The Triple Threat "165" Birthday Bash (65/60/40)

Minikahda Club, Mpls
Tasted Tuesday, August 25, 2020 by rocknroller with 186 views

Introduction

This started off with an idea Craig had to celebrate his 65th Bday and do something really fun. Then the idea expanded to include a few other nearby milestone birthdays including David's 60th and Mr Jimmy's 40th - geez he's just a baby. As the idea grew, it morphed into an outdoor patio event at Leo and Jimmy's club with all star Chef Vincent putting together a terrific tasting menu to go along with a most impressive list of wines that were handled by everyone's favorite Somm, Nico. And a truly impressive list of wines it was as everyone pulled out the stops to bring one or more memorable wines. The only problem with an event like this is that it is difficult to include everyone you'd like to have there. As it was we had a great group of ten to share in the celebration. With all that we've been through over the last 6 months, this was a special way to get together in a pretty safe outdoor format with just two people at every table and a ton of space inbetween them. Vincent's and Nico's pairings were spot on and delicious! The wines? The wine were special. Thanks to everyone as usual for sharing your friendship and generosity. I think I speak for everyone when I say a great and memorable night was had by all.

Flight 1 - Starter Champagne (1 Note)

Flight 2 - Champagne Flight #1 (2 Notes)

  • 1990 R. & L. Legras Champagne Grand Cru Saint-Vincent 93 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    Medium dark gold color. Drank a glass over an hour. What a nice aged bottle. This was like drinking aged grand cru white Burgundy. Beautifully rich and mature, and there's still a light bead of fine bubbles too. Lemon, almond , grilled pear, slightly smoky and nutty on the nose. There's still a nice line of acidity that runs through this with lemon, almond, stone, and some very golden fruit, very dense and oily texture with that lacquer note on the back end. Thanks Leo for preserving this gem for us.

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  • 2007 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut 96 Points

    France, Champagne

    Light-medium sockeye color. Drank a glass over an hour. Wow, this was amazing, across the board - and that was with it being served barely chilled. There's a fabulous mousse with a very fine bead, brilliant red berry fruit, extraordinarily creamy, cherry, orange blossoms on the nose. The palate is intense with so much class; strawberry, cherry, immense depth, gret spicy mineralty of stones and chalk, cranberry, and tremednous length. I could just wax on and on about this. I loved the spice notes. Don;t get the idea that this is a bruiser either. This has all the grace you'd expect from CdC with an explosion of vibrancy. Wow - 96+ to 97pts.

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Flight 3 - Champagne Flight #2 (2 Notes)

  • 2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne 97 Points

    France, Champagne

    Light gold color. Drank a glass over an hour plus. Toasted, doughy, brioche, pear, roasted almonds, sea air minerality on the enticing nose. Incredibly broad and expansive across the palate, this reverberates with drive and energy yet remains totally refined and graceful on the palate. Very creamy, toasted, almond paste, lemon, nuthorns, light chalk, seashsore, pear, and refreshingly long on the finish. The heat of the night took its toll, but when it was chilled and fresh in the glass, this is hard to beat. 96+ to 97pts.

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  • 2006 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 94 Points

    France, Champagne

    Light gold color. Drank a glass over an hour plus. Nutty, buttery, mineral, a little sea air, sour apple and a most subtle hint of oxidative character on the nose. This feels very young still. Steely on the palate, chalk, full bodied, caramel and butterscotch, apple, slightly oxidative in a good way. There's all the stuffing here. A touch younger drinking than the '04 we had a couple weeks ago by comparison as one might expect. But really, not a lot different. 93+ to 94pts.

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Flight 4 - White Flight (2 Notes)

  • 1996 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières 95 Points

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

    Medium dark gold color plus. Savored a glass over 90 minutes. Same bottle as Chablis28. We seem to be in lock step so far with our ratings and notes which is interesting since we were seated nowhere near each other and didn't really get to talk about the wines much at all. Well, I completely agree with him. This was outstanding and in perfect shape. A wonderful example of aged white Burgundy. This has a great nose, old cedar box, flint, earthy, orange peel, lemon, honey and wet stone. The palate is full bodied with just tons of minerality; wet stones and slate, rich and still lifted, honey, lemon oil, citrus, golden fruit, very good length. This was a real treat.

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  • 2017 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane 93 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

    Light gold color. Drank a glass over an hour. Way too funny as I read Chablis28's note on this wine. Yup, 93+ to 94pts for me. The nose is really the star here, but don't be mislead as this has the whole package. The classic aromatics of Viognier, so intense and floral, white roses abound, tropical fruits, lychee, passion fruit, and a flood of citrus and then there's this meaty savoriness you get that is intriguing and most appealing. The palate is fleshy, vivacious tropical fruits and citrus, fruit skins, floral, medium plus length, medium full bodied. Excellent stuff 93+ to94pts - for most wine drinkers :).

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Flight 5 - Red Burgundy Flight #1 (2 Notes)

  • 2008 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Echezeaux 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

    Medium dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over 90 minutes plus. This was a little more brooding and introspective for me tonight. Nice darker cherry fruit, clay, tart cherry, some dark fruit too, powerful, spiced, more dense and full on the palate, anise. This seemed like it was just coming into its window and would benefit from a good bit of air. Flighted with an '06 DRC 1er Duvalt-Blochet that had more finesse and complexity tonight. A very nice bottle that will likely be better in a couple years.

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  • 2006 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault-Blochet 93 Points

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

    Medium dark red color plus. PNP, drank a glass over two hours. High pitched nose, deep dark red fruits, iron, mineral, vanilla bean, just a tiche of green on the nose too and a hint of banana. The palate shows cherry fruit, lots of iron, dense, less spice, earth, pine, somewhat sour dark red fruit, more medium bodied. Slightly firm tannins that relax as everything comes more together somewhat gradually. Very good.

