'The Good Old Stuff' Dinner - November 16, 2024, Brunswick, Maine

[David_W1]

After two months of planning, @Dan_Kravitz gathered a roughly equal mix of local friends, who were not all wine geeks, and total strangers who responded to the offline posting here. We had restaurant Taverna Khione to ourselves; Dan had assembled about three cases of wine on the bar, with some planned pairings and instructions to open whatever we wanted otherwise. By night’s end, we tasted through 24 bottles alongside a lovely dinner punctuated by grilled halibut and lamb with all of the trimmings. Many thanks to Dan for his generosity and kindness in bringing us all together.

Below is my best accounting of what we tasted (not exactly in tasting order). My notes on the wines trailed off as the conversation picked up.

White

2009 Rhys Alpine Chardonnay
2009 Rhys Horseshoe Chardonnay
2008 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains
2008 Terrien Wines Chardonnay
2000 Domaine Lamy-Pillot Montrachet
1995 Domaine Lamy-Pillot Montrachet
2002 Hanzell Chardonnay
2014 Caves Duplessis Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
2010 Cave de Tain Hermitage Blanc
2006 Louis Michel Chablis Grand Cru Vaudesir
2019 Guiberteau Saumur Blanc Breze

Red

1971 Chateau Ausone
1971 Chateau Tayac
1984 Burgess Vintage Select Cabernet
1982 Spottswoode Cabernet
1991 Mayacamas Cabernet
1991 Girard Cab Reserve
1989 Pegau Reservee
1998 Chateau Palmer
1994 Vega Sicilia Unico

Sweet/Fortified

1924 Zimmermann Tokaji Aszu 4 Puttonyos
Madeira Incognita (late 1800s/early 1900s?)
2001 Chateau d’Yquem
1997 Rene Renou Bonnezeaux Cuvee Anne

Standouts for me were the '14 Duplessis Les Clos, which was supple and graceful with great length. The '71 Ausone was lovely and still has a way to go. The '91 Mayacamas and '94 Unico were both excellent, but in their adolescence.

The '01 d’Yquem lived up to its reputation; what a nose on that wine. Both the '24 Tokaji and unknown/very old madeira were pitch black or close to it, but both were very nice. I’d give the nod to the madeira, which smelled strongly of lime and seaside air.

Both Montrachet were oxidized; the '00 quite thoroughly, and the '95 partially. Perhaps the most controversial wine of the evening was the Tayac. With a beautiful tertiary nose, the wine read as thin on my palate. Others absolutely loved it.

It was great to meet so many great new friends and see the beautiful Maine coast ready to face another winter. @Kirk.Grant , @Greg_Kramer , @JimF_WB and @Nick_Christie and many others provided lively conversation about the wines. Pictures of the lineup and Maine below for those interested.

[Neal.Mollen]

@David_W1

The '71 Ausone was lovely and still has a way to go.

Count me as astonished

[Karl_K]

Good stuff

[Greg_Kramer]

David beat me by a few minutes so I have truncated my introduction except to add that we were supposed to be 25 but in the end, an intrepid crew of 17. It was a joyous, convivial and very relaxed party. The food was simple but fantastic and the staff were so warm that it felt like eating in someone’s kitchen. And they enjoyed and appreciated the wines as much as we did.

Given the makeup of wines, the success rate was incredible. These are my impressions, not notes. I think I missed tasting 2 wines from David’s list. Perhaps in deference to Dan’s well publicized wine values, nothing drinkable was wasted.

2009 Rhys Horseshoe Chardonnay - crisp, creamy & lemony. Reminiscent of a fine Chassagne 1er cru. Excellent and one of my top 2 whites.

2009 Rhys Alpine Chardonnay - much darker color. Corked

2008 Terrien Chardonnay - Oaky. Decent fruit.

2008 Mount Eden Vineyards Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay - Impressive though I preferred the nose to the palate.

1995 Lamy Pillot Montrachet - fully mature. Hanging in with some energy but had a weird dill note.

2000 Lamy Pillot Montrachet Oxidized. Hey it was the height of premox.

2006 Louis Michel Chablis Vaudesir- I was excited to try this but it did not resonate for me. Oaky and seemingly sweet. I checked CellarTracker and the consensus seems to be that it is past prime yet this bottle behaved more like one that was not mature. Perhaps a peculiar botte?

