On Friday, a friend came into town wanting to learn more about wine. And so, with the help of a number of generous fellow wine lovers here in Dallas, we made it our mission to get him hooked and ended up having one of the best wine dinners we have had in quite a while. These are the evenings we all dream of- and after 18 months of COVID it was all the more precious an experience. For my part, in addition to recent vintages of old favorites, I was very happy to encounter for the first time a few great wines that had never before crossed my path.
For all the great conversation, my notes were not always as detailed as I would like, but here goes-
2016 Domaine Roulot Auxey-Duresses Blanc
pale yellow color, apple, saline notes, white stones, on the palate a fine buttery cream already, light melon, sweet lemon, white blossoms, fine edgy finish, attractive.
***+, now to 2030
2019 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese
pale yellow color, soaring nose of honeysuckle, roses, soft sugar-kissed stones, on the palate enticing peaches, persistent note of apricot, touch of red raspberry, great length, not as expressive as the Auslese #9 recently tasted (same vineyard/vintage) but with an equally promising future I think.
(*****), 2030++
2016 Lail Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Georgia
pale yellow color, bright and zesty nose with saline notes, lemon grass, honeydew melon, on the palate sweet melons and white orchard fruit, ripe and vibrant without the pungency present in many sauvignon blancs, long firm finish with some interesting herbal notes, my first encounter with this wine, a singular and wonderful drink worth seeking out.
****, ready to drink with time in hand
2014 Château Cheval Blanc
decanted 2 hours prior to serving
bright medium-deep red color, on the nose chalk, dark plums, noticeable oak, on the palate somewhat closed, cherry and chocolate, good opulent mid-palate cut off a bit toward the end by the oak, blueberries and cherries, ripe, lively, fine long finish with strong chalk notes, a bit tight to get a good read on it- but aside from what could prove to be excessive oak this is a solid Cheval Blanc that needs a good bit of time.
(****), 2030++
2018 Château Palmer
decanted 2 hours prior to serving
deep black purple color, intense nose with licorice and broad walls of chalk drenched in tight black fruits, on the palate tannic with intense textures of cherries and mulberries as though some mythical beast had crushed a case of Chateau Palmer into a single bottle, insanely long and gripping chalky finish, cloves and chocolate, mineral streaks throughout, a bit monolithic compared to the 2014 at this stage- a current state that may become a future reality given the sheer scale of the elements, noticeable heat as well, this is very thrilling in its way and it is a historically important vintage, that said- tasting this reminds me of a pre-auction tasting a couple of years ago where a magnificent bottle of the 1983 was served right before an equally good bottle of 1990 Ausone, the 1983 was a big and glorious wine- I could easily see the 2018 evolving along those lines- but it lacked the harmonious charm, quiet power and subtle intricacy of the Ausone, I think in 20 years I would be dazzled by this wine and admire it tremendously- but I am not sure where its place would be at my table.
(*****), 2035++
2017 Château Mouton Rothschild
decanted 2 hours prior to serving
deepish red purple, punchy cassis and cherry nose, fruitcake, on the palate an attractive punchy mid-weight that is quite closed down and remained so over the course of several hours, bright berries, subtle spice waves just barely evident at present, a bit of cinnamon, an exotic quality to the fruit, this strikes me as a slightly lighter version of the 2015, with time the aromatics developed more nuance but the palate remained fairly closed, lovely tension here, this will need some time but when it comes around expect it to be a very sexy mid-weight beauty driven by its aromatics, given the superb balance and firm structure I would also expect it to be quite long-lived.
(****)+, 2030++
2000 Carruades de Lafite
deepish red color starting to mature, lovely cherry and cassis nose, hints of violets, plums, on the palate attractive mature cedar and cassis notes, slightly stern overall, elegant, still with tannins to be resolved, forest floor notes just starting to appear on the nose and palate with time, superb.
**()+, 2025-2040
2005 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
deep red-purple color, intense plum and dark spices on the nose, blackberries, on the palate shut down and tannic but starting to offer visibility to a rich and deep core of ripe fruit, fine long finish with limestone and iron notes broadening on the tail end with bright cherry notes, with time a light note of rich dark chocolate emerged around the edges, a true powerhouse of a wine with a substantial structure and formidable fruit core- yet always balanced and with just a bit of thrilling tension to keep it all admirably disciplined, this shared the table tonight with some formidable competition including 2018 Palmer and 2017 Mouton, among others, yet from the first sip I could already tell it was going to be my wine of the night, highest potential here.
(*****), 2030+
2009 Screaming Eagle Second Flight
deep purple red color, sweet nose of liqueur, strawberries and cherries, oak notes, on the palate a punchy and ripe profile again tending to be a bit sweet, fine long finish with a bit of warmth, light suggestions of herbal notes around the edges, built in the model of its bigger sibling- this is all about the moment but has the structure and competence to be taken seriously from a qualitative perspective.
***+, ready to drink but time in hand
2014 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny
medium red color, spicy nose with plums and a bit of sauvage already, on the palate a lovely gamey red fruit profile, good depth with structure to balance out the playful side of the fruit, with time forest notes begin to develop and a very attractive succulent cherry flavor takes center stage on the palate, my first encounter with this wine and hopefully not my last, very attractive and a good harmonious accompaniment to a meal.
(), 2025-2035+
2011 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto Vigna Le Rocche
medium red color with pale rim, on the nose saddle leather, wild cherries and delicate textures of spice, on the palate a beautiful primary strawberry and cherry fruit, fine gravelly notes of spice, fine long savory finish with dried herbs, beautifully elegant and seamless, lighter than the powerhouses of old- but still with terrific finesse and underlying tension, over time the intensity of the herb and spice notes grew, this needs a good bit of time.
(****), 2031++
2000 Château Calon-Ségur
deepish red color with some bricking at the rim, very tight on the nose with polish and spice, cloves, on the palate quite closed down but showing some polish notes and a slightly raw vegetal streak, light meat notes, I have little experience with Calon Segur but still either this bottle was slightly off or we caught it at a difficult moment of its hibernation.
Judgement reserved.
1999 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
deep red-purple color, ripe nose of plums and gravelly peppery spices, additional texture from a gravel-like mature oak presence- as can be seen on some 1996 Bordeaux that received a good dose of oak, on the palate lush and generous, attractive dark cassis and berry fruits, rolling, undulating, some firm oak notes remain but they are not excessive, fine long finish, this is in a great place and promises to remain there for many years yet.
****, now to 2027+
2004 Château L’Eglise-Clinet
deep purple-red color with some bricking at the rim, excessive oak on the pretty but fading nose, on the palate there is a really lovely earthy fruit with cherries and sweet chocolate notes as well as plums, all leading into a good finish that is getting a bit hard on the tail end and is quite dry, a very lovely midweight which- to my palate anyway- saw a little too much oak, still there is much to like here though I would drink soon as I believe this is starting to dry out.
***, drink soon
1990 Château d’Yquem
opened 5 hours before serving
lovely golden color, fully mature on the nose, succulent marmalade treacle, on the palate corpulent and very rich, mandarin oranges, pure honey, the short time I had with this wine after a long evening of powerful reds did not give the wine its due- but even so this is definitely a vintage more on the power side and not- or perhaps not yet- showing a lot of the spicy nuance and detail of vintages like 1997, also note that it took a full 5 hours to really come into its own- we should have decanted it, and that suggests that perhaps this needs more time to fully show the usual nuance, still it was a rich and golden beauty, fine long finish with proper acids to balance out the sheer richness that persisted through to the end.
****+, now to 2050+
