TN: La Tache dinner - 50, 53, 69, 85, 88, 89, 90, 93, 95, 96, 98 and 05

Peter_Hirsch · June 10, 2014, 4:45pm

Great notes, amazing wines. Nice to see people Living Right!!! Great stuff…

Peter_Chiu · June 10, 2014, 4:56pm

Yes - agree. Don’t face the full moon with empty glass.

Peter_C · June 10, 2014, 4:56pm

No Domaine Serene Evanstad or Brewer Clifton as ringers?

scott_c · June 10, 2014, 5:49pm

What an amazing dinner that I was honored to be a part of. The wines were of course amazing, but it also was really fun to meet the traveling winos Jon and Don, and also Ken who made the equally arduous trip across the Potomac for the occasion.

I didn’t take notes like Kevin, but it’s interesting to note a couple places where we differ, e.g.:

I thought the Krug outshone the Salon that night, however maybe it was just because it was the first bottle I’ve had of 96 Krug, and I’ve had the Salon several times, so the newness won out; at any rate, the Salon seemed simple compared to the dazzling complexity of the Krug
The Carrilon BBM was my favorite white, but mostly because it had the most acidity and minerality (to me), which is my preference
I may have slightly prefered the '96 to the '95 (again, acid!), but they were both fantastic
'88-90 was my favorite “era” – not sure whether that’s due to a string of great vintages, or that 25 years is my “sweet spot” for drinking La Tache!

Anyway, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as we all agreed. (Until next year!)

CFu · June 10, 2014, 5:56pm

scott c l a f f e e:

What an amazing dinner that I was honored to be a part of. The wines were of course amazing, but it also was really fun to meet the traveling winos Jon and Don, and also Ken who made the equally arduous trip across the Potomac for the occasion.

I didn’t take notes like Kevin, but it’s interesting to note a couple places where we differ, e.g.:

I thought the Krug outshone the Salon that night, however maybe it was just because it was the first bottle I’ve had of 96 Krug, and I’ve had the Salon several times, so the newness won out; at any rate, the Salon seemed simple compared to the dazzling complexity of the Krug

The Carrilon BBM was my favorite white, but mostly because it had the most acidity and minerality (to me), which is my preference

I may have slightly prefered the '96 to the '95 (again, acid!), but they were both fantastic

- '88-90 was my favorite “era” – not sure whether that’s due to a string of great vintages, or that 25 years is my “sweet spot” for drinking La Tache!

Anyway, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as we all agreed. (Until next year!)

my sweet spot is any time I have a corkscrew

Beau_Carufel · June 10, 2014, 6:30pm

Thank you for posting these notes, sounds like a truly special night.

Ken_McNamara · June 10, 2014, 7:27pm

John Morris:

Kevin Shin:

1953 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche[/url] - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
Initially pine resin/VA and a hint of madeira. A bit of advanced nose, remnant of strawberry. The palate also shows a bit of oxidation. With air, the wine regained the composure becoming very similar to the 50 but not quite, a bit more noticeable strawberry fruits, perfume, tree bark and coffee. Soft and round palate, a hint of madeira, toffee, no sign of tannins and medium finish. I believe I was the only one who liked the wine. I love to drink another bottle but doubt my chance. (95 pts.)

Kevin – This is my favorite part of your post. After all the gushing tasting notes from Kapon/AM&C, Jay McInerney et al describing implausibly impeccable bottles of old DRC and other treasures – all fake – it’s nice to read someone saying a bottle had seen better days. Your guarantee of authenticity!

Sadly, our '53 was a classic example of volatile acidity with an extreme acetone nose IMO. I am impressed with Kevin hanging in with the bottle to pick out other notes! Of all faults, volatile acidity is the most offensive to me. My wife and daughter are not allowed to use fingernail polish remover in the house when I am home!

Phil_Stice · June 10, 2014, 7:33pm

So I’ve had this impression about 05s being a little shut down at the present as well. I was listening to Levi Dalton’s podcast with Guillaume d’Angerville in which he thought his 05s were in a weird spot and tight at the moment. That confirmed the most recent bottle of 05 d’Angerville Champans tasted that was absolutely hard as a rock. I’m wondering what are peoples thoughts who have opened 05 Burgs recently? Maybe this deserves a new thread?

