Domaine Leroy tasting for our monthly lunch group to end 2020 on a spectacularly high note. We are fortunate to live in sunny Arizona, where the weather is perfect in winter for sitting outside — and we have all taken ample Covid precautions.
1990 Krug Clos du Mesnil
Dark color but still lively with intense toffee and some brioche. Drink sooner than later.
2010 Boisson-Vadot Meursault Geneverieres
Classic Meursault showing tremendous balance and grace. Lemon oil, mineral, quite clean and balanced. None of the reductive qualities in some of this producers wines. Spot on, at peak, and perfect timing and occasion to open my last bottle of this special wine. Perfect with the chilled seafood tower.
1999 Ramonet Montrachet in magnum
As close to perfection as any white Burgundy can be. The power was breathtaking, yet it maintained its light, dreamy feel in the mouth. A huge amount of dry extract and a finish that goes on and on and on. I have been privileged to have this wine before, but this was the best example I have ever tasted, the magnum format serving it well. Textbook example of power without weight. I don’t score on points but everyone at the table who did said 99 or 100.
2002 Ramonet Montrachet
Considerably riper than the 99. Where the 99 starts lightly and builds to a tremendous finish, the 02 is big from start to finish, albeit a bit broader and more viscous. If the 99 is power without weight, the 02 is power with weight. In any other tasting this would be a champion, but the 99 showed more precision and delineation.
2002 Leroy Gevrey-Chambertin Combottes
Served blind vs 05, we unanimously identified the vintage correctly. There is a sauvages and stem note, and a cloudiness, often seem in 02. This has the sexier aroma, but the palate is rougher than 05 today.
2005 Leroy Gevrey-Chambertin Combottes
Fruit is more polished and cleaner than 02, but the aromatics aren’t as dramatic. This is a seamless and accessible 05.
2002 Leroy Romanee Saint Vivant
Gorgeous aromatics, lush and long. This is considerably riper than the 01 RSV tasted a couple of weeks ago, and comes across as a lot more youthful. With air, there is a fine tea note on the finish that is quite exceptional. This is a 30 year wine easily, I would save this for the future and drink 01 in the near term if given such a fantastic choice.
1993 Leroy Vosne-Romanee Beaux Monts
VA dominated the aroma at first, and mostly blew off with time thankfully. This is stemmy and well balanced with lush fruit and classic Vosne spice. A very good wine, but ultimately the Grand Cru wines did outperform the 1ers today.
1996 D’Auvenay Bonnes Mares
Incredibly balanced, deep and precise. This wine delivered more in the mouth than on the nose, almost entirely muted aromas. While this is excellent, it wasn’t quite at the level of the 02 RSV and 09 Corton Renardes.
2009 Leroy Corton-Renardes
First taste this was tight and oaky, let it decant for a couple hours before serving and WOW did it blossom. This was so voluptuous and opulent, the kind of wine that I could drink the entire bottle in a flash by myself without trying if I ever had the chance. This is one of the best youngish red Grand Cru wines I have ever had.
The 02 RSV and 09 Corton-Renardes were like yin and yang. The RSV an intellectual wine where “you have to come to it” versus the Renardes which immediately plants a big kiss on you