Champagne, Burgundy, and old Huët at the North End Grill

North End Grill, NYC
Tasted Monday, July 1, 2013 by salil with 614 views

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • 1988 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 95 Points

    France, Champagne

    Drinking beautifully now, very fragrant, finessed and really seamless on the palate with mature toasty and white truffle flavours around a core of fresh citrus and pear fruit and gentle doughy and nutty elements. There's bright acidity beneath that keeps it very lively and fresh, an incredibly graceful, polished texture, and serious length - fantastic.

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  • 1996 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 98 Points

    France, Champagne

    Another spectacular bottle of this. Incredibly young, yet so complex and compelling already. Amazing power and intensity conveyed with remarkable elegance, and there's such cut and vibrancy to the flavours with layers of fresh lemon and green apple fruit, doughy and toasty notes and a vivid chalky minerality all coming together seamlessly around a powerful acid spine. Wow.

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Flight 2 (3 Notes)

  • 1998 Claude Dugat Charmes-Chambertin 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

    Love the fragrance here, there's certainly a touch of brett evident with funky leathery and meaty notes accenting fresh red fruits, earth and higher toned floral and spicy notes. The aromatics may be rustic, but on the palate it's incredibly polished and silken textured, so elegant with a delicate touch to the flavours, surprisingly gentle tannins and impressive length.

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  • 2000 Claude Dugat Charmes-Chambertin 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

    At first this seems a bit clumsy and ripe when poured alongside the '98, not having the same sense of lightness and focus on the palate, but with air it becomes much more appealing with a core of rich red and dark fruited flavours framed by savoury earthy and spicy notes. It still comes across rather young and a bit dense with some grainy tannin showing on the back end, but it's still lovely to drink now.

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  • 2000 Domaine Trapet Chambertin 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

    Trapet Chambertin always seems to deliver, and this is no exception; amazing depth and refinement here with a beautiful floral and red fruited fragrance, and layers of fruit, spice and more savoury brothy and earthy elements coming together on the palate with a sense of harmony and polish. The tannin here is incredibly fine grained, and although it's still rather young, the balance and depth make this absolutely compelling to drink.

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Flight 3 (2 Notes)

  • 1995 Christophe Roumier Ruchottes-Chambertin 97 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru

    An immediate wow from the fragrance, which is incredibly perfumed with vivid florality and fresh red fruited flavours accented by gentler spicy and earthy notes. The palate presence here is incredible, there's such depth and breadth to the flavours, yet it feels almost weightless with a delicate touch and an amazingly refined, silken texture. Spectacular.

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  • 2000 Claude Dugat Griotte-Chambertin 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru

    Another incredible aroma; layers of red and dark fruits, cinnamon and other sweet baking spices, earth and higher toned floral notes all coming together into an amazing scent that I could have kept smelling through the evening. There's a sense of real power and intensity on the palate, yet the balance here is stunning with bright acids and a really refined, polished texture.

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Flight 4 (3 Notes)

  • 2002 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la Roche 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

    Still incredibly young, primary and dense, packed with rich red fruits gently accented by spice and floral notes. There's not a lot of complexity here yet and this really needs a lot of time, but no complaints about drinking it now, given the impeccable balance and the polished, refined texture. Lovely.

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  • 2001 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 95 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

    Great aromatics, really flamboyant and exotic with a core of rich dark fruit framed by an array of high toned spicy and floral notes, and simultaneously conveying both a sense of power and remarkable finesse with a bright acid spine giving it a sense of lift.

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  • 1998 Domaine Leroy Nuits St. Georges Aux Allots 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges

    The aromatics seem a little muddled and muted initially, but clear up with some time in the glass, becoming more floral, herbal and spicy with air. There's a remarkable sense of delicacy and finesse on the palate, very fresh spice-tinged red and dark fruits turning more savoury on the back end, and this is drinking really nicely now with the tannins barely noticeable and a bright acid spine keeping it very fresh.

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Flight 5 (1 Note)

  • 1998 Domaine Leroy Clos Vougeot 95 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

    Amazing perfumed aromatics that just keep unfolding and expanding with air, hard to put this into words but there's such an array of spice and florality on the nose, and incredible depth on the palate with layers of rich fruit, flowers and more savoury, earthy elements all coming together seamlessly. Stunning balance, power conveyed with remarkable elegance, and finishing with amazing length. Wow.

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Flight 6 (1 Note)

  • 1986 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 91 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

    Some disagreement about this at the table, but I liked a lot - it's not a big wine by any means, but it's very elegant and polished, coming across very savoury and fully mature with that classic Chave smoky-meaty aroma, gentle red fruits on the palate framed by earthy, meaty, smoky and ashy notes, though finishing just a touch short. Still this is lovely, though a wine to drink up now.

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Flight 7 (2 Notes)

  • 1924 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Haut-Lieu 93 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

    Like the last bottle I had, this also shows some signs of refermenting with a gentle yet persistent spritz that remained four hours after decanting. Rather funky aromatics with a sweaty, almost cheese-like note that sticks out among other elements of wool, quince, honey and apricot marmalade, but there's a sense of great purity and finesse on the palate with the acid and faint spritz keeping it very light on its feet, and good length.

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  • 1959 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Haut-Lieu 97 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

    Darker in colour than the '24, coming across much richer and sweeter with a strong caramel/brown sugar aromatic element in between all the ripe Chenin fruit, honey, marmalade and wooly notes. The balance here is amazing, the acidity keeps it remarkably light on its feet and balances the sweetness superbly, and there's amazing persistence on the back end with savoury and honeyed elements unfolding long after each sip. Wow.

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Flight 8 (1 Note)

  • 1996 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Clos du Bourg 93 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

    Not the ideal place for this wine, sandwiched between a great '59 LHL 1ère trie, and the '89 Constance, yet this is a really great showing - delicate, understated, already quite complex with a delicate touch and a sense of real purity to the fruit flavours, and wool, orange blossom and honeyed elements accenting the fruit. There's fantastic acidity here keeping it very precise and lively, and it's a wonderful wine that on any other night I'd have given a lot more attention.

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Flight 9 (1 Note)

  • 1989 Domaine Huet Vouvray Cuvée Constance 98 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

    Once again, monumental, and another incredible showing for what is one of the greatest wines (sweet, white, or otherwise) I've ever had the chance to drink. A spectrum of flavour that's hard to catalogue, but this seems to have it all with layers of rich fruit, honey, marmalade and other wooly and floral elements all coming together seamlessly, and incredible balance between the sweetness and acidity. The sense of textural refinement and elegance here is amazing, and the flavours resonate long after each sip. Thanks Ross.

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