National Gallery of Art? Museum of the American Indian? Smithsonian Building?
Pshaw—what are those to a three-hour lunch? 
I was delighted that Cole Kendall could arrange time and place for lunch with me and invite Jonathan Loesberg, who I had not previously met. Amy Ray, who I had hoped to see, was able to join us just as main courses came out. We had a marvelous afternoon talking culture, art, work and a lot of life.
2012 Rivers-Marie Thieriot Chard
Still a dollop of wood, but absorbed by white and yellow fruit and definite lilac side. Not small or shy. Sharp entry bursting with citrus of all types and back-glints of coconut and lemon rind. It is just-bridled big right now.
1981 Chateau Leoville Las Cases
What a delightful surprise and primer for the evening’s festivities. So-pretty floral notes—violets and bits of rosewater and light touch of tobacco. To taste, it’s very Bordeaux–still slim and wiry with tart red fruit. Very elegant and not at all in decline, the breathe-back is of cured meats and pepper. Good stuff.
1995 Edmunds St. Jean Les Cotes Sauvages
Grenache-Syrah blend. Dark strawberries and earthiness. And tasty—I’ll admit, not a Rhone Ranger here. This has some structure and more of an herb-based character to black fruit. Quite decent, and with my aversion to Grenache, that’s going a long way.
2002 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne
Real hay and straw tones to lemon and apple scents. This is damned good. It has remarkable crispness and clarity, while still being very gulpable with tremendous drive on the mineral-enhanced aromatic replays. Revelicious, just gets better with each sip. Don’t know why I should be surprised that Amy brings the WOTD
The food at Centrolina was very good and the service enthusiastic and affable.
I was thrilled that Howard Cooper was able to rally the troops for a get-together at Le Chaumiere. Everyone went (at least from where I sat) so above and beyond for this night. I hadn’t seen Howard and Nancy in 6 years and it was terrific to catch up and talk Burgundy, Bordeaux, NCAA Basketball (I spent an hour earlier at the Georgetown branch of the public library reading my magazine to hope to conduct a semi-intelligent conversation on the topic), politics, music and movies. While the configuration in the room at the restaurant was not optimal, my venison main was very well done and the service was excellent.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Howard Cooper
Nancy Cooper
Chris Bublitz
Marjorie Bublitz
Charles Stewart
Ben Giliberti
Karl Kellar
Adelaide Kellar
Scot Hasselman
Ken Barr
Yon Delighted Note-Taker
Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose
Pretty roses, watermelon and pomegranate sniffs. Very present and tasty, quite vivacious with bright red fruity accents. On the exuberant side.
Cedric Bouchard Inflorescence
This rarely disappoints and this is no different. Has some ‘guts’ in the nose, with graham cracker undertone. Clean and solid, as it always is, with good mousse, carry and tart apple & lemon base.
2009 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Ries
Elevated lilac and apple blossom aromas. I used to not like German Ries. Now I do. It has a luminous apple jelly base with lime accents. Lovely.
2001 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Ries
This has more gingerbread spices and the apple is subtler. More of the petrol but it is still there in a very elegant way. Very classic German Ries and tons of life left. I like!
2011 Michel Bouzereau Meursault Les Tessons
Slight smokiness and lemon zest is definitely in the bouquet. This is structured and strict, but super-lively with lime bits and some nuts. Still a touch of Sulphur, but I like the drive in this a lot, though blind I’d be sure to guess Puligny instead of Meursault.
With those out of the way, it was time to move to the main event
1979 Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste
Little touches of soy and some cedar box overlay. Sweet red currant underneath and some char later. It is sturdy and stately dans la bouche, dried currant and berry fruit but has nice flow.
1979 Chateau Pichon de Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Nutmeats, more cedar and pencil shavings. This is really very good. Curvy and slimly pretty with still-very-lively red fruit. It has nobility and that sublime sense that, in a way, only Comtesse gets to. Truly, one of my fave Bordeaux houses. #2 for me tonight.
2010 EMH Black Cat Cab
I brought this outlier to pour a little into everyone’s glass and do what I’ve done throughout most of this trip—toast our beleaguered friends in Napa, Sonoma and other parts affected. We wished them safe, and to live long and prosper again. Not much more appropriate than to pick up a bottle of Merrill’s wine for this. To sniff, not like the others? But evocative cocoa and baking spices surround cherry and plum. A small hit of molasses in the background. Has a thickness by comparison, but it is very well-made with lots of blue and black fruit presence.
