Night one: Rainstorms and burgundy (and rhone) - a story of Favre's birthday in Los Angeles.

RAIN STORMS AND BURGUNDY (AND RHONE): A STORY OF FAVRE’S BIRTHDAY IN LOS ANGELES. - N/Naka (2/19/2017)

Jon Favre turned an 32 so we had to celebrate. Same as last time Jon came into town with Roger, Los Angeles experienced one of its biggest rain storms.

He came to LA with Roger Nellans in tow (missed you brad xoxo). Edson G did the 8 hours drive in from cow town and we gathered some of the local troops for an excellent dinner at the best restaurant in Los Angeles, N/Naka (I will fight you if you think it’s Providence). Service and food was A+ per usual, they put up with our rowdy crowd. Pacing was perfect and the food was the best I can remember. We were absolutely stuffed.

Standouts food wise were the Hokkaido Hairy Crab head soup, abalone truffle pasta and the “cold” plate with the most interesting smoked apple that tasted of bacon, smoke and pickling juice, went AMAZING with the aged white burg.

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Our informal theme for the night was Perrieres and Montrachet with some rhone and a red burg tossed in. The WOTNs for me were the 96 Roulot Perrieres and the 91 Leroy Clos Vougeot.

• 1986 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil - France, Champagne
  showed significantly oxidized when the wine was first opened, low bubbles and high in apple juice. We set it aside and kinda forgot about the wine. About 3 hours in we tried it again and it had simply exploded in the glass. Zesty ripe orchard fruit on the palate and bracing acidity. It filled out well in the bottle.
  
  
  
• 1993 Etienne Sauzet Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
  excellent richness on the palate, far more youthful than I would have guessed. The only issue I had was I couldn’t coax anything out of the nose except for a hint of oak.
• 1988 Pierre Morey Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
  Heft and weight on the palate that only comes with near 30 years of age. Incredibly deep rich flavors with loads of fruit to go. Bottle is as fantastic is the one opened a year ago. Shines montrachet through and through.
  
  
  
• 1996 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
  This wine is about as perfect as a 21 year old white burgundy can be. Pure and full of energy. The clean abundant fruit flows right down the palate and the chilling acidity creates this tension that keeps the wine knitted and complete. Everything is perfectly in place. Wine is an all timer
• 2002 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
  Not oxidized but a little advanced. A bit flabby and lacking in acidity. There was that sweet ripe roulot perrieres fruit but it was a dumbed down version. Consistently disappointing perrieres from Roulot. Never thought i’d say that!
• 2010 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
  A bit reduced on the nose, but the ripeness of the fruit shines through still. The palate is what stands out. It’s electric zippy fruit with a clean cut of smooth cool acid. Youthful but delicious.
  
  
  
• 2013 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
  Brutish exotic wine. Smack you in the face type of palate with over ripe tropical fruit matched with that bumpy tactile sensation you only get with a big dollop of oak. This wine is absolutely monstrous. It needs significant time to knit together as the exotic flavors of the wine almost became too rich and too much toward the end of the night but it did have this wonderful savory fruit note that held on for awhile on the finish. It does have the stuffing to be a hell of a wine down the road
• 2013 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
  This was on the otherside of the flavor spectrum of the 13 roulot MP we had next to it. While the Roulot was big, ripe and exotic, the Coche was pure and clean. Wonderful minerality on the wine with all that classic Coche MP orchard fruit and white flowers. Elegance with weight as that energy and lift continues long onto the finish.
  
  
  
• 2002 Henri Boillot Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
  PREMOXED
• 2001 Henri Boillot Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
  Nice weight and depth on the wine, showing more secondary flavors of earth and spice but with a good clean flavor of golden fruit
  
  
  
• 2000 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
  well balanced if not a bit too round, wish it had more acidity on the wine, the impact of the vintage.
• 2004 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
  Amazing wine. The talent of PY can not be disputed. While I haven’t had the DRC montrachet I’ve had most of the Montrachets in this vintage and this wine is head and shoulders above most everything. It’s so massive and structured, but it was this acid that cuts through and creates this energy that soars through the palate. It’s full of flavor but still primary and youthful. There’s a ton there but nothing is overboard. It’s gonna age forever
  
  
  
