Cellar Tracker Burgundy Thursday
19 September 2013
People from the CT forum in town for the weekend.
Berserkers Berg Atkinson and Dennis Stevens (play on both forums) also in attendance
Shellfish-Perfumed Carolina Gold Risotto Bites
Local White Shrimp, Baby Chives and Preserved Lemon
1999 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut
Scallops au Gratin
Mepkin Abbey Oyster Mushroom Duxelles and Chervil Beurre Blanc
1996 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Grand Cru “Corton-Charlemagne” (completely oxidized of course)
2001 Domaine Ramonet Grand Cru Chevalier-Montrachet
2004 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Grand Cru Le Montrachet
2007 Etienne Sauzet Grand Cru Le Montrachet
Venison Ragoût
Grits Cakes, Baby Carrots and Parsley Chips
Local Hydroponic Butter Lettuce Salad
1997 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Grand Cru Romanée St. Vivant
2001 Nicolas Potel Grand Cru Romanée St. Vivant
1983 Domaine A. Rousseau Père et Fils Grand Cru Charmes-Chambertin
1996 Domaine Anne Gros Grand Cru Clos Vougeot Le Gran Maupertui
1996 Camille Giroud Grand Cru Chambertin-Clos de Bèze [magnum]
Sweet Tea/Star Anise-Brined and Pan-Roasted Duck Breast
Swiss Chard/Cèpe Raviolo with Natural Jus
1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grand Cru La Tâche
1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Richebourg
Refined Cheeses
Caramelized Apple Clafoutis
1998 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Sélection de Grains Nobles
1963 Taylor Vintage Port
Berg took formal notes; I was too busy scrambling in the kitchen. After the coffee kicks in I will try to edit in some impressions
The kickoff to Charleston 2013. Awesome lineup of wines, but with so many I definitely have more abbreviated notes than normal. Shellfish-Perfumed Carolina Gold Risotto Bites with Local White Shrimp, Baby Chives and Preserved Lemon
1999 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut- France, Champagne
Very smooth, silky mousse. Lemon custard, red apples, nuts, and notes of wet slate. Hits every corner of the palate and dances for a good minute on the finish.
This still has a couple decades of life left on it too. (94 pts.)
Scallops au Gratin with Mepkin Abbey Oyster Mushroom Duxelles and Chervil Beurre Blanc
2007 Etienne Sauzet Montrachet- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
While young, this was singing. Flowers, butterscotch, musk melon, lemon, apple, grapefruit, hints of candied ginger. Really full and ripe in the mouth, with a finish that’s a minute plus. A slight worry that this was starting to prem-ox. (96 pts.)
2004 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Noted as pretty classic, buttery, creamy chard. Lemon tart, pineapple, not too much minerality, and seemed like a hit of toasty sweet oak too, but that could be me. Nice balance, and can hang almost hang with the big boys it was drank next to. (93 pts.)
2001 Domaine Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Beautiful. Notes of lemon cream, florals, pineapple, spicy minerality…very pure and balanced. (95 pts.)
1996 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Horrible oxidized, but at least we all know what that smells and looks like now. I get an overwhelming butterscotchy/toffee aroma from it. NR (flawed)
Venison Ragoût with Baby Root Vegetables and Parsley Chips
1996 Camille Giroud Chambertin-Clos de Bèze- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Strawberry, black cherry, fennel, tea, pepper, orange peel, hint of funky cheese. Evolved all evening, and put on weight as it went. Very good. (94 pts.)
1996 Domaine Anne Gros Clos Vougeot Le Grand Maupertui- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Nice black cherry, funky meat, pepper, fall leaves, hint of campfire and port wine. Might be time to drink these this decade. (93 pts.)
1983 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Black tea, baking spice, cherry tart. Seemed like it was starting to take on some oxidized characteristics, so this might be on it’s way out. (91 pts.)
2001 Nicolas Potel Romanée St. Vivant- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Black cherry and tea, woody mushrooms, and hints of florals. Long life left ahead still. (93 pts.)
Seemed ‘meatier’ and a bit fuller than the '99 Richebourg had next to it, but with the same silky smooth and impeccably balanced mouthfeel. Seemed a bit sweeter as well, with black cherry, and more of a tea smoked meat character with hints of mushrooms and funk. Mingles that with flowers and spices. (97 pts.)
Caramelized Apple Clafoutis
1998 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Sélection de Grains Nobles- France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
Deep hued amber, mouthcoating and viscous, this delivers notes of root beer, apricots, subtle red apple, sweet tea, carmel/toffee. A great change of pace from other kinds of dessert wines. (95 pts.)
1963 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage- Portugal, Douro, Porto
Thinking this bottle was either really closed or fading a bit…decanted for about 4 hours, but still seemed hot with not a lot going on. NR
Berg, does this mean you are now in favor of drinking Burgundy at Domaine on Saturdays? Because I can get behind that. Although I won’t be opening any DRC…
Was a great bottle now, but Scott mentioned it, and I think the noticeable butterscotchy aroma was an early indicator, but at this point was just part of an array of great aromas and flavors…we had a very oxidized 96 for reference.
Butterscotch and toffee are signs of oxidation, but not necessarily premature oxidation, particularly in a 19 year old white Burgundy. I find them a desirable part of the aging curve, not signs, in and of themselves, of fatal premox.
It is the entire profile that is the issue. If they are paired with fruit, I’d say the wine is mature. If the fruit is gone and maderization has set in, the wine is probably dead. The curse of premox is that wines skip the mature stage, or blast through so fast that it might as well not exist.
I’m not disputing the call that the BdM was premoxed, but I wonder whether part of the premox curse is that some people who were not drinking white Burgundy before the premox era haven’t experienced mature wines, and can mistake the profile of premox for the normal aging process.
