Holiday lunch with many magnums

Black Salt
Tasted Saturday, December 23, 2017 by PanosKakaviatos with 437 views

Introduction

I enjoyed myself too much, as I had left my written notes behind ... DCWine Mr. Kevin Shin took excellent notes himself for more assessments for you! This was a great lunch with true wine loving friends. We were nine very happy people, enjoying some magnums as well as regular format bottles over a 4+ hour lunch at a great seafood restaurant in Washington DC, Black Salt.

Flight 1 - Pair of glorious magnum bottles of Champagne (2 Notes)

Krug 96 proved to be the wine of the lunch. But the Ledru was wonderful, too!

  • 2003 Marie-Noëlle Ledru Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée du Goulté Blanc de Noirs Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    Perhaps unfairly compared to the Krug vintage 1996 magnum, served alongside, this wine was nonetheless delicious, made from hand picked grand cru grapes from Ambonnay and Bouzy. Pinot Noir did well in the heat of 2003, at least based on other bubblies I have tried from this vintage. Coming from magnum certainly lent more freshness to the wine. The overall impression was of a creamy texture with fine red berry fruit expressions. Notes from memory as I had left my written notes at the restaurant ...

    Read 5 Comments / Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1996 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 100 Points

    France, Champagne

    Well, I suppose this is rather perfect. Alas I left my written notes at the restaurant so here from memory. Gorgeously precise fruit driven flavors at first then a burgeoning notion of white truffle that begs fine cuisine, which we got - in spades - at Black Salt. The texture was at once velvety smooth and vivacious, the energy of the 1996 vintage shining through and although the color and even the tertiary aspects suggest a quicker than expected evolution - this was a magnum bottle! - the wine was literally singing over lunch, and we kept going back to it. Thanks be to magnums and to Krug.

    Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 2 - Pair of white Burgundies, with a great showing from Comtes Lafon 2001 (2 Notes)

  • 2001 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 95 Points

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

    What a charming expression of Chardonnay from Meursault, even if it lacks the spinal column and tension from, say, Les Perrieres, this Lafon was a victory already for not being at all premoxed: not at all! Now, beyond that, I kept coming back to this wine as one of my overall favorites of the lunch because it conveyed such pleasingly spherical balance: the palate conveyed both density and charm, with fine vivacity, representing the expression of the excellent 2001 vintage for whites. Bravo!

    Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2007 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

    Coming after the Comtes Lafon Meursault-Charmes, this was clumsy and disappointing. Indeed, coming from a magnum - and a more recent vintage - this wine was noticeably more evolved in both color and taste. While not bad at all, one expects (much) more from the producer (and price). The palate was indeed rich and dense, but lacked the balance of the preceding wine, and showed just a touch of hazelnut. The fruit was there however and just having it alone, it would be fine enough with white fish in a cream sauce for example or seared scallops with chanterelles.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 3 - A pair of Condrieus (2 Notes)

Flight 4 - Two magnum red Burgundies: one corked, but the other glorious (2 Notes)

  • 1999 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Vieille Vigne 96 Points

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

    Another magnum bottle and brilliant wine! Too young, as coming from magnum, but time in glass (our lunch lasted four hours at least) began to show off more aromatic charm, with dark cherry and beguiling floral aspects akin to fine perfume. The palate from the get go showed amazing structure and length, not quite primary, but not far off. Certainly ripe fruit, fine tannin and very smooth (especially with time in glass) and veritably vinous on the palate. Bravo indeed!

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2000 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche Cuvée Lucie Flawed

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

    Mildly corked? There was something not quite right about the nose and palate. Too bad, as this was a magnum bottle!

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 5 - Oldies but goodies. (2 Notes)

  • 1978 Labouré-Roi Richebourg 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru

    Again notes from memory as I stupidly left my notes at the restaurant. Paired with the 1969 Chambertin from Bouchard Aine & Fils, this was superior if not fabulous. Still, it conveyed lovely sous bois, a certain richness of texture and feel on the palate. Towards the tail end of its drinkability but not tired at all, just smooth and pleasing. Depth, certainly, but not as opulent as one would expect from Richebourg. Overall, a very pleasing wine indeed, nearly 40 years on.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1969 Bouchard Aîné & Fils Chambertin 87 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

    Again, notes from memory, but paled in comparison to the 1978 Richebourg with which it was paired. Solid, aged Burgundy, rather fading in intensity, and not coming across particularly as a grand cru from what is a fabled vintage. Just OK.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 6 - Blind tasting of three Clos de Bezes (3 Notes)

  • 2009 Louis Jadot Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Domaine Louis Jadot 95 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

    Delectable and rich, but firm and this is to be expected from Louis Jadot. A very pleasing expression of ripe dark fruits, black cherry and blackberry, with opulence and structure on the palate. Needs another five years at least of aging before entering a proper drinking window. Time in glass brought forth more charm, but I kept going back to the 1999 Fourrier from magnum for more pleasure.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2008 Remoissenet Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

    Also served alongside the Bouchard 2008 and the Jadot 2009, this was a bit of a disappointment as it lacked the intensity and depth one should get from a grand cru of this calibre.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

    From memory, a disappointment because it showed a bit of green. And yet, there was density and substance to the palate. I just did not enjoy it (nearly) as much as the Jadot 2009.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 7 - Endgame with Rieussec and Yquem! (2 Notes)

  • 2001 Château Rieussec 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Voluptuous, creamy, opulent and flavorful. Quite youthful, too, and displaying the rich style of Rieussec that some tasters appreciate more than others. I found it still too youthful and am pleased to have another four bottles of this in my cellar. Just a delicious Sauternes from a great vintage that could use more time in your cellar to gain a bit more elegance. Long finish!

    Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1982 Château d'Yquem 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Of course 1982 is not a great vintage for Sauternes, with rains coming at the wrong time, but as the French adage goes: Petite année? Grand vin! And here we have a grand vin shining with lovely botrytis induced black tea notes, along with white apricot and white flower, exuding subtle opulence and elegance that charms the palate and follows through to a long finish. Not the most concentrated vintage to be sure, but as Robert Parker noted in his earlier review of this vintage, Yquem brought in much of the crop before rains had done too much damage, and then waited until the vineyards dried out, bringing in their last grapes in early November.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Closing

What a great lunch this was. As far as I am concerned, this was the official Christmas celebration in terms of great wines! Thanks to all who attended and brought such fine wines.

×
×