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

B_Buzzini · June 11, 2014, 12:24am

Charlie Fu:

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.

Damn…I’m missing out! I might just have to cave in to this social media stuff! I do own fb stock though!

Ed_Gonzales · June 11, 2014, 12:32am

wow. fantastic lineup gents!

l]

Lou_Kessler · June 11, 2014, 12:46am

I totally approve! Thanks for posting.

alan_weinberg · June 11, 2014, 12:53am

I have been lucky to have had most of those LTs, but not the two oldest and not all at the same time. I am surprised how good the 89 was, not at all surprised by the 90, surprised the 95 wasn’t harder, not surprised that 96 need more time.

99 is for me one of the greatest LTs and I had the fortune to taste it in barrel at DRC. Taste that one next time!

LT is my favorite wine but current pricing precludes more than an occasional bottle.

Kudos for pulling off such a great night.

A mixed case of 90 included 3 b of LT and one b of RC, cost $2000 on release for the 12 bottle case. 90 LT was about $250 per b on release.

88 DRC was dumped on the market for a fraction of usual price and led to Leroy’s ouster from her DRC board position and is an interesting story in itself.

But I digress . . .

NoahR · June 11, 2014, 1:37am

When any of you DC Winos need another local to help empty your glasses, I mean, ahem, share fine tasting experiences , PM me. Great notes!

paul_hanna · June 11, 2014, 1:54am

Fabulous lineup Kevin.

Thanks for the great write up.

Shame you didn’t have a '99 to put alongside the '05, they are a fascinating pair, and I’m still not sure which one will turn out better…

Mike_During · June 11, 2014, 2:00am

Great tasting. Pleased to see the 95 do so well, it was my first La Tache purchase and I always thought it great, preferring it to some other “better” vintages, it is all gone now. Of course very pleased to have a couple of bottles of the 05 among other recent vintages. Not everyday wines.
Cheers Mike

Rick.T · June 11, 2014, 2:40am

Wow. Thanks for posting your notes Kevin & crew. What an incredible lineup; I’m saving those notes to help guide my first LT purchase.

todd_waldmann · June 11, 2014, 3:01am

Wow guys! Great job! So that’s the reason I’ve been seeing family vacation pictures of M. Favre in DC…

Jonathan_Favre · June 11, 2014, 3:11am

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!)

It was great meeting you Scott and can’t wait until next time! You will have to toss the tie next time also . Promise - I’ll send ahead a nice set of wines to share that will not disappoint.

Jonathan_Favre · June 11, 2014, 3:12am

Way to much wine? What is this nonsense Raymond ?

Jonathan_Favre · June 11, 2014, 3:13am

We missed you Saturday night Don! Next time - glad you got home safely.

Jonathan_Favre · June 11, 2014, 3:14am

B. Buzzini:

Charlie Fu:

B. Buzzini:

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.

Buzz, Charlie, Todd+T, and Edson - you’ll get your fill of good wine the first weekend of August in San Francisco. Just wait!

Roger_Nellans · June 11, 2014, 5:10am

Beautiful descriptive notes Kevin. What an opportunity to taste all of these together. Look forward to meeting you, as I’m sure Jon invited you to Tucson!

CFu · June 11, 2014, 6:45am

thinking about it makes me giddy. airfare and overpriced hotel booked!

Marc_Frontario · June 11, 2014, 7:04am

Ballers

Herwig_Janssen · June 11, 2014, 10:16am

Grea tasting Kevin ! I’m surprised by the high scores of the 95 and 96 . It seems they are comning out of their shell .
My all time favorite La Tache’s are the 1990 and the 1999 . Most memorable was the 59 . Worst one was the 72 ( had it last week , tasted like soya sause ) .

k_s_h_i_n · June 11, 2014, 1:02pm

Herwig,
Even in a very weak year like 73, DRC made very good wines. I was also surprised by the 95 and 96. As Don Cornutt posted, the wines were remarkably consistent. It is incredibly absurd to say but I regret not buying more at $1k mark. I bought three mags of the 96 for $2k as I recall. You should come back soon!

k_s_h_i_n · June 11, 2014, 1:10pm

I would definitely appreciate the wines slightly more in a smaller gathering of four to six, btw the wines showed magnificently. Having said it was a lot easier to pull the cork in this dinner, sharing with a bunch of good fellows and that sentiment was shared by all, especially by Jon.

Peter_Chiu · June 11, 2014, 1:26pm

Producers, producers and producers…and DRC is DRC. La Tache will always be La Tache. The question is : when will you open it.

La Tache from very weak years like 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2004 are good example and you need not have to wait too, too long to enjoy them as long as we do not not open them side-by-side with La Tache from other stronger years.

In Ontario Canada, LCBO needed to do a fire sale for DRC ( including La Tache and except RC ) from vintage year 1994. Those were the good old…

Just my 2 cents.