| | Impromtu gathering precipitated by the incoming Typhoon. Probably no better way to welcome Tropical Cyclone Utor and wait for signal 8 to be hoisted than to hunker down with a group of friends at the Wine Vault and pull some serious corks. 7 of us eventually made it and it was a great night with Cros Ps, Richebourgs, Clos de la Roche, a pair of 59 Bordeaux, DRC and Jayer. We did this last year and I have a feeling this may become a tradition! - 1959 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Nothing better than kicking it off with some mellow old claret. Fill was about mid-high shoulder and the bottle was in decent condition. Nice bronze color and the nose was quite pleasing but the palate lacked the vigor of the nose. Everything the way it should be for a 50+ year old Pauillac. An elegant old lady but didn't really excite me tonight. First time with this wine for me so lacked other reference points (89 pts.)
- 1985 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Kicked off the burgs with a 85 Lignier CdR. Lovely high pitched nose of cherry compote but there was also ample sous bois. Fully mature and while still lively and delicious, for me it was at an awkward stage where it lost a little of the kick but the old wine nuances were still not fully developed. Nice balance and very elegant and thought quite reflective of vintage and maker. (92 pts.)
- 1989 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
We now moved onto a pair of Rouget Cros Ps. Both bottles were fantastic and the 1989 had a lovely nose full of spice. Nice crunchy fruit and there were traces of the earthy elements too. Overall more austere and intellectual than the 1990. At a good place right now but bottles like this one will hold. (94 pts.)
- 1990 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
This was a rocking bottle of Cros P. Another haunting nose. Quite a fat wine and had that sappy fruit of the vintage and a round velvet palate. Very showy and vivacious albeit slightly exotic. Just a bit more depth and more interesting than the 1989. For me vied with the 88 Meo Richebourg as WOTN. (95 pts.)
- 1990 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
A big step-up to the 85 and everything just dialed up a few nothces. This had that lovely balance and minerality of Clos de la Roche. Others said they've had better bottles but for me this was still very good. I thought maybe we just finished the bottle too fast and it didn't have a chance to fully blossom. (94 pts.)
- 1976 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Great looking bottle with good levels. Color was browning and had a delicate nose. Flowers, leather, tobacco and shrooms. Everything you would expect and I thought it was reflective of the vintage. Faded after 30mins. (92 pts.)
- 1988 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Had this twice before and both times it didn't show that well but tonight this bottle really stepped up. Just coming into its drinking window now and by far the youngest and most primary tasting wine tonight. This bottle had a great spine and while the 90 Rouget Cros P was showy this was regal and aristocratic. I think this bottle in some ways accentuates the step-up in class between the two vineyards. Already good but there's upside here. PP said he saw more glimpses of the '"Uncle" here. (95 pts.)
- 1992 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Taking a 92 against a 90 is normally like bringing a swiss army knife to a gun fight but this was no ordinary knife! The nose was fantastic and was like a judge's hammer demanding your attention. The palate was not as good as the nose but still many interesting tidbits. This was by far one of the best 92s I've ever had and while the Rouget and Meo may have had more depth and weight this was just ozzing style. If you want to be analytical there's a lot you can pick on as PP said but it just shows you how singular HJ's wines are. Brilliant. (93 pts.)
- 1959 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
It's all getting a bit blurry for me after 8 bottles so i decided to pull down the curtain by grabbing a bottle of 1959 Haut Brion to end the evening. This was definitely a step up to the Pichon and it had a lovely clear ruby color and that signature tea, tobacco and earthy nose that is Haut Brion. The palate was fine too but I just had much higher expectations for this wine. Definitely better bottles out there than this one. (91 pts.)
Overall a great evening. The pair of 1959s were both a bit tired and boring for me as I recall a very lively bottle of 59 Mouton I had a few years back but with these old bottles it's always crap shoot every time you pull the cork. The Rouget and Meo were all excellent and for me there were glimpses of Uncle Henry in there. |
