Some very brief impressions from some nice bottles with the team last night. Another solid night when all bottles were on. I try to take notes on my phone at these get togethers, but this was a social hang and my efforts tend to fade as the night wears on. Below is a collection of what was said around the table on each of the wines:
2008 Dom Perignon- similar to last bottle. Vibrant lemon, lemon curd, rich fruit. Bracing acidity. Layers on layers. Young. 2008 Veuve La Grand Dame- Supple, restrained. Easier to drink right now. Sophisticated. More earthiness and bready. Really excellent with the lighter veg dishes. This was the better champagne on the table at this moment in time.
2001 Trimbach Emile 375 Anniversaire - Uber rich. Hints of petrol. And then waves of apricot. Honeyed. Heft. With air, some acid and minerality. Really super-duper. 1998 V. Dauvissat Les Preuses -This was really in a good spot. About right where you want it to be. Nice balance of supple fruit and lingering acidity. Still has some richness. Lingers. Terrific with mushroom dish. 2017 V. Dauvissat La Forest - Super fragrant. Layers of fruit, oyster shell, floral. Really terrific energy and verve right now. So young. So promising. Excellent.
2016 Claire Naudin Myosotis Arvenis - Hautes Cotes de Nuits - I really liked these Naudin wines lsat night- this one leaned gamay- had that au naturale, wild red fruit, light flroal touch of fleurie, but turned darker and more serious with air. Very interesting wine. More than you expect at this level. 2016 Claire Naudin Viola Odorata- Cotes de Nuits Villages- this is where my notes really fell off- aside from liking this, I don’t have specifics. I remember wild cherry and bramble. Rather edgy and youthful. 1997 Muller Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Auslese - Magic elixir send off with some deconstructed churros. This was quite fine. Rich, apricot, honey. Unctuous. Time to drink. Gooood spot! yum o
Thanks for the notes, Dennis. Just broke out the leftover Naudins from last night - the Myosotis is both lighter and cloudier in color than the Viola, with a nose that is pretty stunning on day 2, strawberry and lilac maybe? Something floral, followed by a light herbal hash-y note. Not sure if I’ve had other Hautes Cotes de Nuits to be honest, but last night, I was thinking Fleurie as a comparison point, and today I’d probably peg it as new world pinot actually based on the nose, something on the elegant side of Sonoma. That said, it’s a bit grippier on the palate than I recall last night, and still somewhat rustic - especially compared to the nose - which is probably the whole cluster coming through.
The nose on the Viola Odorata is slightly more restrained at this point, darker fruit, similar floral notes though more subtle. More body, and a bit more tannins on the finish that would lead me to give this more time (if I had more!). Both enjoyable and intriguing wines, but I lean to the Myosotis at this stage. (As I type this, I keep going back to the Viola Odorata in the glass and it keeps getting better and better with a bit more air - so maybe not!)
Thanks for the notes, I didn’t even try to memorialize my impressions of the wines so I’m glad you did. Everything showed well but I was particularly happy with how the Grande Dame showed and it definitely benefited from some air. Just a terrific evening all around!