2011 Chateau Pape Clement
I brought this as well, it having been my favourite wine at the UGC. “big” nose with blue fruit and blackberry, and some red fruit underneath. Some violets too. On palate, still has a long way to go and it’s relatively warm in alcohol, but has the frame and fruit to mature nicely. Give time, not bad.
1981 Chateau Potensac
Smells older–with soy, wood varnish, cherry notes. This one is missing depth and finish, but it has enough classic Bordeaux with some herbs, currant and nips of tobacco and pepper.
1994 Chateau Carbonnieux
Tickles, with hints of spices and a very light game note. A bit on the thin side, but it is still also unmistakeably Bordeaux. The wood is very nicely a part of things here. Good chance to look at a vintage given little attention.
1995 Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste
Spice box, bit of leather, plums nuzzie. Still a bit growly to taste, wants to stay in the bottle, but elemental plum and blackberry fruit is buried in there.
1986 Chateau L’Arrossee Unfortunately corked 
1986 Chateau Gruaud-Larose
“darker” nose. Wonderfully woodsy and with currant and bits of graphite. love this. It is beautifully funkylicious. Fantastic smoky meaty quality to a wealth of fruit and yet has such structure and style. There was some of this left and I grabbed it for tasting the next day—even better, indicating 30 more years at least, I think. #3 tonight.
1989 Vieux-Chateau Certan
Heavenly–all the magnificence of Bordeaux in the aroma—leather, spice box, red and blue fruit, damson plum. Thrilling nose. This is still remarkably fresh and robust. Really kinetic, it amazingly still needs time. Not there yet, but tremendous potential and if we revisited this lineup in 15 years, this would probably be best in show. #5.
1982 Chateau Canon
Powerful nose–still very primal and primary with dark currant and pine, cedar and meat tinges. Polished and powerful on the tongue, more quintessential Bordeaux—the plums and currants form the base of a finish that lasts forever. Graphite and pencil shavings complete the package and the tannins are beautiful. 94 if pressed to score, I can’t pour out any of this. One of the greatest Bordeaux I’ve ever had the privilege to taste. WOTN
1982 Graves de Chateau Figeac
Stolid but certain, with bits of smoke, herbs and blackberry. Less than the others, but still focused in its lesser frame. Only suffers because of the company.
1982 Chateau Clos L’Eglise
To sniff, some earth and pipe tobacco–sweet–with red fruit. Still tangy, chewy and long with good and bracing red fruit. Would have liked to come back to this later in the night.
1982 Chateau Certan de May
Graphite here, very present cassis, some pain grille. Solid and “correct”, but a little less authority than the others, somewhat lighter with red fruit more on palate. It is still good and statuesque.
2014 Chateau Climens
Quiet nose. Tease out some spices in there. This IS good. It’s got tremendous drive at this early stage and lots of acidity. It engages my mouth with lime, pineapple and silky honey. Howard had exhorted me to get a half-bottle to try. I’m glad I did, need to search some of this out when it hits the shelves.
1997 Chateau Coutet
I brought this as well when I learned we had a couple others. Some advancement, but sugared pear and apricot bouquet is nice. In the mouth, tasty an rounded, has a certain balanced ripeness to it. Probably better tomorrow.
1983 Chateau Coutet
Pretty–plenty of flowers, vanilla and bits of maple syrup, quince and orange. Smooth, round, nice light-feeling length, certainly squarely in the house style.
1971 Chateau Coutet
Butterscotch and butternut and coffee crisp. This is great on the palate–amazing that it has so much forward flavor, with the Coutet key lime still in play, along with apricot and orange and a long, long finish. Try some if you get the chance. My #4 tonight.
My only very small regret is that I didn’t have the chance to linger with too many of these marvelous wines. I’m left with a feeling of very deep gratitude to Howard and the group for sharing such treasures and for sharing so much of their time as well.
Sante,
Mike
![[grin.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/5/53ba06e9b6e4b370ae7e3d7b3702ad1bda0a2d8e.gif "grin"){kind=small}
—but not entirely for you. I need to post my list on the thread before November games, so I had double incentive! Besides, after lunch finished at 4 pm, it didn’t feel like it’d have been worth it to go to the National Gallery for half an hour 