TN's: A Few Highlights from the Past Week

WINE TALK
1

Battled the flu last week and barely drank. This week I had a lingering cold but I couldn’t not imbibe again. So here’s some highlights from the past week, other than the wines from my Cookoff Round Three that were previously posted.

In no particular order some of the better wines consumed -

’64 Dom Perignon - a ton of yellow fruits, intense aromas of freshly ground coffee/espresso, with barely a hint of pecans and other nutty notes. Lively effervescence, this bottle was a great example of this great champagne. Bottles like this have decades of life left to them. Killer minus

’64 Krug - more youthful color and more effervescence than the bottle of this that I had a couple of weeks ago. However, this bottle didn’t have the depth of flavors as the previous one did. No slouch with a heavy dose of fruit and notes of baked bread and caramel. But for some reason, when the bottle was finished, I wasn’t yearning for more. Excellent plus

’75 Irroy Cuvee Marie Antoinette - I stumbled across this cuvee a few years ago, and am I ever glad I bought a bunch of bottles/vintages on a flier like I did. Incredibly youthful with pale straw color, vibrant mousse, and fruit dominated aromas and flavors. While no “mature” champagne flavors are evident, the melange of fruits with its crisp acidity make this champagne not lacking or needing additional complexity. Staggering

’71 Taittinger CdC - this bottle is at such a great place right now, at the exact crossing point of fresh fruit and effervescence with mature notes of nutty flavors, coffee, caramel, nutmeg, marzipan etc etc. There were literally dozens of different aromas and flavors that were present in this bottle. From a small batch which all of the bottles have been outstanding, this was the best so far (only one left). Possibly my champagne of the year so far. Killer

Champagne lowlights

’62 DP - had some seepage, but still a good fill and color. DOA

’64 Pol Roger - never had a great bottle of this but it’s my birthyear, so I’m a glutton for punishment - Barely drinkable Fair minus

Some Reds

’53 L Latour Corton Grancey - I’ve had a number of outstanding wines from this producer/vineyard ( is it a monopole? ) from pre-70’s vintages so I now have relatively high expectations when I pull a cork from a bottle of this wine from this era. No disappointment with this bottle. Good clean fruit with coffee, confectioner’s sugar and mushrooms intertwined with fruit. Not the longest finish, but a good balance of acidity. Excellent plus

’64 L.Latour Corton Grancey - lightest color of the three vintages I drank (also had the '62) but the most fruit. Served blind, this could pass for a bottle of La Tache not only because it was that good, but it had some soy/asian spices on the nose as well. Very sliky texture. Staggering minus

’62 Bouchard Chambertin Clos de Beze - very dark color. On the nose there is some fruit but the wine aromas are dominated - not necessarily in a bad way - by leather and notes of autumn. The wine looked like it was half its age. The seemingly slight lack of fruit on the nose appears tenfold on the palate. I hate using the term explosive, but this wine really did explode on the palate. Hate to admit it, but I hoarded this bottle - probably drank 50% of it with four others. Killer minus

’90 Leroy RSV - Say what you want about Leroy, but there is no denying that there are few if any other burgundies that can match the concentration of fruit in wines like this one. Dense ripe, red fruit including raspberries soar from the glass. Very mouthcoating texture. Good acidity. Maybe it lacks a bit of vineyard typicity, but who cares; after all like Tony says " It tastes Grrreaaat !! " Staggering plus

’78 La Tour Haut Brion Double Magnum -not sure why I opened this for a relatively small group of people but I’m glad I did. Poured half into a magnum decanter and then decanted another 750ml or so into a regular decanter an hour later and then decanted the remaining wine about three hours after that. Grat out of the gate, and still smokin’ down the home stretch. Classic cigar, tobacco and cedar profile, a touch of graphite as well. Great smoky fruit on the palate. Staggering minus.

Looking forward to finally putting this flu and cold behind me and for what should be a killer upcoming week of drinking topped off by Bruce the Returner’s B’day Bash which already has an embarrassment of riches of wine and I don’t even know what half the people are bringing.

2

Thanks for all the notes on wines I don’t own. [thankyou.gif] Those last three sound especially great. A few older Bouchards I’ve had were terrific.

I’ve had a cold last couple days. I’m blaming you for no other reason than I saw you during the week. [shrug.gif]

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[mouth-drop.gif]

Love the staggering plus and minus scoring system Ray.

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[mouth-drop.gif]

Love the staggering plus and minus scoring system Ray.

5

If this is what you drink when you are sick… I think I need some of that medicine.

Comtes is getting a lot more respect now, but it still gets overlooked. Most bottles age extremely well and for some reason it seems less susceptible to damage than many other cuvees. I don’t know why, but even poor provenance Comtes tends to beat the odds quite a bit. Either that or I have been extremely lucky.

I wonder if Taittinger has any old Irroy laying around?

6

I think Corton Grancey is a monopole for Latour.

You drinking lots of Leroy? Or just the “newer” stuff?

7

They don’t.

Last time I went there I brought them a bottle of '28 Irroy. They were stunned.

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Isn’t it all ?

9

Ray,

Like the signature line. I had to do a search to find what thread it came from. What’s your take on Dan Duchaine? Nowhere near the Mentzers in terms of bodybuilding success, but way more loony in a mad scientist way IMO. That said, he had some utterly brilliant theories too.

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Just was curious if you were changing your tune! Happily, I see that you are not.

I just bought some 1976 Leroys cheap. I was curious.

11

Brad,

I’m familiar with Duchaine as far as steroids, but honestly I don’t know much else about his theories.

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Did you ever read his 1996 book Bodyopus? Really interesting insight, presented in a fairly mainstream way, and all of it actually works… if you can stick with the plan. He was onto most of the normal commercial stuff that works (ephedrine/caffeine/white willow bark/etc… stacking, creatine, low carb cycling, high fat diets, etc…) before almost anyone else (or at least was able to convince and show people how to apply it in a way that worked). When you start talking about pushing the limits and dealing with things that aren’t always practical or safe (like insulin injecting and taking loads of glutamine or some other “new or natural” supplement), he at least was willing to look into things and try to find a way. Then of course there is his fame of steroids and his willingness to use himself as a guinea pig. I used to eat up just about anything he wrote. Most of it wasn’t practical to me and some of it was just plain weird, but it was always entertaining.

13

Not even the flu is going to prevent Ray from drinking some great juice. Some amazing stuff there and '78 Latour HB is a beauty. I prefer it to the '75 myself.

As far as Dan Duchaine…I lived by Body Opus for about six months. Not a bad theory but 1) you can’t have a life and 2) it does wreck havoc with your stomach when you re-introduce carbs (loading). Not something for the faint of heart and Duchaine was certainly out there with the craziest.

14

Ray - Great notes and hope you are fully recovered by Thursday. Remind where “Staggering” lands on the scale.


Michael

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Michael

Good to see you posting.

Now we can stop bashing Zachys Auctions! neener

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Daniel - I’m really just stalking you where ever you go.

Michael


17

Still have this lingering cough - had to cancel a dinner tonight. I’m afraid Thursday might kill me.

Staggering is between Killer and Excellent.