This past weekend my friend Todd turned 60.
Several of us went to the beach at Destin to celebrate.
It was rainy and windy but that didn’t dampen our spirits.
Champagnes
NV Philipponnat Rose
Nice strawberry type of nose. The palate is wonderfully rich and shows good length.
A great way to start.
NV Stephane Coquillette Cuvee Diane (100% Chardonnay)
I have had this one in my cellar a couple of years. A wonderful complex nose of white fruits with a hint of hazelnut and some bread. In many ways like a young Salon. The palate is bright and shows a really nice almost creamy kind of acidity. Vibrant. Fabulous length. This one is really starting to hit its stride and will improve for sure.
1996 Pol Roger Brut Extra Cuvee de Reserve
A fantastic nose. More golden fruits and significant brioche type notes. Classic for this house and very much like a Sir Winston.
The palate shows nice fruit to acid balance. Here there is more weight than the previous wines. Fabulous length.
1996 Dom Perignon
The nose is a mix of golden type fruits, citrus and a little bread. The palate is painfully young. The acidity is still prominent but the finish goes on and on. A great wine in the making.
Whites
2000 Henri Boillot Meursault Perrieres
A slight golden color. A gorgeous nose. Mineral laced golden fruit. The palate is unctuous and sexy. Loaded with a slate type minerality on the long finish. Profound.
2000 Sauzet Montrachet
When first opened this seemed simple. After about 30 minutes, this was amazing. A very young golden fruit nose. Complex. Slightly spicy. The palate is perfectly balanced. Like a quiet lake. Everything in place. The finish is what is special. Probably one of the longest finishes I have ever experienced in a Chardonnay. Profound and simply amazing. It will become more complex with time but I doubt it will be more satisfying.
2004 Donnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Spatlese
A tropical type nose with some petrol. Honeysuckle. The palate shows wonderful balance. Full in the mouth with a finish that lingers. Nice.
2004 Donnhoff Norheimer Kirshbeck Spatlese
Here there is significant petrol. The fruit is starting to become more apple in character. There is a somewhat disjointed palate at this point. I think it is just this point in the evolution. Nice finish with some mineral type firmness.
2005 Donnhoff Norheimer Kirshbeck Spatlese
Here there is lighter more vibrant fruit on the nose. Citrus. Minerals.
The palate is light and dances. The sense of minerality is palpable here. Fantastic finish. A great year for this wine to me!
Red Burgundy
1990 Vogue Musigny
The nose shows that roasted fruit. Almost compote. This is underlined by an almost funky earthiness. The palate is tired to me. I left this for some time but this wine just never turned me on. Over ripe and a mess on the finish. This is the second or third bottle I have tasted of this. All the same.
2003 Ponsot Clos de la Roche (Magnum)
More vibrancy here. Dark fruit. Spice. Incredibly complex with fabulous length. This goes on and on. Young and will continue to improve.
Red Bordeaux
1990 Pichon Baron
Dark fruit. Tobacco. Spice. The palate is loaded with complexity. Earthy. Sexy.
1989 Haut Brion
Searing red fruit and earth. The palate shows such an intensity of red/black fruit that bores into your tongue. The length here is extraordinary. Profound
California Red
1991 Dominus
Dark fruit and tobacco. A wonderful complex dark fruit palate that is more Pauillac than California to me. Fabulous length.
1994 Dominus
A darker and less complex version of the 1991. Great length here too.
Spanish Red
1990 Vega Sicilia Unico
Vibrant red fruit. A truffle type component. The palate shows so much intensity of fruit. Incredible length. This is special and young. Profound.
1970 Vega Sicilia Unico
Vibrant red fruit with perfectly spiced truffle notes. The palate is like a still lake. Everything is in place. Red fruit. Truffle notes. A wonderful vibrancy. A finish that goes on and on. Amazing. Profound.
Sauternes
1988 Rieussec
A golden color. Wonderful peach type fruit which is perfectly framed by acidity. Some honey spice notes. Very good length.
1989 Yquem
A darker color. The nose is apricot fruit that is just jammed with spice from Botrytis. The palate is thick and unctuous. Long and lively. Profound.
Port
1985 Grahams (Magnum)
With time, a sweet spicy dark fruit nose. Dark fruit palate that ends with incredible intensity. Nice.
1970 Taylor
Lighter in color here but more complexity. Redder fruit, spice and a spearmint characteristic of Taylor that carries through to an incredible finish. This is all about equilibrium. Amazing stuff.
We had a few more but you get the picture.
A nice weekend.
Happy 60th to my good buddy Todd.
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