New Years Eve was a wonderful evening as 4 of us in our weekly blind wine dinner group were joined by our wives and significant others and graciously hosted by one of the couples.
As geeky as we are, we even got the ladies approval to go in on the blind theme and offer their impressions on each wine and it was a fun and continued learning experience as well as a grand NYE.
Above and beyond the wine experience, friendly conversation and camaraderie of our entire group highlighted the social part of the evening.
Although our hosts, who carried on a tradition initiated by the one who founded our wine group and has relocated out of state, provided a majority of the menu dishes and each couple contributed specialty, complimentary dishes and we ate and drank well.
With a champagne glass in hand, we started off the evening appropriately by tasting 4 champagnes blind with individual commentary on each one before moving on to the next one. Here’s some notes:
2008 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANC- blind; one quick nose and I knew this was Comtes, but I thought the vintage might be 2006 or 2009, the former especially since I brought 2006; it had the requisite toasty brioche aromas and tastes that embellished the ginger and butterscotch fruit which was predominantly yellow apple with some lemon and lime in the background; it was creamy, rich, round and full bodied and absolutely delicious; it had some weight, depth and complexity, but not as much as I have experienced in the 2008; so, I made note as another recent bottle was also showing less power and bigness; bottom line: it was a fabulous, delicious bubbly that got us off to a fantastic start.
Since the next bubbly was a rose, I knew my 2006 was one of the last 2, but which one?
2004 LAURENT-PERRIER ALEXANDRA GRAND CUVEE BRUT ROSE- blind; it had a pink salmon color and wonderful aromas of red roses, peach, red apple and red cherry joined by an nice accent of spice and strawberry on the palate; it was very flavorful and refreshing and had elegance, class and charm; the concept for this release was conceived in 1982 as it was named for the eldest daughter of the Nonancourt house, Alexandra, who celebrated her wedding 5 years later, together with the launch of this refined bubble. I guessed NV L-P Rose which in retrospect was an under evaluation although I’ve always loved that rose. This takes it up a notch or 3.
2013 POL ROGER BLANC de BLANC- blind; following its light yellow color came lovely aromas of grapefruit, lemon, lime and kiwi joined by honeyed green apple and honed dew melon on the palate; it had a wonderful creamy mouthfeel and expressed elegance and charm; this was conceived in 1982 and named after the eldest daughter of the Nonancourt house, Alexandra, who celebrated her wedding 5 years later, together with the launch of this refined bubbly.
2006 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLACN de BLANC- blind; my bring and not recognized for at least 30 minutes although I felt sure we had 2 Comtes after the first bottle which was more in my wheelhouse with its massive toasty brioche notes; this bottle initially had such a different profile from most of the 2006’s I’ve had, in fact; the first taste suggested more Pinot Meunier inclusion, but the 2nd taste was so different with more body and weight and unexpected tangerine and nectarine; it was the 3rd time through that served to define what this bottle was all about as I now got a bit of toasty brioche, minerals, chalk and lemon lime with an emphasis on the lemon while being delivered in a soft and creamy texture all the way to the back end where it hung on for a grand finish; OK, this is the Comtes I brought and like many other wines we drink blind over the course of an evening, it changed and for the better and attained its true persona after some air time.
The white wine was first tasted in the living room, but carried into the dining room to pair with the first course:
2020 VINCENT DAUVISSAT LA FOREST CHABLIS 1er Cru- blind; this wine was easily defined by one word- “mellow”; it had mellowness from the nose through the tail; even its light yellow color was mellow; white pear, green apple and kiwi made up a good portion of the taste profile after it was introduced by aromas of white flowers and honey suckle; it was super soft and smooth and just seemed to glide to the back end and then away into the evening as was the last day of the year.
“This was sourced from the left bank of the Serein River from a site that covers about 13.85 hectares.
The producer cultivates 3.7 hectares, making it their largest vineyard holding and a cornerstone of their renowned portfolio.
The name “La Forêst” derives from its historical connection to woodland (“forêt” being French for forest), as this area was once surrounded by trees before being cleared for viticulture. The Dauvissat family acquired their parcels after 1950, with these mature vines now producing what many critics consider to be wines that rival Grand Cru quality, particularly in exceptional vintages.”
Once seated at the dining room table, we paired the 3 remaining wines with the appropriate courses and continued our reviews of each wine along with other topics of conversation.
2010 CHATEAU LA CONSEILLANTE POMEROL- blind; the color was a young, dark red purple and the nose offered wondrous aromas of milk chocolate laden black currant and blueberry with accents of wood spice, eucalyptus and cedar in the background; it had marvelous balance, a soft and smooth feel and good depth; I first thought it was a Napa Cab, but kept shifting to Super Tuscan and then Right Bank Bordeaux, but not enough to avoid eventually calling it new world Cabernet. This is comprised of 80% Merlot and has at least 10% Cabernet Franc in the blend.
1994 ARAUJO ESTATE EISELE VINEYARD NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- blind; my bring and easily recognized since there was only one other red and the vibrant dark red purple color showed some age relatively; the nose included righteous accents of cedar and spice laden black currant and blackberry, joined by black cherry and plum on the palate; it was full bodied with lots of weight and complexity and some power, but it had lots of finesse to balance it out; I thought it was was good as any of the 1994 Eisele I’ve had; this is comprised of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard, 4% Cabernet Franc Eisele Vineyard and 3% Petit Verdot Eisele Vineyard; for more info: https://eiselevineyard.com/notes/Araujo-Estate-Cabernet-Sauvignon-1994.pdf
2001 CHATEAU RAYMOND LAFON SAUTERNES in 375 ml- this was another gem from the fantastic 2001 vintage in Sauternes and served to finish off our evening in style, albeit a very sweet style with its butter and honey covered apricot and tangerine fruit delivered in a viscous, thick textured medium that coated the mouth cavity with an ever pleasant film of delight that eventually accompanied the striking of 12 chimes.
So, it was a wine geeks perfect NYE and the more than significant others stayed right with us and contributed and the old adage that says “drink what you like and like what you drink” prevailed and everyone was exactly right in acknowledging their own style preferences.
Happy New Year and Cheers to all,
Blake
