Wine List

Domaine Denis Mortet
2011
Fixin Vieilles Vignes
Villages Red 750 ml
Score: 88
Tasted: Jan 15, 2014
Drink: 2017+
Issue: 53
Note: from 40 year old vines in the tiny .74 ha vineyard of Champs Pennebaut, which is near the Couchey border for the inveterate map readers among you
Producer note: Arnaud Mortet observed that the 2012 vintage "suffered through a troubled and extended flowering that was responsible for much of the naturally low yields. The bunches were loose and with tiny berries that allowed the fruit to be super clean at the harvest. I decided to start picking on the 23rd of September and brought in ripe fruit that needed only small amounts of chaptalization and in some cases, none at all. As I have been slowly doing each vintage now, I once again lightened the extraction. I shortened the cool maceration period from 7 days to 5 and did a 21 day total cuvaison. In the same vein I used a bit less new wood as well and it now averages about one-third though that of course varies wine by wine. I completely destemmed in 2012 though I have been thinking about doing some more experimenting with using some whole clusters so we will see going forward. As to the style of the 2012s I think it's the kind of vintage that everyone will like. The wines are ripe but fresh and with a mid-palate succulence that makes them a pleasure to drink." As I commented last year the Mortet 2011s are excellent and now that they are in bottle they confirm the quality that I saw last year. Mortet noted that his 2011s, revisited below, were bottled between January and April, 2013. (Martine's Wines, www.martineswines.com, Novato, CA; multiple UK sources, including Bibendum Wine Ltd., www.bibendum-wine.co.uk, Berry Brothers & Rudd, www.bbr.com, Goedhuis & Co., www.goedhuis.com, Justerini & Brooks, www.justerinis.com, Harrods Limited, www.harrods.com, Laytons, www.laytons.co.uk, and The Wine Society, www.thewinesociety.com, Tanners Wine, www.tanners-wines.co.uk).
Tasting note: An adroit application of wood sets off fresh and ripe if somber aromas of dark berries, violets and plum. The very round, suave and supple flavors display both good energy and fine volume before terminating in a balanced and persistent finish that exhibits a bit of youthful Fixin austerity and rusticity.
 

Rating

92

Release Price

$74

Drink Date

2012 - 2018

Reviewed by

Antonio Galloni

Issue Date

28th Feb 2011

Source

193, The Wine Advocate

The 2008 Vintage Tunina is terrific. The wine’s trademark expansive bouquet and generous fruit are beautifully balanced by a vein of minerality that is the hallmark of this cool year. All of the elements come together beautifully in the glass as the 2008 Vintage Tunina shows off layers of succulent peaches, pears, apricots, flowers and mint, along with hints of sweetness from the late-harvested fruit that is such a big component of the wine’s signature style. Vintage Tunina is Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana and Picolit. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. These new releases from Silvio Jermann include a number of fabulous bottles. In particular, I was impressed with the top 2008s, a vintage where the cool minerality of the year prevails over the house’s typically lush style, an approach I tend to find less interesting. Jermann has a new red on the horizon, the Pignolo Vigna Truss, from recently purchased hillside vineyards in Dolegna, the home of his massive, new cellar. Previously, Jermann’s Pignolo had mostly come from the flats of Villanova, a far less prestigious village in Isonzo, rather than the Collio. I tasted all of the 2009 entry-level whites from screwcaps. Readers should be aware that Jermann is owned by my wife’s uncle. I have always viewed education as an important component of wine criticism. An article on Friuli without these wines would have been incomplete and ultimately the consumer would have been poorer for their exclusion. For those reasons I have chosen to include the wines in this report. Neither my wife nor I have any financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in this property.

This house makes rather restrained yet rich, flavorful vintage port and a very good tawny called Nimrod. Their vintage ports seem slow to develop, and while they never quite have the voluptuous richness of a Dow, Graham, or Fonseca, they have a unique mineral-scented character that gives them their own complexity and style. The 1977 is quite powerful, very deep and intense, particularly for Warre

Rating

94

Release Price

$142

Drink Date

2009 - 2021

Reviewed by

Antonio Galloni

Issue Date

26th Dec 2006

Source

168, The Wine Advocate

The 2001 Brunellos show the pedigree of the superior vintage. Gaja’s 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille is the more potent of the Brunellos. It displays a darker color along with notes of tar, smoke, spices, toasted oak and dark fruit on a full-bodied frame with terrific expansiveness and length on the palate. A lingering note of licorice frames the finish of this beautiful, deeply expressive Brunello. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2021.  

