Rotating Dinner Series-Wines Jimmy Likes

November was Jimmy's turn for the RDS. He was able to set things up with Acadia and his focus was on wines that he really likes. I was really looking forward to this as I've been wanting to go to Acadia for a while.

These were on their own. The Bubbles was an opener from Acadia and Jimmy provided the Sakes.

• 2010 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs Côte de Val Vilaine 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  Nose: Well rounded and balanced with cherries, red berries, red apples, baking spices, and citrus notes. There is good depth to this while also possessing a real freshness too.
  
  Taste: Medium Bodied with medium/high acidity. The structure is very youthful, but it isn't overpowering with cherries, red berries, red apples, and citrus notes.
  
  Overall: This was a great starter. This showed off the pinot noir and had a real precision to it.

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• NV Huchu Homare Brewery Junmai Daiginjo Watari Bune

  Japan, Kantō, Ibaraki

  Nose: Very aromatic with bananas, cloves, white florals, tropical citrus, and papaya.
  
  Taste: Medium bodied with a very polished feel. There is a satiny quality to the feel with bananas, white florals, papaya and grapefruits.
  
  Overall: I have precious little experience with sake, especially high end sake. This was slightly murky in the glass, but not on the really milky side.

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• NV Ryujin Shuzo Oze No Yukidoke Junmai Daiginjo

  Japan, Kantō, Gunma

  Nose: The aromatics on this are very pristine and distinctive with Guava, Papaya, sea salt, and bananas.
  
  Taste: Medium/full bodied with a very silky and polished feel with papaya, guava, tropical citrus, bananas, and sea salt.
  
  Overall: The tones seem to jump out of the glass and this is a definite notch above the other two sakes. This sake was completely clear in the glass.

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• NV Sudo Honke Sato No Homare Junmai Ginjo

  Japan, Kantō, Ibaraki

  I wasn't sure what to make of this. If this was wine I would've said it was corked, but there's a screw top. I don't know if this is on purpose or if it's a flawed bottle.

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This was paired with an opening Amuse Bouche soup.

• 2009 Maison Ilan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Chaffots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru

  Nose: The nose is extremely aromatic and balanced with dark red fruits, earth tones, spices, and red cherries. There is very good depth with a real elegant side to it.
  
  Taste: As good as the nose was, this just felt like it was dumb on the palate. The medium feel was very nice with medium acidity, but there was a thinness to it as well.
  
  Overall: I wasn't sure what to make of it, but something didn't fully seem right. The nose was gorgeous, but the palate just didn't want to come out and play. I hope to try this again a ways down the road to see where it ends up.

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• 2010 Maison Ilan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Chaffots 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru

  Nose: Very pretty and introspective nose with dark red fruits, leather, red florals, earth notes, and underlying spice tones. There is very good depth to this with a more feminine style.
  
  Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and some youthful tannins. the feel is very silky with dark red fruits, spices, earth tones, red florals, and red cherries.
  
  Overall: This was more like it. this was much more on the refined side of things with very pure aromatics.

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This one included two grand crus along with the Monts-Luisants. This was paired with a Kohlrabi Soup.

• 2010 Maison Ilan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Monts-Luisants 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru

  Nose: There is a nice earthy backdrop to this with dark red fruits, dark red cherries, spices, leather, and a touch of red florals. The nose is on the tighter side, but there is very good depth and style.
  
  Taste: Medium bodied with medium/high acidity and silky tannins. The structure is certainly youthful along with dark red fruits, dark red cherries, earth tones, and some leather on the back end.
  
  Overall: This is clearly in need of time. Still, there is a very good backbone to this with a very attractive quality to the tones too.

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• 2010 Maison Ilan Chambertin 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  Nose: The nose has a quiet power to it with dark red fruits, earth, dark red cherries, violets, and some perfumes. This is very well balanced with excellent depth and it relies more on nuance than power.
  
  Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium/high acidity and very youthful tannins. The structure doesn't seem too imposing, but it's very sneaky as the tannins become more pronounced with air. Even with the palate showing size, there is deftness to the tones of dark spices, dark red fruits, violets, and some perfumes on the back end.
  
  Overall: I would love to see where this goes with age. The balance and depth is completely there and brings about a quiet confidence in the wine. It seems a bit shy now, but this has loads of room to grow.

