Sommelier Appreciation Dinner 2019

Last year, Reginald hosted a party to honor Nadine Elizabeth Brown who was the head sommelier at the Charlie Palmer. This year, it was Andy Myers who is the wine director of Jose Andres’s thinkFoodGroup. Reginald was incredibly generously opened his house and shared so many great cellar treasures.

Not a bad way to start. The Clos Vougeot had no vintage tag but it was quite good.

• 1990 Domaine Leroy Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Medium expressive nose displaying ripe roasted dark fruit of the 90 vintage, a hint of rose and earth. Excellent concentration, dense ripe black fruit, medium acidity, still a hint of tannins and a medium long finish. Although enjoyable, there is nothing special about the wine and absolutely not worth the current auction price.

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• 1991 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts 95 Points

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

  Medium expressive complex nose displaying ripe red fruit with a hint of black, caramel, a hint of cedar, Vosne spice, cinnamon, anise and earth. Fully integrated palate, finely layered deeply toned slight dry ripe red fruit, silk, bright acidity and mineral, and a medium to long finish with a hint of anise and Vosne spice at the end. It was first served too cold and with air, it becomes significantly more expressive.

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• 1996 Domaine Leroy Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes 94 Points

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

  Medium expressive detailed nose displaying lean cool red fruit, cherry and strawberry, sap, pronounced cedar and mineral. Fully integrated palate, finely layered subtle red fruit, silky and polished, bright acidity, strong mineral and a long subtle red fruit driven finish with cedar and sap at the end. Clearly expressing the structure and precision of the 96 vintage.

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In some ways, this was WOTN. So fresh and incredibly mineral.

• 1989 Domaine François Cotat Sancerre La Grande Côte 95 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

  En Magnum. Unbelievably pale color and the nose clearly reflects. Incredibly fresh expressive nose displaying lemon, pear, kiwi, honey, acacia, a hint of SB green, cool breeze and crushed rocks. Beautifully integrated palate, very finely layered sweet yet fresh and pure white fruit, silky and fluid, lacking acidity but incredible minerality that provides exceptional precision, and a seamless long finish with honey and kiwi at the end. I can drink this all day and all night. Excellent showing.

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All from Reginald and all magnums.

• 2001 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons 90 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  En magnum, fresh nose displaying fresh white fruit, apple, fresh lemon, pear, honey and mineral. There is a hint of the 11 pyrazine/LBT note that is mostly masked by overabundant mousse. Medium concentration, fresh white fruit, overabundant almost overwhelming amount of very fine mousse, bright acidity, good mineral presence and a medium to long white fruit driven finish with a hint of the 11 taint at the end. This is a lighter and fresher style of Champagne.

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• 2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  En magnum and it is very fresh. Expressive nose displaying fresh white and yellow fruit, granny smith, lemon, honey, a hint of yeast, spicy spices and mineral. Beautifully integrated energetic palate, finely layered fresh white fruit, medium abundant very fine mousse, perfect amount of acidity and subtle mineral and a long seamless clean finish. Much fresher than the regular bottle. This particular mag shows beautiful freshness, a bit atypical expression for a vintage Krug.

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• 1966 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  En magnum with very good fill. Clear yellow which is a good sign. Initially, a hint of cork/dirty damp cellar smell but not TCA. It subsides significantly. Subtle vinous nose, apricot, dry peach, tarte tatin, strong toffee, sweet spices, crème brulee and earth. Fully integrated sweet palate, subtle yellow fruit, almost no mousse, good acidity and earthy mineral and a medium to long yellow fruit driven finish with toffee at the end. It is easy to dismiss as old and flaw and overlook subtle nuances. It is drinking more like wine. Not the freshest example.

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• 1995 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  En magnum. This has gained weight over the past few years. Beautiful fully mature nose displaying decadent yellow fruit, baked apple, candied orange, apricot, strong brioche, sweet spices and mineral. Excellent concentration, nicely layered deeply toned yellow fruit, medium abundant medium fine mousse, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a long sweet yellow fruit driven finish with strong brioche at the end. The overall expression closely resembles the 96 but a bit riper and not as precise. Classic expression of the vintage Krug. Excellent showing.

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• 2006 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  En magnum. Expressive incredibly youthful nose displaying fresh white fruit, pear, white peach, granny smith, saline, cool mountain stream, honey and mineral. Incredible fresh and precise palate, abundant very fine mousse, bright acidity, strong mineral and a long fresh white fruit driven finish with limestone at the end. Consistent with the last bottle from May, 2018. This is rather elegant Salon. I am hoping that this will gain weight and focus with time.

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• 1985 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 98 Points

  France, Champagne

  En magnum. Perfectly harmonious nose displaying subtle sweet yellow fruit with a hint of red, crème brulee, honey, brioche, sweet spices and limestone. Fully integrated palate, very finely layered yellow fruit, exceptional precision and energy, very find medium abundant mousse, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a long seamless finish with honey and brioche at the end. Very generous yet precise and elegant palate reminds me of a great Chevalier Montrachet. Really beautiful fully mature yet fresh Krug.

