A CELEBRATION OF SEVERAL BIRTHDAYS, INCLUDING MY OWN MILESTONE EVENT - (10/13/2024)
I hijacked our normal tasting group’s meeting and hosted, offering up some gems from our cellar. All the bottles were ours except the three I'll mention which friends brought. Everyone brought a delicious dish, and the spread was incredible. One guest brought caviar, and I matched it with some of my own. We enjoyed two freshly foraged mushroom dishes—one with lobster mushrooms, the other with chanterelles—alongside a delicious wild rice dish, braised beef, and a delicate, savory puff pastry. Four dozen fresh oysters were also on the table, and dessert came down to a battle between two amazing homemade cakes, each competing with fondant.
Champagne to start
My favorite bottle of the night was the very first one I opened, kicking off the evening with four outstanding Champagnes.
- NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siècle "La Cuvée" - France, Champagne
Cork code D89E indicates a disgorgement in Q4 1998. Based on the estimated 10-12 years on the lees, I suspect this was Iteration 14, blending the 1988, 1985, and 1982 vintages, though it could also be from the adjacent Iterations 13 or 15 (paging @Brad_Baker).
This bottle was a revelation—one of the finest Champagnes I've ever tasted. Remarkably fresh, it defies its 35+ years with vibrant notes of lemon zest, orange, and grapefruit. Subtle hints of caramel to suggest at least some age. The texture was balanced, with a soft but generous bead, and a perfect interplay of density and precision, youth and maturity.
Old Grand Siècles continue to impress me, and I’m grateful to have more arriving this shipping season. Truly a marvel in a bottle. - 2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut - France, Champagne
One of my favorites, a reliable classic from a magnum. Its only shortcoming was the challenge of following the extraordinary old Grand Siècle.
A touch of reduction enhanced the minerality. The palate offered dense, creamy notes of lemon and orange, with a rich brioche undertone. The texture was typical Comte-luscious, with a beautiful glycerine mouthfeel, balanced by ample cut and a lively, persistent bead. One person commented it had more mature champagne notes than the 35 y.o. Laurent Perrier. - NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Édition 168ème - France, Champagne
This bottle was generously brought by a friend—who also baked a cake! On its own, it would have been fantastic, but it had the misfortune of following some truly show-stopping wines like the old Grand Siècle, a 1959 Anjou, and a 65 y.o. Pfalz Spätlese Riesling.
Nonetheless, this was a beautiful, youthful wine. I consistently find prominent notes of ginger in this cuvée. It was energetic and powerful, with an extracted yet elegant profile. Apricot, jasmine, sweet brioche, and more. One of my favorite recent young MV Krug Grande Cuvées. - NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru VP - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
July 2019 disgorgement.
This has long been one of my favorite Egly-Ouriet cuvées. Like many bottles that night, some of its brilliance may have been overshadowed by the sheer number of exceptional wines it shared the spotlight with. Intensely zesty and creamy, with vibrant notes of blood orange and other citrus. The 82 months on the lees are evident on both the nose and palate, and the oak aging adds wonderful texture.
Birth year whites
I've had both of these before, so I knew we were in for a treat.
- 1959 Deinhard Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Pfalz
A risky auction purchase that paid off in spades. It's my fourth and last bottle, and but for one previous bottle, all were impressive. Uncorked hours before drinking but not decanted. Medium amber. On the nose, petrol, apricot, walnut. For the palate, the same plus a big citrus tartness. Quite dry. I'd have guessed it was half its age. It never declined in the glass through the night. A favorite of many attendees in a crowded field. - 1959 Moulin Touchais Anjou Reserve du Fondateur - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Anjou
I thought the was the dry Anjou, but turned out to be the semi-sweet Reserve du Fondatuer. This cuvée has more botrytis than the Anjou Blanc.
No loss, this was spectacular, the WOTN for some. I've had several of these and all have been fantastic. The subtle spice and sweetness, acidity and cream worked fabulously together.
Medium to deep tawny color. Honey and lanolin, butterscotch and toffee, spice, preserved lemons. Luscious, vibrant and elegant.
Birth year reds
I hadn't had the first two wines before, and they had no business showing as well as they did.
- 1959 Pio Cesare Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Carefully decanted on a stand 6 hours before serving. No sediment transferred to the decanter. The gentle treatment paid off. This was one of the WOTN's. Even the color was fresh, equally red and bricking. Red fruit, mushrooms, balsamic, five-spice, moist earth; a sensation of sweetness, though dry. I missed a photo of this one. I'll upload later if a friend has it - 1959 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Another birth-year wine holding up impressively well. Just look at that stunning ruby-garnet color! On the nose and palate, it feels like it is half its age. There’s still a core of sweet berry fruit, layered with beautiful notes of cigar box, forest floor, and a touch of clove. For several of us, it was a strong contender for WOTN. - 1959 Bodegas Palacio Rioja Glorioso Reserva Especial - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
A very nice sexagenarian, though it didn’t quite reach the level of some other bottles that night. I’ve had better 1959 Riojas, including the Glorioso Gran Reserva. Fully into its tertiary phase, with a pleasant licorice note and a touch of sweetness, though the fruit was mostly hidden beneath dense layers of mushroom and forest floor flavors and aromas. A slight hint of VA, but nothing off-putting. No one refused a pour, and the bottle was emptied without complaint. Still, on a night like this, being good wasn’t enough to stand out.
