Friday Night Dinner

12 of us convened to drink some wines for dinner. The setting was amicable, the food was splendid (cheers Dave and Ali) and the wines were for the most part nice. One thing that I noticed was a large portion of these wines were more on the contemplative side and were better approached in a more subtle setting; by that I mean the subtle elegance of the 02 Volnay or the enigmatic approach of the 96 Leflaive would better be suited for simpler settings with cuisine tailored to their strengths, with a bit more contemplative time to truly enjoy. With that being said, nothing disappointed and the range of wines were thoroughly enjoyable.

• 1986 Renaudin Champagne L'Espiégle Brut Rosé 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  Poured from mag. An interesting and racy Rosé with vibrant bubbles and bracing acidity. Opens at first with overwhelming notes of raspberry with a bit of minerality and hints of confectioned lemon and nut. With more air and on the second and third pours, some mousse and notes of smoke began to emerge. The wine held very well and was a great vessel to open one's palate. 91-92pts.

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

• 1979 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs

  France, Champagne

  Popped and poured quickly into champagne glasses. Some pressure upon opening and the cork was in very good condition. Some musty notes that blew off at first with faint bubbles slowly giving way. The wine develops intense aromas of creme brulee, biscuit, vanilla bean, nutmeg, resin and sherry. Heavy waxiness and a wonderful sense of creme brulee accompany a wonderful pitch to the nose. Clearly some oxidative elements given the sherry but balanced and drinkable (not overwhelmingly oxidated). On the palate, at first there is some vibrance and raciness that finishes with a waxy glide, but the wine fades after about 20 minutes in glass. We vacuum sealed a portion of the bottle and revisited a few hours later, but it was a bit more oxidized and on the sherry side. Hard to rate but there was some profound pleasure to be had at first. Provenance is likely key if one is to approach a bottle.

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

• 1999 Gosset Champagne Brut Grand Millésime 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Very lovely and in a fine phase of infancy. Opens with racy minerality and beautiful tight bubbles (esp considering as it was consumed after the 79 Ruinart), the wine is aptly described by Kevin as a baby Krug. It is in its delicate balance between bright citric fruit and toasty brioche notes that this is evinced. With more time in glass, there is some fine mouse that develops but clearly this Champagne has upside and is on the young but imminently approachable side. Nice class in the glass. 93+.

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

• 1996 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Opens up tight and musty, clearly needing some air. With more time, it begins to settle in glass, blowing off a heavy smokiness and develops an interesting pitch of spice and hazelnut that only mature white burgundy really provides. There is some lovely hints of bacon and toast, which is a real interesting combo for a white burg. The palate lacked a bit of structure and felt a touch hollow without an acidic spine, but the nose was the real treat. With more air, the wine developed this really interesting note of sesame seed. Not quite there but it shows its familial breed.

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

• 2000 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Really a lovely wine with perhaps the most floral nose of the night (save for the exotic and ripe chablis which opened as such but blew off). Nice notes of peach, lillac and honey. Undertones of minerality but it really doesn't have that type of approach. It has a wonderfully round, viscous and well knit mouthfeel and heft. A high grade and polished white burg which doesn't try to do too much and thus holds a wonderful balanced approach.

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

• 2000 Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Another good showing was this 00 Carillon PM. Not quite as hefty as the Boillot Corton Charlie, it had a bit more verve and citric backbone to it. With time, interesting notes of baking spice and candied fruit appeared, perhaps some hazelnut as well. Lighter but more vibrant mouthfeel. A nice treat.

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

• 2006 Verget Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  A very nice Chablis, but one falls into the trap of drinking these too young due to the fear of premature oxidation (is this endemic to Verget?). Opens with real panache with exotic notes of pineapple, kumquat and peach. With more time, saline minerality develops but the wine clearly needs more time to add weight and incorporate the minerality while honing a more focused pitch on the palate. Care to play the premox gamble? Enjoyable now...

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

• 1990 Faiveley Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées 86 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Very interesting example of a wine, as it opens up pretty close to buried with overtones of wet sous bois pretty much dominating the nose, but with some more time in glass, it begins to climb out of the grave as the nose focuses a bit and portends light hints of pinot strawberry and saddle leather. On the palate, there is still some heavy tannins which shows that the maturation of all elements in a wine (phenolic ripeness, tannic structure, acidic backbone) is more of a balancing act than we give credit to vignerons. This reminds one of 86 BDX in that the phenolic ripeness may be overshadowed by the tannins. As a caveat sidenote, this wine is a perfect example as to how older wine can fool the drinker between bdx and burgundy. I've had old BDX in comperable states that show the same faintness of fruit and are veritably indistinguishable. I think in 10 years this wine may be there, but for now there is still a litheness to the strawberry component which says Burg. Could have potentially benefited from an Audouze.

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

• 1990 Domaine Thomas-Moillard Corton-Clos du Roi 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  In a better place than the Faiveley with a more delicate nose of cherry compote and earth. Some hints of grange and saddle peak through, but it is well knit and a Burgundy drinkers wine. I think it suffers from being nestled behind an 98 Clos de Beze (and an 08 Duoro which was simply monolithic in comparison) which made it hard to appreciate its nuance and delicacy, which I believe is there. A quiet dinner wine to be enjoyed on its merit with delicate cuisine.

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

• 1998 Louis Jadot Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Domaine Louis Jadot 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

  A far more powerful expression of pinot is provided by this clos de beze, with ripe notes of cherry and hints of cola, raspberry and boysenberry. Still infantile, it needs time to develop more secondary characteristics. One can sense that the pitch of the fruit will really flourish with more bottle age, as it seems to have the structural tannins to handle it, but perhaps not the acidity that a Burgophile might really crave from a delicate wine. I'd hold 3-5 years and hope for structural integrity.

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

• 2002 Jean-Claude Boisset Volnay 1er Cru Les Brouillards 93 Points

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

  A wonderful wine that really shines with its delicacy of composition. It's a wine that coaxes the drinker to appreciate it rather than attempting to bludgeon it with overwhelming fruit or pizazz. An enchanting wine with upside. Perhaps my RWOTN.

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

• 1997 Château Nairac 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  An enjoyable Sauternes in a good place of maturity. Enjoyed after a very strange Vouvray Demi-Sec that was dominated by catpee and lemon, and a Spanish Chenin clone that was like a diesel gas station. Classic Sauternes with viscous heft more akin to Rieussec than the delicacy of say a Climens. It shines with beautiful hazelnut color and has developed nice notes of vanilla cream and marzipan.

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

• 2000 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Windsbuhl 93 Points

  France, Alsace

  Shows very nice with classic ZH craft. A delicate balance between vibrant acidity and rounded fruit. A very nice way to cap an evening and another solid showing by ZH.

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