I went to a birthday celebration for Bob Fleming last night. Great Tuscan food at Antica Posta. A paulee style event. Fun! Happy Birthday Bob.
I told him I am sneaking up on him but he declared that my being 62 and his 70 it would never happen. ![[berserker.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8600bbd4810d342b8fbd4ffb62b4f0026275fd37.gif "berserker"){kind=small}
Here are a few recollections of the wines I tasted. I appreciated the chance to celebrate with Bob. He is a kind soul. John Passman did the honors opening and pouring. Thanks John!
Champagne
1998 Billecart-Salmon cuvee Nicolas Francois en magnum What a wonderful nose. Yeasty like bread. Complex. The palate is still quite young and vibrant. Mouthcoating. A beautiful way to start.
1998 Saint Chamant Brut Integrale (BdB) This one is leaner and not quite as open on the nose. The palate is focused and very much in the citrus mode. The finish is not quite up to the Billecart but delicious none the less.
Whites
2017 Francois Mikulski Meursault Charmes Young and beautiful. The nose is a rich melding of golden fruit and minerals. Very sexy. The palate is wonderful but very young. Golden fruit. A very long finish. Wonderful.
1982 Bernard Morey Chassagne Montrachet Embrazees en magnum Wow. Beautiful lemon yellow color. The nose is vibrant. Complex with lighter golden fruit notes and complex spice. Some element of truffle notes. The balance here is very special. The palate shows gorgeous yellow fruit, spice and that “beautiful older perfect white burgundy” finish. It leaves you stunned. The is A+. Thanks so much to Joel for sharing this. Wow.
Reds
2000 Sang des Cailloux Vacqueras en magnum OMG. The nose is earthy. Beautiful aromas that remind you of a walk in the woods after a good rain. Fresh. The palate is vibrant and the fruit is dark red. Elegant. Mineral. The finish leaves you with that gorgeous cherry that stays. Amazing Vacqueras!
2006 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino - Extremely pretty darker fruit on the nose. Very young still. Sexy. I liked this. Needs a little time but delicious.
2004 Vietti Barolo Rocche - Extremely young but intense. Cherry fruit. So gorgeously balanced and finishes with a strong rush of that supporting tannin that I love in younger Barolos. This has a long and happy life ahead.
1990 Faiveley Clos des Cortons en magnum - This one has finally turned the corner. Gorgeous red fruit and spice. Some forest floor notes but the wine is a teenager really. More about the fruit and supporting structure which is now softening. Long finish that is so satisfying. This is a really great Clos des Cortons that is just starting to drink. Thanks Ed.
1989 Chave Hermitage - Time stopped here. The nose is intense cherry fruit, leather notes and spice. Can’t really adequately describe it. Not unlike a perfect older Burgundy. The palate is so intensely fruited and complex. Vibrant cherry fruit. Spice. A hint of truffle. The package is perfect. Catching an absolutely profound wine at the perfect time. Thank you Richard!
1950 Berberana Rioja Gran Riserva- This is one of Bob’s. Birth year wine. The nose is sexy and complex. These wines are so hard to describe because they are like a symphony of red fruit, spice from the American oak(now absorbed) and a unique earthiness. This one went on forever. Another great one. Profound. I think only the CVNE could come close to this.
1949 Pierre Latour Volnay Caillerets - OMG. The nose here is intoxicating. Incredible red fruit. Perfectly ripe and wonderfully preserved. The palate shows a wonderful push/pull of perfectly ripe fruit and a wonderful mineral structure. The tannins are resolved and just support. I still smell and taste this wine this morning. Profound and from one of the greatest vintages in Burgundy of the 20th century. Thanks again to Joel. Conception year wine for Bob.
It was such a nice evening. We had lots of food and wine but most importantly we celebrated our buddy.
![[smileyvault-ban.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/4/426cc97ad8dd530c8304b0918ca75ff841d4d950.gif "[smileyvault-ban.gif]")
