A wine dinner 18 months in the making thanks to innumerable COVID cancellations finally came together where eight of us shared 10+ year old Pinot Noir, a mini vertical of 70s La Mission Haut Brion, and 20+ year old New World Cabernet or Bordeaux blended wines
The Opener
-
2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut - France, Champagne
Nose: Bright aromas of citrus zest
Palate: Creamy and lively with restrained acidity; a wonderful blend of apple, light apricot, and green citrus; soft minerality showing great structure and finesse
Finish: Savory cream and citrus with medium length
Admittedly I have comparatively limited critical exposure to sparkling wines but this was the finest Champagne I have tasted. What a start to the night.
Aged Pinot Noir
-
2005 Rapet Père et Fils Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Ile des Vergelesses - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru
Needed 90 minutes of air to open up but when it did it was a joy.
Color: Garnet with hints of orange
Nose: Classic Rapet notes of earthy tomato (can’t believe this was true but it was), red berries, and cedar
Palate: Medium body but fulsome notes of strawberries and soil with a dusting of chalk; a well-crafted wine
Finish: Solid finish (30 seconds) with earthy notes of red berries
Wine of the flight; Drink now or in the next few years. (92 pts.) -
2009 Aston Estate Pinot Noir - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Double decant 90 minutes before serving; Could have used 2 hours or more.
Color: Solid and dense coloring of dark blackberry; would have guessed a 3 year old Napa Cabernet on looks alone
Nose: Ask someone else because I hate dill and I hate American oak and that overwhelmed anything I could pick up; The aromas integrated hours later but I had given up on the nose of this wine by this point
Palate: Big and chewy; Excellent and softening flavors of ripe black raspberry and black cherry with a note of spice. Comparatively simple and more straightforward relative to the 05 Burgundy but no less flavorful. If you like Thomas Rivers Brown you will like this wine. Good thing I like TRB.
Finish: Long and flavorful.
Good tonight; this wine can easily age another 5+ years with little fear of falling off. -
2011 Domaine Alain Michelot Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Charrieres - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru
Double decant two hours in advance. Could use at least three hours but better yet wait a couple years.
Nose: Fresh, young red candied cherries. Bright and floral. Very concentrated.
Palate: A quality wine displaying a wall of flavors: cherry, red raspberry, meat notes, mineral and leather notes. This wine can go for hours on end.
Finish: Somewhat stunted tonight but flavorful and medium length.
This wine has the highest ceiling – if you let it age a bit – of the Pinots tasted on the night. (91 pts.)
20+ Year Old Cabernet or Bordeaux – Mini-Vertical La Mission Haut Brion
-
1970 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Perfect Provenance. Slo-ox 2.5 hours before sampling.
Color: Medium garnet color showing its age.
Nose: Aromatic and fulsome; Earth, old leather, and tobacco
Palate: Feminine and delicious. Fully integrated tannins. Great complexity, finesse and structure – earthy red fruits, subtle tobacco, and cassis. A wine lacking nothing.
Finish: Long and fulsome.
Stunning wine. Wish I could have savored this wine for hours. Provenance matters.
Tied for Wine of the Flight.
My Wine of The Night (WOTN); 2nd place overall but received the same # of 1st place votes as the winner. (98 pts.) -
1975 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Perfect provenance. Slo-ox 3 hours before sampling.
Color: Ruby and vibrant. Looked like a youthful 2000 vintage.
Nose: Opulent, mature cassis, truffle, and tobacco; still can’t believe how young this wine is showing
Palate: Masculine, rich, full-bodied and sinewy. Classic Bordeaux in every sense: pencil lead, soft leather, red cherries, smoldering wood, cigar box. Integrated tannins and bold structure with a craftsman’s finesse.
Finish: Fabulous long finish.
A brilliant showing. This is a wine that can go for many many more years to come. Provenance matters.
Tied for Wine of the Flight.
Wine of the Night. (96 pts.) -
1978 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Perfect provenance. Slo-ox 3 hours before sampling.
Color: Medium ruby with tinge of orange-brick rim
Nose: Lively truffle, tobacco, and cedar
Palate: Concentrated dark fruits: raspberries, cassis, and cherries. Notes of smoke, cinder, soft leather, cola, and gravel. A delightfully well-integrated wine drinking beautifully.
Finish: Medium length finish showing delightful notes of earthy cherries, tobacco, and cedar.
A joy of a wine that pales only relative to the two stunning wines ('70 LMHB and '75 LMHB) that preceded it. Provenance matters. (94 pts.)
20+ Year Old Cabernet or Bordeaux – California Dreamin’
-
1991 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Cork popped 12 hours in advance and then recorked. I believe double decanted 3 hours before serving.
Color: Dark ruby; very concentrated
Nose: Classic Heitz Martha’s aromas of eucalyptus, menthol, and tarragon;
Palate: Big but well-integrated. A restrained powerhouse. Excellent balance. Notes of soft blackberry and cassis with a lovely, sweet earthiness.
Finish: Long and flavorful.
An absolutely fantastic wine. The Napa style I fell in love with.
Wine of the flight. My 3rd place wine of the night. (94 pts.) -
1994 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
Slo-ox 2.5 hours before serving.
Color: Dense, dark blackberry.
Nose: Aged leather, cedar and graphite.
Palate: Full bodied, muscular, and concentrated. Well woven flavors of black cherry, blackcurrants, and blackberries. Excellent balance of rich flavors and enjoyable earthiness. An elegant wine with a plush mouthfeel.
Finish: Long and silky.
A great wine. New world fruit in an old world style. The way California wines should be! (93 pts.) -
2001 Morgenster - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
This was served blind as a mystery wine to the group.
45% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Cabernet Franc
Color: Mature, dark red cherry
Nose: Rustic aromas. Lightly sweet blackberry with hints of green bell pepper.
Palate: medium+ body; There was a subtle vibrancy to the flavors that danced lovingly tonight – mature blackcurrants with notes of red cherry and tobacco.
Finish: Enjoyably long finish of lightly sweet black cherry.
The group guessed this was a Cabernet based wine though most knew it was not from California. Impressively this garnered multiple votes and placed 3rd as Wine of the Night. The Heitz Martha’s was nearly a tie for 3rd place. (93 pts.)
The Closer
-
1981 Château Raymond-Lafon - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Color: Brilliant dark copper and amber. Really beautiful.
Nose: Opulent aromas of apricot and honeysuckle
Palate: Powerful, nutty, and jammy. Notes of caramel and apricot; A dessert wine’s dessert wine.
Finish: Robust.
A fun companion to the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blanc that I revisited
4.5 hours later a night of amazing wines and even better company concluded with everyone hazily stumbling into the midnight Charlotte air. It took a long time to come together but it was worth the wait.
Posted from CellarTracker
