Sometimes in life you meet people who are so generous it just leaves you speechless. This night was one of those nights when Rollin offered a bottle of his 1961 Leroy Musigny for the group even though he would not be able to attend. Miraculously, Fu was able to make it down for this event after having passed up the last 2 events.
The wine gods were kind that night and all the bottles showed well.
1995 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil- France, Champagne (10/21/2017)
Not sure what else to say that hasn’t already been said in my previous notes. Yet another stunning bottle of 95 Krug Mesnil. This one wasn’t the most vibrant and fresh of the lot but the acidity kept ratcheting up throughout the night and put to rest any concerns this was past peak. Thank you Gaurav for the steady supply of Krug Mesnil.
1997 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Meursault Les Narvaux- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault (10/21/2017)
Oh my. What a wonderful example of perfectly aged white burgundy. Ripe and forward on the plate with plenty of fruit, buttered popcorn notes, white mushroom, and a nice streak of acidity. This drank well from beginning to finish. It’s easy to see why pricing has gone berserk on this wine.
1976 Maison Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (10/21/2017)
We started the flight of reds with this and it was a wonderful showing. Very youthful with plenty of clean red fruit. Some tannins are apparent and the fruit can’t quite overcome the tannins but the Leroy spice and quality was there. Someone mentioned that this had some declassified grand cru juice in it. I would not be surprised. It held up quite nicely next to the 61 Musigny, the 69 Clos Vougeot, and 69 Echezeaux.
1964 Domaine Jean Hudelot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru (10/21/2017)
I liked this more than others. Very much tertiary in character but with just enough fruit for me. Not the most showy or balanced but the angular qualities made it quite interesting. Palate held up throughout the night but this is probably not as good as it was 10-20 years ago. Still, a wonderful treat.
1969 Domaine Henry Lamarche La Grande Rue Grand Cru- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Grande Rue Grand Cru (10/21/2017)
Back in the day when La Grand Rue was a 1er plot. This was classic aged Vosne and in wonderful condition. Still with an impressive amount of weight and fruit on the palate along with some aged secondary complexity. Thank you Alan for the treat.
1961 Maison Leroy Musigny- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru (10/21/2017)
You knew this would be special from the beginning. There is some earth, leaves, spice and good tertiary funk going on. The palate was amazingly balanced. Not as hedonistic as the 69 Leroy Clos Vougeot but it is so impeccably refined and graceful even after all these years. The fruit is fading and the acidity overwhelms the fruit by the end of the night. Still, an amazing treat and we owe it all to Rollin for this once in a lifetime experience.
1969 Maison Leroy Clos Vougeot- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (10/22/2017)
Drank alongside the 61 Leroy Musigny and the 69 Leroy Echezeaux. This was the most hedonistic of the bunch. Plenty of spice and aged red burg sweetness on the palate. The length is simply impressive. The Leroy signature was present and you could tell this was related to the Echezeaux. Half the table preferred this over the 61 Musigny which says all that needs to be said. A special wine in every sense.
1969 Maison Leroy Echezeaux- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru (10/21/2017)
Drank alongside the 69 Clos Vougeot and 61 Musigny. This was purchased on release and impeccably stored at around 50 degrees. The provenance shows. Very dark and earthy in profile and showing much younger than the Clos Vougeot. This actually needed some time and air to open up. Bottles from this cellar may yet improve. Thank you Kent for this delightful specimen.
You are the only person I have seen post on 1961 Musigny, one of the best, most ethereal wines i have ever drank. But the Leroy Musigny I had from 61 was was sealed and Domaine, I believe, from cellar of original purchaser on release. Are you sure it was Maison?
…But Maison Leroy did own parcels of vines before the establishment of Domaine Leroy. The 1940 Leroy price list I have on my desk right now describes Maison Leroy as ‘proprietaires en Musigny, Pommard, Chambertin, Clos Vougeot, etc’. And you will notice that the inaugural release of Domaine Leroy included Musigny, despite neither the Domaine Rémy nor the Domaine Charles Noëllat owning any Musigny. Also, as an aside, Leroy purchased Philippe Rémy in 1989, a year after purchasing Noëllat.
Kris, finally got the picture up after some glitches yesterday. The label says negociant. I have no idea if the juice was actually from the Leroy owned plot or not.
enjoyed greatly the evening with a warm group of Burgundy lovers, the meal at Bistango was excellent, though the bacon around the shrimp was a little strong. I have little to add to Fred’s excellent notes—other than the intensity and deep red fruit of the Selosses. It bordered on aggressive but toed the line, very energetic bubbly.
The 76 Vosne greatly impressed me with its vibrant red fruit and resolved tannins.
The Musigny was deceptive in that its finesse and elegance belied its strength and depth, really classy wine.
I loved the Clos du Mesnil, kept gaining strength.
The Clos Vougeot was one of the best I have had.
I very much liked both the Amoureuses and Grande Rue, but was prejudiced since I brought both.
A great night. A small group of 6 with a focused theme is in my zone.
red, not blue fruit like Bonnes Mares has, a classy drink. So many of these wines would be better on their own, as comparisons sometimes detract from the wonder of a particular bottle and it goes less appreciated. That’s why I so rarely do these tastings.
So I just noticed this myself but the capsules on the Musigny and Clos Vougeot are similar (white capsule with grey band which includes signature) and different from the capsule on the Echezeaux (white capsule no band). Not sure if Domaine vs negociant distinction was made this way or if it has more to do with importer or if it’s pure coincidence.
I am the ultimate naysayer, but I think it is because nobody really knows what’s in those bottles. At a La Paulee dinner a prominent retailer at our table described the 61 Moose as “sorcery in a bottle” as far too many were available on pallets than could have been made. The '61 sure isn’t the '08 (meaning not made according the the methods of the Domaine Leroy that is “acclaimed” now - whether or not you like them is a different story and not related). I am a major skeptic when it comes to the Maison bottlings and will not ever buy one. I think lots are old purchased bottles and have a label slapped on them. It might be Musigny or Grands Ech or Volnay, but it is just a Maison label with Leroy on it.
We had this discussion during dinner how we imagined during the “cellar re releases” lalou is just going around old cellars and sticking labels on whatever producer has quantity sitting around. Ha.
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