Lost Thursday Wine Lunch - Blacksalt

Six of us got together for another long lazy lunch at Blacksalt. The chef prepared the special tasting menu once again that was exceptional. We had the backroom to ourselves and the lunch lasted almost five hours.

The 02 CdC is drinking incredibly well.

• 2002 Pascal Doquet Champagne Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil 93 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Very ripe yellow fruit driven expression but no sign of oxidative note like Krug or Selosse Substance. According to David B, very little dosage as the producer believes in ripe healthy fruit. The fruit impression is quite sweet but the finish is pretty dry. Ripe green apple juice dominates, mostly apple driven nose, burnt sugar and mineral. Excellent concentration, apple juice driven palate impression, coarse bubbles compare to the CdC and Dom, bright acidity and impressive strong sweet finish. Intensely flavored but neither complex nor polished. Very unique and enjoyable.

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• 2002 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 98 Points

  France, Champagne

  This particular bottle flirts with perfection. Expressive decadent yellow fruit driven nose, apple tart, lemon curd, a hint of butter scotch, smoke, brioche and just like the last bottle from March, very floral. The fat smoky sweet fruit reminds me a top 1er cru twenty year old Meursault Exceptional fine abundant mousse, decadent sweet yellow fruit driven palate impression, mineral, perfect amount of acidity and seamless long finish that ends smoky and sweet. This bottle is drinking perfectly, decadent yet very precise and polished. Definitely the best Champagne of the night. I highly highly recommend.

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• 2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Another bottle supporting my belief that the 02 Doms show a lot of bottle variation at the moment. Unfortunately the nose seems quite subdued. Mostly fresh apple driven nose, a hint of honey and mineral. Polished palate, strangely clean but muted palate impression, btw definitely not slightly corked, good acidity and clean medium finish. I prefer the palate to the nose.

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The 02 Marc Morey Batard showed incredibly well.

• 2010 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Chevalières 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Pop and pour, very lean white fruits and mineral and saline dominate. With air, cool white fruits, pear, white peach, apple, ginger, smoke, saline and strong presence of Coche’s signature sesame and matchstick. Very good concentration, cool and suave white fruit driven palate impression, noticeable saltiness, mineral, bright acidity and lovely cool clean finish. With air, very Coche, ripe yet cool white fruits, matchstick, saline and wet stone. Very young but still really enjoyable and impressive. I recommend another five years of cellaring.

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• 2006 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot 92 Points

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

  Pop and pour, very muted nose, very little fruit, noticeable oak and heat. With air, opens up nicely, lemon curd, grapefruit, honey, a hint of oak and mineral. Very good concentration, coil and steely, lemon curd driven palate impression, good acidity and medium finish. The overall expression is a bit monolithic. I highly recommend a couple hours of decanting.

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• 2002 Domaine Marc Morey & Fils Bâtard-Montrachet 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

  The last bottle drank almost ten years ago was disappointing, muted and lean. Apparently, the 12 Batard received a very favorable review by WS and since the color seemed correct, I decided to bring to the dinner. Decide to decant and the color is beautiful gold. Nevertheless my expectation is very low and I warn the guys that we have 50/50 chance. With an hour of air, expressive ripe yellow fruits, apricot, apple, oyster shell, oyster brine, smoke and sweet spices. Very good concentration, decadent ripe yellow fruit driven palate impression, strong presence of mineral via oyster shell, good acidity and lovely long sweet finish. Four hours later, it opens up beautifully, becoming fresher and more precise. Started around 92 pts and the last nose and palate were a perfectly mature great Batard. A great example of mature white Burgundy. In lieu of the premox epidemic, I can’t really recommend but if correct, this will be a great treat. Hoping my remaining two bottles will show as well.

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Very old school.

• 1964 Filippo Sobrero & Figli Barolo 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  According to Amy, this is now Monprivato. Very sound brick color, light cherry, chestnut, grilled steak, raw mushroom, tar, rose, roasted chestnut, damp forest floor, earth and a hint of VA. Medium concentration, a hint of red cherry driven palate impression, good acidity and mineral presence, medium finish that ends quite earthy. Quite shy but quite youthful. I prefer a bit more fruit to support very tertiary expression but YMMV. Feels very old school.

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• 1967 Filippo Sobrero & Figli Barolo 88 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  The color is so light that my guess is it is madeirized but not so. Nevertheless not much fruit, strong presence of VA, sherry, toffee, cola and anise. Very fragile and I am not a big fan but some may like it more. It reminds me late autumn wet forest floor with decaying leaves. In the context of Barolo, 87-89 pts, if served in a blind Bordeaux flight as a ringer, 70 pts. I hope this makes sense.

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They are finally coming around.

• 1975 Château Figeac 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Fully mature Bordeaux nose displaying sweet but shy red fruits, cherry and raspberry, a hint of green/mint, truffle, caramel, cedar and sous bois. Warm and round, shy sweet red fruit driven palate impression, good mineral presence, no noticeable tannins and sweet medium finish. This is a fully mature classic Figeac that must have been picked early. I often find Figeac very Burgundian and this is no exception. Not as impressive/concentrated as the 75 Latour but showing excellent precision and lovely detail. For my palate, this is an ideal wine to sip in cool crisp wet autumn night, perhaps with a piece of comte.

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• 1975 Château Latour Grand Vin 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Strong note of Crème de Cassis, dry black fruits, dust, cedar, leather, dark flowers and mineral. Exceptional concentration, dry cassis driven palate impression, good acidity, still noticeable dry tannins and long sweet finish with crème de cassis as the end note. This is a very masculine wine with impressive concentration but a bit rustic and not terribly complex. I dare say that this can improve further, getting sweeter, gaining additional tertiary notes and becoming a bit softer. I would love to try in magnum format. For my palate, the 75s are finally coming around for the past five years.

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J J Prum makes great wines. I was surprised that Chris served Moulin Touchais blind.

• 2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 94 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Still quite youthful nose with only a hint of petrol, mostly succulent yellow fruits, lemon curd, grapefruit, hard yellow peach, sweet spices and limestone. Excellent concentration, a hint of fizz, succulent yellow fruit driven palate impression, quite dense/oily but strong acidity provides beautiful balance and lovely long sweet and sour finish that resonates. Quite dense and ripe but beautifully balanced. Long life ahead.

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• 2002 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 92 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Very similar to the 01 served alongside but riper, ripe yellow fruits, ripe peach, mango, apricot and sweet spices. Excellent concentration, warm and round, quite dense, noticeable fizz and long sweet and round finish. I prefer the balance and freshness of the 01. This is very enjoyable in its own right.

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• 1975 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon 91 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon

  Served blind by Chris. Burnt sugar, lanolin, dry peach and copper/steel directs me to Chenin Blanc. A bit simple but obvious guess is either Baumard QdC, CdL or Huet. It is quite steely so I opt for a mature Huet. Chris inform us that it is the 75 Moulin Touchais. Hindsight it is obvious as the expression is quite unique, ie a bit simple in fruit and very steely.

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Amy, RJ and I were not quite done and we found the Roulot Perriers on the list. We enjoyed the bottle over two hours.

• 2012 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 95 Points

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

  Off the restaurant list. Quite dense even in the nose, ripe granny smith, pear, lemon oil, a hint of saline, a hint of oak and mineral. Exceptional concentration, deeply toned white fruits that resonates, strong presence of mineral, mouth puckering acidity and deep oily finish. This reminds me Coche minus toasted oak, matchstick and sesame but also more pure fruit and deeply toned fruits. I find Coche more user friendly for my palate. I would love to drink the Perrieres side by side.

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The lunch lasted until seven. A great time was had by all.