Second Sunday Group: 1995 Beaune

Eagle Brook CC
Tasted Sunday, June 13, 2021 by AllRed with 169 views

Introduction

The 2nd Sunday group gathered for our regular double blind tasting. For this group, we are presented a couple of double blind warm ups before the main flight. The warm ups are discussed & unveiled before moving on to the themed main flight. We spent forty five minutes or so tasting and evaluation the eight wines for the main flight before ranking the wines and then making guesses as to what we were tasting. Wines are ranked 1-8, one point for each place, and then unveiled from last place to first place. After the tasting, dinner is served with the additional wines brought by the group, nonblind. For this tasting we had eleven tasters and the cost was $35 (which included a very generous discount from our hosts).

The local groups recently lost a good friend who happened to adore Burgundy and had what I would describe as a near encyclopedic knowledge of the vineyards and growers. He would be able to tell you who owned what parcels and where those parcels were on the slopes, etc. His passion for Burgundy was infectious, and we spent a lot of time just listening to him talk, trying to glean as much knowledge as we could. So our hosts, and many of tonight's attendees, brought Burgundy in honor of our friend. Rest well, Jim.

Flight 1 - Warm ups (3 Notes)

Flight 2 - Main flight (8 Notes)

These all displayed a very light color with obvious signs of age. A few had a bit more brown than brick, but the range was mostly consistent in appearance. These had been opened and double decanted off their sediment ahead of time, and still needed 15-20 minutes in the glass to open up and allow some of the fruit to come forward. I thought it very clear from the outset that we had a flight of Burgundies and so my only job was to try and narrow my guess down from there. While there were many similarities, there were also differences as well- those with floral tones had me thinking of Chambolle, for example.

In the end, I guessed that we had a range of 1996 Burgs from the Côte de Nuits.

Flight 3 - Dinner/dessert wines (14 Notes)

With a family-style dinner consisting of salmon, roasted sirloin with a bordelaise sauce, steamed broccoli and rice pilaf. For dessert we had cream puffs and berries with cream.

  • 1995 Château Mouton Rothschild 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Crimson color. Notes of saddle leather, red fruit, tobacco and horse blanket. On the firm side, with flavors of red and black fruit and iron. Medium finish. (A&L)

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  • 2002 Maurice Écard Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Jarrons 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

    A bottle from Jim’s cellar, opened in his honor. Quickly double decanted off its sediment three hours before it was served with dinner. Cherry and earth notes. The palate follows the bouquet and still has a good bit of fruit. Very nice, and drinking very well at the moment.

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  • 2010 Xavier Vignon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points

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

    I believe this was popped and poured. Dark youthful color. Aromas of black fruit, pine sap and garrigue. I am really digging this and would have spent more time with it save for the embarrassment of riches on the table tonight. Full-bodied with an abundance of fruit, more dark than red. Ends with hints of herb and peppery spices. On the young side but drinking very well already. 93-94 pts. (FK)

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  • 2000 Château Gruaud Larose

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Popped and poured. Dark youthful color. Plummy ripe dark fruit with more earth than barnyard/brett. Hints of cigar box and iron, with the fruit tending more towards currants than plum with more air. Develops a saddle leather quality as well. Abundant dark fruit on the palate. Tannins are still very much present- I’d continue to hold (as I would with many 2000s, as they are aging very slowly). (BH)

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  • 2011 Peter Michael Les Pavots 94 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley

    Double decanted three hours before dinner was served. Dark color. Opens with a grapey aroma- reminds me of a barrel sample- the fruit is so forward and bright, along with cassis, violet and mocha. Full-bodied. Flavors of cassis and spice with a slight herbal edge. Balanced. Yet another example of good producers making good wine in an off vintage. One of the candidates for WOTN honors among a few tasters tonight. Still showing young and primary, this has a long life ahead, though certainly offers a lot of pleasure with a few hours of air.

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  • 1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

    Faded crimson color showing just a bit of age. Aromas of cherry, mineral and iron with spice overtones. Medium-bodied with softened tannins, there's still some structure for the fruit. Cherry and spice on the attack, turning to sandalwood, red berry and spice on the finish. A most generous contribution, courtesy of MaY- thank you. 92-93 pts.

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  • 2009 Joseph Phelps Insignia 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Dark color. Aromas of cassis, violet, vanilla and chocolate. Full-bodied with firm but fine-grained tannins. Black fruit dominates the palate, along with vanilla and chocolate flavors. Cedar, herb and mixed fruit tones with air. Balanced. Long finish. Not quite as expressive as the bottle from the same cellar tasted a few months ago, but this was popped & poured and had much less time to open than the bottle from November. Needs a healthy decant if drinking now; better to hold for 3-5 years. (R&D)

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  • 2014 Pierre Bourée Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 92 Points

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

    Just a brief note as there were just so many bottles on the table at this point, which was a shame in hindsight as this definitely deserved more attention than I gave it. Deeper color than I'd have expected for a '14, but very charming nonetheless. Apple and citrus notes with a hint of spice mixed in as well. Orchard fruit and mineral on the palate. Excellent. (PB)

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  • 2002 Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot 92 Points

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

    Cherry and spice notes on the nose and palate. Mineral tones in the finish. Well-balanced. Drinking beautifully, if still a bit young. 92+ pts.

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  • 2002 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Dark youthful color, would never have guessed this is nearing 20 years old. Cassis, chocolate, currant and tobacco. Tannins are soft but still present. Full-bodied and impeccably balanced. Long finish. Gorgeous. (G&L)

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  • 2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot 92 Points

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

    Nearly identical to the 2002 with its cherry and mineral tones, though this vintage shows a slightly rustic, earthy quality that the 2002 did not possess. Still on the young side with a good bit of potential. Enjoyable now, but better to wait a little longer I think.

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  • 2005 Domaine Pavelot (Jean-Marc et Hugues) Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Gravains 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

    Light crimson/ruby color. Cherry and earth notes. A little riper fruit on the palate than I might have expected, but this has very nice underlying acidity and finishes with good length. Classy. (PB)

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  • 2007 Noble Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Dark color. Lovely bouquet featuring cassis, ripe currants, chocolate and something floral. Pretty. Full-bodied and balanced, with flavors of black fruit, spice, violet liqueur and brown sugar. Lingering finish. Excellent. (MaY)

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  • 2001 Château Rieussec 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Standard bottle with a darker, almost copper color. For some reason the color of the Rieussec (across multiple bottles/sources) just seems much more advanced than many other '01s. Apricot, marmalade and spice notes. Much of the same on the palate but with the addition of tropical fruit flavors that linger on the finish. Terrific palate presence with balancing acidity. 95-96 pts. (A&L)

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Closing

Thanks to all for what turned out to be a very special evening, and to our hosts, A&L. Thank you!

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