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I was really impressed with the 95 Alzinger.

• 1995 Alzinger Riesling Smaragd Steinertal 95 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Incredibly energetic and focused nose displaying ripe yet fresh yellow fruit, lemon curd, a hint of petrol, dry thyme, honey, spicy spices and mineral. Excellent concentration, very finely layered ripe yellow fruit, pure and focused, bright acidity, incredibly mineral and a long concentrated yellow fruit driven finish with honey and dry thyme at the end. This reminds me of Schafer-Frohlich GG a bit but more settled. Excellent Riesling that is food friendly.

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• 2010 Weingut Keller Kirchspiel Riesling Großes Gewächs 95 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  En magnum. Incredibly youthful nose displaying fresh white fruit, pear, white peach, lemon curd, a hint of pineapple, mountain stream, spicy spices and mineral. Incredible focused palate, deceptively light and airy, exceptional energy, cool spring breeze, bright acidity, incredible amount of limestone mineral and a long fresh white fruit driven mineral finish. It is so young, needs time.

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• 2011 Dönnhoff Dellchen Riesling Großes Gewächs 93 Points

  Germany, Nahe

  En Magnum. Medium expressive focused nose displaying subtle fresh white fruit, lemon curd, fresh lemon, honey and mineral. Very good concentration, coiled subtle white fruit, a hint of sweetness, lean and precise, bright acidity, strong limestone mineral and a medium white citrus fruit driven finish. This is really linear and coiled at the moment. Needs time.

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• 1995 Nikolaihof Riesling Vinothek 94 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Beautiful very youthful nose displaying lychee, peach, thyme, honey, acacia and steely mineral. Focused and precise palate, concentrated rich white and yellow fruit, bright acidity, strong limestone mineral and a long steely finish. Perhaps attributed to the same vintage, I find the overall expression similar to the 95 Alzinger Riesling Smaragd Steinertal but slightly less complex. Very good showing.

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Interesting flight.

• 2006 Coche-Dury Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet

  Golden color, a bit darker than I would have preferred. Medium expressive nose displaying ripe yellow fruit, sweet spices, crème brulee, honey and mineral. Excellent concentration, deeply toned dense ripe yellow fruit, medium acidity and mineral and a medium to long ripe yellow fruit driven finish with crème brulee at the end. For my palate, the 06 is the worst white vintage in the last decade along with the 04, i.e. the former being ripe and cloying and the latter for LBT although very fresh and the lower rate of premox than the other vintages. This particular bottle is rich and ripe. If you are willing to pay $600 plus for this bottling, I recommend the 08.

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• 2015 Y de Yquem 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux

  Incredibly youthful nose displaying fresh white citrus fruit, lemon curd, granny smith, pineapple, banana, oyster shell, beeswax, honey and limestone. Very good concentration, very finely layered subtle sweet white fruit, sweet yet very fresh and precise, medium acidity, good mineral presence and a long clean sweet white fruit driven finish. Still needs another five to ten years.

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• 2012 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 95 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Expressive nose displaying very ripe tropical yellow fruit, peach, pineapple, crème brulee, honey, sweet spices and limestone. Exceptional concentration, dense deeply toned sweet yellow fruit, thick and oily, medium acidity, good mineral presence and a long dense yellow fruit driven finish. This is a big scale and ripe white wine. As usual, Aubert Chardonnay lovers will love and AFWE will hate.

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• 2009 Dauvissat-Camus Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Initial stinky note blows off revealing coiled concentrated citrus fruit, honey, crushed rose and limestone. Excellent concentration, incredibly coiled ripe citrus, dense yet focused, bright acidity, strong mineral and a long concentrated citrus fruit driven finish. It is dense and concentrated yet very focused. Very ripe version of very focused wine that needs time.

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The 02 Rousseau was incredible.

• 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

  Medium expressive nose displaying concentrated ripe black fruit, dark milk chocolate, sap, rose, dark spices and limestone. Exceptional concentration, nicely layered concentrated slightly roasted black fruit, dense and rich, good acidity, strong mineral presence, surprisingly pronounced tannins and a long concentrated black fruit driven finish with rose and sap at the end. It expresses the ripe 05 vintage typicity more so than the producer signature. Needs minimum ten more years.

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• 1996 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Flawed

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

  En Magnum. Corked.

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• 2002 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin 98 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  Since the 1996 Vogue 1er is corked, Reginald generously open this memorable bottle. Breathtakingly beautiful nose displaying perfectly ripe pure red and black fruit, very floral, caramel, dark spices, sap and mineral. Beautifully integrated palate, layers upon layer of decadent yet pure red fruit, silky and fluid, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, fully integrated tannins a seamless long finish and caramel and mineral at the end. It has reached the youthful pick but can easily last for another half century. Exceptional showing.

