TN: '17 Bitouzet-Prieur Meursault Perrières, '88 Giacosa Villero, '94 ZH PG VT Heimbourg

Ken_V · June 25, 2026, 6:45pm

DINNER WITH TOM - Châteauneuf-du-Salil, Albany, NY (6/24/2026)

Salil's friend and coauthor Tom was in town. After they did 2 days of work, I needed a reward. ;) So Salil made his fabulous chicken thighs, cauliflower, and string beans. Later there was a cheese course.

Main Course.
With Salil's fabulous chicken thighs, cauliflower, and string beans. Both wines took their time to shine.

2017 Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
[Opened at 5pm. Out of the fridge at 6pm.] Gorgeous nose of lemon custard and mineral spice. Rich, thick, complex, but tight. 93-??
8pm: Now it is really singing. The nose explodes from the glass. Expansive, super long, and just stunning. I am starting to agree with Salil that this vineyard is Grand Cru quality. (96 points)
1988 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Villero di Castiglione Falletto - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted at 3pm for about one hour. Threw a lot of sediment.] This needed a few hours to wake from it long slumber. At first (6pm), it seemed almost dead. By 8pm, it had come alive with rich mature cherry fruit and a hint of roses and forest floor. I recommend a good decant and a lot of air for this classic 1988 Barolo. (93 points)

There was a 3rd wine which is not in CellarTracker: A blend of leftovers from a 2016 Barolo luncheon from 4 days previous. It was really good. Classic 2016 Barolo, rich, intense, complex, amazing, and still quite young even after 4 days. Here are the 14 2016 Barolos:

I will eventually post notes on those wines individually.

Cheese Course.
With Harbison and St. Stephen Four Fat Fowl.

1994 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Heimbourg Vendange Tardive - France, Alsace
[Pop and pour. Served with a cheese course.] Gorgeous nose of honey, brown sugar, and orange zest. Plenty of rich, complex honeyed botrytis on the long finish. This went brilliantly with two rich cheeses: Harbison and St. Stephen Four Fat Fowl. (97 points)

A wonderful evening with lots of talk about wine and the Knicks. Excuse me, the World Champion New York Knicks!!!

Posted from CellarTracker.

salilb · June 25, 2026, 9:14pm

That was a lot of fun. I loved the Giacosa, I think perhaps slightly more than you did. I thought it was really outstanding with some air (but as we discussed, I also really like that slightly leaner/more austere profile from '88, likely more than most). The aromatics were really something by the end of the evening - really savoury and complex with so much earth/tar/dried roses and a slight leathery note.

The Meursault was tremendous. I opened a bottle of the '16 earlier this year with Rebecca and Jay Hack, thought it was similarly outstanding. I’ve said before that I think Perrieres produces wines with the breadth and depth I expect from grand crus, when in the right hands (and not just Roulot), and this was another example for me. Such a great wine after it had some air/time to really show its cards.