Truly a baller night – 09 & 11 Coche CC, 02 GC reds, 47 La Tache, 04 Bollinger VVF & 23 CV

Perhaps I wasn’t thinking too clearly but I bid and won a few bottles of the 47 La Tache from a London auction house. I was eager to test drive a bottle so four of us met up at Capella. Once again the grill room at Capella did an outstanding job hosting us. Everyone generously contributed rare gems. Once again we had a blast and the dinner lasted over five ours. It was a nice way to start the new year.

• 2004 Bollinger Champagne Vieilles Vignes Françaises

  France, Champagne

  Starts slow and delicate, ripe red and yellow fruits, raspberry and copper. With air, opens up beautifully, very vinous nose, raspberry, mineral, sweet spices and pear tart with copious amount of butter. Delicate and airy, mineral, pear and apple driven palate fruit impression and lovely seamless very dry finish. Having tasted Krug CdM and this a number of times, the beauty of these ultra expensive and rare cuvees is the precision, subtlety and airy texture. It improved significantly with air. Great showing. Is this better than the 96 Salon or Krug, probably not but such a privilege to drink this.

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• 2009 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 98 Points

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

  Pop and pour, shy nose displaying ripe citrus fruits. With air, fresh white fruit driven nose, pear, apple, candied lemon peel, smoke, a hint of sesame/toasted oak, a hint of flint that I associate with Coche and mineral. Excellent concentration, intense and ripe yet pure and fresh white fruit driven palate impression, incredible precision and energy. It starts ripe without showing much precision but with air, becomes very precise and gains weight. Exceptional showing.

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• 2011 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 94 Points

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

  Very lean and pure. Strong presence of flint, a hint of pyrazine, shy white fruits, lemon oil, grapefruit, sesame/toasted oak and mineral. Very fresh and lean palate impression, bright acidity and lovely clean finish. Fresher and purer than the 09 but not as concentrated. All preferred the 09 version. It gained more fruits with air but still lean.

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$%&s*+*d@

• 1947 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Flawed

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  The color was pretty promising through the bottle, ie clear and red. We were praying for an out of body experience but what we got was a tired lean wine with noticeable VA. We adouzed for three hours but it didn’t help. Rather light and lacking fruit. Recently purchased from a London auction. Complete waste. Although I didn’t make the wine, I felt so bad.

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The 02 La Romanee was made by Louis Michel, I believe.

• 2002 Bouchard Père et Fils La Romanée 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Romanée Grand Cru

  Extremely youthful nose displaying crushed red fruits, cranberry, strawberry and cherry, flowers, sap and mineral. Excellent concentration, crunch red fruit driven palate impression, nicely integrated tannins, mineral, bright acidity and lovely clean medium/long finish. Very energetic with vibrant fruits but neither terribly complex nor layered. Perhaps due to the youthfulness but I didn’t get much black fruits and Vosne spices. Still quite impressive and enjoyable.

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• 2002 Claude Dugat Griotte-Chambertin 97 Points

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

  I am aware that some Burgundy purists don’t care for the producer but this was profoundly hedonistic for my palate. Intense decadent black fruit driven palate impression, perfectly ripe crushed blackberries with a hint of red cherries, coffee, mocha, sweet dark spices and tree bark. Incredible concentration, intense decadent black fruit driven palate impression, sweet dark spices and coffee, fully integrated tannins and lovely long finish. Very youthful and complex also a bit kinky, exotic and explosive.

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• 2002 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 97 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  Pop and pour, very stemmy with a hint of flower and green. Decanted for two hours, a hint of stem that now adds nice complexity in the background, exotic Vosne spices, flowers, crushed blackberries and black cherries, soy and limestone mineral. Very polished palate, a hint of green/stem, nicely layered fruits, bright acidity, still noticeable tannins and nice finish with a hint of stem as the end note. This was purchase upon release and kept in a London bond warehouse which may resulted the wine to develop very slowly. As Rnellans mentioned, the stem/herbal note has not been fully resolved. I was not so bothered by the stem. It was very enjoyable for my palate. A great future ahead!

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• 1923 Françoise Chauvenet Clos Vougeot 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Beautiful bright clear red. The cork was shrunk at the top but very sound at the bottom three quarters. Still quite fresh, sweet red fruits, a hint of cherry liqueur, a hint of VA, cedar and aged oak barrel. Good concentration, ripe jammy yet delicate red fruit driven palate impression, silky, soft and round and medium finish that ends with a sweet note. There was a brief discussion as whether the bottle was doctored. I believe it is mostly pinot and VA gives the sweet impression. Beautifully aged and nicely concentration considering the age but relatively simple.

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The 47 La Tache was a total bummer. Nevertheless we had so much fun being with great friends!