Great Bubbles, Burgundy and Bordeaux

WINE TALK
1

Well, I was home last weekend from out of town work and finally able to get some friends together for some nice food, wine and camaraderie. As usual, my wife Diane outdid herself with some spectacular dishes. I tried my best to not let her down with wine pairings. We started with bubbles with some delicious apps including a delicious prosciutto wrapped shrimp, killer marrow bones among other delectables. The wines:

NV Jacques Selosse Initiale ( disgorged 10/10)- Nice spice and yeasty notes on the nose. Nutty, oxidative style with some spice on the palate. I always love this wine.

1999 Egly Ouriet - Dark golden-yellow color. Complex aromas of spice, brioche. Good depth and length. Very nice.

2002 Pommery Cuvee Louise - I picked up a few of these and wanted to try. Very different than the previous two wines. This wine is more of a lighter, elegant style. Minerals, apples and great length. Not a wine to put away for decades, but delicious now imo. I’m happy that i purchased and may pick up a few more.

The next flight of white burgs were brought by guests…and quite nice. These were served with a white bean, pear and carrot soup….oh so good. The wines popped and poured and served blind:

2005 Ramonet Bienvenue-Batard Montrachet - It had that classic minty Ramonet nose, but somewhat restrained. Big middle with great balance and length. More of an elegant style than the Pernot. Some of us thought a bit of TCA initially, but this seemed to get better than worse…so not sure.

2005 P Pernot Bienvenue-Batard Montrachet - Nailed the producer on the nose alone. Big nose of honeysuckle, lemon, spice, peach. Bigger wine than the Ramonet. Lush mouthfeel. Balanced finish. Most preferred this to the Ramonet.

2004 Bouchard Meursault Genevieres - My note of a few months ago and unchanged "Nice spice and citrus on the nose. Great texture and depth. Very long on the palate with excellent balance. " Ready to drink. Lovely.

2004 V Girardin Meursault Genevieres - Cool nose of apple, pear and minerals. Some oak but not too much. Nice texture and a big long finish.

Now on the the reds. Diane prepared a great dish from one of our favorite Portland restaurants, Le Pigeon….Pork shoulder confit with duck fat roasted potatoes. Was this rich or what…but to die for. As for the wines…all came from my cellar and a funny story. I had pulled two DRC Echezeaux ('85 and '90) and had them standing in the cellar, as I was not sure which i wanted to serve. I settled on the '85 ( or at least I thought I did)…slow ox’d, decanted and never really looked at the label. I served it announcing that it was the '85…everyone commented, etc. Long story short, when reviewing my pics of the wines for the evening, low and behold it was the '90. And yes, my '85 is standing close by in the cellar unopened. That was a first for me.
The wines were slow ox’d for 5-6 hours, then decanted immediately prior to serving:

1990 DRC Echezeaux - The nose just lept out of the glass from the get go. Classic, DRC asian spice and sous bois. Pure silk on the palate. Soft, velvet and so well put together. Very ready to drink. I was thinking '85 while I was drinking and to me, it did seem older than most '90 DRC’s that I’ve had. If onlyI could drink this regularly. Soooo good.

1990 Dujac Charmes-Chambertin - One could guess Dujac from the nose alone…Classic nose with the characteristic stem notes. Not green at all. Soft and tannins totally resolved. Still good ripe fruit. More structured than the DRC and will last longer at peak imo. Very long. Delicious but preferred the DRC.

1988 Maume Charmes-Chambertin - Meaty and more rustic…typical structure of the vintage. I liked it quite a bit…but I love '88’s. Perhaps not the sexy finish of the other two wines, but very good.

Next some cheeses…including a delicious La Tur ( one of my favorites) baked in parchment with chocolate olive oil sauce. The wines were slow ox’d for 8 hours, then decanted off sediment prior to serving :

1970 Trotanoy - Always love this producer. And '70 is a great one. Classic merlot aromas . Big fruit, soft, fully mature with resolved tannins. Long and so easy to drink. Perhaps lacked some pizazz but solid.

1970 Latour - I bought on release ( price on the bottle $33.95). Cedar, tobacco, spice, herbs and dark fruits on the nose. Lots of depth and fruit on the palate. Still quite alive and well. This is really in the pocket for drinking now. Loved it and my favorite of the flight.

1955 Latour - I purchased around 1970. Darkest of the flight. A bit more dried out compared to the previous two. Mature, tertiary, cedar notes. Quite good but on downward curve.

And of course, we had to have a sauternes!

1949 La Tour Blanche (325) - Deep amber-gold color. Beautiful nose of apricot and orange marmalade. Good balance acid, fruit and sugar. Rich, viscous, and a long, long finish. Loved it.

Well that’s it…a great night of food, wine and camaraderie !! We need to do this more often. After all, isn’t that why we cellar these wines??

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Great notes (as usual) on some great wines Roger. I’m with you on the '88 Burg vintage. I prefer the '88s over the '90s in general. Thanks for sharing!

3

Great wines Roger. Well done.

Cheers
Jeremy

4

whew, great night. That unopened 85
DRC Ech is one of the wines that long ago lured me to Burgundy.

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no worries, open the 85 next month at lunch

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Some great wines there and interested to hear the latest on the 88 Maume.

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Curious about how your wife makes her pork shoulder confit as that is a dish i make for wine dinners. I made up my recipe, based on a technique i picked up from making carnitas, so i am most interested in her recipe.

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Super line-up!

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Thanks ROger, and more improtantly Thanks Diane!

A very fun night and great food/ wine/ company.

I was lazy and did not concentrate on the CHampagne, aside form very much enjoying the Cuvee Louise and the Selosse for its own style.


First two still wines were served blind.

