What makes this bottle different is that it is cleaved from a private vertical tasting of the last 20 vintages and was one that I managed to identify correctly. Indeed, the challenge of identifying recent vintages blind is testament to Latour’s consistency.
Cellar Favorite: 1931 d’Yquem
France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Mar 2020
Defying all the odds, this Sauternes provided much pleasure to a group of wine lovers, a fitting finale to a memorable Burgundy dinner. Not a success? I beg to differ.
Cellar Favorite: 1937 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Mar 2020
Last November I met with a couple of friends and Burgundy mavens with the sole intention of tasting one of the last bottles from the Moingeon family cellar. The rather shabby-looking bottle was bereft of a label and covered in a thin film of dust, and there was no branding on the cork.
Cellar Favorite: 1933 Domaine René Engel Grands-Echézeaux Grand Cru
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Mar 2020
Sometimes you encounter a bottle so old and rare that your immediate reaction is one of knowing that you will never taste it again. This bottle came from a renowned private cellar and was poured blind by a generous friend at Bistro de l’Hôtel.
Cellar Favorite: 2017 Hatzidakis Winery Cuvée No. 15 Assyrtiko
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Greece
, Mar 2020
Am I an expert in Greek wine? Regrettably, I am not. But I do know when I’m face to face with a wine that exudes brilliance. This bottle was kindly opened during a long-overdue visit to The Arches, the legendary restaurant/wine bar in Swiss Cottage, London.
Cellar Favorite: 2009 Pepe Raventós Mas del Serral
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Spain
, Mar 2020
I met winemaker Pepe Raventós at a dinner for artisan Spanish winemakers at Noble Rot that preceded the Viñateros tasting this past February. We never met during my short tenure as reviewer, however it was his wines alongside those of Gramona, that blew apart my preconceptions of what Cava can achieve.