Last night my tasting group met at the home of BBer John V. to taste thru a lineup of 2005 Dom. Laurent Burgundies. We suspected going in that they might be tight and unforgiving but we were wrong. They were way more closed up than that. Still, it proved to be an interesting tasting and a lot of fun. John also provided some interesting starters and finishing wines. All wines were served blind. They were popped and poured and enjoyed over two hours or so. There were some off bottles which made me note that I have had more corked Laurent wines than any other producer I think. Anyone else notice this? Bad luck I guess. As the wines were so tight, I assigned range scores instead of points.
2003 Jadot Batardd Montrachet Grand Cru
Golden in color. Uh oh. I know John drink them young and this was dark. A nose of Ginger and …, yup, premox. Not terrible, and I don’t mind oxidized wines as much as most it seems (too many Friulian oddballs?), but still, a disappointment. NR
1993 D. Laurent Grand Echezeaux
John opened this for a starter and thought it off. My first time trying, I disagreed but with air, I got a light note of TCA. Others did not, but for me, it was there all night long. Still, it was not bad and if pressed, I could have continued to drink it. NR
2004 Perrot Minot Chamberting Clos de Beze
John tried one more time. Slight purple with ruby in color. The nose has cherries and some anise and a bit of tarragon. I thought 04, but then I thought someone said it was an 03. On the palate, there is a ton of fresh cut oak. Cherries and more tarragon. Young. Some liked it more than I all though it was the oak that bothered me more than the green streak. I turned out to be an 04, and while one of the better 04’s I have had, count me in the group that is glad I did not buy many reds (I like the whites). 50+4+12+16+6=88
The 2005 Laurent’s:
2005 D Laurent Clos de la Roche Intra-Muros
Ruby in color, a bit flat. The nose is a bit sweaty with tart cherries. Tart cherries to match on the palate. Starting to open up more with air, but this was so tight and seemingly simple, I found nothing there. I suspect I like this a ton more in five years though. 87-90
2005 D Laurent Nuits Saints Georges Les Vaucrains 1er Cru
Corked and obviously so. Yet, there was a compelling wine underneath. Such that it got 2 2nd and 2 3rd place votes even by people who knew it was corked. I think a pristine bottle would have been the WOTN. A shame. NR
2005 D Laurent Morey Saint Denis
Light Ruby in color with some cherry red. A nose of black cherries. This is softer yet the finish is a bit rough. Most thought this to be a Village wine. It will improve for sure, but it is not destined for greatness. 85-87
2005 D Laurent Chambolle Musigny
Purple/ruby in color. The nose is complex but oh so tight. Spice, cherries and some vanilla. Silky cherries on the palate. This was the most open wine in my opinion. 90-92
2005 D Laurent Mazis Chambertin Grand Cru Cuvee B
Purple/ruby in color. The nose is tight with cherries, black olives, and oak. Layers but really tight. On the palate, this has black cherries, some cola and black licorice. Very Sonomaian. I really liked it, but it needs plenty of time to unwind. The group did not like it as much. 92-94
2005 D Laurent Morey Saint Denis Clos Sorbes 1er Cru
Ruby/purple in color. The nose is black cherries. Very tight on the palate with some black cherries. Seems to have stuffing but hard to get much. 89-91
2005 D Laurent Gevrey chambertin Laveaux St. Jacques
Ruby in color with slight purple tones. Slightly flat. The nose has a nice funk to it but also a hint of a plastic quality. 90-92
2005 D Laurent Vosne Romanee Les Suchots
Ruby/purple in color, shimmering bright. The nose has cherries and cherry Kool-aid® powder. On the palate, sweet fruit. The sweetest fruit of the night. Cherries and yet also the most powerful wine. The groups favorite by a wide amount. Not mine but right up there. 91-93
2005 D Laurent Clos Vougeot
John brought this out. I had been opened the night before. I thought it still just as tight as the wines on the table. It was good, but this is a vintage to bury in the cellar.
Dessert:
2005 Rieussec
Light gold in color. The nose has lots of pineapple. I did not get the usual cotton candy but Dale did (his telltale sign for Identifying Rieussec). Nice texture. Complex and young. This was quite good. Perhaps lacking (in a nit picking way) the acidity I would want. That said, I loved it. 50+4+14+18+8=94
1963 Grahams Vintrage Port (Whitwham & Co.)
I don’t have much experience with VP’s this old. Ruby/brown in color. The nose was very nice with raisins, slight chocolate and nuts. Complex on the nose and palate. The palate was shy on fruit and the alcohol was noticeable. Some heat on the finish. Very interesting wine. I would like to try more wines like this to get a feel for what to look for. Kind of ½ Madeira and ½ Port. I really enjoyed it. 50+3+13+18+7=91