Popped and poured to celebrate a pretty cool personal and professional achievement; enjoyed over a two hour period. This particular bottle has been stored in my cellar since release. The 2004 “La Grande Dame” pours a brilliant yellow color with medium+ viscosity and a persistent mousse of fine bubbles. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of golden raspberry, Meyer lemon, some apple, some brioche and nuts; just a touch oxidative. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. However, I feel compelled to share that this gave me the overall impression of a sort of liquid lemon-raspberry custard croissant with shaved almonds on top. It was awesome. The finish was long and there is some palpable density in this wine. So much so that I think these easily have another 10-15 years in them. That being said, this was yummy and I wouldn’t hesitate to enjoy now. — 16 days ago
Lovely bright tart mineral fruit. Great structure and balance — 2 days ago
A buddy brought out this bottle of 2010 Clos de la Coulée de Serrant to help toast a great achievement this past weekend. One can probably imagine my excitement as I’m a massive fan of these wines by Nicolas Joly. However, I feel compelled to admit that these wines are not for everyone. They vary wildly from one vintage to the next and there can often be quite a bit of bottle variation to boot. None of this has swayed me from my position; that these are amongst the most exciting, singular expressions of a place that I have ever experienced.
Popped and poured. The 2010 pours a deep golden color with medium+ viscosity and no signs of particles or gas. On the nose, the wine is redolent of white tree flowers, desiccated apples and apricots with orange marmalade, honey, lanolin, marzipan and light clove. On the palate, the wine is dry with borderline high acid that is somewhat masked by the equally high alcohol (15%). Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and remarkably rich with wooly, unctuous texture. The high alcohol only becomes apparent as the finish lingers but there is so many other more fascinating things for me than to get distracted by it. Is it oxidative or not? That’s an argument that other people can have. I’m content to simply appreciate these wines for what they are. You can drink these now but knowing how these react favorably to air, it’s probably best to open it well in advance and probably even better to decant. Otherwise, I would expect sound, well-stored examples to live through 2040. — 18 days ago
enjoyed with a cigarette: as god intended — 7 days ago
Bright fruit. Almost tropical with hints of mango and bright bold flavors. Minerality and purity with great poise. Delicious — 2 days ago
John Howard
Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries
Best bintage to date? So gut. — a day ago