Friday after Thanksgiving (FAT)

Almost all these great wines were shipped just days before the event. Also virtually none were decanted, just given an hour or three open before trying. So my assessment of many might well understate how they would show if treated with kid gloves. But still...wow! Thank you Cory and Debbie for your generosity and hospitality. And also thanks to David and Paul for their amazing additions to the lineup.

• 2008 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 95 Points

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

  Briefly decanted before tasting. Great aromas of ripe apples, with some floral hints. Same applle flavors on palate, with great spice, minerality and acidity. Sensational textures, with some hints of lemon and lemon peel emerging on long finish. Really exceptional, even at this early stage.

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• 2008 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

  Perfumed and floral start with intense ripe apricot. Same ripe fruit on palate, lots of apricot and peach, with intense clove and ginger spice. Perhaps the finest vintage for Pernot since his amazing 1999s.

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• 1990 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 96 Points

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

  Ripe black cherry aromas with great spice. Hints of forest floor. Same quite ripe black fruit on palate, with very elegant spice showing licorice and dried tarragon. Ripe with some heat on finish, but not overripe, given the wine's excellent balance coming from its considerable tannins and acidity. Everything integrated, this is at a great place today.

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• 1991 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant Flawed

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Very sad, falling apart and mostly faded.

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• 1996 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Red and black fruit on nose with good spice, moderately perfumed. More intense fruit on palate with great licorice and clove spice. Well structured but yet almost perfectly balanced, this will continue to improve and drink well for another two decades if well stored. For me, this was a slight step behind its 98 and 99 counteparts also served in the flight.

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• 1998 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant 97 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Started with incredibly perfumed nose combined with great red and black cherry aromas, plus plenty of Asian spice. Very alluring, best nose of the flight (Leroy RSV from 91, 96, 98, 99 and 01). Similar fruit and spice on the palate, perhaps not quite as powerful and dense as the 96 and 99 also poured in the flight. Others slightly preferred the wine from those vintages, but I think it's entirely driven by how you organoleptically value aromatics relative to. palate .

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• 1999 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant 96 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Great combination on nose of red and black cherry, cinnamon, cloves and other spice with a lovely floral contribution. Palate was more black fruit with same Asian spice blend. Long and powerful, most people preferred this to the 1998 vintage also served, while I slightly preferred the998 for its amazing floral aromoatics. This 1999, however, will outlast the 1998 and probably continue to improve for another decade, then drink beautifully to 2035 or later.

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• 2001 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Ripe black fruit on nose with powerful Asian spice, also moderately perfumed. Compared to the 96, 98 and 99 vintages also served, this was still a bit backward and slightly shut down. Still there was great textured black fruit on the palate with incredible density and concentration. Hold at least another 5 years before trying.

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• 1986 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Black fruit on nose shows reasonable amount of age, just modest spice. Same black fruit on palate, slightly muddy. Moderate length and finesse, by far the least interesting of the 8 vintages of DRC RSV that night.

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• 1993 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Only open about an hour before tasted, not decanted. Black fruit with intense spice on nose. Incredibly powerful black cherry and boysenberry flavors behind really big tannins. Sensational powerful and long finish. A great wine that will most likely reach its peak drinking window around 2020.

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• 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Not nearly as sexy or showy as the Leroy 99 RSV, this wine is more structured and powerful. Mostly black fruit with good allspice and anise, it also has very good textures, with lots of great potential. I think the Leroy is an overall better wine, but it is a comparison I would be thrilled to make every few years over the next two decades!

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• 2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Another bottle that was very difficult to assess without decanting and enough air. Everything was there for a great wine (everything I remember from when last tasted!) - big red fruit, lots of savory fresh herbs and spice, lacy tannins, great minerality and acidity - but it was impossible for me to find everything together at any one point in time. Again, this would be a wine you'd like to enjoy and consider over hours ( vs. a couple of times for 5 minutes each time).

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• 2002 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Lots of strawberry and red cherry on nose and palate, without quite the same degree of concentration showed in a bottle from a few months ago. Same with the spice -quite good but not at the level I expected tonight. Lots of structure and minerality already seem quite integrated, but I think they somewhat masked the fruit, and a couple of hours in a decanter might have made a big difference here.

