New Years eve this year was spent alone with my wife Diane…generally we go to a party, usually with friends who are not particularly in to wine….drink a lot of bubbles… but due to losing our little Westie "Gavi’ ( see my avitar) the day prior, we decided to spend the night at a local resort hotel and bring along a couple great bottles of wine, have room service and spend the time toasting and telling stories about our little one that had been with us for 16 years. So with corkscrew and Riedel Somm burgundy and champagne glasses in tow, we checked in to the hotel. What a treat. A beautiful room with great view of the city… just like being on vacation. So we ordererd our dinner menu…several courses …not the greatest culinary adventure, however, that was not what it was all about. On to the wine.
MV Krug Grand Cuvee - We started with this on the balcony overlooking the city at sunset. Dark yellow color. I’m not sure of the degorgement date, but this wine appears a little advanced. Nice yeast/biscuit notes with some apple and citrus. Very nice on the palate with some nutty flavors and just the right amount of acidity to go well with the raw oysters.
1990 Mongeard-Mugneret Richebourg - I pulled the cork and poured carefully from the bottle. No decant….just wanted to see how the wine developed over the evening. Very deep color with some browning on the rim. Initially big dark red bing cherry jam blossomed out of the glass. Instantly, the sous bois and earthy elements started to develop. On the palate this definitely is a big boy. Lot of extract. Great mouthfeel, soft refined tannins, mushroom, forest floor and a sweetness and balance that was wonderful. As the wine developed after 1/2 hour, the soy elements started to come forward with more savory notes. Interestingly, after 2 1/2 hours, the cherries reappeared. The finish on this wine was spectacular with that sweetness, balance and just the right amount of acidity that one gets from great wines with age. It just seemed to linger on the palate. So, I was very impressed…Yes there is oak, but well integreated. Perhaps it’s style not to everyone’s liking, but for us this evening it was perfect.
What a wonderful thing to be able to experience the bottle with just the two of us over the entire evening and see the wine’s evolution. I need to do more of that. I would have to say that ironically, this turned out being one of the best New Years we have experienced and was what the doctor ordered, given the situation…It was so successful, in fact, that we vowed to make this an annual event…Happy New Year everyone!