TNs: Mostly pre-2000 Bugundies at La Mangeoire in NYC

We’re in the midst of a very cold wintry spell in the tri-state, but this didn’t deter a few members of our local (usually and predominantly Bordeaux-themed) wine group from venturing in the city for some good rustic French bistro foods while pairing them with some fine Burgundies. So, 7 of us gathered at warm and friendly La Mangeoire, bottles in tow, to savor one of the best roast-chicken offering locally today and drool over some of those tasty, garlicky escargot appetizers. It was a happy night of good wines, delicious foods and with the usual fun company, while also enjoying meeting up with both Steven and Wik for the first time.

Whites:

2005 Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres 1er Cru
A refreshing chardonnay, with some fat, lush fruit complemented by good mineral component, some baking spices and hard lemon candy note. Medium length on the finish, but nicely-balanced and it pleases on all fronts. B+/A-

1995 Pierre Morey Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Oh wow. Tending slightly to the rust tint, but the rest of the wine did not come across as rusty in any way, shape or form. Showed power, plenty of mineral undertones, layers of lean fruit, and excellent balance. A long and delicious finish. A wonderful treat. A-


Reds

1995 D’Angerville Volnay Clos Des Ducs
Sniffed earth, ripe red fruit and flowers. Hints of green amidst the backward Cote-de-Beaune 1995 style, but all these make up and contribute to a harmonious whole with bursts of ripe red berries, tea and the slightest touch of meat broth. A happy combination with my charcuterie plate. Good length. A-/B+

1993 Dominique Laurent Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru
Pronounced corked by my esteemed and more knowledgeable dinner mates. Not rated.

1999 Joseph Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru
Thanks to Steven for adding in to the mix his back-up for the Ponsot that he brought after the previous bottle was declared corked. Excellent, expressive nose, but still tight and young at this stage. The structure showed raw power with plenty of acidity, pure fruit and savory notes. More years of cellar time would be needed to smooth out the wine and I expect good things. More upside potential with additional cellar years. B+

1988 Louis Jadot Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru
A treat to drink a well-stored Jadot GC that showed remarkable freshness, but also the silkiness brought about with having aged gracefully. Full and big, with a slight green note that adds to the classy appeal. I don’t think the vintage was a blockbuster, and neither was the wine, but I’m not complaining. Good showing and it appears to have more good-drinking years ahead. A-

1995 Domaine Ponsot Griotte Chambertin Grand Cru
Raw meat combined with fresh-baked confection and tilled agriculture land on the bouquet. A full-bodied wine. Mineral and herbs abound that effortlessly balanced with high red-fruited acidity. Layers of cool fruit bursts in the mouth that carries over to the long lip-smacking finish. Well-crafted and an absolute delight. A-


1996 Dominique Laurent Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
Served blind by Suzanne and it was easy to see why she mentioned the high level of acidity on the wine. Robust ripe fruit element and it never showed the so-called oak-driven character that the producer was supposed to be associated with. Complexity abounds with evidence of a well-made wine, but others found the wine a little advanced. B

1999 Henri Gouges Nuits-St-Georges Clos des Porrets 1er Cru
The only wine that was decanted, fresh from being uncorked, in the restaurant. Reserved for the last round, but was still unyielding and remained hard, and harsh, as nails. Showed similar traits with few aged (by many years) and memorable Gouges that I’ve had, and so, this looks to have the good stuffing to get to a nice drinking phase, but it needs time, plenty of time. Rated B for now, but with strong upside potential.

Thats a great and well thought out lineup Ramon. Good to hear about Damoy, but I’m surprised the Duc showed so approachable!

Cheers

Thanks for the notes. A nice venue for a dinner and I like the chicken there as well.

Nice to see some burgs with some age coming out to play.

1999 Henri Gouges Nuits-St-Georges Clos des Porrets 1er Cru
The only wine that was decanted, fresh from being uncorked, in the restaurant.

Nice event.

So, the other reds were “decanted” elsewhere…or not at all/popped and poured?

I’m always curious about how such wines are served (ie, aerated/decanted/popped and poured), as I think that directly effects their showing…

I walked in to the restaurant just a tad later than most and I saw their bottles already opened and standing on the table. I don’t know whether they were previously decanted. As for the bottle that I brought, the D’Angerville, uncorked immediately upon arrival.

Thanks Faryan. I think the Ducs is at the start of a nice and extended pleasurable drinking plateau.

I lived very close by to this restaurant and saw it nothing more than a neighborhood gem then. It now appears to have become a “destination” eatery, especially given, pretty much, all the good rustic French dishes that they serve. Good staff, too.

I would have thought from the title that the wines were all 2004.

I doubt it was well thought out but a lot of good wines showed up. I’m sorry I missed this one.

Faryan- there was no mention of a wine from Damoy.
Also there was no corked Ponsot, only corked bottle was the 93 D Laurent Clos de Beze.

Great notes my WsOTN were the 95 Ponsot Griotte and the 88 Jadot Clos De Beze

Anyone know of aeration/decanting, etc…on these wines? The Angerville was “popped and poured”…but the others?

I always assume that when a corked wine shows up at a tasting/dinner…no one “prepped” it…or even likely checked it out beforehand.

Interesting note all thanks. Surprise on the Ponsot no ? Also glad to hear about the D’Angerville. Not the vintage that normally gets accolades.

It didn’t appear the the '93 Laurent Clos de Beze was prepped. It came in later than I did and I recall it was popped-n-poured.

Stuart- everything was opened at the restaurant with no advanced decanting. We opened the 99 Gouges and tasted it and that needed some air. Nothing else did.

Thanks, Suzanne…Of course, if you get there …and find that the wines needed “advanced decanting”…what can you do? (of if one determines a wine is corked…is that better done ahead of time? to avoid the unpleasant effects…or to be able to focus on it as such…for the “education”?). Just questions I think about…is there a downside to checking things out ahead of time to see…esp when the contributions are spread out.

There are no “right” answers to this, I think.

It sounds like a lucky group of wines… then.

That’s why we have comparable or similar backup bottles available to us. In spite of the corked bottle, we already had more than enough to keep us from getting thirsty and yet a backup was uncorked without hesitation.

I’ve nothing against prepping in advance, but it just doesn’t always work out when you have to come from meetings or work or other appointments immediately before a weeknight wine dinner.

Besides, it’s not just all about the wines for us whenever we get together.

I understand the last point.

But, for me…reading about it…it is. Understandably, I think…on a wineboard.

I also understand the difficulty of prepping. One of the reasons I stopped going to such events at restaurants. The information…was of limited value to me, as a result. And…my ADD was in full mode, as I enjoy talking to people…the food, etc…too much to really concentrate to really pay attention to 8-9 wines’ information. But…I realize that goal is not the only one, which is why I enjoy reading about such events…if the number of wines seems manageable/plausible to evaluate-- and IMO…8-9 can be…though at the outer edges.

So Stuart just to be clear, you stopped going to events because enjoyed the people and food too much ?

No…I found the social/culinary aspects too much a diversion from focusing on the wines. And, the ones I went to had too many wines to focus.

Now…if you had been there…maybe I would have been able to concentrate on the wines more. But…the company at the ones I attended was very pleasant.

Don’t feed the troll people.

Sounds like a fine dinner. I’m always super impressed by old jadot. My friend has a stash of GC jadot from the 60s and they’ve all been really great.