Last night I was invited to attend the anniversary dinner of a Wine Club which started 35 years ago and still meets monthly. I am amazed at how long that is and how these guys have remained friends and made new friends along the way all through wine. Four of the original members were present last night. Very cool!!
There were two bottles of '74 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard to mark the anniversary. One was stunningly fresh and rich with no sign of being 35. Loved the mint and cassis mixture of aromas. Other bottle unfortunately was not in prime time. There was also a '74 Mayacamas that showed dense and concentrated but lacking the richness of the Heitz.
I didn’t take notes on the other wines but I do want to mention that we did have the 2007 Clos des Papes from magnum and I predict this will be almost as polarizing as the 2003. Very primary now with very,very ripe fruit and a lot of heat but I think more balanced than the 2003. Some loved it and some didn’t.
Do you think that because of the ratings given to CdP that they have changed their style quite a bit, actually aiming now for the big, ripe wines that earn the ratings (that sell the wine)? It does seem to be a trend from what I’ve read on notes of CdP…
I’m surprised on the Mayacamas - normally those 70’s cabs are still going strong.
Todd, Ian Dorin and I were discussing that last night. Parker seems to love this style and some domaines like Clos des Papes and Font de Michelle to name a couple I’ve tried in '07 certainly seem to shoot for this.
Wine as old as '74 will be extremely variable. The two Heitz were prime examples.
It’s too bad. It will sell the wine in the short term, because of ratings mania, but the wines won’t last as they had in the past, and that will affect the long term buying of the Domaine, I would imagine…
I used to belong to a group here in San Francisco that is still going and that originated in the mid-1960s. However, I believe that the last remaining original member left a few years ago. (Perhaps I should add that I was not an original member. )
I can boast of having been a member for many years of Claude’s group, when I lived in S.F., and of a group here in NYC, since 1994, that was started 50 or 51 years ago (no one is quite sure). The last original member, aged 78 or so (no one seems too sure about that either) moved to Seattle in August, but there are several other members who date back to the 60s. Originally the group tasted German wines exclusively, but it long ago branched out. We still enjoy a disproportionate number of old Germans from members’ cellars (German wines that is).
And we meet every other Thursday, not merely once a month. So I’m not impressed, Paul.
I thought the 74 Mayacaymas was trying to hide some VA. It had an apple cider quality to it that was off putting. Other wise, it would have been an a smash hit.
Paul and I got poured the Heitz from 2 different bottles. I got the good one (my wife was kind enough to not finish hers so I was able to get more), and Paul’s glass was bacterialized and smelled like bad cheese.
The Clos des Papes, much like Paul, was not my cup off tea. REALLY sweet, but should age well. It’ll be controversial for sure. I think for those that like this kind of wine, it’s quite the bargain given what most of the super cuvees of CDP sell for, and this stuff is all over the place too.
The eye opener was the 90 La Clusiere. Shocking good, and probably the wine of the night. One flight may have gotten mixed up. It was 04 Vieux Donjon and 95 Pegau, and we both think they were announced backwards. One bottle was elegant and refined, while the other was massive and tannic. The elegant one was announced as the Pegau, and both Paul and I thought they had them confused.
Some other wines we had that lack better notes:
03 Forts de Latour- Closed
04 Talbot - Young, but quite nice
04 Seghesio Barolo La Villa- Not a fan of modern Barolo, so kind of wasted on me
93 Pruntto Barolo - Paul’s contribution and showing quite nicely. Did well with the wild mushroom and parm risotto.
98 Prunotto Langhe- Not for me
99 Benton Lane Reserve Pinot- OK, but nothing crazy
02 Kistler Pinot Kistler Vineyard- Surprisingly supple and not over done.
89 Haut Bages Liberal- My bottle, I had no hope for this, and was very good.
95 Monbousquet- This has way too much cedar for me
95 Pontet Canet- I love this wine. Both were great bottles. Rich and full of character.
05 Carbonniex Blanc- Fine, but not great. More than likely an issue of youth.
06 I Stefanini Monte di Fice- I am still struggling with the fact that this apparently does not see oak.
89 Lafaurie Peyraugey- Not being a Sauturnes fan, I was quite happy with this.
Great to have such a history in your wine group. When original members are still around there are typically some deep cellars (still get to drink wines from the '60s on occasion in mine). I am certain that with the vast increase in wine appreciation there will be a continuence of this tradition, and in 2035 someone will talk about the group they joined in 2001 (and drinking wines from the golden era we find ourselves in now).
It’s also a magnum tasting which limits what people bring. I was a little surprised at the lineup as well.
The reason it’s stayed together this long is the format along with the diligence of members to commit to dates. There are 11 members and each person is assigned a month where they’re responsible for a theme and dinner. If you’re dropping $800-$1200 plus wine once a year, chances are you’re going to show up at other people’s dinners.
Sorry to hear you did not have a pristing magnum of the '74 Maycacamas, as it can still be absolutely stellar and as youtful and vibrant as the '74 Martha’s Vineyard. It is one of the most high profile wines from this low profile producer, and it probably travels around a lot more on the secondary markets than a vintage such as 1975 from them. Of course, given the background of the group you were tasting with, someone there probably was savvy enough to buy it on release.
That is a good point - with the financial commitment, the chances of good attendance certainly would go up.
I would think, however, that the format would cause some dropoff, as in that amount of time, wouldn’t a typical individual’s supply of magnums dwindle?
Yes, the last time I had this wine (a bottle John was also there for), it was easily a 98-point wine. I have definitely found VA in some bottles of Mayacamas from the 70s, though.
![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
)
![[berserker.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8600bbd4810d342b8fbd4ffb62b4f0026275fd37.gif "berserker"){kind=small}