Thanks for all the suggestions everyone- the dinner happened and it was a great success! I decided to go with the 1990 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne and 1977 Mondavi Cab Reserve. Initially, I thought the Mondavi was a little over the hill, so after a discussion of the Mondavi family, I decided spur of the moment to open the 2016 Raen Bodega Pinot Noir. Well, after a bit of air, the 77 Mondavi really opened up and so we were left with three open bottles (and a reasonable amount of leftovers)! We topped the night off with 2001 Suduiraut. Tasting notes below;
1990 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne: Absolutely the star of the night. The wine was in amazing shape without a hint of browning. The flavors were so juicy, full, complex. Wonderful intense yellow apple, preserved lemons, a bit of the nuttiness that you’d expect from a 31 yr old white. The acidity was present, but not aggressive- very round and soft. A bit of creaminess that is quite pleasant. This wine is drinking so so well right now. I think it’s at the perfect place though easily could last another 10 years (at least this particular bottle). Long long finish. Used a wide decanter to increase air exposure as CT suggested, which was a good move.
1977 Robert Mondavi Cab Reserve: Initially pretty funky smelling of mud and dirty leather. The first sip out of the bottle was ok, not very inspiring, it was certainly drinkable but seemed tired. I double decanted, did another taste and it was about the same. Set aside and opened the Raen. Came back an hour later and the wine had transformed. The fruits freshened up and tasted like a red/black fruit salad with raspberries, blackberries, currants, dark cherries. The earthiness transformed from smelly mud to fresh damp earth. But the most intriguing aspect was the development of a powerful aroma of old books. It really was like walking into an old dusty library, or used book shop, in a really lovely way. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever had, honestly. The intensity of the wine was medium and the body quite light. I’m always a little surprised by how delicately flavored these old Napa Cabs can be. The finish was pretty short unfortunately.
2016 Raen Bodega Pinot Noir- Very young and fresh. Fruit forward but restrained. The extract here is light. The fruits are raspberry and cranberry. Very little earthiness though, which is a characteristic I look for in my favorite Pinots. This wine was not thought provoking in the way the other two were, but was simply straight up tasty. I bet this wine will age very well and develop the complexity that it hasn’t quite achieved yet.
2001 Suduiraut- OMG this is intense- the most concentrated Sauternes I’ve ever had. Very sweet but with a good balancing acidity, this wine is viscous, unctuous, and extremely complex. There are flavors of citrus, pineapples, honey, assorted flowers, wax, and an interesting warm spice element like cinnamon. I couldn’t really have more than a small glass of this stuff given how intense it was; I feel like I should be drinking this in tiny sips like a Scotch.
Dinner was a high quality roasted chicken (basted in duck fat!), baby potatoes, carrots, celery. What a night! And my friend is eager for a repeat. Maybe I’ll bust out the LdH Blanco next time. Thanks again everyone!