Last evening one of my regular drinking groups – The Country Squires – got together at EMP (probably my best meal I’ve ever had there) for a vertical of DRC RSV, a bottle of Leroy RSV, a few La Chapelle’s and of course some Champagne.
’79 Taittinger CdC Rose – If champagne was a sub-region of Madeira, this would have been great. Fortunately, it is not and therefore we were not off to a great start. Not undrinkable, but gives little pleasure. Fair minus
’81 Taittinger CdC Rose – the first bottle from a parcel of Taittinger’s I recently bought. The best thing this wine had going for it was that it was side by side with the previous wine. Some fruit, but also metallic and a bit skunky. Not a representative bottle. Good minus.
Fortunately we had a bunch of extra wines in case of a scenario like this. So, we opened –
’90 Cristal – a refreshing change from the previous couple of wines. Still pale colored with expected vibrant mousse. Loads of ripe fruit, including some tropical notes. Good acidity cuts through the rich flavors. Long crispness on the finish. Cristal is not my favorite champagne, but this is one of my favorite 1990’s from the region. Was even better a couple of hours later. Excellent plus
On to the reds
’71 DRC RSV – I had high hopes for this bottle since it was the last bottle from a parcel of six and I drank the previous bottle a couple of months ago and it was fantastic. The sommelier poured me a bit to taste. No need to taste it. I could smell it before I even raised my glass. Incredible aromatics. Sweet fruit, floral and a hint of confectionary sugar. I figured the palate might be a let down compared to the nose, but it wasn’t. Vibrant fruit with a velvet texture to it. More powerful than the bottle from a couple of weeks ago. An early WOTY that I look forward to having dethroned. Killer minus
’80 DRC RSV – purchased from Wolfie’s cellar from which almost every bottle has shown great. No way this bottle can follow up the ’71, but it is able to pull it off. A toned down version of the previous wine especially on the aromatics, but it is still an extremely seductive, feminine wine. As slow the start was to the evening, the reds have started off the charts. Staggering plus
’83 DRC RSV – while the wines tend to be erratic I’ve found the ‘83’s to generally perform better than their rep. This was one of the better performing ‘83’s. Similar profile on both the nose and the palate as the previous wine, its flaw came on the finish. Not terrible, but the fruit dissipates and some astringency shows. Still it was excellent plus.
’78 DRC RSV – clearly a step in a different direction. Much more structured and dense than the previous three vintages. Dark fruits and some cola on the nose. While not reserved it wasn’t as accessible as the previous wines. Clearly a great wine but not my preference stylistically. I think another decade or so in the cellar will help this wine – it has the fruit and the stuffing to benefit from it. Excellent
’85 DRC RSV - had some wintergreen on the nose. Like the ’78 it was dense and showed it greatness but was still too restrained. Like a supermodel wearing a chastity belt this fantastic wine wouldn’t quite let you have all of it that it could. Another wine that could benefit from additional bottle age. Staggering minus
’88 DRC RSV- while a little more austere and tannic than the previous wines, it wasn’t as harsh as the last time I drank it. Gets a little lost in this lineup. Excellent minus
’90 DRC RSV – I love the DRC lineup in ’90 (except I think the LT is a bit overrated) and this wine delivered as usual. More aromatically complex than most wines of this age with many different spices jumping from the glass. Mix of red and dark fruit on the palate. I’d like to see a touch more acidity to this wine, but I’m looking for a fault here. Staggering
’91 DRC RSV- badly corked
’86 DRC RSV – replacement for the above wine. My least favorite RSV of the evening it lacked fruit and charm. Too much tannins for my taste. Good plus
’01 DRC RSV- this next pair was served as a “check in and see their progress” more than anything else. This was quite youthful and still too primary. A lot of everything to this wine. I won’t be checking in on this for another five years minimum. Very good plus for today with surely improvement down the road.
’01 Leroy RSV- I love ’01 Leroys. Much more accessible and giving than the DRC. More elegance as well. The nose is excellent but the palate is coated by subtle waves of fruit that brings the wine up a level or two. It pancaked the previous wine as I expected. Staggering
’85 La Chapelle- eh. Boring after the burgs. Good
’89 La Chapelle- a step up from the ’85 but it still can’t get me excited with a few drops of RSV left in seven or eight glasses sitting in front of me. Very good plus
’90 La Chapelle- this can be a great glass of wine but it didn’t have a great showing on this night. Good fruit and meatiness to it with a thick mouthfeel. Excellent
’71 DP Rose – Good mousse and effervescence upon pouring but it dissipates in the glass rather quickly. However, plenty of freshness on the palate. While I don’t love Rose’s in general, mature DP’s are one that I do love. Lots of red fruit with length on the finish without any coarseness that I can sometimes find in Rose’s. Excellent plus
’90 Cristal Rose – I think the relative youthfulness of this compared with the DP hurt this a bit. While correct and without any flaws it came off a bit monolithic. Excellent minus.
Almost all of the wines not only lasted in the glass but improved over several hours while sitting in the glass. It was great to revisit the wines over the course of the evening.
Richebourg and Mouline up at bat for the next dinner with the Country Squires
Thanks to all who participated and brought such great wines last evening and especially to CK for all of his coordination with EMP.
