This was a great offline. I hope people were not intimidated or put off by the theme as it turned out to be a fantastic set of wines and people. While not all the wines were fully mature, they were all in very interesting stages of development and each one was a treat to experience. To name a few names, it was an extraordinary night for me to have the Selosse, the 79 Margaux and the 86 Pichon Lalande. Thanks to all of you!
1996 Giraud Champagne Fut de Chene: This is a really good wine and I was pretty impressed with it but my attention was completely diverted once the Selosse was opened - hard company. Very nice chalk and oyster shell aroma. Good grip and texture – it has some of the friction and substance of a Raveneau or Dauvissat Chablis. Bit of caramel. The bizarre closure on this bottle was interesting to see too – I hope someone can post a picture.
NV Selosse Initial: Wow, this was unlike any wine I have drunk and probably the most interesting white wine I’ve ever had. Certainly the best Champagne I have tasted and honestly the only expensive one I would not hesitate to pay the price for. Unexpectedly complex and exotic nose with a fascinating combination of custard, pastry, chalk, citrus peel, grass, vanilla, lactic aromas and who knows what. Very light and airy frothiness. Fresh and elegant. Fantastic wine and my WOTN. My wife and I are staying at the estate’s hotel in September and now I am super excited to retaste this and try some others.
1990 Domaine de Pegau Cuvee Reservee: Delicious and one of the top reds of the night. Warm spicy fruitcake nose, becoming more focused and candied as it sat. Rich and spicy with a little balsamic character. Still fairly dark and moderately tannic, it shows maturity but should last a long time. Hard to tell if it has peaked. I was extremely happy with how this showed, really a great example of how the sturdy CNdPs can turn into something more than you expect. This bottle seemed very clean, as all mine have been.
1990 Domaine de Trevallon: Dusty, rocky nose with regal dark fruit. Moderate tannin, medium body but quite rich. The Trevallon iron comes through occasionally but honestly I prefer somewhat leaner vintages like 1988 and 1994 that show this more prominently. Later, a touch of weediness. I liked this quite a bit but I don’t think it was one of the more popular wines.
1992 Dunn Howell Mountain: This was served blind and as usual the guessing process humbled most of us. Based on aroma alone I guessed it was a 1990s Montebello, but it was too rich on the palate. There was a lot of discussion over its source with most people guessing Bordeaux, though I think we agreed that if it was a Bordeaux it was from a ripe vintage and had to be one of the most powerful chateaux. Based on that I guessed 1990 Montrose (which I’ve never tasted but I could imagine tasting like this based on a 1959 I had once). The wine was dark and rich with copious cedar and animal aromas, and quite tannic though it didn’t seem closed or unready to me – there is plenty of lush fruit to balance the tannin, and it doesn’t seem hard – actually surprisingly friendly compared to some other Dunns I’ve had. It should have an extremely long life and I could imagine it tasting just fantastic in 50 years.
1997 Dominus: I’m not sure everyone agreed, but I felt this was corked. The TCA hadn’t wiped it of its fruit and it’s a shame it was tainted as it seems it would be a great wine.
1995 Ch. Margaux: Prominent cedar & pine nose. It has the toughness of a 1995 but is a suave and classy wine. Rich, young, tannic and long. This and the next wine showed their family resemblance. If I had these I would hold them a long time.
1979 Ch. Margaux: It had a nice tobacco, pine, cedar, black raspberry and plum nose, quite similar to the 95 though less ripe and more complex at this point. There is a nice texture and substance to it, though it’s not a big wine. Surprisingly tannic in the finish after all these years. Great aromatic finish. It was the first 1st Growth Bdx I ever drank (around 1988) and this was the first opportunity I’ve had to revisit it.
1986 Ch. Pichon Lalande: I’ve had this about six times and it has alternately been open for business or seemingly about 20 years from maturity. This one was backward but a beautiful bottle and extremely promising for those with 20 years additional life expectancy and patience. Initially tight on the nose, it blossomed over several hours showing a really nice cassis and cedar nose. On the palate it’s tight but rich with good ripeness and a sweetness to the fruit, as usual showing a more Cabernet side of Pichon Lalande. Very tannic finish. Really a great wine and I will hold my couple of bottles for a while. In the end this was probably my favorite red of the night, though the 79 Margaux and 90 Pegau were best to drink right now.