A special evening was held recently to celebrate the life of a friend who passed a year ago. The 5 course gourmet dinner was held at the ranch of the one who created this event who also prepared all of the courses. Fourteen of us ate and drank well and our host organized a very interesting format in that we had at least 2 bottles per flight with one special exception and when there were 3 bottles, we had at least one from Burgundy and one from CA [and OR]. Had this been done blind, I would have been hard put to distinguish French from US in many instances. Most of the wine came from the celebrant`s cellar and they were all winners, none flawed or “off”. The wines were paired perfectly with the courses.
NV GOSSET BRUT EXCELLENCE- 2- 750s; from the oldest of all Champagne houses in the region [1584], this bubbly was anything but old; it was refreshing with los of acidity and gave up generous amounts of lightly sweet lemon- lime and kiwi properly preparing our palates for the grand evening before us.
2004 GOUTORBE MILLESIME BRUT- as light and easy as the Gosset was, this was a polar opposite in that it is a full throttle, full bodied Brut with a fruit profile of more apple, pear and orange delivered in a thicker texture and leaving a pleasant palate coating residue; made from 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay from this excellent vintage for both in Ay.
2002 PIPER HEIDSIECK CUVEE RARE BRUT- in a very attractive bottle with a regal presentation of black glass and gold leaf design; fortunately, the contents were as good as it looked; another full throttled bubbly, this had honeyed toasted ginger spiced apricot of such an intensity; it promises to evolve into a balanced and impressive long term keeper for years down the line.
1ST FLIGHT-
2002 LAFON MEURSAULT- this village wine gives more than I expected, although I`ve had many from much older vintages and they all shined; this one was more Chablis like with its minerality and had some fresh stone fruit with a touch of saline along with an oily texture.
2002 CLENDENEN FAMILY VINEYARDS LE BON CLIMAT VINEYARD CHARDONNAY- amazing and deceiving in the recognition phase as to location, I get more Chablis like here; lots of minerals and flint in the nose and taste profile, serious and intense aromatics carrying on to the back end; nice oily texture in a medium body; absolutely great Chardonnay.
2ND FLIGHT-
1995 COCHE DURY LES ENSEIGNERES PULIGNY MONTRACHET- flint and minerals in the nose and onward, joining in with some fresh lemon apple; overall goodness with great complexity and length.
1995 JOBARD LE TREZIN PULIGNY MONTRACHET- with a medium yellow color, there`s nice and interesting aromatics of maple flavored stone fruit with more specific delineation of apricot, peach and pear; smooth and oily, balanced and forever on the back end.
1995 AU BON CLIMAT TALLEY VINEYARD RESERVE CHARDONNAY- so pleasing; butterscotch, mild caramel baked apples with a sprinkle of spice and cinnamon in a full body with complexity, great acidity, structure and length; this 18 year old has a lot more stuff to go on.
3RD FLIGHT-
1996 AU BON CLIMAT LA BOUGE dA COTE CHARDONNAY- mild honey butter nose, but deceiving in that its not rich and creamy, it`s fine and elegant, mild and tantalizing and so enjoyable throughout.
1996 PIERRE MOREY GENEVRIERES MEURSAULT- again, I get flint and minerals early on in the nose, trailing on to introduce mature apples and pears delivered in a soft and luscious textured medium body; a treat.
1997 AU BON CLIMAT SANFORD & BENEDICT VINEYARD CHARDONNAY- more Chablis like with more minerality, flint stone and chalk moving on to the youthful and vibrant citrus character that pervades; really good overall balanced wine and at 13% alc., it exemplifies the high acid, low alcohol traits that ABC is known for and the amazing ageability that results.
4th FLIGHT-
2001 RENE ENGEL CLOS VOUGEOT- Im ready for some reds and here we go; light in color and weight, theres ample spicy strawberry and cherry in a light to medium body, easy on the palate with lots of grace and charm.
2001 AU BON CLIMAT LARMES DE GRAPPE PINOT NOIR- made from whole clusters with 100% stems inclusion and theres no steminess to be found; theres a myriad of treasures to behold here; it`s power and finesse in the same package; beautifully balanced, nice acidity and mouth feel; this was the last year for fruit from the Mount Carmel vineyard for this producer; a candidate for WOTN for me.
2001 ICI LA BAS WHITE ROSE VINEYARD DUNDEE HILLS OREGON PINOT NOIR- the “here and there” label for ABC; this was intense, dense and yet not so much; dark color, dark fruit especially of plum and blueberry; balanced, fine acidity and a complete experience.
5TH FLIGHT-
2001 DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE CONTI GRANDS ECHEZEAUX- a beauty, perfectly balanced; incredible spicy, light peppery cherry from the nose on with a long welcomed finish; made with 100% stems and again, no steminess; another WOTN candidate to this point.
6th FLIGHT-
1999 DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE CONTI ECHEZEAUX- lovely, elegant and striking; fresh flowers, gobs of strawberry, raspberry and cherry abound throughout with a dark youthful color; it`s easy to just feel the depth and structure that says this is going to be around for the long run and has miles to go before it sleeps.
1999 AU BON CLIMAT ISABELLE PINOT NOIR- Ive had many a bottle of this gem and all have been great to greater; complex, medium to full body, nice acidity and a long finish to delight any and all who love Pinot Noir from anywhere on the planet; Im holding on to my mags for another 10+ years.
1999 BERTHEAU LES CHARMES CHAMBOLLE MUSIGNY- this 1er Cru showed up for the night and provided us with a wonderment of spicy red and black fruit with a softness and grace to please even the most discerning of palates; a first exposure for me with this producer as I recall and one I shall seek out again; impressive.
7TH FLIGHT-
1996 LEROY FONTENY GEVREY CHAMBERTIN- another 1er Cru that was somewhat closed and perhaps in a cyclical pattern that asks for patience; there`s enough to know it has some verve and pretty stiff tannins to evolve along with whatever tertiary flavors will come out.
1996 AU BON CLIMAT TALLEY VINEYARD PINOT NOIR- another star I`ve followed over the years and this is doing quite nicely now; good fruit, lots of pizzazz and layered complexity.
1996 MEO CAMUZET LES CHAUMES VOSNE ROMANEE- this 1er Cru is brilliant, classy and beautifully evolving; it is replete with mature black and red fruit, nice balance with full on integrity and delivering splendor.
More Champagne completed the evening and all were completely satiated.
Cheers