Very fun weekend in Atlanta hosted by @Andrew_K and @dcornutt! Thanks to the Atlanta crew for their hospitality and it was great to see some other Berserkers.
I didn’t take formal notes but here are my general impressions.
Night 1:
Amuse Bouche:
2021 Theo Dancer Savignin: Lovely aromatics, very lively acidity. Much more complex and flavorful than you’d expect.
Dinner at Kevin Rathbun Steak wine cellar. Kevin and Andrew K came up with a beautiful tasting menu to accommodate the fantastic wines.
Champagne welcome:
1988 Krug: Wow. Lots of power and richness and still plenty of fine mousse. So much complexity and such a long finish. What a way to start.
1996 Duval-Leroy: Not done any favors here following the Krug, nice zip of acidity but a bit four square.
2002 Salon: Third time with this one in the last couple years and this time was the best. Andrew had opened this like 5-6 hours earlier and it was singing. This was a burly freight train of acidity and structure with a super finish.
Flight 1:
2000 Krug: This had some nuttiness and richness and was flavorful but seemed a bit less fresh than the Cristal, still a wonderful drink. Some people liked this more than the Cristal, though.
2000 Cristal: Super fresh and friendly with a huge streak of lemon curd and acidity. Drinking brilliantly and singing. I wish this wasn’t my last bottle.
Flight 2: This was perhaps my favorite flight of the entire weekend from an intellectual perspective.
2008 Cristal: This should have been full on decanted for 1-3 hours, probably. Indescribably tight and didn’t must budge in an hour or so. You could see the potential, but it was as if it was through a frosted glass window. Don’t open this for at least another 5 years.
2008 Cristal Rose: More accessible than the Blanc version, but still reticent. Beautiful, elegant, and incredibly aromatic, but wasn’t giving up the goods anytime soon. Try again in 3-5 years.
2013 Cristal: This is a champagne for both now and later. Wide open for business. Lively, fresh, and expressive with a big streak of acidity and egg shell. The finish was extremely long. I think this will age nicely as well. Some people thought it had more potential than the 08 but I think that’s just irrational exuberance. That said, it’s a fantastic champagne with a bright future ahead of it.
2013 Cristal Rose: Stunningly beautiful with so much richness. Strawberry cream and peaches with an endless finish. Bravo. WOTF. I think whether the 08 will be better in the long run is a much fairer question for the rose, but they’ll both be amazing.
Flight 3:
1995 Colin Deleger Chevalier-Montrachet: DOA
2008 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet: not super fresh, but still alive. Lovely lemon curd and richness. Long finish, but lacking some precision.
2010 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet: Much more in the zone the 08 and singing. A few tropical fruits on the nose. More robust and fresh on the palate and a very long finish.
2014 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet: Brilliant aromatics, with white peach and some citric cream to steal someone’s phrase. Very long and elegant. Benchmark Chevy.
Flight 4:
2013 Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet
Rounded, with very open and friendly aromatics. Equally diffuse on the palate, without much precision, but very enjoyable drink. Lovely fruits.
2015 Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet
A bit more fruit than the 13, and a bit more rotund, almost flabby. Very rich and opulent.
2017 Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet
Super nose with a bit of struck match and beautiful ripe peach. Much more coiled with better acidity than it’s flightmates. Just a beautiful wine that was definitely WOTF, and perhaps the best of the Chevys period.
Intermezzo:
1988 Yquem with a huge foie gras torchon
Superb nose with just lovely overripe pineapple and some passion fruit on the nose. A little streak of acidity. Finish lasted well into the next course.
Flight 5:
1976 Vogue Musigny
Alive if a bit tired. Tertiary with a little fruit left. Not much here.
1990 Mugnier Musigny
Stunningly beautiful nose that was worth staying with for minutes. The palate was rich and expressive with dark fruits. Extremely long finish.
1995 Vogue Musigny
Surprisingly friendly with some beautiful fruits and nice length. Nice depth on the palate, a little clipped on the finish.
1998 Vogue Musigny
Not as deep as the 95, but a bit more approachable, quite elegant.
Flight 6: what a flight!
2000 Vogue Musigny
This was deep and dark fruited, with lots of power. Compared to the following Mugnier it felt a bit clunky, but was more robust.
2000 Mugnier Musigny
Lithe and elegant with beautiful aromatics and complexity. Nice acidity and very good length and finish.
2001 Vogue Musigny
This had a bit more oak on the nose and was a bit more approachable than the 2000, if a bit lighter bodied.
2001 Mugnier Musigny
Beautiful and super elegant, with a bit more beautiful fruit and a bit more precision on the palate. WOTF.
Flight 7:
1999 Vogue Musigny: corked
1996 Mugnier Musigny this was just beautiful. Some people were surprised how good the 90 and 96 were considering Freddy was still part time while making these but I thought it was phenomenal. Stunning aromatics and quite a bit of power and length.
2002 Vogue Musigny
This was sexy with beautiful and integrated oak, immense power and some nice aromatics. This had super length and was more elegant than the other vogue.
Flight 8:
2007 Vogue Musigny
A lighter bodied vogue that paired nicely with the cheese course. A bit more on the elegant side.
2007 Mugnier Musigny
Beautiful ethereal Musigny which really delivered.
Dessert:
1990 Yquem. Very similar to the 1988 with immense length, perhaps a bit less acidity.
Nightcap:
2014 Roumier Cras
Surprisingly friendly and beautiful wine which was a nice way to end the evening.
