France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie
Light yellow. Flinty aromatics. Wonderful juxtaposition of a fairly round entry by Muscadet standards with a hint of ripe citrus followed by a stony, acidic finish. Great freshness. It stood up very, very well to a terrific Raveneau Premier Cru served next to it.
Medium yellow. Thrilling, quintessential Chablis nose of iodine, brine, and lemon juice. Medium weight with an almost perfect interplay of the fruit, salinity, and mineral elements. Interestingly, this showed more of the vintage than the Raveneau winemaking style in that it did not have the hazelnut/beeswax traits that often mark these wines. In tremendous form and probably capable of delivering another 5 years worth of pleasure.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Opened 3 hours earlier. Deep ruby core that extended 90% to the rim. Black cherry fruit, stemmy/celery stalk elements, and wintergreen. Fairly dense, especially compared to the Romanée Conti, but this relaxed over several hours in the glass. Dark red and black fruit, a brief burst of strawberry jam after a couple of hours. Strong, refreshing acidity and moderate tannins. It finished with some real funkiness which was not apparent to me on first pour. This is a big, somewhat chunky rendition that was fascinating but short of great and will easily go another 20 years. I wonder if it will find its inner elegance over time and whether it might be overtaken by the brett which showed up late.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée-Conti Grand Cru
Opened 3 hours earlier. Same ruby core color as the Richebourg, but this began to lighten about half way toward the rim. Completely different and utterly seductive nose, which just kept expanding and changing-soft red berries, plum, spice, smoke, and just a hint of green. More and more secondary perfume along the way. Much less strident and stemmy than the Richebourg. More lacy and light on the palate, but whereas the Richebourg attenuated somewhat, this actually picked up some sap. Subtle sweetness of fruit and great, integrated acidity more so than heavy tannins keeps it fresh and will preserve it. While it is more advanced and ready than the Richebourg, I also think that this will hold for 15 more years, just becoming even more haunting, ethereal, and fading ever so slowly into its autumnal phase. A rare pleasure despite 1998 not being an all time great vintage for this cuvée. Many, many thanks to our incredibly generous friends for providing these 2 wines.
Shocking deep golden, orange color that did not bode well, but equally surprisingly, not a trace of oxidation or decline. Beautiful, clean apricot and fig aromas. Unctuous, moderately sweet, electric acidity, outstanding length. Terrific dessert wine despite the advanced appearance.
2005 Domaine Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie "L" d’Or
France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie
Light yellow. Flinty aromatics. Wonderful juxtaposition of a fairly round entry by Muscadet standards with a hint of ripe citrus followed by a stony, acidic finish. Great freshness. It stood up very, very well to a terrific Raveneau Premier Cru served next to it.
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2004 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Medium yellow. Thrilling, quintessential Chablis nose of iodine, brine, and lemon juice. Medium weight with an almost perfect interplay of the fruit, salinity, and mineral elements. Interestingly, this showed more of the vintage than the Raveneau winemaking style in that it did not have the hazelnut/beeswax traits that often mark these wines. In tremendous form and probably capable of delivering another 5 years worth of pleasure.
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1998 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Opened 3 hours earlier. Deep ruby core that extended 90% to the rim. Black cherry fruit, stemmy/celery stalk elements, and wintergreen. Fairly dense, especially compared to the Romanée Conti, but this relaxed over several hours in the glass. Dark red and black fruit, a brief burst of strawberry jam after a couple of hours. Strong, refreshing acidity and moderate tannins. It finished with some real funkiness which was not apparent to me on first pour. This is a big, somewhat chunky rendition that was fascinating but short of great and will easily go another 20 years. I wonder if it will find its inner elegance over time and whether it might be overtaken by the brett which showed up late.
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1998 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée-Conti Grand Cru
Opened 3 hours earlier. Same ruby core color as the Richebourg, but this began to lighten about half way toward the rim. Completely different and utterly seductive nose, which just kept expanding and changing-soft red berries, plum, spice, smoke, and just a hint of green. More and more secondary perfume along the way. Much less strident and stemmy than the Richebourg. More lacy and light on the palate, but whereas the Richebourg attenuated somewhat, this actually picked up some sap. Subtle sweetness of fruit and great, integrated acidity more so than heavy tannins keeps it fresh and will preserve it. While it is more advanced and ready than the Richebourg, I also think that this will hold for 15 more years, just becoming even more haunting, ethereal, and fading ever so slowly into its autumnal phase. A rare pleasure despite 1998 not being an all time great vintage for this cuvée. Many, many thanks to our incredibly generous friends for providing these 2 wines.
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1990 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Haut-Lieu
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Shocking deep golden, orange color that did not bode well, but equally surprisingly, not a trace of oxidation or decline. Beautiful, clean apricot and fig aromas. Unctuous, moderately sweet, electric acidity, outstanding length. Terrific dessert wine despite the advanced appearance.
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