TNs: 31st anniversary wines

WINE TALK
1

Went out with my better half and our two daughters last night to Birchrunville, our favorite BYOB in the area. I guess Francis had just gotten a large truffle in, as it seemed like every dish we had featured them [wink.gif] . The pheasant in a very crisp crepe was absolutely killer, and my younger daughter really enjoyed the gnocchi with truffle & mushrooms!

At any rate, we started with a 2007 Olivier Savary Chablis Fourchaume. I like both Tanzer and Meadows when it comes to reporting on Chablis, as both of their write-ups tend to include grower commentary on what the specific vintage compares to in terms of previous years. With the caveat that I know these guys are trying to sell their wines, I have been reading a lot of comments comparing 2007 to 2004, only “better”, and quite frankly I’m not seeing that right now. While my sample size is still somewhat small, I’m finding the acidity on these wines a lot more pronounced in their youth than I ever thought the '04’s were. 2004 was at least for my palate a great vintage in chablis, and very harmonious on release. The Savary was certainly pleasant enough, and I think it will improve with some additional time in bottle, but the acidity is a little too spiky right now for me to accord this wine with the same 91 points that Allan did.

On to the reds - we started with an anniversary wine, in this case the 1978 Domaine de Chevalier. We’ve had this wine multiple times over the years, and it has been a consistently fine wine, although at 31 years of age I think it is fair to say that it is nearing the end of the road (here’s hoping that my wife and I can outlast it [wink.gif] ). The color is still sound, and the nose very pretty, featuring that tobacco smoke note that I find so often in a Graves. On the palate, fading fruit, but everything still balanced - enjoyable, but clearly better a few years ago. I don’t have many left, and at this stage of the wine’s life I really only break it out once a year, but I doubt this wine will be capable of making it’s 40th birthday with much left unless it was really stored in a cold cellar.

I also brought along the 1988 Clinet in case the DDC had proved too fleeting in the glass. What a contrast - this wine is a bruiser, and the phrase steel-jacketed fruit certainly came to mind. A Clinet that I think was underrated in it’s youth, perhaps overshadowed by the '89, but this wine is drinking great right now, with a full-bodied feel and a lengthy finish. I’d like to try a bottle of this next to the '88 Petrus, because this wine shows so much fruit & structure that I would never guess blind that it was a merlot-dominated blend. Excellent last night, and if you have it in your cellars, you have no reason to rush to pull a cork.

2

Congratulations on 31 years, and hoping you enjoy many more. [cheers.gif]

3

Congratulations! Great wines, and the Clinet sounds particularly inspiring.

4

Bob,

Congratulations to both of you on 31 years. [welldone.gif] [winner.gif]

5

Yeah, to be truthful I’m not sure how my wife has managed to put up with me all these years. Todd, that '88 Clinet was very impressive, in a power-packed, masculine sort -of-way. Quite a contrast to the genteel, slightly over-the-hill DDC.