Not a virgin anymore - My first dinner at Bern's

Truly an outstanding event. Food was absoultely great, but secondary to the amazing wine. Thanks to Scott and Gregg for setting this up, our own room and staff. Wine service was fantastic as decanting was done perfectly on que, wine temps perfectly cool, gave us the labels and even offered a tour of the bizzare wine warehouse. Bottle conditions were overall superb as kept at 50 degrees for many years. I found no corked or damaged wine amoung the 14 wines opened on this night. I missed the first day of this event as don't think I could handle two days of pure hedonism. While clearly this was an embrassement of riches, it was an unforgetable experience that I hope to repeat.

• 1973 Charles Heidsieck Champagne La Royale 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Dinner at Berns. Nice nutty nose with yeasty elements and lemon oil hints.
  Rich butternut flavors with lean crisp mouth feel. Great balance and persistance.
  Fully mature with very slight sherry component adding to complexity. A fine way to start the night.

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• 1982 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc 95 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Dinner at Berns. Clean and fresh nose with subtle aromas of minerals, candle wax, and light white floral notes.
  On the palate, fat and soft, and rich with big white stony character. A dense flavor packed wine with clear breed.
  Finishes nice and long with almost a black licorice edge. Probably the best white Rhone I have ever had.

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• 1961 Pierre Ponnelle Corton-Clos du Roi 98 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Dinner at Bern's. From magnum.
  Glorious perfumed nose bloomed from the glass. Huge aromas of red cherry and strawberry with earthy richness. Classic Burgundy. In the mouth, rich and creamy red fruit flavors coat the mouth. Fresh strawberries on entry turns into rich ripe dark cherries and goes on and on in waves. This great core of fruit is perfectly balanced and integrated. Poetry in a glass. This is a very special wine. I can't believe how much great fruit was there after over 45 years in the bottle. A very memorable bottle and my WOTN. Must say, however, after some time it did lose much of the fruit and lost some of the early pizazz.

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• 1926 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Dinner at Bern's.
  Musty, black wet soil nose with some leather and hints of dried black berries.
  A bit of lean dried black fruit on the palate, but good overall balance. slight minty finish.
  Not ranked higher because middle palate was a touch hollow.

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• 1926 Château Beychevelle 80 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Dinner at Bern's.
  Stinky very odd nose. Not corked or brett. Weird off putting intense blue cheese and dill nose.
  Palate comes across similar, best described as blue cheese stuffed green olives coated in molasses.
  Very strange wine that I did not like.

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• 1953 Château Cheval Blanc 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Dinner at Bern's. Superb nose of dark roasted black fruits with animal and toasty notes. A seamless richl flavored wine showcasing blackberries, cherries, and complex minerals qualities. Great balance and long persistant finish. Notes of underbrush, sea salt, and forest floor added subtle qualities. Only distractor was slightly thin quality in terms of mouth feel.

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• 1953 Château Mouton Rothschild 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Dinner at Bern’s
  Nice dark chocolate nose with dried blackberries and roasted coffee beans.
  Palate showed sweet, but slightly fading dark fruit with toasty coffee and spice. Richness was balanced by still lively acidity. Very good finish of dried black fruits that lasted surprisingly long. A very solid wine at this showing

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• 1953 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Dinner at Bern's. Concentrated complex aromas of blackberries, iron, graphite, and raw meat. Simply dazzling. Sleek mouthfeel loaded with steely minerals, dark ripe berries and a touch of chocolate. Lots of depth to the mid palate and very nice length. While flavors were wonderful, the bouquet really shined tonight.

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• 1964 Château Haut-Brion 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Dinner at Bern's. From magnum. Magnificent nose of gravel, iron ore, graphite, and black fruits jump from the stem. A sleek concentrated wine with meaty quality, dark chocolate, and loads of minerality. Very good depth and nice long rich finish. A very classy wine.

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• 1937 Bouchard Aîné & Fils Clos de Tart 93 Points

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

  Dinner ar Bern's.
  Aromas of earth and dried dark fruits with a touch of smoke.
  Nice dark fruit flavors wrapped with black minerals and toast. Very sound and sleek, but a bit monolithic.
  Good acid backbone and enjoyable finish, but somewhat angular in that wine is not well integrated.
  Nice mouthfeel and density. Quite enjoyable, but not profound. Clearly, not over the hill, but doubt it imporves.

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• 1964 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 88 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Dinner at Bern's. Heavy aromas of black licorice, animal, and sauvage. A somewhat rustic wine. I felt fruit was overwhelmed by bretty character. Good, not great.

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• 1947 Pierre Ponnelle Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts 97 Points

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

  Dinner at Bern's. Nice rich ripe creamy red cherry fruit with good earthy quality. A delicious wine that tasted amazingly fresh for a sixty year old. Truly great.

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• 1976 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Dinner at Bern's. Wonderfully rich nose showing soft feminine qualities of cherry, berries, and hint of toast. Palate was sleek and showed a soft elegant character with toasty black cherry quality that drifted into a long finish. This was a very generous gift from Scott.

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• 1983 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 92 Points

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

  Dinner at Bern's. After drinking 13 bottles must admit to my notes big brief and difficult to read. Nice nose of soft red fruits.
  Nice nuanced flavors, but a bit chunky. A very kind gift from Chris.

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I must also thank Chris for guiding me through the night and offering encouragement to attend this feast. Fun to meet fellow wine nuts Joe, Maureen and Jim. If I ever go again must make sure Eric is in charge of the wine service.