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• 2004 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Sweet red fruit on nose with moderate Asian spice. Same cherry flavors on palate, nice but a little simple. I didn't find any green or vegetal character here, but there certainly was a sense of lean fruit that others might interpret as the 2004 "green" character coming through. Probably a wine to drink in the next 5-8 years.

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• 2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 96 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Thank goodness this bottle was opened so young, the cork was imperfect and already soaked through on one side, so perhaps this bottle wouldn't have lasted its expected 30+ year lifespan. Tonight this was sensational, despite just a couple of hours of air and no decanting. Ripe, dense blackberry and black cherry on nose. Floral and Asian spice emerged nicely after plenty of swirling and aeration. Palate showed both red and black cherry, lots of nuance and layers of flavor. Firmly structured but the minerality, acidity and tannins are glorious, energizing and silky, resulting in greater length and power for this wonderful wine. First time I have ever had this vintage, I'm thrilled to have a few stashed away in the cellar, not expecting to open any until after 2025.

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• 2007 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Another tough bottle to assess tonight. I am certain this could have benefited from a full day in a decanter. Aromas were quite intriguing- floral with clove, coffee and tarragon as well as bright red fruit. Much less came through on the palate. Aromas kept changing the couple of times I revisited the wine, each time in an interesting way, but the palate never really came through as anything exciting.

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• 1990 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Shows largely the same as all the other times I've tried this wine. Bottom line is it certainly very good and easy to enjoy, but really shows few if any of what I'd expect from Musigny. Lots of 1990 character comes through in a powerful, balanced way, but at its current price point there are many other vintages of Vogue Musigny I would prefer to open and enjoy.

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• 1991 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  I have had very incosnsitent experience with this wine, and htis was probably one of its less interesting showing. It came across very tired on the nose, even if classically Burgundy and Musigny. Palate was mostly earthy with some lingering black fruit. Lots of character, but I would have guessed older than 20 years if served blind.

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• 1995 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  This wine really stood out positively above expectations, much like at a Vogue Musigny dinner last year. Ripe black cherry and blackberry aromas with good floral background notes. Same black fruit on palate with lots of dried herb from middle to end. Good structure, but this fairly ripe Musigny is most likely entering its peak drinking window now, on the young side for a great Vogue Musigny.

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• 1996 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Very surprised but this was much more accessible than last month, even though last month's bottle probably had much more decanter time and aeration. This was still all black fruit with massive tannins and acidity, but this bottle was quite forthcoming with great complementary spice, with great aromas and/or flavors of anise, nutmeg, espresso and dark chocolate.

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• 1997 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Ripe black fruit on nose and palate. Not particularly floral, but good spice and dried herbs on palate- anise, tarragon, allspice. Very similar to the 1995 just tasted, just a little bit "less" of everything.

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• 1998 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes Flawed

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Slightly flawed, probably corked. I'm having bad luck with this amazing wine. Last two bottles I've tried have been damaged.

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• 2000 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Approachable and very accessible, with good red and black fruit and traces of earthy aromas starting to come out. A little softer and shorter than I recall from prior tastings, the 2000 didn't shine this night in a flight of 8 vintages of Vogue Musigny.

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• 2001 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  This bottle showed so much better than when I last tried it a year ago. Black cherry and blackberry on nose and palate, with thyme, cloves and licorice. Tannins and acidity seemed close to perfectly integrated, this was approachable immediately but also showed incredibly sneaky density and nuance, particularly on its finish. Great tasting alongside the 2002, which is most likely a better wine but not nearly providing the same pleasure today.

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• 2002 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 96 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Black cherry and boysenberry aromas with great aromas of anise, allspice and thyme. Similar elements on the palate with incredible concentration and textures. This was a standout amongst 11 vintages of Vogue Musigny. In particular I enjoyed tasting this alongside its 2001 counterpart, which was quite similar, albeit less concentrated in most ways, while more approachable right now than this 2002. I'm very excited about where this wine will be in 10-20 years.

