Jules' Birthday

Happy birthday, Jules! It was a fun evening.

• 1996 Henriot Champagne Cuvée des Enchanteleurs Brut - France, Champagne
  Gold, orange meniscus. Big, pretty, yeasty nose; a note of oxidized orange peel and creamsicle; butterscotch. Big, rich palate, fantastic acidity; gigantic creamy fruit; splendid length. Wow! Powerful copper notes, more cream, more orange, more creamsicle. A baby! Persistent but well-controlled and extremely fine mousse. Killer Champagne. (From Jonathan A.)
• 1989 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Trilennium Reserve Cuvée - France, Champagne
  Orangy gold. Nose has a little bit of funk, mushroom; hazelnuts, orange zest; sandalwood -- a bit of incense. Palate is a little dense, brooding, shroomy; woody, a bit dried out; not much fruit here. Good length though, probably the best part of this Champagne. Medium acidity. Still quite an aggressive mousse. Drink up. (From Paul M.)
• 1976 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - France, Champagne
  Amber, teaky, ice tea color. Rather aged on the nose, oxidized; saline, seawater; citrus; antique furniture shop, tea, coffee. Wickedly complex nose, ahh… Thank you, Mr. Champagne, for all you do for us… Palate robust, hazelnuts, pleasing oxidation. A little tired, but then so am I! Really, really good. Ready, obviously, but not going anywhere anytime soon, either. (From Josh K.)
• 1990 André Beaufort Champagne Grand Cru Brut (élaborée par Jacques Beaufort) - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
  Gold, appears very young. Nose is very fresh and very reticent; cream and blood orange. Palate, though, is beautiful, quite sweet, floral, and frankly delicious! Good length. Medium intensity, fine mousse. A mouth-happying wine.
• 2004 Maison Leroy Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
  Pale gold. Big gouttey nose, oak, minerals; just a touch of banana. Mineral and pure, though primary. Palate quite forward, lots of oak and ripe tropical fruit. Very much a "Drink me, dammit!" wine. Not one to hold too long, but delicious. (From Josh K.)
• 2002 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
  Pale-ish gold. Very, very pure nose, very Puligny, but reticent. Extremely enticing nose; mineral, a little tropical, but also some mint and tobacco. Palate ripe and dense with glycerin; again, so pure; noticeable but not at all too much oak; filled with silky finesse. Tight and rather closed up, tonight. I'd say wait at least 3+ years. (I liked this a whole lot more than the fellow who brought it, Jonathan A. We had quite a discussion about it -- I found it to be wonderfully elegant, reserved, and in need of more cellar time, but he thought it was a disappointing wine that will never amount to much.)
• 2007 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
  Deep straw, green meniscus. Pure, young, perfumed, mineral, stony Chardonnay on the nose. Primary. Palate soft, a bit sweet, butter; seems diffuse and disjointed at the moment. A good wine, but a bit lost in the mix tonight.
• 2001 Château La Clusière - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  Black as night. Enormous, classic Saint Emilion nose of chocolate and bell peppers; a big, big nose. Palate matches the nose blow for blow; sweet, rich, good but not over-the-top ripeness, massively tannic (to me, anyway, as others didn't think so). Good length. Just beginning to drink, and for all its virility nicely balanced. Easy to like now, but I would hold it if I had it -- 3 years, minimum. (The last vintage of this wine before the property was folded into Pavie.) (From the Birthday Girl!)
• 1971 Sartori di Verona Amarone della Valpolicella Classico - Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
  Bricked black. Huge nose, floral, lilac, violets, some oxidation showing as concrete dust, mineral. Lovely. Palate big and rich, but elegant for Amarone -- the years in the cellar have done wonders here. Polished, fat, a little hot, and still firmly tannic as it will always be. Even a bit young, yet! Good, book leathery length. This wine is liquid chocolate with pork belly…! Really good, really fun, and really interesting wine. (My wine)
• 2001 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
  Black as night. Smells like a bottle of ink; chocolate, iron, minerals, oyster shells, soy sauce, licorice, and plums; really rather daunting to my dainty nostrils! Massive and quite overwhelming on the palate, but with a LOT of polish; pretty intense but certainly not over the top. Flavors match those of the nose. Full bodied and long. Once again, a very intense nose. A very controlled and deliberate style of wine and winemaking. Also, an important closing comment: the wine is really nicely balanced, for all its power and authority. (From Josh K.)
• 1973 Bodegas Beronia Rioja Gran Reserva Cosecha Fundacional - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
  Bricked blood, good dense color but transparent. Big, complicated nose of minerals, fertilizer, striking cherry, malted milk, milk chocolate, and just a breath of mint; showing its age but completely sound. Palate is still very sturdy, tannic, but with plenty of earthy, red fruit and acidity, too. Stocky, and pleasingly rustic. Good length. Nice bottle of wine! (From Sam N.)
• 2001 Château Guiraud - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  Gold. The penetrating, gouttey nose of intense young Sauternes, very classic, peach pits, nectarine, and copper. Palate rich, very deep caramel, massive glycerin, roasted apricots. Extremely long and intense. Fantastic, and will be a long distance runner. Super classic, super Bordeaux, super Sauternes. Yum! (From the Birthday Girl!)
• 1988 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  Deep tawny. Problematic nose: copper pennies, fertilizer, oxidized stone dust; glue gun; back behind all that, occluded, is some pit fruit, but also some acetone/volatility. Palate of toffee, coffee, oxidized. In short: FLAWED. I think this may have seen some heat at some point. (From .375; my wine) (FLAWED)