2014 Caves Duplessis Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. I agree that this was great with tons of energy. Another top white for me but I think it could have used significantly more cellar time.

2002 Hanzell Chardonnay Good energy and subdued fruit. Surprisingly youngish. Very Good.

2010 Cave de Tain Hermitage still fresh fairly light. Nice.

1971 Tayac Cote de Bourg - I think I was leading the camp in support of this (at one point I even considered giving it a WOTN vote. Muddy color but bright nose. Still some fresh fruit. Pretty damn delicious and a joy to drink. Certainly my surprise of the night. It did not demure despite being served with…

1971 Ausone - also exceeded expectations given the vintage. Powerful but graceful. Less fruit than Tayac but more depth and complexity. A great bottle of magnificent, mature Ausone.

1984 Burgess Vintage Select Cabernet Deep color. Protruding acidity not bad but didn’t grab me.

1982 Spottswoode Cabernet - Good fruit and acidity but a touch off-kilter.

1998 Palmer - lovely fruit and some maturity. All the panache of Palmer with the rustic edge that 98’s can have. Really enjoyed it - particularly with the lamb. A highlight for me.

1991 Girard Cabernet Reserve - Resolved but with very youthful fruit. One dimensional

1991 Mayacamas Cabernet - Very different (and for me) expression of Cabernet. Elegant and forceful. Very good.

1989 Pegau - This came late and I only got a couple of sips. Fully mature but still strong, Classic Pegau - like walking through a barnyard in a tuxedo. My wife’s WOTN and amazingly Dan agreed

1994 Vega Sicilia Unico - stayed in decanter longer than any other wine. Served asked how long it should stay. I said 11 years. Glad to taste. Very young powerful and incredibly focused. A great wine in the making.

2001 Yquem. Gorgeous. Just a hint of maturity. Fresh vibrant and just enough sweetness.

Madeira Incognito - name is a joke. Most of the labels, including vintage are blacked out. Only an importer tag that says it is made by Justino. He had no idea what or when it it is. Dark brown and some nice notes but seemed past. Smoky.

1924 Zimmerman Tokaji Aszu 4 Puttonyos 500ml - Auburn brown. Alluring, astounding nose. Juicy and a touch of fruit. Amazing. A real treat and for me more provocative than the Madeira.

[Greg_Kramer]

[Greg_Kramer]

[Neal.Mollen]

I spy Waldo/@Nick_Christie.

[Nick_Christie]

My new friend Clemens leads off with a good summary of our eclectic mixture of differing wine palates and backgrounds. And we had so much fun. Greg is quite right: It felt like we were hanging out in someone’s kitchen with top-end comfort food and truly unique lineup of wines .

Those of us coming from far away to celebrate Dan were so glad we made the trip. Seeing his nose in the glass of a 100-yr old Tokaji was a real joy.

I took more detailed notes/comparisons on the Red Flights, so I’m going to focus my recap on that side of our two mixed cases.

The 1971s

Greg’s love for the Tayac is adorable . And he wasn’t alone, as there were a few others with a real joy for this little engine that could. My palate is more akin to David’s, in that I found the old Claret perfume charming but the actual wine leaning heavily thin. It was fun to google this historical site on the edge of Margaux & with history back to the Hundred Year’s war. This wine was quite the survivor.

The Ausone was genuinely breathtaking. This had a phenomenal mouthfeel & texture. Lush in the mouth. And that lushness allowed some of those right-bank perfumes of lilac or lavender come out in gentle hints when held in the mid-palate. Very classy finish.

I wager that outside of France, this particular bottle has strong claim to be the most pristine bottle of '71 Ausone one could come across. Were the front-end aromatics more dynamic and revealing to match its overall velvet, one could talk about this wine in the same breath of a Cheval Blanc. It was a revelation and in my top-3 red wines of the evening.

I’m trying to think of folks that might have some experience with this era Ausone… @Tim_McCracken or @Mark_Golodetz, maybe? I’d be curious for thoughts on other 70 or 71s. I certainly had never had a 70s era Ausone before.