Marc_Frontario · June 10, 2014, 8:03pm

Sweet baby Jesus…u know it’s an epic evening when an '01 D’Yquem is popped and a tasting note is not even a consideration…WOW

k_s_h_i_n · June 10, 2014, 8:27pm

We moved on to the rooftop so taking TN was more or less impossible. I wish I could as the 01 D’Yquem consistently flirts with perfection.

Andy_B · June 10, 2014, 8:43pm

What a fantastic event. Thanks for taking the time to document and share your experience.
My experience is limited, but other the '85 DRC are much better than that vintage of la Tache.

Anthony_Hall · June 10, 2014, 9:03pm

Thanks for posting Kevin. Sadly getting harder to do these sort of dinners these days so one to cherish.

Jeremy_Holmes · June 10, 2014, 10:31pm

Fantastic Dinner Kevin. Glad those older bottles showed well for you.

Best Regards
Jeremy

dcornutt · June 10, 2014, 10:59pm

The 01 Yquem was extraordinary.
I love the 89. I have had that many times. To me I like it more than 1990. This night was no different. The 2001 was young and unevolved. A very light golden color with crystalline purity. Also on another planet even at this young point.

Perfection in balance of acid, sweetness and fruit. I thought it extraordinary even though we were in party mode by that time. Just a rough take from me. FWIW.

dcornutt · June 10, 2014, 11:03pm

Ken,
When this was initially opened, I thought the VA would blow off. The underneath red fruit was something.
Unfortunately, it didn’t really change that much. I could see this being something else with a sound bottle with less volatility .
Sorry I missed you on Saturday.
Thanks for the rain check!

Hank_Gillespie · June 10, 2014, 11:14pm

Congratulations on assembling the wines and participants for this fabulous tasting, Kevin !

Hank

Mike_Evans · June 10, 2014, 11:42pm

Interesting take on the 1989, but I can’t say I disagree. On release, my preference of the remarkable three vintage run from Yquem was 1988, 1990, and then a fair drop to the 1989. The 1989 seemed to lack the acidity and brightness that I look for in great vintages of Yquem, too sweet with more obvious tropical fruit.

In a blind tasting a couple of years ago, though, I guessed that the 1989 was a 1988 Climens because of the subtle sweetness, acidic structure, pure fruit, and minerality. Needless to say, I’m not as confident in my initial judgment as I once was.

Jonathan_Favre · June 11, 2014, 12:03am

What a great trip to D.C. with the family ! This all started out a while back with Kevin and I going back and forth about ideas. '11 burgs - Nahhhhh. Tache = heck yeah! Special thanks to Ken and Kevin for setting this stuff up and it was fabulous meeting everyone including Ken, Kevin, RJ (loved the Cubans!), Adam, Jim, Justin, Don (again :p!), Scott, Reginald, and Barry. Super cool group you got going there and sure do wish I lived closer. If I did I would surely be blamed a lot for instigating such dinners several times per year :p. Sending my wines ahead was kind of tricky but it all worked out well - getting several bottles to the fine folks there to share. Capella was VERY good and Corduroy the next night was FABULOUS! DC is a wonderful town and showed us very good weather over the past 6 days.

I can’t add anything to Kevin’s notes - spot on. I attempted to jot down my thoughts at the beginning but then just watched Kevin dutifully write his . Kevin and I sat next to each other so our thought were shared throughout the night - thx Kevin and sorry Stuart for not writing my own :p. Haaaaaa. A dinner with such a set of wines is meant to be done this way - the best way IMHO to get a feel for the different vintages and style of wine. Loved it!

