I do not typically post tasting notes but I served quite a lineup at an event this week and thought some people might be interested in my tasting notes.
Aside from the very old bottles, the wines were opened and tasted slightly earlier in the day. They were then served and periodically tasted again between 5 and 930 PM. We only had one flawed bottle this night, a corked 1990 Clos des Goisses. None of the wines saw an extended decant, though some of the younger wines I decanted part of the bottle before the first time they were served.
Will follow with notes in a comment shortly.
by kiwiasahandfruit
5 Comments
**2000 Krug ‘Clos du Mesnil’**
Opened at 4pm
My first single vineyard Krug (though I have very much enjoyed a few vintage brut and a lot of MV) and what a bottle it was. Very youthful in style still- classic Mesnil nutty creaminess that reminded slightly of almond milk, a lot of weight but poised on intense acidity that felt more like Montrachet than other champagne I have had, seeming unending waves of white flowers and ginger. Very long finish. I would be very excited to try this wine again further down the line.
**Jacques Selosse ‘Ay La Cote Faron’ (Deg. 3/4/14)**
Opened at 4pm
My first Selosse. Heavily oxidative, red berries, orange oil, toasted bread, honey and exotic spices. I am a big Prevost fan and the lineage is clear to see. Intense, lingering and enigmatic finish. Selosse’s maestro reputation immediately makes sense and this is perhaps the greatest bottle of champagne I have had.
WOTN candidate.
**2018 Roulot Meursault ‘Vireuils’**
Opened at 3pm
Roulot is a producer I adore and I think 2018 burgs that managed to be balanced are in a fantastic window of drinking right now. Aromas of white flowers, dusty gravel, yellow apples, vanilla and yogurt jump from the glass at a level I would expect more from a grape like Riesling. The wine is crystalline and precise with deftly balanced decadence that demonstrates a long life left ahead.
**2001 Leflaive Bienvenues Batard Montrachet**
Opened at 4pm
An incredibly youthful showing that made this wine feel akin to the Krug. A bottle of well crafted wine from any of the Montrachet vineyards is like lightning to the senses. The youth showcased would have had me blind it in the early 2010s I imagine but the decadent Bienvenues personality is on full display here, this wine is like coming in early to the restaurant while pastry is still being made. An explosive bouquet of quince, hazelnut, custard and an absolutely gorgeous texture with a finish of bitter almonds.
WOTN candidate.
**2017 Trapet Chambertin**
Opened at 3pm
Perhaps slightly outclassed by some of the other wines in this tasting but a delicious and remarkably well balanced bottle of red Burgundy. For me, 2017 burgs left a bit to be desired in terms of in terms of intensity, though they are pleasantly red fruited many wines felt ‘thin’ akin to some Hautes Cotes but recently bottles have found their way to sort of filling out. This was a complex but shy nose of cherries, soil and wet leaves. A few hours being open let the personality unfold a bit and the pure, youthful and intense red burgundy hit all of my classic markers. It is hard to compete when you’re directly compared to this next wine.
**2010 Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin 1er ‘Clos St Jacques’**
Opened at 3pm
Oh man. Unctuous, explosive and beguiling. The kirsch, chanterelle and tree bark aromas make it hard to take a sip instead of just smelling. One of the most intense, enchanting and lovable wines I have ever tried. I think Rousseau’s reputation is very well earned and I would handily choose this over many other similarly (or higher even) tiered Burgundies I have been able to try.
WOTN candidate.
**1994 Rayas Reserve**
Opened at 4pm
I was deeply excited for this wine from my birth year. My previous Rayas experience is unfortunately limited to a 1996 Pignan.
Delicious but perhaps a slight let down. This wine, while excellent, felt more in line with ‘traditional’ CDP than the very lifted 1996 Pignan did. Very fresh- garrigue, river stones, toasting herbs, lavender and red and black fruits on a sappy palate of mouth-filling tannins. A very amiable wine with lots to love but perhaps punched slightly below its weight. I imagine another 10 years would really benefit this bottle.
**1964 Gaja Barbaresco**
Opened at 630pm
Very bad structural integrity to the cork but a good seal nonetheless. A surprising amount of youth among the red fruits, porcini and leather but a slightly unpleasant ‘tin can’ metallic smell that never did quite fade. On the palate the wine was much more pleasant than the aroma, stewed fruits and grilled mushrooms and it was very broad and powerful. Dusty tannins and a long acidic finish.
**2003 Soldera Brunello Riserva**
Opened at 3pm
A very structured and brooding wine. A dazzling array of forest fruits beginning to macerate in balsamic with a hint of “old book” creeping in. I struggle a bit personally with Sangiovese and while this wine in some ways drinks like the inverse of my typical favorite Sangiovese-based wines this bottle was very easy to love.
**2014 Bond ‘Pluribus’**
Opened at 3pm
Rich and aromatic showcasing classic and very balanced mountain fruit personality. Dark fruit and cedar, graphite and roasted coffee. Rich, intense and long with firm tannins. The age of this bottle is one of my typical “sweet spots” for big boy Napas and this bottle did not disappoint, though some of the bottles around it are perhaps generally more in my wheelhouse.
**2006 Haut Brion**
Opened at 3pm
A very seductive and sultry bottle, youthful wine of intense primary aromas. Plums and blueberries have given way to little else so far in this silky palate, perhaps after a few hours some cigar box and iron came out to play but maybe I just wanted to imagine them there.
**1996 Margaux**
Opened at 4pm
By comparison to the Haut Brion the Margaux showcased far more secondary and tertiary flavors. Dried black currants, tobacco, violets, leather, graphite and old books. Exquisite texture and a finish that is miles long. A textbook bottle of high-end Bordeaux.
**1970 Cheval Blanc**
Opened at 6pm
1970 is consistently the Bordeaux vintage that has most impressed me with its youth, though this was my first right bank of the vintage. Despite using a Durand, the cork was so sound it could have probably been removed handily with a standard wine key. Upon open there were immediate smells of stewed red and black fruits, clay, and truffles as well as a bit of funk and a slightly sharp palate. After 2 hours open the palate was round, intense, sumptuous and clean. The complexity of this wine is the only potential marker of being 55 years old, everything about it was so vibrant and joyful. A bottle of wine that truly reminds why one chooses a career in this field.
WOTN candidate.
**1934 Mouton Rothschild**
Opened at 615pm
Far and away the oldest bottle of (non-fortified) wine I have had anything to do with. The cork falls apart slightly in the Durand but comes out clean in a few pieces with only a slight battle (still a lot better than the Gaja cork). At open the bottle has stewed fruit but somewhat austere barnyard aromas, but the structure is powerful and very, very present. 2 hours open and the wine had transformed into an exuberant and shockingly spry bottle that I would have probably placed in the 1960s or 1970s. Incredible acidity and well-integrated tannins with a rich weight. Fresh, dried and stewed black fruits, violets, graphite, cedar, tobacco leaf, truffles, espresso, leather, old books, game and black pepper. Three hours in and the wine had not fallen off a cliff, somehow.
WOTN candidate.
Wowza what a lineup 🍷
Christ almighty.
Good lord. Nice notes. Jaw kept dropping lower and lower
That is an absolutely absurd lineup. Thanks for sharing!