Fame and power
- 1999 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Purchased on release, this was the first "expensive" bottle I ever bought, back in my early wine collecting days. While the nose was strikingly beautiful, my first sip made it clear I’d made a mistake opening it. Still tannic and tight, even after a decant, it was far too young. Lafite should never take a back seat, but on this night, it did to several of the other wines on the table - 1996 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Andouzed for hours then decanted. Dense and powerful, yet impressively balanced. Universally loved by all, though I must admit, I was a bit surprised by just how big this wine is. Layers of dark, brooding fruit, graphite, coffee, earth, and cacao create a truly gorgeous profile, but it’s undeniably broad-shouldered. For me, only thing missing was subtlety.
I opened all of the gifted wines
- 1999 Montevertine Le Pergole Torte Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Generously brought by a good friend. This was a bottle that made me reconsider my boredom of late with many Sangiovese wines. Seductive. Cherries and other red fruit, mint, iron. Mostly resolved tannins. - 2013 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Generously brought by a friend who knows my love for Northern Rhône wines. This was another bottle that showed its youth. Dark fruit, firm tannins, smoke, and olives dominated the profile—a treat to taste, though still far from reaching its mature apogee.
Oysters! We need more wine!!!
- 2018 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
I'd opened all the wines I had planned, although I knew I'd have to get more from the cellar before night's end. Now come the slightly drunken pulls.
This was delicious. Saline, citrus, iodine. Perfect with raw oysters with lemon and fresh horseradish - 2002 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare - France, Champagne
I love these bottles, and this one had a red neck ring, indicating an early disgorgement. It opened with citrus and honey, gradually evolving into tropical notes, pear, coffee, and hazelnut. Really dense and creamy, with a prominent sweetness that stood out. Yet, like several other great bottles tonight, it was slightly lost in the crowded field of fine wines. - 2002 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas François - France, Champagne
A late-night, party-fueled lapse in judgment led to another somewhat ill-advised pull from the cellar. Thankfully, I was still clear-headed enough to appreciate the lovely notes of pear, sweet lemon, red berries, and sour apple. Billecart-Salmon really excelled in this vintage, but it was a bit of a shame to open it so late, following some truly earth-shattering wines. - 2006 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
A call went out for another bottle of Champagne, and I needed no more enabling! I headed back to the cellar and grabbed a bottle by the neck, knowing it was a favorite of one of the attendees. It turned out to be my only 2006 Coeur de Cuvée, and it was showing beautifully, at a great point in its evolution. A perfect balance of power and elegance, with lively notes of apple, orange, and brown spices. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel it was somewhat wasted so late in the night, following so many exceptional bottles.
More red!!!
- 2015 Thomas Pinot Noir Dundee Hills - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
And now for something completely different. "We need a red wine!" came the call from someone apparently designated as the wine shortage messenger. With no plan in mind, I headed to the cellar and grabbed a bottle from the floor, still wrapped in its simple paper packaging. It turned out to be a great choice—most of the group wasn’t familiar with the producer, and even fewer had tasted his wines. Even late in the evening, this was a seductress. Elegant red berries and floral notes danced across the palate, with subtle earthy tones. If this wine had a sport, it would be a ballerina. Sadly, my last bottle. This was showing no signs of age at 11 years.
Dessert
- 1960 Poças Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
This followed the cakes, the last wine of the evening. It was pre-decanted off the sediment, and donated by a generous friend who wasn't able to attend.
A delicate 1960 vintage port, surprisingly light in texture, flavor, and color. The color was more pale than deep ruby. On the palate, soft notes of dried red fruit, caramel, and faint spice. For a VP, it was gentle and restrained. A lovely late night pour, more ethereal than expected. Or maybe it was the anesthesia of the evening's bounty was clouding my judgement
Digestif
- NV Grande Chartreuse Chartreuse V.E.P. Verte - France
Everyone had an Uber or a designated driver, so why not bring out a special digestif? As complex and delicious as ever, it remained a polarizing choice—either loved or hated, with no middle ground. Personally, I always enjoy this liqueur, not just for its unique flavor, but also for the stories behind its history and production.
How did we manage to open so many bottles without a single miss? I had multiple WOTN contenders, and maybe some of the best bottles of my life. It was an absolutely incredible evening, surrounded by family and friends who appreciate fine wine and exceptional food.