[*]2005 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru (7/12/2014)
Bright and fresh with some matchstick that blows off. Some lemon and floral lift on the nose, and a mouthwatering freshness, and limestone feel. I would have guessed a Chevalier Montrachet. Pure fresh and clean with outstanding flavor density without weight. Lovely texture, poise, focus and a sense of weightlessness that belies its power. Beautiful stuff. 95pts (95 pts.)

[*]2005 Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru (7/12/2014)
At first a question of TCA. A bit muted at first, but with air it did not get worse. More on the citrus side with some orchard fruits, limestone soil and excellent texture. Some mintiness comes out with time, and even moreso once the bottle was revealed :slight_smile:, Excellent balance and texture but it did not shine as I would hope. I have limited experience with Ramonet’s GC’s and others at the table much moreso. It was very fine, but I would have hoped for more. I would love to try another bottle. NR[/list]
Posted from CellarTracker


With white bean, pear and carrot soup.

[*]2004 Bouchard Aîné et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru (7/12/2014)
Fresh and bright, with a fine mix of citrus, stony fruit, a touch of nuttiness, and white flowers. Plenty of acid here. Very long, very bright and plenty young without. Everything is in an excellent balance here. With the fear of Pox removed I would love to try again in 5+ years. 93pts (93 pts.)

[*]2004 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru (7/12/2014)
More mature than the Bouchard same year and soil. More orchard fruits and less acidity with some bruised apple, and some cooler herbal notes on the back end. I liked it quite a bit and was pleasantly surprised when it was unveiled. At peak and I doubt it will improve. 92pts (92 pts.)

With Diane’s pork and duck fat potatoes:

[*]1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru (7/12/2014)
Thought we were drinking the 85 until
The next day and realized it was the 90. A beautiful ripe nose with a mix of perfume, asian spice and savory notes, plenty of umami. Pure and deep and light on its feet, with outstanding texture and balance. Effortless. 95 (95 pts.)

[]1990 Domaine Dujac Charmes-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru (7/12/2014)
A riper profile with a bit of torrefaction that I get in many 90s. Good acidity, excellent balance of fruit and non fruit, some coffee (oddly) and the Dujac stemmy lift. Lovely if not overwhelmingly great. 92pts (92 pts.)


[]1988 Domaine Maume Charmes-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru (7/12/2014)
Great freshness and clarity here. Lovely Perfume, with fruit and earth, meatiness,and a 88 leanness to it (that I liked). That said it is not severe. It is a beautifully balanced terribly drinkable wine where no part sticks out, it just works. I finished it before the 90 Dujac Charmes, if that is any sign. 93 pts (93 pts.)


[*]1955 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (7/12/2014)
A nose of mature Pauillac. Graphite, wet bricks and, with the progression to fully secondary and tertiary character. Poised, structured, and very long. beautiful if a little bit on the downhill slide. A pleasure to drink. beautiful. 93pts (93 pts.)

  • 1970 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (7/12/2014)
    Where the 55 may have been fading, this stood front and center commanding your attention. beautiful, powerful, and poised. Cassis, graphite, Pauillac dirt, with tremendous depth, and better balance. Deep and very long. This is fantastic wine and it knows it. One of the best wines I’ve had this year. Fantastic, and way better than my previous experience with this wine. At peak. Thank you RN! WOTN in strong company. 96 pts (96 pts.)
  • 1970 Château Trotanoy - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (7/12/2014)
    My last bottle. Near perfect provenance and neck fill. SOM’d
    Focused,and dense without any sense of heaviness, with more stony fruit than cassis, tobacco, and with more restraint (read “lack of a voluptuous side”) that I would have expected. Great focus and depth, terribly easy to drink, and probably only suffering form the company it shared. Outstanding but not profound wine this night. 92 pts (92 pts.)
  • 1949 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (7/12/2014)
    My last half bottle. Pretty much cut a cut and paste experience from a few years back. Neck fill, SOM’d.

A golden mature color. The nose was flat out beautiful. Orange rind, apricots, some toffee, honey, and creme brûlée. Great palate weight with excellent cut and acidity to keep it very light on its feet. Outstanding texture, still retaining fruit, but with the secondary complexity and depth, with a fantastic balance of fruit, acid, and sugar. At peak and beautiful, though I can’t imagine it improving any. 95pts (95 pts.)


Thans again Roger and Diane!

10

Roger,
You guys know how to celebrate.
Very nice job.
Cheers!

11

Outstanding stuff Roger, Todd and especially Diane. Very fine way to beat the heat. Hope the temporary assignment has been working out.

RT

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Thank you for the notes. Some great wine. Trying to think what I was buying in the 70’s… Aussi and Chilean. The 1990 DRC Ech continues to shine. Cheers Mike

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Already shipped my wines Charlie. I don’t think you will be disappointed. The DRC Ech didn’t fit Favre’s requests [cheers.gif]

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The recipe came from Gabrial Rucker’s cookbook. Here’s the Amazon link.

I’m working out of town, but will get my wife to scan the recipe to me and will PM you. [cheers.gif]

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:slight_smile: that favre, harsh task master

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Great night of wine and can’t add much to you notes Roger! Really liked that Selosse and the Pernot+Dujac really shined for me.

I’m in St Louis right now and had a great dinner with the great wine folks/friends here. Notes to come!

Charlie - I will not mind if a DRC Ech shows up at lunch and it is to late for Roger to include one :slight_smile:.

Jon

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Jon has spoken. Sorry Roger pack up a 85 DRC ech for lunch! [snort.gif] [snort.gif] [snort.gif]

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champagne.gif

LOL! See you in a few weeks - SF 3.0 :wink:.

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I upgraded my data plan already, I had to pay $10 for the extra data last time!!! ;D :smiley:

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The 85 DRC Ech was also an epiphany wine for me. Purchased as a gift from a long go GF.