Had a really great night at Peking Duck House with some offline rookies and more experienced offliners.
Food, wine, and conversation were all great.
Here are some brief thoughts on the wines. They are all completely from memory so I would interested to hear other peoples thoughts.
2008 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Terre de Vertus Premier Cru
I love this wine. Obviously very young, but still very enjoyable. Great tension and acidity. White fruits and just a touch of brioche. I need to buy more because I’m drinking what I have way too quickly and this will likely evolve into something amazing.
2009 Marie-Noelle Ledru Champagne Cuvée du Goulté Brut Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru
Suprisingly open for an 09. Blanc de Noirs is usually not my thing (much prefer BdB) but this was very good. Lots of red fruits like red apple skins.
2004 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese
Don’t remember many specifics about this other than it was delicious.
2012 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard
I have never had Rhys before. This had me wondering what I’ve been missing this whole time. This was fantastic. Obviously very young. I got a little sulphur at first, but it quickly blew off. The nose was out of this world. Smoke (I think from the oak), citrus, green apple, and I really cool spicy ginger quality. This bottle went quick and unfortunately I didn’t have any left when the Ginger Lobster came out. This would have killed with it.
2013 Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Auslese
I drink a lot of Falkenstein Spatlese. This was tasty too.
2003 Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Dautenpflänzer Riesling Spätlese
Very nice to have the 2003 and 1994 side by side. I think this happened by coincidence. There was a lot of discussion of the glycerin quality to the 03 (presumably due to the extremely hot vintage).
1994 Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Dautenpflänzer Riesling Spätlese
Good whiff of petrol on the first pour. Was able to follow up with this again towards the end of the evening and it has evolved very nicely. Smoke and dried apricots. Really enjoyed this.
2009 Jean Foillard Fleurie
Really nice Beaujolais. Can’t go wrong with Foillard.
2005 Prosper Maufoux Chassagne Montrachet Clos Saint Jean
Not familiar with the producer but I quite enjoyed this. Some thought it was a little too bretty, but I am not brett sensitive and thought this went well with the peking duck. I was surprised by the amount of bricking on this already given that it’s an 05.
2006 Baudry Les Granges Chinon
Was great to drink a 9 year old Granges. I usually keep some Grezeaux around to age. When I buy these, they usually don’t last more than a couple months before they get gulped up. This proved that it has the stuffing to last. I wouldn’t say it tasted much more evolved, and was still pretty simple, but it definitely took on a more earthy quality. My girlfriend absolutely loved this.
2007 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Ile des Vergelesses
Yum. High toned red fruit with a spicy backbone. Not overly complex, but I could drink this by the gallon.
1999 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile
Very little petrol. Great intensity. Lemon/lime, soft minerality. Tasty stuff.
2007 François Baur Riesling Brand
Having a hard time remembering this one… there was a lot of Riesling at this dinner
2000 Lamborghini (La Fiorita) Campoleone Umbria IGT
I don’t drink much Sangiovese but liked this. Very intense. Good amount of tobacco and a touch of chocolate/espresso. Tannins were pretty well resovled, but I think this could age for a quite a while longer.
2010 Marchesi Di Barolo Barbaresco
This was pretty anonymous for me. Good, if not particularly complex. May have been the age. May have been that I didn’t give it the attention it deserved.
2001 Domaine de la Vougeraie Vougeout Les Cras
I thought there was something a little off with this bottle. I have had it before and it was much, much better. This time it was a little disjointed with oak that stuck out like a sore thumb and very tart red fruit. The nose was nice , though, with some great secondary/tertiary aromas of mushrooms and damp forest floor. Others at the table enjoyed this this.
1988 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve
This is what I’m talking about. I drink very little Napa, but this old stuff is right up my alley. Very much alive with a very dark color. Had some nice tertiary flavors of old leather, but still some fruit poking through. Good streak of herbs running through it that I found very pleasant. Very fun to drink. Birth year wine to boot!
2011 Domaine Dominique Mugneret Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
Opened fairly late, so my palate was beginning to fade a little but I really liked this. Good amount of earth and dark chocolate. Opened up with some air.
Donhoff GG of some sort?
Last bottle opened. Didn’t catch the specifics. Very young (maybe a ’13?). Delicious nervy Riesling.
All in all, a fantastic night. It was great meeting everyone. Thanks to Jessie for handling all the administrative matters. Looking forward to the next one!
