Wineberserkers European Tasting

A wonderful dinner tasting with some close wine friends.

We had quite an abundance of White Burgundy, with some excellent (and difficult to find) producers. Overall I liked the Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, despite the reputation of the Roulot. I had brought the Amiot, which I initially thought was somewhat oxidized when I tried it at home, though that had blown off substantially by the time we retasted in the restaurant. It may have been headed in that direction, but it was still pretty good. I was also a big fan of the 2001 Latour-Giraud... a wine that shows the greatness of white burgundy at peak, with perhaps more complexity than any other white on the table. Very nice...

• 2008 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 92 Points

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

  Slight butterscotch, white fruit, interesting note of saffron that came out on retasting after some air; palate has fantastic acidity, full bodied fruit, creamy but biting, medium finish. Very nice. 92-93

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• 2007 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Meix Chavaux 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Balanced nose of white fruit, slight floral, slight minerality; palate has some tart lime, flint, fresh fruit; medium-long finish. On retaste at the end of the dinner, this had opened up a lot with much more creamy Meursault character. Very nice, but young. 91

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• 2001 Domaine Latour-Giraud Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières 92 Points

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

  Mature, caramel, savory, wonderfully complex; palate is full bodied, good fruit, mature, slight oxidation. I thought this was an excellent example of classic aged white burgundy. 92

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• 2002 Domaine Amiot Guy et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Deep golden color; nose is full of butterscotch and caramel, slight minerality, mature but not obviously premoxed; palate is full bodied, showing lots of oxidation, sherry-like; finish is short. Based on the palate this is oxidized, though that wasn't obvious from the nose. Disappointing... I will try to get to my last bottle soon and see if it is still drinkable.
  Update: At dinner this was less obvious... I still think there was a little oxidation on the palate, but it wasn't bad and overall showed reasonably well. Nothing special, but the balance was good and it was pleasant. 89. I will still try my last bottle very soon to prevent total oxidation...
  Day 2: Interestingly enough, this didn't have very much oxidation today. I don't know what that was when I first opened it, but it drinks fairly well though unexceptional.

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• 2012 Azienda Agricola Durin Pigato Riviera Ligure di Ponente 87 Points

  Italy, Liguria, Riviera Ligure di Ponente

  Interesting combination of floral, some oak, minimal pure fruit; palate is very fresh, acidic, slight residual sweetness or ripe fruit, very balanced; medium length finish. Maybe a good food wine with the slight residual sugar, but nothing that impressive. 85-88

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All were excellent, but I think that my favorite was the humble Laurent. It was elegant, showing very well, with a floral, aromatic nose that shone compared to the other wines. The Faiveley was excellent as well in a very different style... much more masculine: darker fruits, stronger tannin, and less floral/aromatic. The Pegau was decent, though some at the table thought it wasn't as good as other bottles had been in the past. I liked the Chateau Certan, though I think its subtle vegetal aromas which I normally love may have been overshadowed by the more aromatic red burgundies.

• 1997 Dominique Laurent Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Very expressive nose with red berries, floral, underbrush, wonderful complexity, slight smokiness; palate is light bodied, excellent acidity, well integrated tannins, fresh and wonderful. A very elegant wine, showing exceptionally well tonight with great balance and character. Nose 94, palate 92. 93-94+
  Day 2: This has held up really well, showing the same complexity and character that it did yesterday without losing any of its concentration. I almost expected this to fade a bit, so it is a nice surprise. A superb wine and a bargain for the appellation.

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• 1998 Domaine Maume Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Black fruit, slight pepper, masculine, a little tight; palate seems a bit modern, oak, prominent tannins, masculine and brunt, somewhat closed. Hard to evaluate. 88-89+?

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• 1991 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Mature nose with forest floor, underbrush, black fruits, masculine; palate is full bodied, wonderful complexity, masculine, blackberry, black cherry, still excellent concentration of fruit, nice tannic structure but very approachable. Excellent, in a more masculine style. 93

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• 1990 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 90 Points

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

  Funky, but still pure fruit, red fruit, smoky, barbecued meats; palate is full bodied, ripe but balanced fruits, licorice, black fruit; medium length juicy finish. Very nice, but there is heat on the nose and palate that often distracts. Some at the table thought it showed very differently from the same wine tasted a few months ago. 90

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• 1988 Château Certan de May 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Nice green bell pepper, capsicum; palate has excellent black fruit still, balanced palate, some greens; medium length finish very nice balanced bordeaux, if a bit subtle. 92-93

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The Doisy Vedrines is one of my favorite wines, and a birth year wine on top of that. I'm glad I brought it, since it seemed like people enjoyed it. It has a great combination of minerality, freshness, and yet still excellent complexity and flavor. It's enjoyable now but has many years to go. It's hard for another wine to compare, especially a sweet wine from California.

• 1986 Château Doisy-Védrines 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Golden-orange color, appropriate for its age; nose has minerals, flowery white fruits, with swirling much more orange and baking spice; palate is refreshing, very high acid, slight caramel, vibrant fresh orange fruit, mouthwatering, clean minerals; medium-long finish. A perfect blend of youthful vibrance and maturity, surprisingly fresh and acidic for a 1986 sauternes, great food-pairing wine, ready now but with many years ahead. Not the most complex or dense, but it has interesting character and is a pleasure to drink. 92

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• 2006 Cantiga Wineworks Sémillon Madrigal 80 Points

  USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County

  Orange, some heat, some effervescence; palate has very hot orange, unbalanced. Honestly, I think many sweet wines from California are substandard (with a few exceptions: Phelps Eisrebe, etc). 80

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Another great night with fantastic wine and wonderful company. Until next time!