Dinner at La Vista with my brother and my best friend as my time in Houston winds down (moving back to Austin this weekend.)
2009 Domaine Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes
opened at 5:30PM for 15 minutes, resealed and then opened at dinner at 6:30PM.
bright light yellow color, on first opening very big and unwieldy- intense nose and overwhelming bread notes on the palate, at dinner an hour later- intense spicy brioche nose, on the palate substantial with a deft cut on the lengthy finish, very primary, over the course of 2 hours became more approachable but remained completely unevolved, at first a slight touch of warmth on the tail end but that disappeared as this sorted itself out, blood oranges, lemons, hints of white flowers, despite its intensity it became quite elegant with time, bready, earthy, lusty wine, less open and more substantial than the excellent 2007, in fact this is one of the finest Chenevottes I have ever had from anyone, great depth here- with the acid to match, if this is any indicator (and I hope it is) Niellon has had a knockout vintage in 2009.
(****)+, probably 5 stars but still very tight and a bit hard to read, 2014-2019+
2000 Phelps Insignia
opened on arrival at the restaurant and served after 30 minutes of airing
bright deep red color, lush cassis and cedar on the nose, hints of spice from the oak, on the palate cassis and cherry notes, fully open and very approachable, buttery texture to the fruit with hints of cloves, dark fruits and chocolate, with time became almost velvety, still primary and with potential to mellow and develop some complexity with age- but I love this now while it still has so much of its youthful vibrance, the oak on the finish is a bit more than I usually like personally- but it is in its proper place and in this particular case I like its contribution to the overall picture, just flat out good wine that worked well with all the courses presented.
***+, now to 2015++, this will surely hold a long time but my personal preference is to enjoy now.