There’s a little bit of everything from Christmas Eve through New Years. Mostly enjoyed with non-wine geekers, most of these notes are pop-n-pours with a follow-up later.
1975 Trotanoy – The color was ruby and dense, the bottle was in great condition. The first whiff was cherry pie, raspberries, a bit of game, and with some time, mushrooms and forest floor. Tannins were firm but soft, the wine was chewy with a great long finish. A couple of hours later the wine was going strong, more gamey notes, saddle, blood and bouillion. Some remaining the next day was still lovely but had lost a bit of verve. This was a really excellent wine. 96
1990 Lynch Bages – Also a bottle in great condition, the wine was deep crimson. The nose was musty, some woodshed and leather, a bit rustic but with a deep fruit core. Some blood and tobacco. The tannins were mild and firm, with not a lot of grip and moderate length. After more time for air, I got notes of blueberries, mint and licorice. This was a very nice wine, but I would say based on this bottle it may not improve. 93
Krug 167 (2011 base) – I’m not great on Champagne notes, not sure I have the experience to tease out a lot of details. This wine was fresh, bright, lots of toasty, yeasty notes. The color was light yellow, and on the nose I also got some tropical fruit. Good acidity, just shy of bracing. It’s tart and doughy, and had a foreshadowing hint of the pecan cookies we would be making the next day. I wish I could have this wine coming out of my kitchen faucet, I would never leave the sink. Just great. 97
2014 Trimbach Freddy Emile – My last bottle of this (didn’t realize at the time). Very pale straw. On the nose bright tropical candy, marzipan, a little hazelnut, some peaches. The taste was vibrant, not too tart, a bit round, a slight perceived sweetness. Perfect balance. This had some maturity but was in excellent shape. Really impressed a few non-wine folks. 92
2010 Guigal Ex Voto – Popped and poured, the nose was a sledgehammer of oaky butterscotch. The fruit was blueberry jam, some baking chocolate. On the palate the wine was chewy and some mild tannins balanced the fruit. After giving this a couple of hours, there was an edge of black pepper and soil notes, and the oak was perhaps just a bit less cloying. Still, it wasn’t thrilling, perhaps might have shown better with some grilled meat. I don’t have notes, but I remember having a bottle in the last year or two that showed better. 94
1971 Jadot Clos Des Ursules – I bought a few bottles at auction and ended up returning one with conditions much worse than described, so I approached this with some caution. Needlessly. The rim was brown, the wine clearly showing its age. But on the nose, a deep funk that always seems to presage a good experience. There was campfire, cinnamon, clove, some rainforest sweetness and cherry fruitcake. The palate was light, floral, with just the mildest of tannins, and well-balanced. The fruit is clearly alive in a dense cherry jam. This was a truly special, exceptional wine in a great place. Two hours later it was still lively, with some mushrooms added to the mix. (I had to be careful, my wife was cooking a fatteh, so there were plenty of cooking spices throughout the house.) 97
2003 Bryant Family Cabernet – This was dense purple, a black fruit bomb that hit my nose just pouring into the decanter. The wine is inky and dark. The nose is a thematic young (22 years!) lush cabernet, lots of vanilla oak, some spices and cedar, blueberry, mint, eucalyptus. The palate was dense and chewy, but so very open given my expectations from the nose. The tannins did not overwhelm, and overall this was solid. After a couple of hours, the oak was not as distracting, I was getting notes of coffee, cloves, chocolate and menthol. Certainly its a crowd pleaser, but once it was open it was an enjoyable wine, it would pair well with a steak or some lamb. 94
1985 Faiveley Clos de Beze – I was waiting to write these notes until I had a chance to open this. I was fortunate to have bought a case of this wine many years ago, and every bottle has been exceptional. (I shared this with Erwan Faiveley at La Paulee several years ago, and he noted that he had been a youngster in the vineyard when these grapes were harvested.) The color shows the age of the wine, some browning and thinness. The first whiff seemed to indicate the wine was a bit tired, with some horsey must, but after a bit some bright fruit came through, although it didn’t seem particularly complex. On the palate the wine was viscous and tongue-coating, structured and solid, even bold. After an hour, the funk was gone, and the wine showed jammy cherries and mushrooms en croute. The wine was light and feminine, as I remembered previous bottles. A very good showing, not quite the high notes I’ve had before, but still a wonderful aged Burgundy. (Again, I needed to evacuate the kitchen as chipotle ribs in the crockpot threatened to confound the results.) 94