Eleventh Annual White Truffle Dinner

Group's annual dinner with a pound of white truffles directly from our local Alba forager. Our new chef, Jessica, was great. There were 3 wines I wrote down so know I tried, but didn't write any note or recall them at all. I hope they were good. I wish I remembered.

- Borgogno 1964 Barolo Riserva
- Mascarello 1978 Barolo (not 100% certain which Mascarello)
- Giacosa 1989 Barolo Villero

• 1997 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  From magnum. Apple and lemon aromas and flavors. Leaner styled with great energy, balance and length. I prefer this to the 1999, which I found slightly fatter and shorter.

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• 1999 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  From magnum. Apple and pear aromas, with much the same flavor profile supplemented with some citrus. Slightly rounder and fatter vs the 1997, also not quite as long. Very good now.

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• 1998 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Floral start with lots of citrus throughout. Firm and tight tonight with uncoiled energy.

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• 1996 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut Flawed

  France, Champagne

  Very advanced. From a 6-pack in which the other bottles have all apparently shown well.

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• 1988 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  This has been an inconsistent wine over the years. Mature orchard fruit with lemon peel notes. I like the power here, but it is more advanced than the better bottles.

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• 1985 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  By far the highlight of the flight. Ripe apple with power, grace and an expanding finish. Very beautifully textured. Best I ever recall for this wine.

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• 2001 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Ried Kellerberg Flawed

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Great underlying fruit. Musty? Probably corked, although not everybody agreed.

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• 2004 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Ried Kellerberg 94 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  The clear standout of the flight. Lots of concentrated, ripe orchard fruit with plenty fo tropical fruit as well. Good pepper and spice in the background, with intense minerality and acidity. Good now, better in the future.

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• 2005 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Ried Kellerberg 92 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Intense and ripe apple, pear and some baked apple with good spice and structure. Everything combines into an elegant package. Good now.

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• 2006 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Ried Kellerberg

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Toughest wine for me to assess in the flight. The most ripe with the best spice. Excellent concentration. Good textures, moderate length, but I don't quite think this has reached its real potential yet, or fully harmonized.

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• 1985 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Popped and poured. Ripe and lush with great concentration. moderate spice, great structure. Best when first poured, this starting losing some intensity as slight oxidative hints emerged after 30 minutes.

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• 2000 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Popped and poured. Very charming with lean apple and lemon aplenty. Started reticent, became increasingly engaging. This would have benefited from a couple of hours of air. Best I can ever recall for this wine, which has been one of the few Raveneaus with which I've had tough experience.

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• 2002 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Popped and poured. Rich and powerful with great intensity, but a slightly backward character. More mineral textures emerged with more time in glass. This really would have benefited from considerably more air or cellar time.

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• 2004 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre Flawed

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Moderately corked.

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• 2009 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Popped and poured as a substitute for the corked 2004. Lots of ripe apple and pear, some lemon. comes across as more ripe and "2009" than "Chablis" for right now, but more textural charm emerged with time in glass. Give a few more years in the cellar.

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• 1996 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot

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

  Popped and poured. Rich, opulent start with intense concentration, while also clearly mature, but age appropriate. Lots of everything. Started as "95 points" when first poured, perhaps "91 or 92" when finished 30 minutes later.

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• 2002 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot Flawed

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

  Popped and poured. Advanced for its age, and very disappointing even though drinkable. Also faded to less interesting for the 20-30 minutes in glass. So I'd say moderately prematurely oxidized. 89 points when first poured, 85 points when poured out 30 minutes later.

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• 1999 Etienne Sauzet Chevalier-Montrachet 96 Points

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

  Popped and poured. Wow. Stone fruit with summer flowers and spice throughout. Powerhouse with lots of life. As good at tonight's 11th annual white truffle dinner as it was as our 3rd white truffle dinner.

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• 2008 Lucien Le Moine Chevalier-Montrachet 92 Points

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

  Open several hours before serving. Nicely floral with baked apple and toasted almonds. Still not in its peak drinking window. Better than another bottle from the same case from earlier this year.

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• 2006 Vincent Dancer Chevalier-Montrachet 91 Points

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

  Popped and poured. Very rich with great spice and good concentration, but still seems riper than I would prefer. Some thought its character seemed more "Batard" than "Chevalier," but that's really 2006 coming through clearly.

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• 1934 Henri de Villamont Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes Collection du Docteur Barolet 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Popped and poured. Mature red fruit with plenty of life. Great spice and reduced mushroom. Maybe 100% Pinot Noir, maybe some Grenache, but a tasty glass of wine and history.

