Notes from a great 7 hour event last Thursday- pre-tasting, dinner and auction. So many notes I had to wait until I was sitting at the airport this afternoon to get them all typed up. Quite an assortment, but overall an unusually awesome group. Quality and length of TN will vary based on whether the bottle was ours (the table’s) and enjoyed over a long period or belonged to someone else who generously provided a single pour.
1983 Chateau Palmer
medium red color with some bricking, lush nose, game meats, cassis, mulberry, on the palate opulent, rich broad band of effortlessly aged cassis and berry fruit, light forest notes, a bit of chalk toward the end, fine length, hearty in its way, very fine.
*****, now to 2030
1990 Chateau Ausone
deepish red color just starting to show some age, gorgeous soaring nose, just starting to unfurl, in such a setting there is no time to even begin to sort out and explore all its intricacies, on the palate a cherub-like red cherry fruit, a glowing orb coated with intricate webs of exotic spices and digitally defined brush notes, outstanding length, a wine I want to spend an evening with, one of the greatest wines I have tried in the last several years.
*****, nicely coming into its own with decades of life ahead
1985 J.L. Chave Hermitage
medium red color with some bricking, intense animale on the nose that almost overwhelms the cherry notes, on the palate in full cry, almost unwieldy, cherries, venison, dark plums, limestone, intensely fragrant long finish, a great sense of motion and energy, where the 1990 is a gentle giant this is a wild stallion in full gallop.
*****, now to 2030+
1982 Penfold’s Grange Hermitage
deep purple color- very young still, dark chocolate, loads of blueberries, sweetly coated chalk streams, on the palate a great depth of black and blue fruits, cloves, full bodied, fine length, vivacious, in almost exactly the same place it was 15 years ago and where it will likely be 15 years from now, but what a great place to be!
*****, like a great TBA Penfold’s Grange seems eternal, time in hand and plenty of it
1999 Ogier Cote-Rotie
deep purple color, beautiful dark fruit nose, plums, black spices, broad, oodles of blueberry and racy chalk, blackberries, very long fine finish, sensationally good and seems to have a long life ahead with good potential for further development, a very enjoyable wine.
*(), now to 2030+
2008 Marquis d’Angerville Volnay Champans
light red young color, very tight and muted nose, attractive berry notes on the still-closed palate, cherry, fine length, elegant and sleek with raspberry notes in time, very difficult to appreciate at this point- even for a lover of Volnay- but pacing nicely towards the better days to come.
(****), 2025-2045
1986 Chateau Cos d’Estournel
deep purple red, still very young, dark plums and a bit of white pepper on the nose, on the palate still very primary and gloriously massive, plums, cassis and blackberries framed in a firm chalk-coated structure, masses of sweet tannins still present, very good length, this is shockingly unevolved- even 1986 Mouton tasted earlier this year seems further along- but the balance is there and as always this- like many 98 right bank monsters- has so much fruit that it remains approachable as it evolves at a glacial pace, I am still optimistic about this one.
(**)+, 2025++
2008 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet
pale yellow color, sleek and polished lime tones on the nose, taut, a panther poised to pounce, on the palate this is just starting to open with glowing notes of buttery fruit, lime tones and a gloriously long finish with length to burn, magnificent wine poised to blossom beautifully.
*(), 2023-2038
1989 Muller Catoir Mussbacher Eselhaut Rieslaner Auslese
from 750ml format, rich orange mature color, zesty and sweet nose of grand proportions, orange peel, blood orange, rose petals, on the palate fully mature, incredible depth, ripe, dazzling, luscious, but contained within a translucent sleeve of deft lime acids and minerals to subtly maintain a harmonious balance, savored sparingly over the course of a 6 hour dinner- it seemed only to grow in stature over time, this is the first time I have tasted one of Hans-Gunther Schwarz’s Muller-Catoirs at full maturity, and it confirms every last ounce of great praise that has been heaped upon the man, this is at its blazing height and not showing any signs of decline, but all the same my gut tells me this is best enjoyed over the next decade.
*****, now to 2030
1987 Sassicaia
youngish purple color, soft plums on the nose with blue fruit notes, soft herb tones, on the palate plums with a hint of cherry, starting to dry a bit on the tail end of a good finish, a pretty wine that is nicely aged but as I often find with these Super-Tuscans lacking a bit in a sense of site.
***, drink soon
2014 Bouchard Montrachet
intense light lime nose, resin, blazing stature, textured, on the palate a primary baby but richly beautiful, honeysuckle, pears, limes, orange, fiery long finish pierced by stone, absolutely spectacular. Having been raised in a time when Montrachet was a fraction of today’s price, I have a great many tasting notes from the era where DRC, Lafon and Ramonet were the great Montrachets against which all others were judged. And so it feels a bit strange, but also wonderful, to see so many great renditions of the vineyard today. Each great Montrachet is its own unique creature, but I will say that stylistically for its sappy concentration and piercing finish- this is somewhat reminiscent of the Ramonet version, which is about the highest praise I could confer on any white burgundy.
(*****), 2030-2050
2015 Adrien Renoir Champagne “Les Epinettes”
medium champagne color, soaring brioche nose, delicately sweet, white flowers, on the palate very young and quite full-bodied, baked bread, lemon tones, soft lime acids, intensely floral, with time a subtle blue fruit note developed, after a couple of hours it really began to sing, gentle but powerful waves of fruit across the palate, fine long finish, a very special champagne, 100% Pinot Noir, enjoyable now with some serious airing but I would give this a good 5 years to start really getting interesting.
