TNs: An Amazing Wine Dinner - Vilmart, Matrot, La Pousse d'Or Volnay, L'Evangile, Cheval Blanc

WINE TALK
1

Many thanks to my friend Gary for hosting this truly special evening. The wines and the food were superb together.

  • 1993 Vilmart Champagne Coeur de Cuvée - France, Champagne (9/4/2009)
    Tremendous acidity, rich, elegant, peach, nectarine, extremely well balanced, paired wonderfully with all of the passed seafood Hors D’oeuvres.
  • 1999 Pierre Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru (9/4/2009)
    Flinty, nutty, edam cheese, now showing citric notes, grapefruit, lemon rind. Gained complexity over the course of the evening.
  • 1969 La Pousse d’Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Bousse d’Or - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru (9/4/2009)
    Earthy, mushrooms & evergreen, flinty, expressive sour cherry, cranberry, tart red fruit, violet. 30 minutes in, gained weight & complexity, absolutely stunning, showing clove & cinnamon. Continued to evolve over three hours, wonderful wine.
  • 1969 La Pousse d’Or Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Clos des Soixante Ouvrées - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru (9/4/2009)
    Slighty oxidized, very muted. Opening up, stony, drawing out the herbal notes in the food, strong mushroom & underbrush notes. Not showing as well as the clos de bousse.
  • 1985 Château L’Evangile - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (9/4/2009)
    Classic bordeaux nose, cigar box, currants, tobacco. Stunning nose. Lovely mouthfeel, dark fruits. Improved in the glass.
  • 1998 Château Cheval Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (9/4/2009)
    Deep, rich, dark, earthy. Uniform to the rim, fresh, youthful. Wonderful balance, a baby with a high IQ and great future. Completely expressive, engaged, teasing, seductive.
  • 1963 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (9/4/2009)
    Aromatics leap out, alcohol very present. Like skydiving into a fig cloud. Lovely wine that paired beautifully with the stilton, figs, chocolate cake with roasted bananas.

Posted from CellarTracker

2

Brian, how much life would you say is left in the '85 Evangile? I’ve got a mag in the cellar I’ve been wondering about.

3

Bob,

This showed very nicely. In magnum I’d say you’re in a good place with this wine for the next 3-5 years.

4

Brian!!

So many ‘corked’ wines - how could you handle it?? [wink.gif]

All those wonderful, beautiful, bretty French wines - not your style! Next time, tell me! In fact, I’m in San Diego right now for a dance competition my daughter is in…

5

Thanks for the notes, the 63 Taylor is a fabulous port (one of the best wines I had this year) and the 98 Cheval is also a favorite of mine.

6

Todd,

You have the wrong impression of me. I love the earthy, funky wines!

7

But you didn’t like that beautifully bretty '97 Dominus!!

8

Great notes! I especially like your note on the Cheval Blanc, even though it sounds a little perverted. [wink.gif]

9

Brian,
Thanks for the great set of notes, especially on the first 4 which are really my kind of wines. And great to hear that the Matrot showed well; had some premox problems there, but when that '99 Perrieres is on, what a beauty.

Cheers,
-Robert

10

you dont even like burgundy!

11

I don’t??

12

Todd,

I think Charlie was speaking to me. I think that all the studying for the bar has warped his brain. I do like burgundy, chateauneuf, northern rhone and other stinky wines…You enjoyed a burgundy that I brought to the Farmhouse Cafe!

13

Robert,

This was from magnum and was absolutely thrilling. It kept evolving through the night and was glorious.

14

nah I was talking Todd, I know you like Burg, you just never brought any to our dinners till I left san diego! gasp

15

I agree. The '85 L’Evangile, especially in magnum, has a good amount of years left in it. The '98 Cheval Blanc is an excellent wine. I last had it in mid-2005 though, so I’m sure it’s even better now.