Notes from a week-and-a-half wine run not too long ago, before I joined this site.
1997 Etienne Sauzet Puligny Montrachet “Les Combettes” - with a fresh crab salad that had way too much house-made mayonnaise in it. My bottle. A bit of a disappointment, really, no, no oxidation, but a bit flabby for a 1er cru Puligny from such a fine maker. Although the wine had good purity and clean lines, I just couldn’t help but think that the balance was thrown off by a lack of acidity and generally weak structure. Pleasant enough, but its excess, none-too-firm flesh and lack of balancing acidity just seemed to underscore the crab salad’s excessive mayonnaise. Oh, well…
1993 Clos Erasmus - with a very good pan-seared magret drizzled with an excellent port reduction. The Doc’s bottle. One of the richest, fullest, “crowd-pleaser-est” Priorato wines I have tasted. Generous layers of sweetish, exceedingly ripe black cherry, kirsch, cassis, minor notes of plum/raspberry/craisins mixed in French vanilla/oak and a dose of anise/tarragon/black pepper-infused dark chocolate. This modern-styled Priorato seems designed to do well in a big blind tasting; and well it would do, I expect.
1999 Leoville Poyferré - I’ve had this wine several times since first having it at the chateau’s Vinexpo dinner party. A good, dependable, affordable St Julien; not nearly as generous or truffled as their 1996, but with cleaner lines and marginally better focus. Good balance and harmony (both!). For only around US$43 per bottle, it’s a good deal.
2002 Dominique Mugneret Nuits St Georges 1er Cru “Boudots” - I bought some of this just to try out for a “house red”. Decanted for around 40 minutes before tasting, paired with a venison main course. Not bad, but not particularly interesting at this point. It struck me as quite forward, ripe, modern and lacking in finesse and complexity. If pressed on an assessment, I would say: “Too young and eager; hopefully it will calm down, gain some wisdom and have something interesting to say in about 5-7 more years.”
1999 Branaire-Ducru - with a medium-rare US Angus rib-eye and fries - I bought a few of these just to see what they are like now since I rated this 4th place in a '99 Medoc blind tasting around 2 years ago (after, in descending order: Margaux, Latour and Lafite Rothschild - over: Leoville las Cases, Mouton Rothschild, Montrose, etc).
Let me begin by saying that I am not very familiar with the wines of this chateau, owing to an encounter with a horribly fecal bottle of their 1990 around 3 or 4 years ago (read: horse manure all the way). That incident prevented me from ever buying another bottle from them until a month or so ago.
In any event, this bottle was quite decent. Amid the fullish-bodied, thick textured cassis/blackcurrant/dark red cherry/ripe fig flavors was pronounced and unyielding sweetened dark chocolate. Big but smooth, vaguely dusty, cocoa-flavored tannins were quite apparent mid-mouth and to the back. Not very good focus, somewhat muddled, but nice enough, entertaining; not serious, but, I’m pretty sure it will also be a crowd pleaser. Not bad considering it cost only around US$46 per.
2004 Michel Niellon Chassagne Montrachet - with a trout starter. Having gone through several bottles of Niellon’s village Chassagne in the past 2 years (2001, 2002 and 2003), I picked up a few bottles of the 2004 since I find wines from Chablis and Puligny-Montrachet from this vintage generally more classic/typical than those from the past few.
This barely medium-bodied white had very pleasing/cleansing purity and admirable focus in its clean, focused fruit and minerals and an intriguing catch-up of demure toasty oak/nutty notes to the back. For some reason, I kept thinking it was behaving more like a young Puligny (up to mid-mouth) or 6-8 year old Meursault (to the back) than a Chassagne.
A friend opined that it lacked somewhat in structure and should better be consumed young. While I agree that it is showing well enough now, I wouldn’t mind trying it again after, say, 2-3 more years in bottle just to see if it will gain a bit more weight and depth.