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• 2010 Maison Ilan Charmes-Chambertin Aux Charmes Hautes 92 Points

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

  Nose: This is very well balanced with dark red fruits, leather, dark red berries, earth notes, and spices. There is a darker take to the tones with an introspective quality as well.
  
  Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium/high acidity and silky tannins. The structure is certainly there with dark red fruits, dark red cherries, leather tones, earth, and spices.
  
  Overall: While the Chambertin had a more subtle power to it, this had some real density. This is a tremendous Charmes and can grow, but naturally the Chambertin has a much higher ceiling.

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This was with a Mushroom "risotto" that was amazing.

• 2010 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru

  Nose: The nose is completely wide open with flowing tones of red fruits, perfumes, violets, earth notes, minerals, crushed rocks, red cherries and spices. There is an etheral quality to the tones with excellent depth and layering.
  
  Taste: Medium bodied with medium/high acidity and youthful tannins. The feel is very silky and refined with red fruits, peppery notes, violets, crushed rocks, red cherries, spices, and some perfumes on the back end.
  
  Overall: This is a stunningly gorgeous Clos des Lambrays. This certainly does need time as the structure is very imposing. Still, what lies underneath right now is an amazing wine that can certainly get better.

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• 2008 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru

  Nose: The nose is very pretty and perfumed with red florals, fresh picked roses, herbs, red cherries, spices, strawberries, and some earth tones. The tones favor the higher register with a femininity to them.
  
  Taste: Medium bodied with medium/high acidity and chewy tannins. The structure is very imposing, but there is very good balance with red florals, fresh picked roses, herbs, red cherries, strawberries, and earth tones. There is a deftness to the tones with an understated quality as well.
  
  Overall: This was wound a bit tight, but it was also a very interesting contrast to the 10 and 02. This showed a more restrained and shy side to it, but with some real underlying beauty.

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• 2002 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru

  Taste: There is real balance and perfume with red cherries, spices, red fruits, roses, herbs, and a touch of red florals. While there is a more perfumed quality to the nose, there is a sappiness as well along with possessing very good depth.
  
  Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and silky tannins, this is very well balanced with red cherries, spices, red fruits, roses, and some herbs on the back end. The tones are showing well, but they are still youthful too.
  
  Overall: This was showing very well on the night. It still has a bit of a sappiness that I come across in 02s, but it is smoothing out much more and becoming more restrained and refined.

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This was with without food between courses

• 1982 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Nose: At first the nose seemed a bit flawed as there was some VA to it, but it blew off with air and revealed red fruits, rose hips, dried cherries, roasted herbs, and a touch of florals.
  
  Taste: Medium bodied with medium/high acidity and sneaky tannins. The feel is very silky and lithe with red fruits, tar, dried red cherries, spices, and bits of rose hips.
  
  Overall: Once this opened up it was a lovely mature Barbaresco. This showed the perfume and poise that you want from a wine of this age along with being a pleasure to drink.

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• 1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Flawed

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Bummer. This wasn't corked, but something was very off with this.

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• 1989 Château Gruaud Larose 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Nose: Very well balanced and pungent with dark red cherries, licorice, funks, herbs, dark red fruits, tobacco, cranberries, and earth notes. There is good layering to this with a rustic quality as well.
  
  Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium acidity and good supporting tannins. The feel is mature, but the structure is still there along with dark red cherries, licorice, herbs, cranberries, earth, and some back end funky notes.
  
  Overall: This bottle showed a hell of a lot better than the one I had a few months ago. This bottle was rearing to go and was exactly what one would want from a mature 80s Gruaud Larose.

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This flight included two beers and was paired with a Fall Chocolate dish

• 2002 Château Tirecul La Gravière Monbazillac Cuvée Madame 94 Points

  France, Southwest France, Dordogne, Monbazillac

  Nose: Extremely pungent and deep nose that is filled with nectar, waxy notes, apricots, marmalade, and nectarines. The nose explodes out of the glass, but is very balanced too with nice layering.
  
  Taste: Full bodied with some nice medium acidity. There is a richness to the palate, but it is far from overdone with nectar, wax, apricots, and nectarines.
  
  Overall: This was a delicious way to end Jimmy's portion of the evening. There were two Imperial Stouts that went with this, but I didn't keep notes on those.

