Late last week on a whim I decided to see if anyone would be interested in going to Apiary and taking advantage of their Monday BYO deal. I’ve enjoyed the food there every time I’ve been and it’s become one of my favorite wine-friendly destinations. In fact, their roast chicken is one of the juiciest and tastiest in the city right now, which is great as I ordered it again last night.
As we emailed back and forth about what wines to bring, an impromptu Clos St Denis-a-thon emerged. I wasn’t about to say no to that, so 6 of us gathered on a lovely Fall evening to enjoy some bottles and, more importantly, our company.
We began with the 1996 Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, a real youngster of a bubbly, with an effervescently young nose that just hinted at maturity. The palate was very tightly-strung, with a real vibrancy and nervosite that I found quite enjoyable. At first, the finish faded off rapidly, but as I let it breathe over the course of the dinner it gained both weight and complexity, turning into a rounder, more delicious version of itself. The next bubbly was the 1996 Jacquesson. After the youthful refinement of the Ruinart, the Jacquesson was a brute, a real powerhouse that had hints of green notes to its lemony almond-hazelnut profile. I’ve never been a fan of this wine, and this bottle didn’t change my mind.
As the first courses arrived, we headed into the solo white of the night, the 1993 Roulot Meursault Tessons Clos de mon Plaisir. As expected, this wine lived up to its name. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous nose of fat almonds and lemons with a hint of nuttiness, a thick, slightly fat mouthfeel that held a core of minerality, and a finish that went on and on and on. This was another wine I went back to at the end of the evening and it was just as good as at the beginning.
The reds appeared and so we started with our two outliers, the 1996 Chevillon Nuits St Georges les Vaucrains and the 1998 Leroy Vosne-Romanee les Beaux Monts. As much as I love Chevillon usually, this bottle was heat or otherwise damaged and pretty much DOA. Too bad, as I had been looking forward to it. But we were saved by the Leroy, which came out swinging and never gave up the fight throughout the night. Another wine that we had a chance to revisit, this was just an amazing example of how Burgundy is all about producer, not vintage. The nose was so beguiling we had a hard time getting past it to taste, but when we did we were well-rewarded: it was silky yet velvety, with a weightless weight that seemed to float along the palate and deliver beautiful notes of funky cherries wrapping a core of sous-bois and earth and spices. The finish had a grip that would just not let you go and kept reminding you of what you’d just tasted. Intensely delicious.
The next flight was a duo of Jadots (no, Leo was not there), the 1996 and 1999 Clos St Denis. The 1996 was still coming together and was a bit lean to my palate, it didn’t feel like all the elements had really meshed yet. Greatness to come, I suppose, but this was more of a wait-and-see wine than, surprisingly, the 1999, which was much more open for business. The 1999 was full of red cherries and smoke with a slightly sweeter nose than the 1996, which probably helped soften its harder edges. Beautiful wines, but the 1999 really outshone the 1996.
Now we came to the flight we’d been waiting for, 1998 and 1999 Dujac Clos St Denis. The 1998 was soft and inviting, surprisingly, though maybe this was a year when the inclusion of stems helped smooth out the rougher edges. Absolutely delicious, ripe, with a sweet, rich cherry note that was backed by sous-bois and cinnamon accents. The mouthfeel was almost decadent, and the finish went on and on. The 1999 was much more precise and elegant, with a smoky note to it that I found both distracting and intriguing. This wine was more about structure than flesh, which the 1998 had in abundance. I’d say the 1998 was voluptuous, the 1999 striking. Both were fantastic, just beautiful wines that matched the food and the company perfectly.
A great big MERCI to everyone who so generously shared their wines and made it a lovely way to start the week.
Cheers! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}