Charmes-Chambertin Dinner

Chicago based Lieu-dit Cru got together for a dinner focusing on top producers of Charmes-Chambertin. Those producers whose Charmes is entirely or mostly from Mazoyeres-Chambertin are being held for our next dinner, focusing on that vineyard. Hence no Rousseau, Roumier, Dujac tonight.

• 2004 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 91 Points

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

  Served double blind alongside Lafon 2004 Meursault Genevrieres.
  Lots of apple with subtle nut hints. Slightly firm, almost backward, coming across as simpler than the Genevrieres. Perhaps better in the future? This was a good choice for a "blind white" at our Charmes-Chambertin dinner.

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• 2004 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières 93 Points

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

  Served double blind alongside Lafon 2004 Meursault Charmes. Lots of apple with roasted hazelnut, coming through as classically Meursault to me. Great aromatics with fresh fruit, nuts, spice in excellent harmony. Very well textured, very good length. A step up over the very good Charmes.

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• 1988 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes Flawed

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

  Served single blind in flight of mid-aged Charmes-Chambertin. Sadly slightly corked. Great fruit with lots of power and ripeness behind the cork. Very surprised when this was unveiled as the Roty 1988 given the softness of the wine's structure. I have 3 more bottles in the cellar and will have to open another soon.

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• 1990 Serafin Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin 90 Points

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

  Served single blind in a flight of mid-aged Charmes-Chambertin. Black fruit with earthy hints, overall a bit firm and rustic. Nice fruit, length and balance, but I was surprised this was from 1990 given the wine's firm structure and seemingly modest ripeness. Good for now.

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• 1991 Claude Dugat Charmes-Chambertin 92 Points

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

  Tasted single blind in a flight of mid-aged Charmes-Chambertin. Very lush, forward and powerful black fruit aromas, at a very good place with mature fruit and cooked mushroom aromas. Lushness and oak give this a slightly sweet character, but everything is helped by a clean earthiness emerging on finish. Easily identifiable as the Dugat 91 in the flight. Definitely better than another bottle I recall trying of this same wine approx 3-4 years ago.

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• 1996 Domaine Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Flawed

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

  Served single blind in another flight of mid-aged Charmes-Chambertin. At first I thought this just musty. I was hoping. I was wrong.

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• 1995 Domaine Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 93 Points

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

  Served single blind in a flight of mid-aged Charmes-Chambertin. Open 2+ hours before serving with a quick splash double decant. Most of us were able to correctly identify this as the Bachelet 1995. Very large scaled black fruit on both nose and palate. Very fresh overall with a meaty and intense character that was pure Gevrey but supported with very charming spice. A few rough structural edges. Kept improving in glass.

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• 1999 Serafin Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin 94 Points

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

  Open 2+ hours before serving, but not decanted. Served single blind in a flight of mid-aged Charmes-Chambertin. Lush black fruit aromas with subtle spice aromas that come out more assertively on palate. Excellent balance and textures throughout. Long and very traditionally styled Grand Cru Gevrey.
  
  Others disagreed with me when I said at the start of dinner that I easily consider Serafin a "top 10" producer of Charmes-Chambertin (from Charmes proper). This bottle proved me right!

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• 1998 Claude Dugat Charmes-Chambertin 93 Points

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

  Open 3 hours before serving. Served single blind in flight of Dugat, Dugat-Py 1998/2000 Charmes-Chambertin. Black fruit with subtle spice aromas. Same blackberry and black cherry on palate with more intense and meaty spice. Incredibly fresh and elegant start-to-finish. Classic and beautiful today with a long life going forward. A very thoughtful wine.

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• 1998 Bernard Dugat-Py Charmes-Chambertin

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

  Open 3 hours before serving with a quick double decant. Served single blind in a flight of Dugat, Dugat-Py 1998/2000 Charmes-Chambertin. A very unusual bottle compared to another tried a week+ ago. That bottle started simple and turned complex over the course of 2 hours. This started very nice and balanced but transitioned into something ultra concentrated and roasted in a manner that seemed like it was collapsing in on itself. Started around "93 points" and ended more like "88." Last week too little air to start, this week too much?

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• 2000 Claude Dugat Charmes-Chambertin

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

  Open 3 hours before serving. Served single blind in a flight of Dugat, Dugat-Py 1998/2000 Charmes-Chambertin. This has often been a confusing and inconsistent wine to me, and tonight was no exception. Deep, dark, intense and almost brooding. Ultra ripe while still retaining balance, so clearly not roasted. Needs more cellar time if this bottle is representative.

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• 2000 Bernard Dugat-Py Charmes-Chambertin 95 Points

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

  Open 3 hours before serving with a quick double decant. Served single blind in a flight of Dugat, Dugat-Py 1998/2000 Charmes-Chambertin. Sensational fresh black fruit aromas with good concentration and alluring spice. Hedonistic but with everything in perfect balance. My wine of the Night.
  
  What a great performance for this wine, by far the best it has ever tasted in the 5-6 times I've had it. Strongly suggest giving this plenty of air if opening at this stage.

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• 1995 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes Flawed

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

  Open 3 1/2 hours before serving with quick double decant. Served single blind in Roty Charmes-Chambertin flight. Reduced, awkward. Sad.

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• 1996 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

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

  Open 3 1/2 hours before serving, quick double decant. Served single blind in Roty Charmes-Chambertin flight. Fat black fruit aromas with plenty of oak spice support. Hints of liqueur and anise. Very concentrated and ripe. Most others preferred this in the flight while I slightly preferred the 2001. Drinking well now, but this should continue to be very interesting as it evolves over the next 20 years.

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• 2001 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes 93 Points

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

  Open 3 1/2 hours before serving, quick double decant. Lean black fruit aromas with subtle spice. Black cherry and boysenberry flavors, great spice, great textures and balance. Very lean and long. Most people preferred the 1996 in the next glass, but I slightly preferred this 2001.

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• 2009 Maison Ilan Charmes-Chambertin Aux Charmes Hautes

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

  Final bottle opened as we wrapped up a long evening. Obviously much younger than anything else we opened tonight, so showing lots of baby fat, oak spice and 2009 lush/ripe character today. But lots of good fruit concentration and great potential. A sneaky wine that seems forward and lush but shows textures and Gevrey hints from middle to finish.

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Sadly we encountered more than our fair share of corked/flawed bottles tonight, but otherwise a night of some great wine.