MY 40TH BIRTHDAY WEEKEND - (2/17/2017-2/20/2017)
A great time was had by all. Honeysuckle, in the former Vidalia space, just opened two weeks ago and Chez Hamilton Johnson did a wonderful dinner for us with a truffle theme to complement a rather vast array of wines.
Champagnes, white, roses…
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2002 Henri Goutorbe Champagne Grand Cru Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (2/18/2017)
On the modern side, lovely citrus and autolyzed notes, almost brown buttery. Drinking well. No match for the 1999 Salon, but one wouldn’t expect it to be. Great way to start the night. (93 pts.) -
1999 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut - France, Champagne (2/18/2017)
Lemon and lemon curd, slight dusty caramel note. Exquisite texture. Everything it’s cracked up to be. (96 pts.) -
2009 Sine Qua Non On The Lam - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (2/18/2017)
A bit hot to my tastes, but a jam-packed and big wine. This wine will take you to Flavortown. (91 pts.) -
2011 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura Les Chalasses Marnes Bleues - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (2/18/2017)
The white of the night to be sure. From magnum. Topped up Savagnin. Effortless wafting nose of citrus and rocks. Perfect balance of weight and acidity. Not as geeky as many a Ganevat, so wide appeal to the whole table. Went with every dish and enhanced it - like your favorite belt. (95 pts.) -
2014 Domaine de l’Anglore Tavel - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Tavel (2/18/2017)
Dark rose, with classic carbonic notes and a red candy and fruit nose that belies the ample acidity and light-but-substantial body. Great stuff. Out of magnum. (92 pts.)
Reds
This was actually broken down into about a half dozen small flights including a flight of the 1977’s.
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1986 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (2/18/2017)
Cherry, tobacco, aging dark fruits and a bit of spice. A lovely aged Bordeaux and still in prime drinking window. More secondary than tertiary and not a lot of funk/earth going on. (93 pts.) -
1995 Château Giscours - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (2/18/2017)
Still youthful and with an ample spine yet to bend with age. Dark fruited and a nice counterpoint to the 86 Ducru. (92 pts.) -
1999 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley (2/18/2017)
Even with a few hours decant this was not ready. Another bottle a few months ago seemed better out of the gate. Classic Musar notes of Rioja-like red fruit and tobacco with some brett and VA. (89 pts.) -
1996 Couly-Dutheil Chinon La Baronnie Madeleine - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (2/18/2017)
From magnum. This improved and improved over two nights, starting a bit woody and angular and picking up weight and roundness until it was almost Right Bank-y. Loire cab franc ain’t for the pyrazine-shy. Dark fruit and toeing the line between sweet and savory aromatics. (94 pts.) -
2002 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru (2/18/2017)
This will be great when it matures - lots of tannic spine to shed. (92 pts.) -
1993 Domaine Thenard Grands-Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru (2/18/2017)
Meh. Couldn’t hang with its competition tonight. Looks great on paper but a little smaller in stature when you get up close. (88 pts.) -
1993 Domaine Ponsot Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Cuvée des Alouettes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru (2/18/2017)
One of the best burgs of the night - despite getting trashed by Burghound back in the day. This had ample red fruit and a soft and light spine. Moderately perfumed with a touch of baking spice. (92 pts.) -
1996 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Bonnes Mares - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru (2/18/2017)
From magnum. Drouhin-Laroze gets dinged for being a bit foursquare and wood-heavy. This was very nice and balanced, with a clean profile of red fruits, subtle candied notes, and bit of fading baking spice. I would never have been able to guess Bonnes Mares blind. But a solid and pretty wine in a great place. (92 pts.) -
1996 Domaine Trapet (Jean et Jean-Louis) Chapelle-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru (2/18/2017)
Thoroughly lovely and ready-to-go Burg that got lost for me among a sea of other 82-96 burgs. (90 pts.) -
1993 Dominique Laurent Charmes-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru (2/18/2017)
One of the better Burgundy showings. Fully mature and a lovely combination of light weight, earth and floral aromatics and overall balance. A little short on the finish perhaps. (91 pts.) -
1994 Cameron Rouge Clos Electrique - USA, Oregon (2/18/2017)
WOTN for me, with a crowded field. From magnum. This was everything a new world pinot could be, to a bunch of burg lovers. A bit of funk that seamlessly enhanced the deep red fruit and baking spice that was just beginning a long road towards tertiary development. Ample acidity and light on its feet. The only wine I kept going back to over and over. (97 pts.) -
1977 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/18/2017)
Still alive and pleasant, if unspectacular (88 pts.) -
1977 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (2/18/2017)
On the very down part of that downslope. Bricked. Old wine. Still drinkable, but perhaps the second worst after the 77 MB. (84 pts.) -
