TN: Not a bad Saturday afternoon

NOT A BAD SATURDAY AFTERNOON - (12/8/2018)

Saturday’s theme was bring whatever you want, as long as it is an old world wine and at least 10 years old (unless it is Burgundy, in which case young wines are fine too). The host added the caveat that since the year is coming to a close, bring something nice and no alligator arms. The group complied. While cold heavy rain and wind kept it dreary and desolate outside, inside we warmed our bodies and spirits with good wine, good food, and great company.

Whites and Bubbles

  • 2004 Champagne Le Mesnil Champagne Grand Cru Prestige Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
    Lemony and tart, but with some weight, very pleasant. (90 pts.)
  • NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Réserve - France, Champagne
    Rich and nutty on the nose, lemon curd, slate, and a little nutty on the palate, pretty and satisfying with nice crispness. (91 pts.)
  • NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée - France, Champagne
    Purchased on release around 2003 and from the cork code of M251, it appears to have been disgorged September/October 2002. A little nutty and lemony, but with piercing and intense minerality, still fairly young. I’ve had the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Krugs in the last month or so and this was comparable in quality to the 1996 and drinking better than the 2000 and 2004. A spectacular Champagne and proof of the ageworthiness of the Grande Cuvée, I’ve had it at least 15 years and have no doubt it will continue to excel for at least another 15. An added bonus is that it has the beautiful old gold label, which I much prefer to the current iteration, so it looks as good as it tastes. (95 pts.)
  • 2000 Nikolaihof Riesling Federspiel Vom Stein - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
    I wasn’t sure what to expect from an 18 year old federspiel, but what we got was a thing of beauty. Apricots and slate with a touch of petrol and a tangy finish, it combines richness and precision well and is hard to stop drinking. (92 pts.)
  • 2011 Camille Giroud Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
    From magnum, it was pleasant, but muted. It probably needs more time. (89 pts.)

Red Burgundy

  • 1998 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
    Brooding but with a vibrant streak of tart cherry and a touch of menthol adding some bright contrasts, a little stout, but with excellent complexity, it gave a very strong performance. (93 pts.)
  • 2001 Louis Latour Chambertin Cuvée Héritiers Latour - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
    Expressive dark cherry and brown sugar, a little soft, but very nice. (91 pts.)
  • 2002 Nicolas Potel Bonnes Mares - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
    Kind of muddled dark cherry with a touch of brown sugar. Nice, but not at the level I’d expect from this producer, vintage, and cru. (89 pts.)
  • 2006 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru
    Corked. NR (flawed)
  • 2007 Domaine Dujac Charmes-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
    Explosively perfumed with brown sugar, spice, tomato skin, and dark cherry, it sweet on the palate with fine tannin, it exemplifies Dujac’s exotic charm which always seems to be dialed up a notch in the Charmes-Chambertin. (93 pts.)
  • 2007 Lucien Le Moine Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
    This was an odd duck, muddled cherry and spice on the nose suggested Burgundy, but the heavy black pepper on the palate read more like northern Rhône, Mildly interesting, but not terribly enjoyable. (88 pts.)
  • 2008 Domaine Jean Grivot Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
    Funky insecticide and white pepper on the nose, a bit green on the palate. With air, the stems continued to dominate but with more intense menthol, a little less insecticide, and more pepper on the palate. I’m pretty tolerant of a lot of stem character, but this (and some other 2008 Grivots I’ve had) are just too much. (86 pts.)
  • 2008 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
    A little foursquare and rustic at the moment, but with good underlying harmony, should be better with more age. (90 pts.)

Rhone and Bordeaux

  • 1998 Domaine Gilles Barge Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
    Bloody meat, a little smoke and pepper, brambly fruit and a little leather, nice acidity, a great classic Côte Rotie that is probably at or close to peak, but in no danger of fading any time soon. (93 pts.)
  • 1996 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
    By this point in the day, my note tasting was starting to suffer, but this was one of the wines of the day. Minty brambly fruit with lovely complexity and balance and the ineffable class that distinguishes the estate. (94 pts.)
  • 1995 Château L’Arrosée - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
    Celery seed and pyrazine, very savory, a rough and tumble wine that shows a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc character. It had a mixed reception. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I’m a big fan of Loire Cabernet Franc and old school Bordeaux. (90 pts.)

Spain and Italy

  • 2001 Artadi Rioja Grandes Añadas - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
    Sweet fruit with some vanilla oak and leather, age has brought some nice complexity, but it still has room for development. (92 pts.)
  • 2006 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
    Rich and intense dark fruit, anise and star anise, with plenty of oak spiraled through like a marbled rye, lots of fine tannin on the finish, still a baby, but if you have a lot it is worth drinking one now. (94 pts.)
  • 1990 Tenuta Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
    Leather and prune with a lot of sweet fruit, holding up well. (91 pts.)
  • 2004 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Granbussia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    A little tar and flowers, modestly ripe but good intensity, still loaded with fine tannin, in its adolescence with a lot of life left. (93 pts.)
  • 2005 Domenico Clerico Barolo Percristina - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    A great example of Clerico’s trademark combination of ripe dark fruit and spice and brown sugar, and with a touch of florality, it is drinking very well now. It won’t be mistaken for a traditional Barolo, but it has plenty of its own charms to offer and deserves to be appreciated for what it is more than for what it isn’t. (93 pts.)
  • 2011 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    Light, floral, and a little candied, pleasant but fairly simple. (89 pts.)

Dessert

  • 1968 Krohn Porto Colheita - Portugal, Douro, Porto
    A very nice balance of sweetness, age, and freshness, with a little earthiness thrown in. (92 pts.)
  • 1989 Château d’Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    Lemon creme brûlée in a bottle, with more acidity than I would have predicted 20 years ago. For a long time this was my third favorite of the brilliant 1988 to 1990 run, but it may have passed the 1990 and is closing in on the 1988 as the balancing acidity becomes more and more apparent. (95 pts.)

No, no alligator arms in that lineup, Mike. Shame about the 06 CdL. I can make a fair guess as to who brought the Giroud Charmes and the Krohn [grin.gif]. Didn’t I see the Percristina in October too? :wink:

nice lineup with always-great notes.

A bientot

Mike

Thanks. Your guess would likely be correct on the Giroud and Krohn. I vaguely recall seeing a bottle of Percristina in October, but don’t remember whether I tried it.

:slight_smile: From the 50th party—I did have a different impression of this than you did at your tasting:

2005 Domenico Clerico Barolo Percristina

Open a while, cured meats and tarry notes emerge. Hits pretty hard when it reaches the mouth, with beef blood, some tomato and also red fruit. The tannins are super-grippy and this is many years from apogee, shows very rustic at the moment.