The '96 Salon and Krug to start were stellar - loved the Krug equally to the Salon which was the first time I could say that. The Krug was bright and airy and the Salon is a massive beast. The '08 Leflaive Batard was very nice and I continue to like the '08s from Leflaive. The '11 Leflaive Chevy was tight and really didn’t give much until later in the dinner - it performed wonderfully from my glass then. The set of Tache bottles were all meant to be drank together!!! The '50 was full of roses and savory beef juices to start - tingly tannins and a long finish. Perfect old bottle of burgundy which really impressed me. The '53 and '69 were less impressive but still gave - I’ve had better bottles of '69 before. I told Kevin that I was more anxious to taste the '09 Coche Perrieres at the beginning of the dinner - it was IMPRESSIVE and gained over the entire evening. The '89 Carillon BBM is the second time in the past 3-4 months I’ve sampled it - special wine and perfectly aged now. The '92 Leflaive Batard was impressive and also a bottle from Europe - perfect example of this and another example of how '92 whites can impress now. I just loved the '88 and '89 Tache bottles with a slight edge to the '89 for me - it just had more stuffing and balance IMHO. The '95 and '96 Tache bottles were AWESOME - the '95 was the best I’ve had from this vintage and the '96 was so well balanced with adequate acid and balance viscosity. Loved the '96 better from this set with the '98 just being blaaaaah. The '93 is such a poised bottle of wine that needs more time - just wait!! The '90 is the second to last bottle that I have and it’s still so young - a legend for sure. The '05 is a massive and expressive beast that is and will be a legend from burgundy for decades to come. The '01 d’Yquem is a legend and was fully appreciated sitting up on the deck - slowing sipping this nectar of the gods. Finally, the 2002 SALON!!! I was also super stoked to taste this and I may even like this better than the '96 at the same stage. Just wait until you taste it - crack one soon if you have any or if you’re thinking about buying any.

I’m finally back home! The group there in the greater D.C. area is fabulous and I can’t wait until the next time. I need to get my notes up from a fabulous dinner the following night at Corduroy also - stay tuned!

B_Buzzini · June 11, 2014, 12:11am

Jonathan Favre:

What a great trip to D.C. with the family ! This all started out a while back with Kevin and I going back and forth about ideas. '11 burgs - Nahhhhh. Tache = heck yeah! Special thanks to Ken and Kevin for setting this stuff up and it was fabulous meeting everyone including Ken, Kevin, RJ (loved the Cubans!), Adam, Jim, Justin, Don (again :p!), Scott, Reginald, and Barry. Super cool group you got going there and sure do wish I lived closer. If I did I would surely be blamed a lot for instigating such dinners several times per year :p. Sending my wines ahead was kind of tricky but it all worked out well - getting several bottles to the fine folks there to share. Capella was VERY good and Corduroy the next night was FABULOUS! DC is a wonderful town and showed us very good weather over the past 6 days.

I can’t add anything to Kevin’s notes - spot on. I attempted to jot down my thoughts at the beginning but then just watched Kevin dutifully write his . Kevin and I sat next to each other so our thought were shared throughout the night - thx Kevin and sorry Stuart for not writing my own :p. Haaaaaa. A dinner with such a set of wines is meant to be done this way - the best way IMHO to get a feel for the different vintages and style of wine. Loved it!

The '96 Salon and Krug to start were stellar - loved the Krug equally to the Salon which was the first time I could say that. The Krug was bright and airy and the Salon is a massive beast. The '08 Leflaive Batard was very nice and I continue to like the '08s from Leflaive. The '11 Leflaive Chevy was tight and really didn’t give much until later in the dinner - it performed wonderfully from my glass then. The set of Tache bottles were all meant to be drank together!!! The '50 was full of roses and savory beef juices to start - tingly tannins and a long finish. Perfect old bottle of burgundy which really impressed me. The '53 and '69 were less impressive but still gave - I’ve had better bottles of '69 before. I told Kevin that I was more anxious to taste the '09 Coche Perrieres at the beginning of the dinner - it was IMPRESSIVE and gained over the entire evening. The '89 Carillon BBM is the second time in the past 3-4 months I’ve sampled it - special wine and perfectly aged now. The '92 Leflaive Batard was impressive and also a bottle from Europe - perfect example of this and another example of how '92 whites can impress now. I just loved the '88 and '89 Tache bottles with a slight edge to the '89 for me - it just had more stuffing and balance IMHO. The '95 and '96 Tache bottles were AWESOME - the '95 was the best I’ve had from this vintage and the '96 was so well balanced with adequate acid and balance viscosity. Loved the '96 better from this set with the '98 just being blaaaaah. The '93 is such a poised bottle of wine that needs more time - just wait!! The '90 is the second to last bottle that I have and it’s still so young - a legend for sure. The '05 is a massive and expressive beast that is and will be a legend from burgundy for decades to come. The '01 d’Yquem is a legend and was fully appreciated sitting up on the deck - slowing sipping this nectar of the gods. Finally, the 2002 SALON!!! I was also super stoked to taste this and I may even like this better than the '96 at the same stage. Just wait until you taste it - crack one soon if you have any or if you’re thinking about buying any.