1977 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon California - USA, California (2/18/2017)
The surprise of the night. Great old bottle plus low expectations equals happy. Still with a combination of aged black and red fruits, medium weight but lithe on the tongue. Tertiary in a lovely way, not in a musty cellar way. Every bit as good as the 77 Ridge York Creek, 86 Ducru and 95 Giscours. (93 pts.) -
1977 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon York Creek - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (2/18/2017)
Wonderful old claret with a medium body, fully resolved tannins, a little spice left over from that American oak, and lovely berry and earth aromatic profile, with touches of tobacco and ash. (92 pts.) -
1977 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (2/18/2017)
This was just over the hill, despite a traced-back-to-the-winery provenance, and was DOA. NR (flawed) -
1991 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (2/18/2017)
Spectacular. My #2 WOTN behind the Cameron, but it’s not a fair comparison - this is always amazing and one of the great vintages of Monte Bello. Lithe body, still full of fruit with that almost Rioja-like spice note from the American oak that has now settled into one of many background notes that combine into a seamless whole. (96 pts.) -
2000 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (2/18/2017)
This continues to drink beautifully, elegantly and a bit before its counterparts. A more burgundian MB maybe, and not as bad a year in Santa Cruz as in Napa. Or, more importantly, there has never been a bad year for Paul Draper… (93 pts.) -
2002 Bond St. Eden - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/18/2017)
A Parker 100, so I thought I’d hate it, but it was surprisingly well made, and less slutty than I would have imagined. Bright fruited, still a bit young and still definitely a bit hot… (94 pts.)
Desserty wines
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1994 P. Licht-Bergweiler Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (2/18/2017)
Pre-Pradikat drift, so a modern Spatlese in heft. Not much botrytis evidence. Mostly that clean citrus, honey, wet slate thing with a bit of diesel to keep it real. Great stuff. (93 pts.) -
1968 D’Oliveiras Madeira Boal - Portugal, Madeira (2/18/2017)
Caramel, honeysuckle, toasted almond, dried lemon peel with a beautiful sweet palate. This was gorgeous. (95 pts.) -
1898 Henriques & Henriques Madeira Sercial Solera - Portugal, Madeira (2/18/2017)
Caramel, hazlenut, dried orange peel, a little old dust and a lot of history. Very light sweetness and pleasant but not face-slapping acidity. This was wonderful. Hard to compare against the 1968 Boal - such different styles. (96 pts.) -
1990 Prince Poniatowski Vouvray Clos Baudoin - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (2/18/2017)
Everything was there. Racy acidity, honeyed sweet tones, earth and flowers. Great dessert wine and held its own against the madeiras over two days. (94 pts.) -
1989 Prince Poniatowski Vouvray Aigle Blanc - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (2/18/2017)
Apparently we drank this. As Wittgenstein said - that of which you cannot speak, one must pass over in silence. -
1977 Warre Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (2/18/2017)
I recognize this as being a good example of vintage port from a supposedly great year. That being said, this is a hot sweet mess to me and smelled of prune and some things I don’t particularly want to eat for dessert. I hate port.
Night two
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1986 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/18/2017)
Out of magnum. Still a great wine from the Great Years before California succumbed to critical pressures. Thanks to Berg for bringing this! (93 pts.) -
2003 Hospices de Beaune Corton-Cuvée Docteur Peste Louis Jadot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru (2/18/2017)
Lovely and youthful. Dark fruited and imposing but not as much tannin on the finish as I’d have expected from the Jadot elevage. (92 pts.) -
2004 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - France, Champagne (2/18/2017)
My first attempt at sabering a success. Likely to be followed by more, and, hopefully, no late night ER visits. (91 pts.) -
2007 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru (2/18/2017)
A late night “is it too late to open a bottle of white?” escapade wine. Ample acidity and beautifully mineral but neither as round nor as angular as you would hope or fear, respectively. (93 pts.) -
1988 Louis Latour Corton-Clos de la Vigne au Saint - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru (2/18/2017)
The spice of the old wood is the only thing GC about this. On the darker fruited side of things. Was a bit iffy at first, hit its stride and then fell off a cliff like Wile E. Coyote after about 40 minutes. (90 pts.) -
1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Blagny 1er Cru La Pièce-sous-le-Bois - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Blagny 1er Cru (2/18/2017)
A bit foursquare but nothing wrong with it. Smells like aged burgundy. (88 pts.) -
1985 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/18/2017)
Great stuff. With a bit of pyrazine, at this point in its life you would never guess this for a merlot. Drinks like an old St. Julien. (91 pts.)
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