Birthday Celebration

Balena - Chicago IL
Tasted Tuesday, June 26, 2012 by Burgundy Al with 843 views

Flight 1 (6 Notes)

  • 1996 Deutz Champagne Cuvée William Deutz 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    Good balance of apple and citrus aromas and flavors along with broad, bready/ yeasty character. Not quite as fresh and citrus as iI recall from a few years back, with the bready character now more in the forefront. Still drinking very nicely, but I would drink up if you also prefer that leaner, fresher style.

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  • 1999 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

    From magnum. Floral start with good balance of fresh apple and some hints mature evolution. Apple and lemon on palate with big concentration and density, good acidity, then lots and lots of minerality. At a great place today.

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  • 2009 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Very ripe apple with modest lemon and lemon oil aromas. Similar fruit profile on palate, coming across as very fat and lush today, very "2009" and not specifically Chablis-like to me. Clearly lots of great fruit and concentration here, I will be interested (and cautiously optimistic) about this wine's long-term potential, but wouldn't open another until 2015 or later.

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  • 2009 Aubert Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    From magnum. Perfumed start shows lots and lots of new oak, but good ripe apple, lemon peel aromas with some licorice, ginger and celery. Lush and opulent fruit on the palate, ending with more lean lemon flavors and helpful, balancing acidity. Give this some time in cellar.

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  • 1989 Pierre Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 92 Points

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

    Started soft, slightly earthy with clear signs of an aged Burgundy. Picked up weight, complexity and freshness with 20-30 minutes in glass. Even some of the oxidative notes when first poured became less obvious, making us think there was some reductive character that needed air to dissipate. Given that the couple of bottles in my cellar are from the same case, I will try to remember to decant or aerate this when I open a bottle. Kept getting better for the approx 45 minutes in glass.

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  • 2008 Evening Land Vineyards Chardonnay Summum Seven Springs Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Ripe apple, lemon and lime with plenty of new oak spice. Rich and ripe on palate, but with good balance and textures. Drinking well now.

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Flight 2 (3 Notes)

  • 1996 Louis Jadot Musigny 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

    Open approx 5 hours before serving, of which 2 hours were in decanter. Lots of black fruit and big spice aromas, perhaps not the most classic "Musigny" style. Very similar on palate with lots of firm, elegant tannins and big acidity that are still somewhat dominating the fruit. The density and concentration make this confident this will evolve nicely, but I think I will stash away the remaining 7 bottles in my cellar for at least another 5 years, preferably 10 more years.

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  • 2000 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 95 Points

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

    Open, decanted a couple of hours before serving. Started with slightly subdued aromas, but bright red fruit and good baking spice were obvious when served. More spice emerged with more time in glass, showing nutmeg, allspice, and some licorice. Lush and slightly sweet fruit with very good balance, even if not incredibly powerful or concentrated. A great 2000, this was even better than another bottle a few months back. In a great flight with Mugnier 2001 Musigny and Jadot 1996 Musigny. This wine was my favorite of the flight, and the group was split between this Roumier and the Mugnier 2001 Musigny. Thanks for sharing, Dan, and happy birthday!

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  • 2001 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

    Lots of red fruit aromas and flavors with intense spice and very precise fruit that could be mistaken for lean. Acidity is fairly assertive and prominent, providing lift. Long and energetic finish. In a great flight with Roumier 2000 C-M Amoureuses and Jadot 1996 Musigny. I slightly preferred the Roumier today, which is probably at/near its peak drinking window, but think the Mugnier will be even better a decade from now. Group was divided on which of the two bottles was preferred.

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Flight 3 (2 Notes)

  • 2001 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

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

    Decanted a couple of hours before serving. Came across as very new oak driven when served with some black fruit and lots of spice. Palate had a good balance of red and black cherry with moderate nuance. Picked up some weight and charm when tasted again late in the evening. Given its trajectory tonight, I'd expect this to continue to improve for at least 5 more years, perhaps longer.

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  • 2005 Lucie & Auguste Lignier Clos de la Roche Flawed

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

    Decanted a couple of hours before serving. Didn't come across anything like the previous bottle I tried, this didn't seem pristine.

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Flight 4 (2 Notes)

  • 1989 Penfolds Grange 88 Points

    Australia, South Australia

    Lush and ultra-ripe, while others liked this wine a great deal, I found it to be too ripe, top-heavy and slightly unbalanced.

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  • 1994 Penfolds Grange 92 Points

    Australia, South Australia

    By far preferred this to the 1989 Grange in the next glass. Still young black fruit, but also good mint, licorice and tobacco hint aromas. Lots of fresh black fruit and spice on palate, still very young, but nicely in harmony.

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Flight 5 (4 Notes)

  • 2001 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon 25th Anniversary SunSpot Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

    From magnum. This is a very large scaled, showy wine. Black and dense with lots of big spice flavors from fruit and new oak. No question this is a very well made wine, but this style of ripeness and extraction isn't my favorite. I liked it, while others liked it considerably more.

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  • 1978 Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Better than I remember from another blind from last year. Elegant with some good red cherry along with good earthy aromas and spice. Long, coherent finish, still showing good structure and overall balance.

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  • 1997 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    I rarely drink "cult" California Cabernet because I don't fully appreciate that high octane style. so this definitely exceeded my expectations tonight. Certainly super ripe, but this has elegant tannins, good acidity, great spice, with everything in very impressive balance and harmony. I haven't been thrilled with how many highly rated 1997s have shown when I've tried them the past year, but this impressed tonight.

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  • 2005 Cayuse Syrah Bionic Frog

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    I remember the first time I ever tried Bionic Frog. It was at a blind tasting, at which everybody quietly smells, tastes, takes notes, etc., then we collectively discuss the wines and our assessments. Bionic Frog was in many tasters' top 2 or 3 wines that night, but I thought it an obviously flawed wine (who would intentionally make wine like this?) prior to getting the benefit of others' knowledge. Tonight's bottle reminded me exactly of that bottle a few years back.

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Flight 6 (3 Notes)

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