(*Insert Edit: Oh, my fellow southern local Karl did, indeed, post a note on the '70 back in April. A good read. More of a fight with the bottle, tho. Which is what Mark responded as the norm).

The Calis

I adore this era of Mayacamas, and this 1991 was totally my tempo. A wonderful mixture of California juiciness & intensity but so refined with a (legitimate) 12.5% profile. Dark-fruited and hints of dark soil & maybe garden floor on the nose. Beautiful, lushness in its body. Really just hitting its mid-life stride.

The 1988 I had two years back was probably more ‘elegant’, but this wine was totally beautiful. Along with the '98 Palmer (notes below) this was the sexiest of the Cabs, but this has a smoother finish compared with the Palmer’s '98-ness.

I’ve had this era Burgess before, and while this 1984 was alive and well, it didn’t quite have the harmony. Both this and the Spottswoode (birthyear for me) were high-acid, low alcohol cabs whose acid was a little overflowing through the wine and into the finish. Fun to try, but merely ‘good’ compared with the beautiful textures on offer from the best reds of the evening.

1998 Palmer

Very strong showing from this charming wine. Served in the middle of the Cab flights. Wonderfully high-class mouthfeel, very easy transition from aromatics into the mid-palate. The longer it was open (and particularly when tried alongside the Mayacamas), the coarse-pencil finish of the vintage became a little stronger, but that roughness on the finish is a minor quibble. And frankly only accentuated given the performance of other wines.

Excellent with the lamb, as Greg notes. An evening with beautiful, rustic lamb and a fabulous bottle of '98 Palmer is a joy in its own right. Let alone as part of a larger evening of mature reds.

1994 Unico & 1989 Pegau

On pure aromatics, one could argue The Vega was the best performing wine of the evening (unless you’re shoveling the horse barn in Black Tie, a la Greg ). Greg officially has my favorite note of the evening, by the way. (Chef’s Kiss) Brevity, Clarity & peak Evocative note taking at its best .

Lovely hints of roast meats & layered dust & hints of spices. The wine itself was a demanding 20 more years tho. Very intense in its size (still only 13.5%). Not ‘hot’ at all, and with a lovely area of spicy pepper perfume on the finish. Just enormous and the size becomes a hindrance after so many other mature reds. Aromatics were a joy, though. As this wine will be at age 50, I have no doubt.

The full stable of Pegau is actually not quite my tempo these days, but it’s very fun to see the joy on the faces for whom it most certainly is . Many were raving about the effect of its unique, eclectic brand of elegant funk. So, the bottle was an excellent showing.

Fin

My favorite picture was Dan with his nose of that once-in-a-lifetime 1924 Tokaji. David got the cork out in a remarkably smooth manner, and its blend of molasses & other flavors was very pleasant. Touching History as it were.

The '01 Yquem was obviously great, as it always is. But there is also a special smile for the soul when tasting through the looking glass into different era.

[Karl_K]

Nice notes, Greg.

Nice notes, Nick.

Nice party, Dan.

Not 1971, but I put up a note on 1970 Ausone earlier in the year.

[David_W1]

Glad I could clarify the proper pronunciation of “Climens” for you Nick…wouldn’t want you wandering around pronouncing it like some kind of redneck who has just tasted 24 wines

Great notes, and the shot of Dan with the '24 is awesome.

[Dan_Kravitz]

My thanks to everybody who came, I can say a Good Time was Had by All.

First I have to thank Taverna Khione. I’ve been touting this restaurant for years, I think this is the first time any board members got there, and everybody seemed to agree. Food quality, service and warmth of welcome are all absolutely outstanding. A special note to board foodies who hang out in Portland: This, as Michelin would say, is worth a detour.

Taverna Khione can seat 24 people, but that makes it a little crowded. When I had 21 people signed up, I stopped. Board member Mark Mickalide told me he was running half an hour late, then finally canceled, held up by a customer. My friends Bonnie and Chuck wound up having family Stuff, so we were 17. The restaurant staff tasted all of the wines, a few of the wines were not good, so we pretty much kept it to a bottle per person.