()+, 2025++
1996 Dom Perignon Rose
lovely pinkish orange color, like imperial topaz, captivating nose of pears and strawberries, on the palate in full cry and breathtakingly beautiful, rose petals, pink limes, firm long acid finish with racy waves throughout, a Dom Rose of immense scale as dramatic and bold as it is effortlessly elegant, as good as it gets but I do think there is a bit more to come with just a little more cellar time, that said- this is in prime time and ready to enjoy at every opportunity.
*****, now to 2040+
2015 Rousseau Clos de la Roche
rich purple color, intoxicating nose of black plums, bing cherries, tan pebbles, limestone and liniment, on the palate beautiful punchy dark berry fruit with baking spices, rich and decadent on the mid-palate with plenty of tannins and leading into a very long finish with a sweet lingering fragrance, even by Rousseau standards this is a superb Clos de la Roche, we were lucky to see it showing so beautifully- if history holds true this will shut down hard soon and emerge in a magnificent state after many years in the cellar.
(*****), 2030-2050
1983 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon
deep red-purple color with some bricking, youthful nose with pepper notes, plums and cloves, on the palate some good dark fruits but quickly leading into a finish with some rough acidity, I was surprised to see this so far past peak- but perhaps it was just the bottle, it certainly gave every sign of having been well stored.
**, drink up if this bottle is representative
1987 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon
it has been 20 years since I tried this wine and the color is still a saturated midnight purple-black, ponderous nose of great depth, spices and mineral spikes, on the palate plums and cassis, a dark deep placid black pool of fruit by moonlight, calm, massive, this was undrinkable for a very long time but the tannins are largely resolved now, long firm finish that was a bit raw at first but settled nicely about 2 hours after double decanting, finally ready to go and given how the finish behaved at first I would be inclined to drink any remaining bottles soon.
****, now to 2025
1990 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
I could not help smiling as this bottle was passed around- a dear old friend I have not seen in quite some time, youthful ruby color with a bit of bricking at the rim, cedar and boxwood on the nose, cassis, lead, lilacs, on the palate what a beautiful creation this has become, aged cassis with lead notes, hints of blackberry, a vibrant cherry note as well, broad and relaxing cedar notes throughout, perfectly poised, beautifully balanced, pristine, regal, the ultimate claret, I have long given the 1989 an edge for longevity plus a slight dash of excitement- but now seeing the 1990 at full maturity I have to put them on equal footing, if for varying reasons, a very special experience to see the first wine you ever really fell in love with all grown up at last.
*****, now to 2040
1990 Domaine Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze
bright red color with slight bricking, game on the nose, aged cherries, surprisingly refined and genteel for a Faiveley of that era, good firm palate with chalk notes, comforting aged sweet fruit with hints of venison, very refined, I actually very much like Faiveley as it was since with proper age the wines come out beautifully and that bit of rough and tumble marries well to the mature fruit, but even though that is lacking here- it is a very nice Beze fully ready for enjoyment.
****, ready to drink, time in hand
2000 Emmanuel Rouget Echezeaux
medium red color with some bricking, soaring nose of cloves and cherries, sweet venison, on the palate lacey spice notes, cloves, punchy sweet cherry core, a dazzling wine, floral notes with time, 2000 has not been a favorite vintage of mine in the Cote de Nuits- but Echezeaux seems to have been blessed as this along with the DRC version are very special wines.
****+, now to 2030
2018 Pedres Blanques
deep purple color, sweet plum and black cherry nose, on the palate blackberry notes dominate, ripe and generous, still very primary but if this can develop some game tones with age it could really be great, the only criticism I have is that the alcohol- while not excessive- is notable and seems a bit separate from everything else, in other words this is a bit disjointed, still it is early days and this is a brand new producer- 2018 is the first vintage commercially released I am told, a producer to watch.
***+?, I would hold this 2-5 years to see how it develops
2002 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes
pale pink-red color, a bit of age on the rim, a delicate and aged nose, on the palate light bodied, deft and edgy structure, sweet aged fruit, cherries, hints of strawberry, light brush tones, very pretty, for anyone expecting this to behave like your average massive 2002- the disappointment will be great, but that said it is balanced, aged, attractive and even a bit savory if not particularly persistent or complex, in other words- this is well below what is to be expected but is still a very attractive wine.
***, ready to go and drink soon
1998 Penfold’s Grange Hermitage
inky black purple color, intense blueberry and cherry on the nose, on the palate firm dark spices, massive structure and scale, black cherries, dark earth, loads and loads of blueberries, edgy streaks of white minerals, it is just as exciting and invigorating as it was when I had it at release, but as noted with the 1982 tasted tonight as well- if this is destined to essentially be the same its entire life, at least it will be sitting in a very good place, great long finish.
*****, now and perhaps forever
2001 Ampeau Volnay Santenots
deepish red color, browning rim, lovely textured nose- very 2001- pebbles, dark sand, plums, blackberries, on the palate a sweet and genteel game note, cherries, fine long fragrant finish, a really lovely wine- one of the best Ampeau I have tried.
****, ready to drink but time in hand
2009 Dalla Valle Maya
deep color, chocolate, cherries and cassis on the nose, oak presence very well integrated, on the palate seamless and a more sedate presentation, the chalky textures of the Cab Franc still hiding behind the primary fruit, sweet tannins.
(****)
1999 Chateau Gruaud-Larose
deep purple-red color, plums and cherries on the hearty nose, substantial palate with a profile mirroring the nose, firm chalk base, very primary and very forward- but could use some time to develop.
**(*)+, 2025-2040
1982 Dom Perignon
light gold aged champagne color, caramel notes, a gently pool of cream with sweet bread notes, sweet, savory, gentle, fine length, just as it was always so soft and lush in youth without any hard edges- so in full maturity it is a gentle and tranquil beauty, marvelous.
*****, ready to go and drink soon- I would not hold this like I would the 85
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