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• 2003 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  All ripe, primary black fruit from start-to-finish, with hints of background spice. A bit shorter and simpler than most of the other vintages of Vogue Musigny tasted tonight.

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• 2000 Claude Dugat Charmes-Chambertin Flawed

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

  Not terrible, just showing lots more age than I would expect. Red and black cherry flavors with some meaty spice but mostly earthy aromas and flavors. A slightly flawed bottle.

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• 2000 Bernard Dugat-Py Charmes-Chambertin 93 Points

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

  Very fresh red and black cherry on nose with dense spice and a trace of oak. More sweet black cherry flavors on palate, still mostly primary with just hints of some mushrooms starting to emerge. A big positive surprise vs. my expectations. Much better than another bottle from 4 years ago.

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• 2001 Claude Dugat Charmes-Chambertin 90 Points

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

  Black fruit on nose and palate, moderate spice. Good fruit and balance, just not quite the concentration and density I was expecting in general and in comparison to some other vintages in the flight.

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• 1993 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 89 Points

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

  Once again, this bottle showed very little to me. Clearly lots of good raw material, perhaps my lack of appreciation for this wine is a failure of my imagination to understand where this will emerge in another decade or two.

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• 1999 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 94 Points

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

  Still entirely primary, lots of ripe strawberry and red and black cherry on nose. Palate showed same ripe fruit, combined with good spice, with perhaps a touch more ripeness than I remember from previous tastings a few years back. Long and powerful finish indicates great long term potential to me.

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• 2002 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes

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

  Seemed to have lots of great raw material, but this was really backward and only marginally accessible today. Probably one of the bottles that would have most benefited from some serious decanter time.

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• 2006 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes

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

  Much like its 2002 counterpart tasted moments earlier, I found this very challenging to assess, partly because of all the other great wine tasted before, but largely because it was so backward. At first it seemed simple and largely primary, almost easy to dismiss as a ripe 2006, but then so much structure and texture starting emerging with a little air and time, but I just didn't give this the time required to see everything come together. Most likely great potential...2025? Later?

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• 2007 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 90 Points

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

  A very subtle and finely textured CdlR that relies more on finesse than power. Red fruit and delicate spice on nose and palate, the 2007 comes across as leanner than the other vintages tried tonight, but actually more accessible and really well done particularly in context of the challenging vintage.

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• 1990 Château Margaux 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Beautifully floral nose with great cross-section of fruit, ranging from ripe red cherry to black cherry to sweet plum. Equally nuanced and complex flavors on the palate, nicely integrated with silky tannins. Long and powerful on finish with some bare hints of cedar emerging. This wine has a great long life ahead of it, and is clearly still improving where well cellared.

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• 1995 Château Margaux 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Really good fruit but a bit rough around the edges. Of course it is tough to compare to the 90 Margaux just tasted, and also tough to evaluate after a night of amazing Grand Cru Burgundy.

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• 1990 Château Angélus 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Powerful, ripe black fruit with dense spice on nose. Same great black fruit on palate with good oak spice complement. Not really showing any earthy elements yet, this is really both charming and powerful.

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• 1999 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

  France, Champagne

  My first time trying this wine, and it was late in the evening. But it came across far more accessible than the 1996 when released, but more powerful and ageworthy than the 1997. I will have to try this again when I can better appreciate it, rather than as a palate cleanser between flights of DRC RSV and Dugat Charmes-Chambertin.

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• 1934 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Bottle was in great condition, even if label was mostly tattered. Still quite alive with good earthy, mushroomy character on both nose and palate. Expectations were high given how much the auction house built up this wine at an auction a year or two ago. So it was amazing for a 75+ year old 1er wine if NOT for those expectations.

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• 1971 Louis Latour Corton-Grancey 80 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Earthy aromas with some element of decay. Not much left on the palate to balance the very prominent level of acidity still there.

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• 1959 Domaine Potinet-Ampeau Volnay 1er Cru Santenots

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

  Good earthy elements dominate the nose along with a bit of lingering spice with a reasonable finish. Quite enjoyable wine from a great vintage, but not a really special bottle and lost a bit amongst so many exceptional younger bottles of Burgundy tonight.

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