I’m finally back home! The group there in the greater D.C. area is fabulous and I can’t wait until the next time. I need to get my notes up from a fabulous dinner the following night at Corduroy also - stay tuned!

Aaaahhhhhhh…makes sense now…YOU were there!!!

CFu · June 11, 2014, 12:14am

B. Buzzini:

Jonathan Favre:

What a great trip to D.C. with the family ! This all started out a while back with Kevin and I going back and forth about ideas. '11 burgs - Nahhhhh. Tache = heck yeah! Special thanks to Ken and Kevin for setting this stuff up and it was fabulous meeting everyone including Ken, Kevin, RJ (loved the Cubans!), Adam, Jim, Justin, Don (again :p!), Scott, Reginald, and Barry. Super cool group you got going there and sure do wish I lived closer. If I did I would surely be blamed a lot for instigating such dinners several times per year :p. Sending my wines ahead was kind of tricky but it all worked out well - getting several bottles to the fine folks there to share. Capella was VERY good and Corduroy the next night was FABULOUS! DC is a wonderful town and showed us very good weather over the past 6 days.

I can’t add anything to Kevin’s notes - spot on. I attempted to jot down my thoughts at the beginning but then just watched Kevin dutifully write his . Kevin and I sat next to each other so our thought were shared throughout the night - thx Kevin and sorry Stuart for not writing my own :p. Haaaaaa. A dinner with such a set of wines is meant to be done this way - the best way IMHO to get a feel for the different vintages and style of wine. Loved it!

The '96 Salon and Krug to start were stellar - loved the Krug equally to the Salon which was the first time I could say that. The Krug was bright and airy and the Salon is a massive beast. The '08 Leflaive Batard was very nice and I continue to like the '08s from Leflaive. The '11 Leflaive Chevy was tight and really didn’t give much until later in the dinner - it performed wonderfully from my glass then. The set of Tache bottles were all meant to be drank together!!! The '50 was full of roses and savory beef juices to start - tingly tannins and a long finish. Perfect old bottle of burgundy which really impressed me. The '53 and '69 were less impressive but still gave - I’ve had better bottles of '69 before. I told Kevin that I was more anxious to taste the '09 Coche Perrieres at the beginning of the dinner - it was IMPRESSIVE and gained over the entire evening. The '89 Carillon BBM is the second time in the past 3-4 months I’ve sampled it - special wine and perfectly aged now. The '92 Leflaive Batard was impressive and also a bottle from Europe - perfect example of this and another example of how '92 whites can impress now. I just loved the '88 and '89 Tache bottles with a slight edge to the '89 for me - it just had more stuffing and balance IMHO. The '95 and '96 Tache bottles were AWESOME - the '95 was the best I’ve had from this vintage and the '96 was so well balanced with adequate acid and balance viscosity. Loved the '96 better from this set with the '98 just being blaaaaah. The '93 is such a poised bottle of wine that needs more time - just wait!! The '90 is the second to last bottle that I have and it’s still so young - a legend for sure. The '05 is a massive and expressive beast that is and will be a legend from burgundy for decades to come. The '01 d’Yquem is a legend and was fully appreciated sitting up on the deck - slowing sipping this nectar of the gods. Finally, the 2002 SALON!!! I was also super stoked to taste this and I may even like this better than the '96 at the same stage. Just wait until you taste it - crack one soon if you have any or if you’re thinking about buying any.

I’m finally back home! The group there in the greater D.C. area is fabulous and I can’t wait until the next time. I need to get my notes up from a fabulous dinner the following night at Corduroy also - stay tuned!

Aaaahhhhhhh…makes sense now…YOU were there!!!

get facebook old man.