The birthday was my very good friend Heather’s. With friends Jay Shampur (both of them are in my current profile picture with me) and Michael Wright, we dined at tasting menu restaurant Edulis–my first time, and food was very good. We ordered a Bereche champagne off the menu which was quite saline, lemony and lively and went well with many dishes and a Cordoniu which started pretty squared off but which I sort of warmed up to a bit as the afternoon went on. I brought a handpicked bottle.
I had some fun and brought it in a current-release screwcapped bottle of Yellow Tail Big Bold Red. But the 2013 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne Villages was one of those special, special wines.
I gave it a full 8-hour decant the day before. And on the palate, it is still very, very young. But the nose…the bouquet smells like the Palace of Versailles. All luxury and sumptuousness and elegance all at the same time. Just kept folding and unfolding all sorts of different aromatics—and those ranged into the pencil lead, tobacco and roasted chestnut realm. Super-beguiling nose, this was almost like a Recioto in that it was a meditation wine for me, really. On the palate, I’ve never had the opportunity to decant one of his this much and what came out for me was the character of the stem inclusion—could really get it here (as sort of a herbs-and-roots thing, and just as much in feel) but it fit so well with what the wine will become. Another 25 years would probably be best, but even today this was amazing juice. 94+ and on the WOTY list.