1988 Leroy Nuits St Georges “Les Lavieres” - From Bernie. Murky with worrisome pungent sherry wrapping its decayed Burgundy bouquet. A quick sip revealed a souring finish. Clearly over oxidized, but we decided to keep it decanted and on the table, hoping against hope, just in case.
I kept coming back to it every so often, but it never revived itself. Too bad.
1988 Meo Camuzet Clos de Vougeot - From Bernie. At first 
, much better clarity and a clean bouquet assured me of better providence/storage/survival than the Leroy. As I’ve said before, I find old red Burgs have a terribly difficult to describe romantic/ethereal hint of decay - not unlike the nostalgia I feel when walking around ante-bellum Manila/provincial manses that have seen much better days - still beautiful, but with a touch of wistful sadness that one feels and relishes even after leaving.
I’ve also said before that it is almost impossible for me to accurately break down the individual fruit/spice/wood/etc. components of old wine, especially red Burgundies. Saying that it tasted like a vaguely earthy, seamless, silky, red fruit/red beet/raspberry elixir with wistful touches of decayed flowers and nostalgia just seems inadequate. I daresay those looking for the “punch” of lively fruit or attention-grabbing forward primaries should really look elsewhere. Aged Burgundy is not where to find or search for such things.
Me? I loved this wine. Went well enough with the wild pheasant course (though the bird was a bit tough).
Comte Armand 1996 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux - From the Doc. I personally have a soft spot for these earthy, masculine reds from the Cote de Beaune (though I was somewhat disappointed with the vintage 2000 version of this wine). Quite lively yet 11 years from vintage - livelier/more youthful than I expected it to be (or could it be that my judgment was clouded by unavoidable contrast to the 2 previous wines?) - a muscular red Burg with an intriguing vague hint of iron to its hallmark earthiness. This one was comparatively much easier to analyze: a smooth compote of red fruit, red cherry and discreet ripe dark raspberry over red beet undertones - more satin than silk on the palate. Good, sturdy, solid Pommard bones and structure.
Very nice and I believe this will continue to age gracefully for another, perhaps, 5 years. Admirable ageworthiness.
2003 Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette by Delas Freres - the lone Rhone from the Stockbroker. Very young, very ripe, very forward, very big, some new oak on the nose, but not overly much. Full, somewhat smokey dark wild blackberry over cassis and cedar with dashes of pepper. Stood mightily with the venison course and picked up some of the red cabbage’s sweetness. I’d like to see how this grows up after 4 years or more.
1989 Gewurztraminer SGN by Ostertag - from Bernie with an excellent dessert of chestnut souffle. I kept thinking of my wife as I drank this floral (flowers - jasmine? touch of roses?), spicy nectar of botrytised lichee and peach alluringly laced with petrol. Sweeter, fuller-bodied and flavored/more forward/generous than the similarly aged gewurz SGN of Hugel. She would have loved this.
Without doubt, this was the best pairing of the meal. Excellent match.
1999 Jadot Chambolle-Musigny - My bottle. This unassuming village Chambolle-Musigny had definite charm in its supple, lithe mid-medium-body. Cherry, strawberry, some wild red berries dominate with very subtle dark plum and dark berry undertones and mild brown spice notes. Decent length to its finish, moderate complexity.
What struck me most about this wine was how flavorsome it could be on such a proportionately light frame. Much smaller-boned than the above-mentioned Morey St Denis, less emphasis on the middle, more of a consistent performance from attack to finish and very noticeably more refined in over-all character.
I had it with an, unfortunately, less-than-stellar stuffed quail main course. Be it as it may, the Chambolle-Musigny was a fair match for the quail but would be too delicate for a roast pigeon or even duck I’d expect. I, personally, favor Morey St Denis with pigeon.