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• 1934 Quancard Père et Fils Romanée St. Vivant 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Ken brought this when he saw i was bringing a 1934 bonus bottle. Slightly better spice concentration here, slightly less fruit and more astringent. More likely this actually is 100% Pinot Noir.

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• 1934 Domaines et Grands Crus a Vougeot Clos de la Roche

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

  Popped and poured. Terrible, undrinkable. Very strange. Dark color, quite certainly not 100% Pinot Noir. So much about this bottle and its label and producer seems peculiar, but not worth the effort to research.

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• 1934 Gomez Cruzado Rioja Reserva Especial Viña Dorana 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Popped and poured. Another success in our impromptu 1934 flight. Tart red cherry with good concentration and spice. good energy and structure. Very enjoyable.

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• 1982 Vietti Barbaresco Masseria

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Tired and virtually undrinkable.

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• 1982 Paitin di Pasquero-Elia Barbaresco Sorì Paitin

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Even more tired than the Vietti in the next glass.

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• 1982 Gaja Barbaresco 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Open several hours before serving. Pristine bottle from my cellar that was in perfect condition. Great fresh red berries throughout with floral notes, licorice and cloves. Very powerful. Tastier and brighter than the Sori Tildin 1982 in the next glass, but not as nuanced. I'd have thought this much younger if served blind.

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• 1982 Gaja Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Open for several hours before serving. Ripe and mature red cherry with lots of spice that kept unfolding in different ways start to finish. Not as fresh as another bottle from last year, but still holding nicely.

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• 1996 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba Flawed

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  This first bottle was corked. This wasn't discovered when decanted, so the 2nd (next) bottle was just popped-decanted-and-poured.

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• 1996 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  This was popped-decanted-and-poured once the decanted bottle was discovered to be corked. Still a highlight of the flight with great red fruit aromas and spice with plenty of dried rose petal. With more air this would probably would have edged out the 2001 vintage for best in flight.

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• 2000 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Open and decanted 4+ hours before serving. Black cherry throughout with dried herbs, black pepper, anise. Lots of dried rose petals. Moderate structure. Very elegant. Easily the most pleasurable wine in the flight, even if it doesn't have the concentration and long-term (30 year) potential of the 1996 or 2001.

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• 2001 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba 96 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Open and decanted 4+ hours before serving. A top highlight of the night, this is a powerhouse. Lots of black and red cherry, baking spice, black pepper and background floral notes. Very long and still rather firm, this requires patience.

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• 1997 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Open 8 hours before serving. Maturing red cherry with mushroom, leather, anise and dried thyme. A very good glass of wine, but slightly lost in the overall quality of the flight.

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• 2007 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées 91 Points

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

  Popped and poured. Very fun and tasty with bright red cherry and berry. Baking spice on nose and palate. Moderate length or finesse. Very good now.

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• 1991 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

  Popped and poured. Big differences of opinion on this wine amongst our group tonight. I found the nose very alluring with spice, mature red fruit and some perfume. Palate certainly had less overall appeal, and could understand some thinking it slightly tired and drying. But the aromatic charm had already won me over at this late hour.

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• 1999 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Popped and poured. My 3rd excellent experience this year with this wine. Incredibly elegant red fruit with woodsy spice and superb textures. Starts charming, ends powerfully. A personal highlight of the evening.

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• 1997 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

  Brief late night tasting note. Roasted black fruit that manages to retain freshness and balance. Moderate depth. Good now.

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• 2006 Cecile Tremblay Echezeaux 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

  Brief late night tasting note. Ripe and forward red fruit. Lots of pleasure, but slightly simple.

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• 1990 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée Aux Réas 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

  Brief late night tasting note. Wow, this is something I've never heard of or seen. Superb floral nose with mature, ripe red cherry, berry aromas and a hint of reduced shiitake mushroom. Palate is a bit riper and less complex, but very enjoyable.

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• 2003 Domaine Leroy Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Brief late night tasting note. Alluring spicebox aromas with black and red cherry, nicely floral. Similarly big flavors, just slight roasted character. 93 point nose, 90 point palate.

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• 2005 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques 95 Points

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

  Brief late night tasting note. A 2005 that has just never shut down. Lots of mostly black fruit with great Boeuf Bourgignon spice. Lots of structure, but everything is in great harmony. Wow.

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• 1972 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru

  Very brief (very) late night tasting note. Better than expected. Very mature red cherry, earth. Good spice. Nice balance.

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• 1988 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Brief late night tasting note. Meaty black fruit with black pepper, licorice. Dense and concentrated. Great balance and length. Headturningly good.

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• NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé

  France, Champagne

  Very brief (very) late night note. With scrambled eggs and truffle. Strawberry. Super bright. Same as always.

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