| | A fun group of of wine tasters ditched work to taste some great wines from our cellars. There were many great bottles. Rosé Champagne Two really great rose champagnes with very different styles. - N.V. Jacques Selosse Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne
Very pretty light pink color, especially compared to the Taittinger. Made in the Selosse house style lending just the perfect amount of oxidation. Yet somehow the bubbles, acidity, and ripe strawberry fruit keep it all fresh and delicious. For me, this was the kind of wine that I wanted to guzzle because it was so tasty but I savored it to make it last. (95 pts.)
- 1999 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut - France, Champagne
Very dark pink color. The Taittinger was tight and slightly reduced upon opening showing some nice earthy aromas. Luckily, it opened in the glass with some swirling and oxygen. Perhaps it was the contrast with the Selosse that made the fruit seem so much darker by comparison. There was a lot going on in the wine including notes of blackberry, toast, and mineral. The flavors were very precise making me think this will continue to evolve and gain complexity. (95 pts.)
2008 Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 2008 offers a nice vintage for current drinking. - 2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
The bottle was a leaker which is more common and less problematic in Riesling than other wines. The bad cork did have a slightly detrimental effect on the wine as the color was dark gold and the wine was slightly advanced. Still, the wine retained great freshness and acidity. The fruit reminds me of ripe apple but it's only faintly sweet. I suspect a perfect bottle would show more verve but this was still quite enjoyable. (93 pts.)
- 2003 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
The color of the wine was remarkably light colored yellow for a 13 year old wine. This wine showed the mark of the vintage as the fruit was tropical with strong notes of pineapple. The acidity and minerality were there but in less abundance than normal. Altogether this was quite enjoyable but not a classic example of Prum spatlese. This bottle was not quite as good as another tasted earlier in the month that managed to retain a bit more acidity and overall balance. (92 pts.)
Graacher Himmerleich Riesling Spätlese A less than classic JJ Prum experience but still quite good. - 2008 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
It's always a treat to taste Roulot and this didn't disappoint. This was a very showy wine and was round and flamboyant for Meursault. The mineral and saline presence was there but were also notes of butter and melon fruit. I'm thankful for a great vintage like 2008 which also offers great pleasure while other vintages mature in the cellar. (95 pts.)
- 2008 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
According to Amy one bottle was advanced so she had to open a second for the group to enjoy. There was a striking similarity to the 2008 Roulot Charme in the openness and roundness of the wine. I ascribe this more to the vintage characteristic than the site. Somehow it just felt slightly less perfectly rendered than the Roulot. The flavors were all there including saline, mineral, and sweet citrus. They were just a touch more shallow than the magnificent Roulot. A great wine for sure that suffered because for being compared to the Roulot but that's what makes horizontal tasting so interesting. (93 pts.)
1999 Gevery-Chambertin Grand Cru The 1999 Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru are outstanding. - 1999 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Ruchottes-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Decanted for several hours prior to serving. Very tight and practically unyielding at first, but this opened up beautifully over an hour plus in the glass. The wine underwent a radical transformation in the glass. At first it smelled like a fresh spring day after the landscaper has laid down mulch. With more time, a gorgeous floral perfume emerges. The palate was quite primary and with dense, rich, glossy fruit. Grand cru weight here for sure. This is just entering a long and glorious drinking window. It hard to imagine it getting any better and I'd guess it's provide pleasure for at least the next twenty years. (97 pts.)
- 1999 Domaine Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin Vieille Vigne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru
Popped and decanted for two hours before serving. This bottle was near perfection. It possesses the coveted velvety Fourier mouthfeel with fine tannin. It's seamless on the palate yet the flavors are so perfectly delineated and precise showing ripe raspberry and mineral. It's flavors are so dense and pungent while the palate remains weightless at the same time. I could drink this every day and never tire of it. (98 pts.)
Mature Bordeaux the 1959 Calon Segur is a classic and great Bordeaux that may drink well for 100 years. - 1959 Château Calon-Ségur - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Perfect bottle with a fill just barely into the neck. Shimmied the cork out in one piece with a Durand and let the bottle slow ox for about two hours before drinking. Tom has much more experience with 59 Bordeaux than I do and declared this text book 59 Bordeaux. I'll have to take his word for it. The wine is remarkably youthful and fresh for a wine closing in it's 60th birthday. There is still quite a bit of ripe plummy fruit on the palate. Classical Bordeaux notes of cedar and tobacco harmonize the fruit to create a sauve and delicious package. Needless to say, this is fully resolved. Great showing. (97 pts.)
- 1966 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Perfect bottle with a fill just into the next. Popped the cork out with a Durand and slow oxed for two hours before drinking. The Leoville Poyferre was more tertiary than the 59 Calon Segur with notes of mushroom, tobacco, and cigar box. With air, some dark fruit came out rounding out the flavor and provide overall balance to the flavor. I also recall an unmistakable aroma of old wine cellar. Unlike the Calon Segur which will continue to age gracefully for many years, I would drink these up. (93 pts.)
Fonseca Porto Vintage The 1963 offers more density and complexity but the 1970 is no slouch - 1963 Fonseca Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
The color is still quite dark with some fading pinkish hue on the edges. Jeff Leve nailed the flavor of this with chocolate covered cherries. The port is almost weightless on the palate but the has great depth of flavor with notes of baking spices, kirsch and burnt sugar. The aroma of the wine is surprisingly earthy. The port is at apogee or on a gentle decline. Drink up. (95 pts.)
- 1970 Fonseca Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
Double decanted for sediment several hours before serving. There was an herbaceous quality on the nose that was a touch misplaced but still very enjoyable. Very youthful on the palate with classic port flavors of dried fruit, raisins, fruit compote, and baking spice. (94 pts.)
You can't have enough 1999 Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru in your cellar. Though they sometimes may still be a bit shy, they are outstanding wines when they show their stuff. |