1966 Château Palmer - Mike’s bottle. Not decanted, I had it opened and let it stand until our main courses were all served. The cork was intact, not crumbly or brittle, though a bit wet. Occasional sniffs from the bottle confirmed it to be fine. It smelled as it should, no off odors at all, even immediately after opening, so I did not decant lest its bouquet tragically dissipate.
Once poured, it was easy to tell it was an old wine - clear, medium-dark brick-red, gradually turning more red-orange towards the rim, with tinge of mahogany. As I’ve said before, with old wines (say 30 years and up), individual flavors have melded and fused so much that I find it terribly difficult to breakdown the flavors on the palate. But, as always, I will give it a shot.
Its bouquet was a properly reserved (i.e., as opposed to overly showy or mindlessly obvious) perfume of sweet, old violets, cream, some rose, over discreet dark fruit and a hint of cherry. Medium bodied aspiring to full; texturally, a fine, light silken elixir of pure dark cherry essence over discreetly earthy cassis, violets, mere whispers of dark spice. Pure elegance, complex, contemplative and seductive. This is the kind of wine that doesn’t attempt to bowl one over with buxom curves; rather, it beckons, with a hint of its charms, the taster to delve deeper - to explore and further discover its exquisite favors.
2001 Jadot Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru - My bottle. Initially austere/tight aromas/flavors of white minerals, toasty oak, clean/fresh not-quite-ripe apple/honeydew and a whisper of vanilla-like lees opened up and broadened (comparatively much more on the palate than in the nose) as the wine warmed down (I had it placed in a bucket of ice-water and mingled with some people a bit too long).
It was a right proper Corton Charlemagne to me, unlike those from hotter or more famous recent vintages. Firm yet gentle, the fruit took more of a somewhat baked/creamy nuance as the wine broadened in glass, the toasty oak and leesy notes stepping to the background. Decent length, its leesy notes trailing behind the mellow fruit. Over-all, it is a nice, competent Corton Charlemagne, one that will, in my opinion, probably improve over the next 2-3 years.
1996 Jadot Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru – The Doc’s bottle. With a seared magret de canard over risotto topped with a whorl of crispy, ultra thin strands of fried potatoes. Lots of finesse in this medium-bordering-on-full-bodied wine. There seemed to be comparatively more dark/black fruit/berry/plum than red (cherry, red currant, raspberry), as well as notes of kirsch, the faintest hint of cola, and dark spice to this dark, warming wine. Unquestionably (but not unexpectedly) more heft, breadth and complexity than the aforementioned village Chambolle-Musigny and Morey St Denis – good as they were.
It may be a bit of a stretch, but it was something like a more muscular combination of the two, more masculine and earthy than the Chambolle-Musigny yet lighter on its feet than the Morey St Denis and (like the Chambolle-Musigny) seemingly more generous in flavor than one would expect from its aspiring-to-full body. Very nice, indeed.
I had it with a seared magret de canard over risotto topped with a whorl of crispy, ultra thin strands of fried potatoes. I must mention that the crisp of the potato whorl gave this somewhat ubiquitous dish a great contrast in texture and, perforce, made it memorable. Nice touch.
1994 Château Margaux - From one of those new-fangled (in Manila anyway) wine-dispensing machines. The Doc and I got half a glass each. The Vigneron told us we were wasting our time with any wine from that machine, but we just wanted to try it out. Interesting dark spicy notes to its cedar and camphor laced nose; barely full-bodied, the fruit seems a bit unripe, tannins a bit green, fruit a tad too unripe, good minerality, hints of violets, clean feel. Aside from the somewhat drying tannins, I detected a disturbing, kind of metallic nuance to the wine as a whole.
We were far from impressed. The Doc thought the wine was a bit oxidized. Edouard couldn’t help but say “I told you so”. Not having had this wine from a full, fresh bottle, I will reserve final judgment until I do - if that ever happens. Admittedly, this experience makes me reluctant to buy this wine. Finding out if it was really the wine or the machine hardly seems worth the US$300+ for a bottle.
