Last weekend I had one of those evenings that wine lovers live for, thanks to an extraordinarily generous friend of mine.
Started with an exceptional Sancerre that I brought, one that managed to have both the richness of Sancere and Pouilly-Fume-like focus. With that, an awesome appetizer of smoked salmon with mushroom brie and a sweet mustard-dill sauce.
Domaine Nicholas Girard, Sancerre 2015
Pale straw. Outstanding nose, loads of pink grapefruit, tangerine honeyed pear, lemon rind, with smokey mineral/stone; rich and deep; love it. On the palate, ripe, creamy pear, tangerine, honey, sweet lemon, pink grapefruit, and toward the finish some rich, fleshy apricot giving it wonderful texture, all with very nice hints of sweet bell pepper and grass. Medium-full body, rich, ripe and round, with wonderful fruit and a sweet, slightly salty texture that turns outright fleshy on the finish, all balanced by nice sweet tangerine acidity, going just a bit tart and pleasantly bitter near the finish. Wonderful stuff. Another solid 5 years, and will last beyond that. 3.5 Stars [2/11/17]
On to the main event. I brought some of my in-laws T-bones (grass grazed and grain finished, their steaks are amongst the best I’ve ever had). And my friend opened, simple put, the single greatest red wine I have ever had, the 2005 Chateau Rauzan-Segla. It was Wine Spectator’s #2 wine of the year in 2008, which is high praise, but having experienced this, we both considered even that praise a snub.
Chateau Rauzan-Segla, Margaux 2005
Decanted for 7 hours. Fantastic color, opaque gemstone ruby. Awesome nose, so much depth, layers and layers, promising even more depth than it is showing currently, dried blackberry, black raspberry, rich currants, plum, smokey notes, rose bush, a touch of pencil, cured leather and tobacco leaf, and enthralling black pepper notes; gorgeous, enthralling Margaux nose, with sweet, meaty, fleshy, well-toned fruit; incredibly high quality; I’m completely smitten. Palate: dear lord the fruit is stunning, dried blackberry, juicy blueberry, meaty currant, damson, citrus oil, rose extract, sweet succulent tobacco leaf, cured leather, and lovely, perfumey gravel and earth, with loads of white pepper, and a strong note of graphite on the finish; an incredible undertone of black cassis drives this in a phenomenal way. Intense body, with 2005’s incredible, succulent, fleshy, juicy fruit; unbelievable presence and an endless finish. I cannot properly convey how phenomenal this is, you just have to experience it. The depth of quality is off the charts. The best red wine I have ever had (and so obviously the greatest red Bordeaux I’ve had); a wine for the ages, this will benefit from another 5 - 10 years, and will last for 40 - 50 years from now. Very nearly perfection, everything is in place; it is an honor to get to taste a wine like this. This is a contender for the title of greatest wine I’ve ever had, along side the 1996 Krug and the 1996 d’Yquem. 6 Star potential (on a 5 star scale). [2/11/17]
So how do you possibly follow that up? No where to go but to a 1st Growth! I’ve waited so long to properly have Chateau Margaux, and it did not disappoint.
Chateau Margaux, Margaux 2004
Decanted 7.5 hours. Incredible color, black core, dark ruby almost to the edge. Nose: even coming after an unbelievable ’05 Rauzan-Segla, the sheer depth and quality of a 1st Growth is a thing to behold; regal depth, dried black currant, bay leaf, and black cassis depth, milk chocolate covered cherries and an entire carton of cocoa powder, with rose petal and violet perfume, cured tobacco leaf, lovely gravely earth, coal, and well-integrated note of graphite; so classy, a rare aristocratic beauty of a wine. Palate: blackberry compote, cassis, damson, bay leaf and hints of rosemary, chocolate and loads of cocoa powder, rose oil, citrus oil, and sweet earth; on the nose and palate, the notes of bay leaf, chocolate, roses, and gravel frame this wine. Very full bodied, with outstanding depth, tension, and concentration. Phenomenal, the depth and class are just stunning. The balance and structure are such that this can go another 20 to 30 years. 5 Stars. [2/11/17]
So where do you go after two reds like that? Sauternes is about the only answer. I decided it was time to break out one of my 2001s. This one was not up to the standards of the vintage, but still an excellent Sauternes of good quality. Paired with a simple raspberry cheesecake, which it had its way with, naturally.
Chateau de Malle, Sauternes 2001
Great color, golden orange with hints of green. Excellent nose, pear, candied pineapple, apricot, some botrytis-imparted mace, barely sugar, and loads of mineral depth. On the palate, pear and loads of candied pineapple, some honeyed apricot, almond, caramel, candied orange rind, honey/nectar, mace, barley sugar and loads of mineral. Very intense, very rich, with good acid balance, but perhaps not having 2001’s exceptional acid tone. Seems a little advanced for a 2001, one would expect it to be a lot fresher at the modest age of 15 (this is drinking more like a 20 - 25 year old); also even though it is advanced, it is not showing much if any tertiary development. It is possible that this may yet see some positive development, and certainly the structure and richness are such that it can survive for another 10 to maybe 15 years, but I’d say the conservative thing to do is try again in 5 years. All of that aside, speaking as Sauternes lover, I still enjoyed this very much, the underlying quality is very good, and even a “modest” Sauternes is still a treat. 3.5 Stars. [2/11/17]
And there you have it, an evening sure to remain one of the most memorable in my wine-drinking life!