I had planned six sets of side-by-side comparisons, three each white and red. Then everybody opened whatever else they wanted. Here are my limited notes, no scores, but my favorites listed in order:

2009 Rhys Alpine Chardonnay
2009 Rhys Horseshoe Chardonnay
The Alpine might have been slightly corked, not much fruit. Also rather soft. Not a good showing. The Horseshoe was excellent, still rather pale and fresh, floral, grassy, hint of ginger, very intricate.

2008 Terrien Wines Chardonnay
2008 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains
The Terrien was very good, solid, maybe just a little stolid. There was some evident oak, but everything else was in place, it’s mature but not old, drink over the next few years. The Mount Eden was better, younger, with cut and clarity, a clear step up from the Terrien.

2000 Domaine Lamy-Pillot Montrachet
1995 Domaine Lamy-Pillot Montrachet
The 2000 was extremely dead. The 1995 was very fine. It was showing some age, normal for 29 years. It had real weight and depth, plenty of ripe fruit (bartlett pear), a floral hint. Excellent.

2002 Hanzell Chardonnay
2014 Caves Duplessis Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
2010 Cave de Tain Hermitage Blanc
2006 Louis Michel Chablis Grand Cru Vaudesir
2019 Guiberteau Saumur Blanc Breze
The Hanzell was solid, balanced, a fine reliable trouper that provided pleasure and was great with the halibut. Drink over the next few years.
The Duplessis was outstanding, with cut, clarity, freshness, intensity, balance, fruit, flowers, everything. It opened over sips, and is still very young, peak in 5 – 10+ years.
I didn’t taste the Hermitage, I drink it regularly for breakfast.
The Louis Michel was not showing at its best; no obvious flaws but a little dull, maybe at 18 years past its prime.
The Guiberteau was outstanding, reminiscent of a top level Savennieres. I should drink more dry Chenin, but this one is hard to beat.

My top three whites in order:
2014 Domaine Duplessis Chablis ‘Les Clos’ Grand Cru
2009 Rhys Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains, Horseshoe Vineyard
1995 Domaine Lamy-Pillot Montrachet Grand Cru

1971 Chateau Tayac Cotes de Bourg ‘Prestige’
1971 Chateau Ausone Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe
This was hands down the most astonishing pairing. I sure the Tayac would be dead and almost sure the Ausone would be. Wrong and wrong.
The Tayac was light, slightly faded, but simply beautiful. This Bourg Chateau is a geographic oddity with a stretch of gravel planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, the majority of this bottling.
This vintage of Ausone had gotten bad reviews, but I figured that an excellent vintage and old-fashioned winemaking gave it a shot. It was bigger, darker, fresher than the Tayac, a very nice bottle, but not great.

1984 Burgess Vintage Select Cabernet
1982 Spottswoode Cabernet
The Burgess was good but past peak and a little lost among other better wines. The Spottswoode was excellent. It’s St Helena, not Rutherford, but I thought I picked up some Rutherford dust, along with a breadth and beauty reminiscent of a very fine Saint Julien.

1991 Girard Cab Reserve
1991 Mayacamas Cabernet
The Girard was lovely, good balance, plenty of fruit, perfectly aged at 33 years. Drink now. The Mayacamas was better, far more intensity, youthful vigor, mountain muscle but very polite, with beautiful black fruits. This could evolve for a decade or more.

1989 Pegau Reservee
1998 Chateau Palmer
1994 Vega Sicilia Unico
The Pegau was a glory, brimming with fresh, lively red fruit, barnyard in the deep background, lots of weight, lots of power, exceptionally harmonious.
The Palmer was also excellent, it had typical Palmer finesse but there was a puzzling slight rustic edge.
The Vega Sicilia was still young at 30 years, redolent of black fruit with a lovely herbal border.

My top 3 reds:
1989 Domaine du Pegau ‘Cuvee Reservee’ (also my WOTN)
1991 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
1994 Vega Sicilia Ribera del Duero ‘Unico’

No notes on the dessert wines, but the d’Yquem was clearly very great wine just coming into its own. The Tokaji and the Madeira were both in fine fettle. I didn’t even know the Bonzo had been opened; it was past my bedtime.

[Mike_Grammer]

Reading this warms my heart on a cold Philly day. Wonderful notes and also pics. This is my kind of vicarious living

Sante

Mike

[Rich_Brown]