One of Those Big Birthdays

Margaux's Table, White Bear Lake, MN
Tasted Friday, May 14, 2021 by rocknroller with 162 views

Introduction

So.....this was great to celebrate one of those knee shaking birthdays that kind of make me shudder when I think about it, but as they say, the alternative is worse. So with that in mind, we set out to celebrate with some great food and wine. Peggy Doran at Margaux's Table was a one woman show, and she did a fabulous job executing the menu that I hand selected from her extensive catalog of dishes. She did an amazing job for the twelve of us. These events are a blast, but there's always someone left out and that's hard thing to do. Everyone did a great job with chosing their wines. We really couldn't have had better luck. Thanks everyone for sharing the evening, your wines and friendship.

Flight 1 - Champagne Flight (2 Notes)

Flight 2 - Rose Champagne Flight (1 Note)

Flight 3 - Chablis Flight (1 Note)

  • 2012 François Raveneau Chablis 95 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis

    Pale gold color. Drank a glass over 45 minute. Stunning, with the utmost sense of purity and focus.amazing ocean sea spray on the nose, very high toned striking the upper olfactory register in spades, rich lemon, Meyer lemon, fresh and bold. The palate is filled with brine and tons of acid, pure and fresh, Meyer lemon, crisp fresh cut lemon, dried apple, long and vibrant. Inspiring! I certainly don't get to drink Raveneau anywhere near enough.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 4 - Cali Chard Flight (2 Notes)

  • 2011 Chateau Montelena 40th Chardonnay Vintage 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Light gold color. Drank a glass over an hour. Pear, tart fruit, peach, very crisp, melon, medium bodied, crisp acidity, ultra light wood and toast. 92+pts.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2013 Kistler Chardonnay Cuvée Cathleen Kistler Vineyard 94 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

    Light medium gold color. Drank a glass over 45 minutes. Very complex all the way around, aromatic nose with stones, sea shore, rose blossoms, rich nose, green fruits and almonds. The palate, shines with definition, citrus, Meyer lemon, creme brulee, oak, almond, roasted pear and oak spice on a medium full bodied frame with a long finish. This is pretty elegant; there was just a hint of alcohol early on but it settles in nicely.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 5 - Red Burg Flight (2 Notes)

  • 2002 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Domaine Louis Jadot 95 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

    Medium red color. PNP, drank a glass plus over 90 minutes. Oh man this is a wow nose; great perfume of cinnamon, spices, leather, framboise, soil, iodine, blood and more. The palate is medium bodied and quintesscential Burgundy, soulful and filled with soil, minerals and red fruits. The iron and minerality is distinct, red raspberry, tart cherry, velveteen texture, leather, dried earth and dry extract on the finish. This was just super, plenty of time. 95+ to 96pts.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

    Medium dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over an hour. Drank this next to the '02 Jadot CSJ. A little muted at first on the nose, with darker fruits, black cherry, currants, dried Christmas spice, and earth. The palate is medium bodied, black cherry, tart huckleberry, dirt, tobacco leaf and good length.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 6 - Intermezzo (1 Note)

  • 2008 The Foreign Affair Cabernet Franc Full Appassimento

    Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

    Very dark red purple hued color. Drank a small glass over an hour. Interesting wine. I agree with comments from galewskj. With the sun dried grapes this comes off ultra ripe and Amarone-like. Sweet to the point of distraction for me, but that is also impacted by the placement of where we happened to drink this. The 16% ABV is really comes through, it does seem like a fortified wine to me. Ripe raspberry elixir, figs, blackberry and dark chocolate.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 7 - Aged Bordeaux Flight (2 Notes)

  • 1961 Château Cos d'Estournel 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Very dark red minus color with a 7mm transitional to clear margin. PNP, drank a glass over 90 minutes. Low shoulder fill with a fully saturated wet cork that released on just turning in the spindle. Like most of these older bottles this needed a few minutes to shake off the cobwebs. Definitely intact right off the bat, but steadily evolving in the glass. This is one of those revelatory wines that certainly demonstartes the durability and ageability of Bordeaux. One might naturally be worried about the the low shoulder fill or the wet cork, but this wine defies the odds and in my experience is not an outlyer. What a great wine, showing its ever changing colors. The nose is filled with saddle leather, earth and a touch of funk to start which slowly builds over 20 minutes into an amazing perfume of pencil lead, tar, soil, dried purple flowers, red currants, red cherry and mulch. The palate still is zinging with tart red fruits on a sleek medium body, cherry, dried forest floor, crushed blackberries, soil and minerals, round medium tannins and a long finish. This was in great shape, and an absolute joy to drink a birth year wine for this milestone bday. I don't think most would pick this out as 60 years old if drank blind - maybe 40, and this has got the stuffing to go for another 20 it would seem. My WOTN in a really, really strong group.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1976 Château Trotanoy 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Dark red maroon color. PNP, drank a glass over an hour. Another dicey cork, but a nice wine drinking well. Very metallic minerality on the nose, dominating for the most part, some dried flowers, decaying mushrooms, dried cherries. The palate is medium bodied, leather, metallic, iron, strong minerality, earthy, mild tannins. 91+ to 92pts.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 8 - A Birth Year Barolo (1 Note)

  • 1961 Franco Fiorina Barolo 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Medium red murky color. PNP, drank a glass over 30 minutes. The nose is kind of sullen, earthy, celery, tar, mushroom, dried red fruit. The palate is medium bodied, ultra tart, cranberry, bing cherry, vegetal, sous bois, onion soup, resolved tannins. It's always fun to drink these old Barolo's and this birth year wine was a another good one.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 9 - Something Younger (2 Notes)

  • 2001 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Very dark red/purple color. Drank a glass over 45 minutes. This wasn't quite as evolved as I expected it to be. Full bodied, dark cherry, graphite, plum, dark chocolate, blackberry, black currants, silky, dried earth, wood and some prominent tannins. I like this a lot, but this bottle could have used even more time or air. 92+ to 93pts.

    Read 3 Comments / Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2009 Les Pagodes de Cos

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Very dark red/purple color. PNP, followed a glass over 45 minutes. This was in a tough spot following a lot of aged wines. In itself this was extremely youthful; kirsch, blackberry liqueur, cassis, oak, spicy, very firm tannins, full bodied and dense. Score reserved.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 10 - An Aussie Gem (1 Note)

  • 2002 Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz E & E Black Pepper 94 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Very dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over 40 minutes. This is always a treat for me as it's been a special wine over the years. This is so complex, beautiful, and ever consistent. See my previous notes to dive deeper. Tar, creosote, mint, black and blue fruits, leather and floral. A gem.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

×
×