The 2018 Le Volte dell’Ornellaia is fresh, fruity and an absolute delight to taste. Crushed red berry fruit, spice and floral notes abound, giving the 2018 an effusive character that is impossible to miss. Silky and gracious, the 2018 will drink well upon release. The purity of the flavors here is really quite lovely.

-- Antonio Galloni 91 Antonio Galloni 2020 - 2028 $30.00 Jan 2021

Rating (93 - 95)

Release Price NA

Drink Date 2020 - 2030

Reviewed by Joe Czerwinski

Issue Date 19th Dec 2019

Source December 2019 Week 3, The Wine Advocate

Although the fruit sourcing has changed from the old days, the 2018 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert remains a solid offering in the Jaboulet lineup. Violets accent blackberries and plums on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, lush and velvety, underscored by doses of salinity and licorice on the lengthy finish.

With properties now in Bordeaux (Château La Lagune), Burgundy (the former Château Corton André) and Switzerland (she purchased a vineyard in the Valais in 2016), proprietor Caroline Frey is increasingly drawn in different directions, so I was fortunate to be able to sit down with her for a few hours at Michelin-starred Maison Chabran in nearby Pont de l'Isère. She brought representative barrel samples of the 2018s, plus the bottled 2017s, which we tasted through before dining. This year, Frey was excited to show me the 2017 Côtes du Rhône Parallele 45, which is now made using only organic grapes. At up to two million bottles (red, white and rosé) per year, that's no small achievement. But as always, we spent the most time on the wines produced from the firm's own vineyards, which are all farmed biodynamically. Frey explained that they cannot be certified, as the winery also processes grapes and wines from the négociant operations. The grapes are all destemmed, although she said they will experiment with whole clusters. "When we did it in 2013, for me it was not OK," she said. She has begun doing more pigeage (punching down) in the winery, versus just remontage (pumping over). "We have good results on the texture—fleshier." The glory of Jaboulet is the legendary Hermitage La Chapelle, which is finally reflecting all of the hard work put into the vineyards by the Frey family and the Jaboulet team. "We still have many things to do," said Frey. "But I think in the past 13 years we've come a long way."

Jeb Dunnuck 92-94

The 2019 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine De Thalabert showed well, with a floral, pepper, and sappy herb style as well as plenty of darker cherry and currant fruit. With medium to full body, a vibrant, elegant texture, present tannins, and good acidity, this is a classic, balanced Thalabert to hide for 2-4 years and enjoy over the following decade or more.

Drinking Window: 2022 - 2034

Review Date: 19th November 2020

Rating 94+

Reviewed by Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date 28th Dec 2007

Source 174, The Wine Advocate

Again, orange blossoms, hazelnuts, brioche, smoke, and honeysuckle along with some peach notes are present in the full-bodied, beautifully well-delineated, pure, zesty 2005 Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille. There are only 1,600 cases of this wine, which has superb uplift and vibrancy. This 121-acre estate with 114 producing acres of vineyard all located in Knight’s Valley continues to be at the top of their game and I can’t recommend the wines highly enough. I was surprised when I showed up at Peter Michael to find both Nicolas Morlet, who replaced his brother Luc, and Luc Morlet himself, were at my tasting. It seems that Luc is still doing consulting work with his brother firmly entrenched at the winery. This is still one of the best-run wineries in the world, and one might quibble over the fact that there are so many different cuvees of Chardonnay, but they are all subtly different in style/personality. The Morlets proclaimed to me that essentially there is very little difference in the character of the Chardonnays in 2005 and 2006, except they thought the acid levels were slightly higher in 2005 and the 2006s were riper. In any event, these are sensational Chardonnays, and readers couldn’t go wrong no matter which one they buy. Previously recommended: 2005 Sauvignon Blanc l’Apres Midi (93), 2004 Chardonnay Point Rouge (95+), 2004 Chardonnay Mon Plaisir (94), 2004 Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille (94), 2004 Chardonnay Cuvee Indigene (97), 2004 Chardonnay La Carriere (95), 2004 Chardonnay Belle Cote (95). Tel. (707) 942-3200; Fax (707) 942-0209