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This were provided by some extremely generous diners near us. They saw a lot of wine open and us sitting in a private room and then joined us with their amazing wines. To say that we were in the right place at the right time is an understatement. I'm still stupefied by this experience.

• 2001 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Nose: There is a waxiness that strikes right away along with brioche, red apples, crushed rocks, and peaches. The nose was a bit on the advanced side as this was lacking some gun flint, but it was also very well balanced.
  
  Taste: Medium bodied with medium acidity. The feel is well balanced with wax, brioche, red apples, and some crushed rocks. There is nice layering, but it is lacking a crispness to it.
  
  Overall: This wasn't premox'd, but it was on the slightly advanced side. It was still very enjoyable to drink as was, but this was showing some more wear than one would expect from a chablis of this age.

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• 1961 Château Palmer 100 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Nose: Absolutely stunning and jaw dropping nose that is as complex as the day is long with dark red cherries, leather, cranberries, violets, spices, tobacco leaf, cedar box, and a hint of soy that goes away fairly fast. The depth on this is stunning as it is almost like peeling back layers of rock to reveal more diamonds deep in the mountains.
  
  Taste: Refined, regal, and poignant Medium feel with medium acidity and silky supporting tannins. The feel is silky along with a satin quality to the tones of dark red cherries, leather, tobacco leaf, cedar box, spices, red berries, with violets and perfumes on the back end. The tones are ethereal, deep, and layered.
  
  Overall: This was special. I was nearly speechless by this bottle as it was pristine and was rocking from the get go. To say that this lived up to my expectations is an understatement. This bottle was perfect.

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• 1945 Château Montrose 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Nose: While this is almost 70 years old, there is a robustness to the nose with cedar, perfumes, licorice, dark red cherries, tobacco, and cranberries. This is extremely well layered with a lot of depth to boot.
  
  Taste: Silky, elegant, and sexy Medium/full feel with medium acidity. There is a hint of tannin still persisting, but they have mostly gone and we are left with lovely tones of cedar, perfumes, licorice, dark red cherries, and spice box notes with a touch of tobacco hiding in there.
  
  Overall: It was amazing how red this still was. This was a bottle that most certainly wasn't on life support. Instead this bottle provided us with a very unique experience of being refined and leading to a discussion of everything that happened in the year of 1945 leading up to when the grapes were picked. It's rare moments like these that make wine so amazing.

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• 1993 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Nose: The nose is absolutely intoxicating and kaleidoscopic with all sorts of violets, wild flowers, red fruits, licorice, red cherries, perfumes, and incense. The complexity and depth is dizzying while also possessing a restrained side to it.
  
  Taste: The Medium feel is like pure satin along with medium+ acidity. While there is good body to this, there is a feather-like quality with vosne spices, violets, wild flowers, red fruits, red cherries, and perfume that seems to grow on the back end.
  
  Overall: This was a middle-weight fighter that moved like a lightweight. There was density and sheer elegance at the same time while being hedonistically pure. This wine was one that you sit and ponder on as you let it tell you it's story (however brief this one was).

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• 1947 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Haut-Lieu 97 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

  Nose: Though a bit shy at first, the nose comes into full fore with red apples, limes, lanolin, peaches, creams, and a touch of caramel. The nose really draws you in and is extremely inviting.
  
  Taste: Full bodied with medium+ acidity. The feel is silky and sexy with red apples, waxy notes, lanolin, limes, and caramel. The layers of depth really come through as it is extremely deft and polished.
  
  Overall: There was an amber color to this that had me wondering if it was shot. It clearly wasn't and that's where the fun truly began. This was a wine that left you in stunned silence and pondering philosophical questions in your head. This was something that was truly special and very unique.

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• 1993 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin 97 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  Nose: Stunning and breathtaking with a nose that requires you to stop and pay attention as something profound is about to be said. The complexity is nearly overwhelming with clay, earth, dark red fruits, minerals, red berries, dark red cherries, and roses just seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
  
  Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium+ acidity and silky tannins. The feel is ever so polished and regal with a refined sense. All of that is backed up by glorious tones of clay, earth, dark red fruits, minerals, red berries, and dark red cherries.
  
  Overall: A truly stupendous wine.This was firing on every possible cylinder and just left me stupefied.

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What was to be an extremely good night of wine and food turned into the surreal and legendary. One can never discount the generosity of others and that came through in spades. This ended up being one of the most memorable wine nights I've ever had.