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• 2002 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

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

  Expressive nose displaying very ripe red fruit, cherry brandy, cherry jam, licorice, dark spices and earth. Excellent concentration, deeply tone dense ripe red fruit, thick and jammy, medium acidity and mineral, and a medium to long jammy red fruit driven finish. This clearly expresses the vintage and producer which may not necessarily be a good thing. For my palate, it still needs another decade to shed the ripe fruit expression.

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• 2000 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares 92 Points

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

  Medium expressive nose displaying ripe red and black fruit, cherry, strawberry, blackberry, mushroom, iron, dark spices and earth. Excellent concentration, ripe red and black fruit, bright acidity and steely mineral, still a hint of tannins and a medium to long ripe red fruit driven finish. I find the overall expression a bit straightforward.

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I really love the 86 Mouton. The 90 Lafite was a pleasant surprise.

• 1986 Château Mouton Rothschild 100 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Explosive nose displaying intense black fruit, crème de cassis, blueberry concentrate, blackberry jam, ink, licorice, lavender, liquid smoke, dark spices, strong cedar, lead pencil and earth. Unbelievable concentration, layers upon layers of concentrated crème de cassis, dense yet silky and concentrated, perfect amount of acidity and mineral and the never ending finish. Despite being incredibly youthful, it is now unbelievably expressive and drinking magnificently in a very youthful way. It can easily develop for another two or three decades and will remain perfect for a century or more. I have been preferring this to the monumental 82 for the past five years also and now am convince that this is the best Mouton for the past fifty years, perhaps the 10 being equal.

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• 1990 Château Lafite Rothschild 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Absolutely gorgeous nose displaying decadent yet delicate and pure red fruit, strawberry, cherry jam, lead pencil, cedar, leather, caramel, a hint of black truffle and mineral. Perfectly integrated palate, beautifully layered rich and sweet yet pure red fruit, silky and polished, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a long rich yet pure red fruit driven finish. It is fascinating to compare to the perfect 86 mouton. Gorgeous slightly feminine yet expressive showing, textbook Lafite expression that we all love.

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• 1981 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 93 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Expressive nose displaying very ripe concentrated red fruit, plum, cherry, tobacco, espresso, leather and scorched earth. Excellent concentration, packed dense ripe red fruit, unctuous, bright acidity, strong earthy mineral and a medium to long ripe red fruit driven finish with espresso and leather at the end. It is a bit out of place in the flight and lacks finesse compare to the Bordeauxs.

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• 1990 Château Margaux 99 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Incredibly youthful and energetic nose displaying incredibly concentration black fruit with a hint of blue, crème de cassis, crushed blackberry and blackberry jam mix, blueberry pie, ink, licorice, lavender, cedar, lead pencil and limestone mineral. Exceptional concentration, layered upon layers of decadent yet pure and precise cassis, dense yet silky and polished, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, very fine tannins and a long intense cassis and ink driven finish with cedar and lead pencil at the end. Although open for business, this particular bottle is incredibly youthful. Just like the 86 Mouton, this can easily last a century or more!

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• 1990 Château Latour Grand Vin 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Perfectly harmonious nose displaying decadent yet very precise black fruit, crème de cassis, crushed blackberry and blueberry mix, strong lead pencil, a hint of green, cedar and earth. Exceptional balance, very finely layered ripe yet pure black fruit, silky and polished, good acidity and mineral, and a long cassis driven finish with strong lead pencil and a hint of green at the end. This clearly demonstrated the 90 ripeness yet it remains beautifully balanced and perfectly harmonious. Although it shows exceptional concentration, it seems lighter compare to the 90 Margaux. However, it is more precise and very “claret”.

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• 2012 RdV Vineyards Lost Mountain 92 Points

  USA, Virginia, Northern Virginia, Fauquier County

  Medium expressive nose displaying blackberry, blueberry and a hint of cherry, a bit Cab Franc like green and earth. Good concentration, silky, good acidity and mineral, and a medium long cassis driven finish with a hint of green at the end. Although well made, it lacks the excitement for my palate. The guest of honor, Andy Myers like the wine and believe in the people who are involved. I wish I like it more.

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• 2000 Château Haut-Brion 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Expressive nose displaying youthful concentrated black and red fruit, cherry, crème de cassis, plum, ink, rose, tobacco, lead pencil and limestone. This particular bottle shows a hint of green. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of decadent yet pure black and red fruit, silky and polished, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a seamless long decadent cherry and plum fruit driven finish with tobacco and green at the end. Although really enjoyable, it remains incredibly youthful.

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I brought two halves. The 80 is a very precise and harmonious.

• 1980 Château d'Yquem 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Ripe yet pure and precise yellow fruit, apricot, mango, tangerine, pineapple, a hint of botrytis, ginger candy and honey. Perfectly harmonious palate, very finely layered sweet yellow fruit, silky and weightless, bright acidity and a long decadent yet pure yellow fruit driven finish with ginger candy at the end. Excellent showing.

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My sincere gratitude goes to Reginald!