A very low-key gathering with a few friends for a lovely dinner at our favorite French joint Chez Simo.
HUMBLE BURGUNDY AT CHEZ SIMO - Chicago, IL (10/9/2014)
-
NV Jérôme Prévost Champagne La Closerie Extra Brut Les Beguines - France, Champagne
LC10. This is utterly fantastic champagne. Somehow, despite this being so damn young, there already is a bit of oxidative character to it (think red label Krug). There’s a lively freshness, plenty of acidity, and a bit of a baked apple/brioche thing going on. Though I oughtn’t say this, this reminds me very much of Selosse’s Initiale… (95 pts.) -
1999 Domaine Pavelot (Jean-Marc et Hugues) Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Peuillets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
This had a nose that was classic '99 – rich and ripe fruit. They say that Burgundy lovers don’t like fruit. That’s totally untrue… it’s the jamminess that they can’t stand. Anyway, this had none of that. It was clear this was a very ripe and rich wine, but it held together with its firm structure and acidity. This stuff is the real deal. Drinking great now. (90 pts.) -
2008 Domaine Louis Boillot et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
At first I thought this was a bit corked, but that funk seemed to blow off as the evening went on, revealing a classical 2008 core of juicy and crunchy red fruits: think tart pie cherries exploding in your mouth. Certainly a bony and skinny wine, there’s plenty of structure here for the longer haul. The question is will the fruit last that long? (88 pts.) -
2004 Domaine Michel Lafarge Beaune 1er Cru Grèves - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
Yeah, this is green. It was alright when opened but got progressively greener and stemmier as the evening went on. The palate would have been quite good if it didn’t taste like bugs. As far as Lafarge goes, this one seemed a bit soft for its age, but besides the bugs and green, there was actually some substance underneath. Alas, that wasn’t enough to keep away the awfulness of 2004. (80 pts.) -
2011 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux Goutte d’Or - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Moderate gold colour. Very intense nose combining everything you could imagine from a dessert wine – botrytis spice, honey, stone fruit, earl grey tea, smoked hazelnuts – in a dazzling kaleidoscopic display. Then, it all gets compressed into a concentrated laser beam which is aimed directly at your palate. This is so intense it hurts to drink it. Incredibly primary, with a mix of citrus and stone fruit, and maybe some passion fruit thrown in for good measure. There’s a very seductive savory component to this wine. Despite its 230 g/L of sugar, the tooth decay you’re going to get is going to come from the intense acidity, which in fact, somehow manages to overpower the sweetness. But for some reason, there is absolutely nothing over the top with this wine. Give this a hundred years. Oh, to find a bottle of the 1947… (98 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker