A few wines that stick out from the past week or so.
However, my actual highlight of the week was while having breakfast in a seat yourself restaurant in Santa Monica I sat down at the only table that had any room - a four-top with two empty seats. Not until I was on my second cup of coffee did I realize that Arnold Schwarzeneggar was one of the two people already seated at the table. After a few more minutes he initiated conversation and we spent 20 or so minutes discussing bodybuilding, wine and general BS. I’m not a person who is star struck in the least, but due to my obsession with bodybuilding in the late 70’s/early 80’s, there probably aren’t too many other people I’d rather meet and talk with over breakfast.
On to the wine highlights -
’95 Dom Perignon Oenotheque - was drunk poolside with some friends and pancaked both the '85 and '88 Krug drunk right before it. A unanimous winner amongst five people with varying wine/champagne experience - I think the setting helped it being such a landslide winner. Extremely fresh and vibrant but with mature and complex flavors showing as well. Smoky yellow fruit, crisp acidity and creamy roundness. Perfectly refreshing in the sun. Staggering
’96 Salon - was also opened poolside the next day but a different manager was on duty and enforced the no “glass” by the pool rule and handed us plastic tumblers to drink from. Had one sip and knew this wasn’t going to work. Asked him if he would let the rule slide for a couple of hours. Was rebuffed. I tried to see if Benjamin could change his mind, but even he couldn’t do it. So, I ordered some Bloody Mary’s and saved the Salon for later. Turned out to be much later. Had the bottle with dinner the next evening. Uncorked for over 30 hours the champagne had lost the vast majority of its effervescence but none of its flavor. Still plenty of yellow fruit with the acidity still making a positive impact. I know it seems cliche and the analogy has been over used, but this really did taste like a great Chevalier-Montrachet with the lack of bubbles and racy acidity. The Salon being intact after being in an open bottle for this long reinforces my thinking that '96 Salon will easily outlive me. NR due to the circumstances.
’90 DRC Grands Echezeaux - served single blind this was the by far my favorite in a flight of its peers. Very clean fruit but also very rich. Fruit is very ripe and intense. The acidity is there, but only if you look for it. Extremely harmonious. Will surely last for decades, but it drinks great right now. Staggering plus
’91 Leroy RSV - served next to the '90 Leroy RSV it initially had a clear advantage bolting out of the gate. Signature dense and sweet Leroy fruit. Very ripe raspberries. The texture is somewhat thick and viscous but it has the acid and structure so it’s not soupy or flabby at all. While this remained consistant for the hour it was in my glass, the '90 put on a tremendous chase down the homestretch. I took a refill of the '90 from the decanter and it became neck and neck. At the end a photo finish with the '91 by a nose. Had this been at Belmont instead of at Churchill Downs, I think the '90 may have been the winner. Staggering minus.