MEA CELEBRATION AT ST. GENEVIEVE - St. Genevieve (10/17/2019)
Brad England conceived of a tasting to celebrate MEA (a Minnesota holiday for school kids). Our kids are older, so it worked well for the five of us who gathered at St. Genevieve for a celebratory night of wine and food. Brad provided all the wines except the two “bonus” wines, and all were amazing. Thanks to Brad for his unmatched generosity.
Champagne
Wow, what a flight! The '75 was the freshest. The '88 was the best balance of freshness and complexity. All three were rock stars in their own way!
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1985 Dom Pérignon Champagne P3 - France, Champagne
Pop and pour. Tasted over about an hour. Pretty gold color in the glass. Alluring and expressive nose with no one smell dominating. Big burst of fruit on the palate. Fruit, mineral, orange peel, more. Balanced, with good acidity that builds to a long, lingering finish. A complete Champagne and quite thrilling. Definitely a great way to kick off the dinner. Re-tasted at the end of the meal, and this was still going strong four hours later. (95 pts.) -
1975 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Oenothèque - France, Champagne
Pop and pour. Tasted over about an hour. Vibrant, youthful gold color. Soaring nose with orchard fruit, mineral and hints of bread dough. Equally compelling on the palate, with bright fruit and the most appealing soft-textured mousse. This is plush and soft in the mouth, but still balanced by good acidity. The finish is long and lingering and fully satisfying. Tasted again at the end of the meal; if anything this was even better four hours later. A compelling Champagne for sure! (97 pts.) -
1988 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut Collection - France, Champagne
Pop and pour. Tasted over about an hour. Bright gold color. Thrilling nose of orchard fruit and bread dough with that beguiling Krug oxidation. Equally thrilling on the palate with bright fruit, good flavor intensity, intriguing complexity and perfect balance. In a great place right now. Great acidity and a long, thrilling finish. Goldilocks in this trio: not quite as fresh as the '75 Dom Oeno but fresher than the '85 Dom P3. This is a complete wine from start to finish that kept getting better and better as it sat in the glass. A Tour de Force! Thanks to Brad for sharing such a compelling trio of Champagnes to start our night! (98 pts.)
White Burgundy
Another killer flight. The Coche had me from the moment I smelled it. It was my favorite for most of the hour plus we savored these beauties. But the Carillon and the Lafon also bequiled. It’s too hard to pick a favorite. I’ll just call it a three-way dead heat.
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2016 Coche-Dury Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Double decanted prior to dinner. Clear gold color. Expressive nose showing a complex blend of fruit, mineral and flint/matchstick. Equally expressive on the palate, showing fresh fruit and mineral on the palate. Quite fresh and expansive. Large scale for sure. And yet, still elegant and balanced. Long finish. A brilliant showing. (95 pts.) -
2016 Domaine Jacques Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Double decanted prior to dinner. The nose is subtle and beguiling. Hints of mint and herbs amongst the subtle fresh fruit. Very pretty. Light and elegant on the palate. Silky smooth with absolutely perfect weight and balance. Less overt in all ways than the Coche. Takes coaxing and patience, but rewards that patience. This kept getting stronger and stronger as the night wore on. Quite impressive! (95 pts.) -
2016 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Double decanted prior to dinner. Deep golden color. Stern nose with fruit, herbs and mineral. Opened up with time in the glass, but never became as expressive as other wines in the flight. Ripe and palate coating in the mouth. Larger scaled and showing some oak, balanced by just enough acidity. Great, lingering finish. Showing very well now, but likely the wine in this flight most in need of additional time in the cellar. (93 pts.) -
2016 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Double decanted prior to dinner. This started closed and understated. After about 20 minutes in the glass it was showing very well, but got better and better as the night wore on. Awesome, beguiling nose of fresh fruit and mineral with intriguing notes of licorice, herbs, and spice (and more) mixed in. Fresh and elegant. Perfect, effortless weight on the palate. Expansive and intense flavors despite the seeming weightlessness. Perfectly balanced. Long, satisfying finish. This has all you would want and expect from Lafon. (95 pts.) -
2012 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Pop and pour. Craig’s “bonus” bottle. Minimal notes on this one. Expressive nose. Crisp and clean on the palate with good minerality, great balance, nice acidity, and a long pleasing finish. Held its own in a flight of first rate White Burgs. Thanks Craig! (93 pts.)
And now we drink the reds…
OMG. Craig’s note is epic. And the wine was epic. Among the best wines I’ve ever had the pleasure to drink. Right there with '99 La Tache and '99 Rousseau Chambertin for sure. Thanks again to Brad for sharing this beauty!
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2010 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Double decanted prior to dinner. Pretty ruby red color. Soaring nose of red cherry, damp earth, mineral, and so much more. Absolutely spectacular. Equally amazing on the palate, with perfect balance and a silky smooth texture. Amazing flavor intensity dominated by red fruit from the attack through the long, satisfying finish. Complex and beguiling throughout. This is about as good as wine can get. See the note from Chablis28 for a more complete tasting note. This bottle disappeared almost immediately. Thanks to Brad for sharing this beauty with us. (99 pts.)
Dessert
This was the bonus bottle from Nico and it was a fitting way to end the night. Served with expressos and pot de creme. Not a perfect match for sure, but still pure pleasure.
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2009 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain - France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Nico’s bonus bottle. Popped and poured. I took no notes at this point, but this was quite impressive. We served this with dessert and it worked well. The sweetness was well balanced with acidity and was a fitting end to a great dinner. (92 pts.)
This was an amazing night of wine. We spent almost five hours with them and each was spectacular in its own way. Thanks to Brad for conceiving of such an amazing night of wine, food and camaraderie. Well done!!