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Flight 6 - Red Burgundy Flight #2 (2 Notes)

  • 2009 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

    Light medium translucent maroonish red color. PNP, drank a glass 90 minutes plus. What great flight tonight paired with its big brother the '09 Chambertin. Such a picture of class right from the start. I found the Charmes to be beguiling and showing excellent development at just ten plus years of age. The nose is effusive with a nice perfume of high pitched dried forest floor, ripe cherry, sultry red raspberry, wonderful Gevery spices, and hint of sweet brown sugar. The palate is medium bodied, great spice notes here too, good focus to the cherry and raspberry fruits, layered, underbrush, satiny tannins and crushed stone with impressive length. The signature purity of Rousseau is on display here only to exceeded tonight oh so impressively by big brother Chambertin. Be that as it may, this is one outstanding bottle of wine. Thaks Lonny!! 94+ to 95pts.

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  • 2009 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin 97 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

    Medium ruby red color with a 5mm transitional margin. Same bottle as Chablis28; decanted as noted for an hour. Drank a glass over 90 minutes plus. Flighted with the '09 Charmes Chambertin which was quite impressive, this was in a class by itself. This is one of those wines I just sit there and keep mumbling wow, wow....Truly, this is a wow wine, one of those benchmark wines that is so memorable for its sheer purity and glorious harmony. There is so much to say and yet the words really seem to pale in their description. The nose is flat out stunning in its remarkably aromatic perfume, immensely floral, dried roses, wet florest floor, black truffle, pretty red berries, orange zest, and blissful spices. It's one of those noses that carries you away with its lift and penetration. And this is a cases where the palate doesn't fall short of the nose - it is every bit as impressive and that says something. Tangy, lively, zesty and deep with layers of gorgeous red fruits that just scream the word purity at you. If you don't hear you it, you can just move on now - you're never going to get it. Brilliant and complex spice box and an incredibly silken texture and a finish that goes on forever. So graceful, so elegant, a sublime wine already and still so young. It is hard for me to really imagine that this can get better, but I'm willing to give it another shot down the road to see. Stunning. Thanks to Craig for sharing this with all of us. WOTN, 97+(+)pts.

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Flight 7 - Bordeaux Flight #1 (2 Notes)

  • 1970 Château Haut-Brion 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Dark red color with an 8mm bricked edge. Splash double decanted through cheese cloth at 5pm and recorked immediately. 8cm fill, heavy sediment. Removed cork again immediately prior to serving around 8:30pm. Drank a glass plus over 90 minutes. I was encouraging when I decanted it as I could get the pencil and red fruit aromas wafting up from the funnel as I poured it. It is not unusual in my experience for the wine to shut down a bit when recorking and pouring it several hours later. This was a good example of that. It took about 20 to 30 minutes for this to really fully unwind in the glass, but once it did boy this was singing pretty nicely. The nose is filled with #2 lead pencil of the utmost precision, really lovely red fruits, umami, tobacco leaf, dried forest floor, olive tapenade. The palate is sublime, well integrated and incredibly softly textured, fine tannins, red fruit, cherry and red currants, the same pencil notes, fine tobacco, with such poise as this feels so long and lifted. This really had a freshness of life that belied its 50 years of life. Certainly this was a wine that was mature and integrated, but one would not have guessed this was the spritely 50 year old we were drinking. Love it when these old gems come through. 95+pts.

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  • 1995 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Very dark red color. Not sure on the prep, but I think this was double decanted - not sure if any decanter time or just splashed. Drank a glass over an hour and a half. As one might expect, this was still a bit wrapped up and tight and a little leaner overall. There's still certainly plenty of dark fruits, black currants and very dark berries - but they are muted somewhat, scorched earth, graphite and still prominent tannins and a little herbal edge. I'd suggest a healthy several hour decant if drinking now. Probably around 92pts right now with more upside.

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Flight 8 - Bordeaux Flight #2 (2 Notes)

  • 1985 Château Beychevelle 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Dark red color with 5mm clear margin. PNP, drank a glass over an hour. Cigar, pencil, loam, dark fruits, more subtle, a little sweetness to the red and black fruits. The palate shows more to cassis and black plum, dense, earthy, leather, dried wood, satiny in texture but a little more rustic than other bottles that were a little more perfumed. 92+ to 93pts.

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  • 1996 Château Lynch-Bages 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Very dark red/purple color. PNP, drank a glass over an hour. Rich, ripe berry nose, excellent fine tobacco notes after this began to unfurl, dark and dusty. The palate is dense and full bodied, dark fruits, ripe berries, tart, ground tobacco, mineral, interwoven oak and plush tannins with a long finish. This was more ready and inviting than the '95 LMHB tonight. I love the 96's in general and this looks to have a very promising future. Drinks pretty well now with air, but it's going to be even better in a few more years. 93(+)pts.

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Flight 9 - Dessert Wine (1 Note)

  • 1994 Karl Erbes Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese * 94 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Surprisingly light gold color. PNP, drank a glass over 30 minutes. Well, the note taking had faded along with the sunlight at this point, but nonetheless this was very good. Citrus, orange, peach, perect body, fuzzy texture, dry citrus extract, mature and still vibrant without being overtly sweet - great finish too. Loved it.

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Closing

There were many great wines tonight, but the absolute standouts for me were the '02 Dom, '07 Comte Rose, "96 Lafon, both '09 Rousseau's, and the '70 Haut Brion.

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