Old World wines, Down Under food

Musket Room, NYC
Tasted Saturday, December 21, 2013 by cooberp with 617 views

Introduction

An esteemed collector and a master sommelier get together to sip beverages and talk shop, and I am one delighted third wheel.

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

  • 1995 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Mâcon Clessé Cuvée Levroutée 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon Clessé

    This is white Burgundy? It tastes like Sauternes with a bit of Auslese, and maybe slightly less residual sugar. Golden/orange color, rich aromas of apricot, honey, and caramel. Full-bodied with a nice texture. Versatile--served the first half with the appetizer and the second with the dessert, and both made for a good pairing. Could use a bit more acid to lift it.

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  • 1990 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 90 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Vino da Tavola

    Excellent Cabernet typicity on the nose: tobacco, dark fruit, pencil, a green note that adds some complexity. Opens a bit thin and hollow, but fills out and turns chocolatey after a good 3 hours in the glass. Fairly lightweight. Abrasive tannins obscure the finish. Quite a nice wine by any measure, but not up to the competition this evening, and I'm not sure if this has quite enough flavor concentration to outlive its structure.

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  • 1990 Château Margaux 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    This is the most floral Cab I've ever had. Only in Bruno Giacosa and various Pinot Noirs have I found this "surround-sound" (well, surround-smell) experience of walking straight into a flower garden--I'm told they're supposed to be violets, but I don't really know what violets smell like; it was closer to lavender than roses. A very perfumed wine. The other "half" of the nose consists mainly of redcurrant aromas, similar to the red-fruited nose of the 1983 Margaux I had but with extra intensity and an almost candied character. Some hints of spices and scented wood add complexity. In the mouth it's airy, suave, and resolved, with a strikingly bright acidity that perfectly counterbalances the fruit's sweetness. Seamless at every step from the attack to the aftertaste.

    This is a very feminine, elegant, classy wine. I tend to go for riper, more voluptuous, more powerful reds, and my score reflects that stylistic preference. But for Burgundy lovers, this is probably as good as Cabernet can get.

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  • 2003 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    A very young, hot-climate wine in a hot-climate year. Extremely concentrated plum and blackberry--the exact same unique pitch-black fruit profile I noticed in the 1989 a few weeks ago. There's definitely palpable alcohol here, which combines with a slightly bitter herbal scent to give this the character of Fernet Branca liqueur. Powerful and volatile. This can certainly be drunk at this point in its development alongside a rich main dish. But it needs another 15 years in the cellar to show what it's capable of, and has the tannin and stuffing to evolve for far longer than that.

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