Our NYE bottles before tuning into Dick Clark.
Doudet-Naudin 1952 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Les Guettes
57-year-old Savigny definitely isn’t a slam dunk but this bottle was a pristine library release with a new label and fill a centimeter below the cork. I had figured it must be a reconditioned bottle but it turns out it had its original cork. And it turns out it’s still in fine condition, but I get the impression it probably was better a decade ago. I wouldn’t exactly call it tired, but the aroma dissipated quickly and it offered an obvious aged Burgundy profile but not much more character than that. It was full and fleshy and not at all hollowing out - but ultimately, every way I try to describe it comes out sounding like that - remarking more on how it hasn’t fallen apart than on any especially compelling features it has in a positive sense. A good aged Burgundy, but that’s about it.
Chateau Malartic Lagraviere 1955
I had the '61 of this sometime last year and it was hard not to keep that bottle in mind while enjoying this one. This might not be quite as dense with character but it also isn’t nearly as rough or tannic, so it’s certainly a smoother, easier drink. It’s also more mature. There’s a typical Graves smokiness to the aroma but it’s a little faint and I get the impression its personality might be in its last grip before decaying into just generic old red wine. Still, it’s a satisfying drink and even if the personality is weakening its physical constitution is just fine. This held up well over a few hours, retained its savory vinosity, and didn’t oxidize or hollow out.
The obligatory bubbles were a little disappointing though.
Huet 2002 Vouvray Petillant (second release)
Seeming less advanced than the first release in its flavor development, this is all youthful chenin fruit. But at the same time it seems a little more advanced in its mousse - the fizz here is much calmer and flatter. A very nice sparkler but not the Champagne-killer that my last bottle from the first release was - I hope the other bottles show a little more. The leftovers the next day showed much deeper, advanced fruit but had lost almost all the fizz.