• 1991 Domaine Leroy Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
  The value of a bottle stored in a cold temp controlled cellar since release is you sometimes get these 25+ year old wines that are so beautiful and youthful. The concentration and weight shows from all that typical leroy powerhouse fruit but everything is still lively and fresh with just some of the developing 2ndary characteristics. The spice and earth are in control and it’s not a full blown leroy sous bois nose. Delicious. Thanks counselor!
• 1982 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
  Fresh meat carcass mixed in a pile of earth and crushed berries, imagine that smell, it’s pretty damn interesting and complex, an almost extreme level of sous bois but not in a bad way. The palate wasn’t as wild as the nose, it was resolved, silky and smooth.
• 1989 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
  That smoky spice and old leather. Like smelling a leather bound book in an old home. Palate had sweet earthy fruit and starting to pick up savoriness.
• 1989 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
  Nose was a little muted for me but the palate had a great dense meaty fruit on it, a little heavy and clunky but filling.

Thanks Charlie for a organizing a great weekend with great food, wines and camaraderie. Favre wishes he were 32….lol. n/naka was amazing. Every dish artistic and delicious. The abalone truffle pasta was to die for….hence the second order. I’ll definitely be going back….
As for the wines…Thanks for posting notes… spot on as usual…the 86 CdM was quite oxidative…and quite different imo from the same wine the following night ( that I liked). I quite liked the 93 Sauzet and agree the 96 Roulot was a standout. Both the 13’s were great with an edge to the Coche for me. I thought the 02 Boillot was drinkable, but certainly advanced. PYCM was ‘HUGE’ and needs a ton of time. You liked the 91 Leroy a bit more than I…to me it just seemed to lack something in the middle…loved the nose. Both la la’s were very good, but we had a lot of wine by that point and my notes are getting skimpy…the 82 was beautiful…as to the 89’s, I gave an edge to the La Turque with it’s complex aromas….
All in all, what an evening….Then of course, we go to night 2…look forward to those notes as well…
Cheers….

Great notes Charlie - can’t add much… Friday night was fun from start to finish !

Wonderful notes.

That 86 Krug Mesnil reminded me of the 86 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlie. You think it’s oxidized and over the hill when you first try it but then an hour later, it picks up an incredible amount of acidity. All of the sudden that richness and ripeness is completely balanced. It was left for dead by the others and I gladly returned to the bottle over, and over, and over again

We learned from night 1 and opened the 86 on night 2 for a good hour before serving it. That explains why many thought the night 2 bottle performed better.

Not much to add to Charlie’s outstanding notes except my description of the 13 Roulot and Coche would be reversed. I thought the Roulot was more focused while the Coche was richer and more powerful.

Outstanding you guys! Happy bday Jon! My kind of whites…would kill to try that 04 PYCM! Which nights bottle of 86 Mesnil was Edson’s? Or did he bring two…that sucker has been holding out on me!

Night 2 was Edson. Fred opened night 1. Don’t worry, Edson still has 88 mesnil, one of all the time greats

Thanks for the amazing account! Living vicariously through you on this one! lol.

your @ss should’ve made the trek down with me (yes it would have been 10 hours for you but it would have been worth it ).

great notes charlie. despite the my head cold i was able to appreciate some of the wines. that 96 roulot was on fire as was the 13 coche, 13 roulot, 93 sauzet and 04 pycm.

great meeting you howard! hope we party again soon.

Interesting…Rhones in there…I sure have a few great Rhones but wasn’t invited checks spam folder

always great to see you and roger brother! happy birthday again. hope the drive down was smooth.

When I didn’t received any texts from you, I had thoughts of you stranded in your car on the grapevine, drinking the Mesnil from bottle like a sailor!

I just realized we forgot to FaceTime buzz

i did say to invite you, but then i was told that you were already attending another party no?

I brought it up at least a couple times over this past weekend - wondering why Frenchie didn’t want to hang with us .

Just kidding… We still need to meet up at some point - I have some good wine to share with you Todd !

Nope.

The real reason is that Charlie Fu didn’t think I ‘played at that level’, but was never asked. I can’t play there in Burgundy, but I sure as hell can in Rhone, Champagne, and Bordeaux…though Mr. Fu decided not to even ask.

something something something blame jon.

Jon,

Happy belated birthday.

Now go to Fedex and send me your care package. I don’t want to drink sediment in my Richebourg. Tick-tock!

No shit.

I would threaten him with mod privileges or just suspend him until he invites you.

Jeeez - you guys are sooooo impatient