"Only for Sundays"
Chicago, IL
Tasted Sunday, May 21, 2023 by acyso with 212 views
Introduction
Dinner with Giuseppe Vajra, who shared so many stories (which will not be redistributed) about the winery and the wines we drank.
Flight 1 (21 Notes)
Wines listed in the order of service.
2006 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
This is better than on release. It does feel chardonnay-heavy to me, with a bit of smokiness and less of a mushroomy quality. The breadth has expanded and there's more weight than I remember, though it's still a far cry from those 1990s vintages. A little biscuity and plenty of chardonnay-like mineral acidity here. The more mushroom notes of 2006 seem to be dialled down. I anticipate better things with more age.
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2007 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 93 Points
France, Champagne
Just a slight modest hint reductive on the nose, but again there's a really lovely smoky quality here that I really like. Fresh and vibrant on the palate, with a modestly creamy mousse. I think I would prefer to drink this sooner than later so that I can take advantage of the freshness.
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1994 Louis Jadot Le Montrachet 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
A better bottle than my previous, and made even more so by the pairing with the coal-roasted crab at RPM Steak (which is one of the best dishes in the entire city of Chicago). Luxuriously textured for a white Burgundy with a chewiness to the extract here. This shows no reduction but a judicious dose of oak on the palate. Plenty of acidity and mature orchard fruit notes.
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2013 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
This is weaker than I would expect. The oak treatment and reduction is dialled down, and there's less of a rounded palate presence. It certainly tastes the part, but it doesn't really have the weight, texture, and complexity I would tend to expect (if anything it's a little dilute, with the acid running too much of the show).
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2014 Domaine Jean Chartron Corton-Charlemagne 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
High acid and lean, this shows more vintage character than Corton-Charlemagne. It feels like it's missing the gravitas of a grand cru on the palate, even though I do really like the lack of reduction of this.
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2014 Benoit Ente Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Truffière 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Some reduction on the nose; not too much. For the vintage with its high acids, this comes across as a bit soft and pliable to me. A white-fruited profile with acids that seem to be shrouded by the rounder style.
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2016 Guffens-Heynen Mâcon-Pierreclos Le Chavigne Juliette et les Vieilles de Chavigne 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Pierreclos
Outstanding weight and concentration here. Just the right amount of oak here for my palate, giving this a broad, rich style. This bottle is showing more acidity than I remember which belies the vintage, and there is enough ripe fruit to frame the structure. Really liking this.
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1973 G.D. Vajra Barolo 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
For a difficult vintage, an excellent showing. A light-styled wine that is aromatics-driven. Dried flowers, perfume, all that good stuff here. The palate does show relatively dilute and thin, but there is still life and red fruit to be picked up here. Quite a bit of acidity too. Given the point in time, Giuseppe mentioned that this was probably the product of an "underequipped winery".
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1982 G.D. Vajra Barolo Fossati 95 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Somewhat cloudy in the glass, but the nose and palate were not muddied in any way. Very much darker, riper fruit than the 1973, and there's an additional degree of freshness here as well. Powerful and muscular, this is a wine that is drinking right at peak for me right now.
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1985 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
A bit more subdued versus the brash 1982; this is more perfumed and elegant, but shows a bit more wear and tear at the same time. It's quite delicate and the tannins are quite silky and resolved at this point. Very good.
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1989 G.D. Vajra Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
I don't think this was quite as clean as the other wines; likely a storage problem than anything else. The dark fruit and ripe qualities are here, but there's more VA than any of the other wines tonight, and the palate feels imprecise as well.
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1990 G.D. Vajra Barolo 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Clearly shows the power of the vintage here, with its plentiful ripe black fruit and large-scaled tannic structure. One of the most tannic wines today, this feels like it still has decades to go before it softens up, even though I do quite enjoy the fruit here. As a footnote, this bottle did seem to suffer from a little dustiness that I thought could have been TCA, but eventually didn't end up thinking it was.
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1996 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
A very generous afternoon in the decanter helped soften this wine for dinner. It still feels very structural with a somewhat angular tannic frame, but there's enough red fruit to help balance that out. One that will certainly benefit from additional time, though that long decant certainly made this wine very much enjoyable already.
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1999 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
I didn't like this as much as others did. It felt a little clumsy with its big tannic frame and black fruit. The fruit's ripeness here feels pushed farther along than the other vintages, giving this more of a large-scaled wine vibe.
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2001 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 95 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Wow, truly a stunner. One of my favourite wines tonight. This hits all the hallmarks of 2001 -- that crystalline red fruit and a deep mineral core. I love the balance and resolved tannic texture here. This is a bottle of wine I would love to sit down with and drink; it really meets my ideal of what a bottle of Barolo should be.
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2004 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
A generous amount of plush red fruit here, but missing the crystalline purity of the 2001. This feels like there is still a lot of fruit masking the structure, and the prominent but fine tannins makes me think that this just isn't near maturity yet.
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2016 David Leclapart Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée L'Aphrodisiaque 80 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
LV16. Weedy and thin, sort of like 2004 red Burgundy with bubbles (but mercifully fresher and with brighter acids). A really unpleasant green note that reminds me of the crushed ladybug smell.
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2007 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Shows the vintage a bit in a riper fruit profile, but this is still red rather than black fruit, and there's a very modest candied note to the cherries on the nose. But on the palate, this is still very much nicely balanced, even if it is a little bit high-toned right now. It's more for scientific reasons to open this now, best to let this stay in the cellar for a few more years.
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2008 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 95 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Pretty much my platonic ideal of a bottle of nebbiolo. Clean without any muddled notes, red fruit that's ripe but with plenty of acid, silky tannins, fruit- and floral perfume. This has it all. It still drinks a little primary right now, but that's not hiding the fact that this is a fantastic expression of nebbiolo already. It's hard to justify letting this rest in the cellar.
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2009 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Like the 2007, a ripe wine, but I think there's also plenty of potential here. This is sweeter than the 2008, and shows a moderately high-toned candied cherry nose (veering slightly towards kirsch). On the palate, the fruit is intense and sweet, and helps to cover up some big tannins. Despite the vintage, I would not hesitate to buy this (and I plan to if I can find some).
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2020 Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Kabinett Alte Reben "Gisela" #8 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Super nice to have a high-acid bottle of riesling at the end of a meal as a digestif. The brightness lets you catch a second wind. Lime zest, minerals, all that good seltzer-like stuff, with just enough sweetness. Very easy to drink and enjoy.
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