Holiday Dinner - Champ, Burg, Bordeaux, Rhone and etc.

Eight of us got together for our annual holiday wine dinner. We ended up having an all French line up which I can't complain. Alan S. gracefully sabered the 96 CdC with a chef's knife without injuring anyone, very well done!

The service was excellent as usual.

The 96 Comtes de Champagne en magnum was incredible.

• 1996 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 100 Points

  France, Champagne

  From the same source as the last magnum, en magnum. Perfect youthful nose displaying sweetest yellow fruit, candied lemon peel, lemon curd, apple strudel, oyster jus, smoked oyster, wild flowers and sweet spices. Incredibly energetic and perfectly balanced palate, beautifully layered, decadent youthful lemon curd and cooked apple driven palate impression, bright acidity and strong mineral presence and a seamless vibrant finish that resonates. Perhaps attributed to the magnum format, it has gained the exquisite complexity without compromising its youthful energy and vibrancy. It is playful and delicious yet extremely complex and serious. Now the rating, I hesitate to give a perfect rating to a Comtes de Champagne but this is one of the best Champagnes of my life. I am not just about to say that this is better than the 96 Salon but this is drinking perfect! Everyone revisits a few times throughout the dinner until the end.

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• 1990 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  A bit advanced nose, apple peel, orange, smoke and limestone. Adam mentions that it is slightly madeirized. Gets fresher with air but remains a bit tired. Good concentration, acidity and mineral. Not the best example but still enjoyable for my palate. No great wines, only great bottles.

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• 1992 Georges Deleger Chevalier-Montrachet 91 Points

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

  Wonderful fully mature nose, sweet yellow fruit, butter scotch, a hint of honey and butter scotch, botrytis and smoke. Fully mature palate, medium to low acidity, strange bitterness that clips the finish. Mid 90s nose but mid to high 80s palate. I need to open another bottle soon.

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• 2007 Domaine Marc Morey & Fils Chevalier-Montrachet 94 Points

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

  Very precise and lean nose displaying lemon, pineapple, flint, spicy spices and mineral. Very cool and precise palate impression, subtle citrus fruit and mineral driven palate impression, bright acidity and a clean long finish. Showing the 07 typicity, i.e. slightly lean, cool and precise.

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• 2005 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet Flawed

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

  I am having bad luck with the 05 Leflaives. Not premoxed but.... Corked #@$%!

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• 2009 Château Pape Clément Blanc 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Cool expressive nose displaying kiwi, lemon curd, honeydew, lanoline, butter popcorn and mineral. There is a hint of cat pee despite the ripe fruit expression. Excellent concentration, pretty good precision and a good clean mineral driven finish with a hint of alcohol at the end. It is a very well made high octane wine. I like it but it is not for everyone.

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This was the most consistent and enjoyable flight. The noses were intoxicating.

• 1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 96 Points

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

  Beautiful mature nose displaying Vosne spice, exotic spices, stewed red fruit, raspberry jam, cappuccino, stem and earth. Excellent concentration, nicely layered, decadent roasted red fruit and Vosne spice driven palate impression, bright acidity and a lovely long finish. It is drinking beautifully at the youthful peak. This wine is a nice way to experience/get introduced to what a DRC at peak tastes like.

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• 1983 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares 96 Points

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

  Perfectly mature explosive nose displaying decadent red fruit, raspberry jam, Asian spices, sous bois, mushroom, caramel, earth and a hint of the 83 rot. Medium concentration, slightly disjoined palate, the finish is slightly bitter and ends with the 83 rot/dirty damp cellar. The nose is close to perfect but the plate shows the 83 rot. It is interesting that I wrote “98 point nose and 90 point palate” in my last tasting note. Excellent showing.

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• 1993 Joseph Drouhin Musigny 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  This seems much younger than the 95 DRC RSV. Medium expressive nose displaying strawberry, rose, incredibly amount of mineral, mushroom, rose and earth. Excellent concentration, bright acidity, unbelievably mineral, noticeable slightly coarse tannins and a long sweet finish. Perhaps it is the youthful expression but the nose is not as complex and enticing as the other two wines.

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• 2000 Château Cheval Blanc 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Expressive nose displaying intense black fruit, blackberry, cassis, dark spices and liquid smoke. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered fruit, silky and polished, nicely integrated tannins and an impressive long cassis driven finish. Though it shows very well, it is slightly less impressive than the previous bottles.

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• 1986 Château Mouton Rothschild 98 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Explosive nose displaying crème de cassis, lead pencil, ink, cedar, dark chocolate and mineral. Excellent concentration, unctuous, incredibly layered, silky and polished, nicely integrated tannins and an incredibly long cassis driven finish. For my plate, the 86 Mouton is reaching the first stage of the youthful peak.

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• 1947 Château Margaux Vandermeulen Bottling 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  My expectation is quite high as the last bottle was sublime. The nose is similar but much softer and the palate is thinner. Shy nose displaying cherry, cedar, leather, cinnamon and earth. Medium concentration, soft and warm, good acidity, no noticeable tannins and a medium finish. A bit of let down but once again, no great wines, only great bottles!

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• 1991 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 97 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Precise nose displaying sweet black fruit, a hint of dry cherry, tapenade, tar and earl grey. Nicely integrated concentrated palate, nicely layered, cherry and tapenade driven palate impression, good acidity, nicely integrated tannins and a long tapenade and tar driven finish. The fruit is no longer opulent and nicely integrated the overall expression. It is at the youthful peak.

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• 1991 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline Flawed

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Corked!

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• 1988 Château d'Yquem 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Beautifully balanced complex nose displaying mango, pineapple, haagen daz peach sorbet, strong lanoline, honey, spicy spices, crème brulee and candied ginger. Exceptional concentration, dense and oily yet weightless and airy, beautiful balance and an incredibly long clean finish that resonates. It is a very youthful example that is drinking magnificently. It is fascinating to compare to the 01 which is even bigger and more intense. Perhaps without the 01, I may rate this a point or two higher.

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• 2001 Château d'Yquem 99 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Everything about this wine is insane, i.e. balance, purity, airiness, intensity, spiciness, concentration, complexity and finish. There is no doubt that this is the most concentrated and intense Yquem since the 67. Absolutely stunning showing which by now I fully expect.

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A great time was had by all!