Burg Night in Tokyo

A few of us gathered last night at Cote d’Or in Tokyo for a small burgfest. Can’t remember everything others ate, but I had an anago mousse/pate (really light and silky with a texture between a very fine-grained terrine and a bavarois) followed by a queue de boeuf with a rich demi-glace driven sauce and a final course of Epoisses, Rocquefort, Pont l’Eveque, and Beaufort. First two wines were consumed with the anago pate, third with the beef, and last two with both the beef and the cheese. Cote d’Or did a great job with both the food and the wine service and the company couldn’t have been better. Special thanks to Steve for organizing and making a disproportionately large contribution of some lovely wines.

We served the 71 Pez first among the reds, as we were really worried about it getting lost behind the Rousseau and Faiveley, which each had the potential to be rough in their own ways.

• 1999 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Corton-Charlemagne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Bright deep yellow of young white burg. Initial nose is somewhat high-toned with immediate lanolin, honeysuckle, hazelnuts, oak, and apple. First palate impression is very tight and restrained, with richness and roundness coming largely from oak, with fruit under extremely tight wraps. Acid is evident, on the edge of scratching, but keeping just within bounds. With time, the nose shows a very slight tropical character with more white fruit and, for fleeting moments that come and go, the richness of some dark berry liqueur. Palate gradually, oh so gradually, begins to show lemony apple fruit and strong minerals come out. All of this darts in and out through a very lean and long finish that adds a bit of the tropical (coconut, pineapple) from the nose. This is way, way young and extremely angular, but the angular bones are very fine. I’d stay away for at least ten years. Thinking of Corton Charley generally, this doesn’t seem very typical, but it is amazingly transparent and true to form once you consider the placement of Roumier’s small plot. If you think the apotheosis of Corton Charley is Coche, this won’t do much for you (and probably never will). However, if you like a leaner, sharper style, this will be a damn fine pleasure.

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• 1971 Domaine de Montille Pommard 1er Cru Les Pèzerolles

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

  Light old burg red well along the path toward brown, but without any cracking at the edges. Nothing in appearance to suggest anything but very full maturity. Nose has a huge dose of VA, not quite varnishy but enough to obscure almost any other notes. The VA never entirely blows off, but after ten or fifteen minutes subsides enough to let other notes come out. Then, for about thirty minutes, the wine is very, very pretty but has lost the complexity and brightness on the nose that it must once have had. Nowhere to be found are the sweet tea and mushroom one I often finds on the nose of such wines. The dominant notes of the nose are a little sweet cherry, some plum tart, and just a little sous bois. On the palate, during the wine’s short window of grace, is a hint of tannin turned to faded tea, a tiny bit of brandy in which cherries have been macerated, and occasional surprising stabs of brighter cherry. And then the wine topples gently but suddenly over the hill, leaving camphor and the melancholy sweet smell of Miss Havisham’s house. Despite all that, I really enjoy drinking faded beauties like this. I also think this may not have been the best bottle and others may have held together better. In any case, drink up.

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• 1985 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Still vigorous in appearance, deep red but softening. Amazingly ready-to-go on pouring with very clean, sweet nose dominated by dark fruit and sun-warmed earth. Immediate palate impression is of mature sweet fruit, a surprising absence of tannin, and a tremendous size made up of fruit and body held in check by (just) enough acidity. Suprising combination of size and deftness for both the producer and the vintage. As it sits in the glass, it develops aromas of sweet summer flowers, blackcurrants, and the slightest bit of mocha. On the palate, it takes up the earthy nose note and combines it with mineral in a way that is almost textural. A little (even slightly rough) tannin peeks out and seems to linger under the tongue and at the back of the roof of the mouth, but never gets in the way of the fruit. The palate moves to dark cherry skins with a little chocolate. Finish is, perhaps, a little short. This is ready to go and should hold for a good long while. For the vintage and the producer, this is a stellar effort. In the grand scheme of things, good and very enjoyable but not great.

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• 1983 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

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

  Looking more mature than the Corton, this has the first hints of the rust color that will come. Nose is a little reticent at first, showing some earth and a very slight funkiness, but blossoms nicely with only a little time in the glass to show a broad array of notes – mature dark cherry fruit, earth, a little game, some smoke, and a bit of leather – that waft in and out over time. The palate shows surprising integration, maturity, and balance. Tannins are clearly present but very well integrated and the wine is very, very clean. Either these vines escaped the hail or there was a huge triage effort. The acid never really peeks out very far, but does show up in a tart berry note that accents the same dark cherry fruit from the nose. Smoke and mineral complete the palate, all with a richness and volume that makes the oak just a sweet hint that one has to look for to find. Long expanding finish. Damn good for the vintage. Damn good on any scale, in fact.
  
  I think there’s some of this available on the market in Tokyo now, but I’ve heard much less flattering reports on other bottles over the years. Does anyone know if Rousseau bottled by lot in ’83? Or was there one big assemblage?

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• 1990 Louis Jadot Romanée St. Vivant

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Youngish darker red, youthful vibrancy all the way to the rim. Nose shows a little gaminess and sweet oak on first approach, holding everything else back. Palate shows nicely balanced structure and full but silky body with tannins that no longer scrape, but that are still strongly noticeable and behind which the rest of the palate hides. Almost immediately, though, a little spice and mushroom and cocoa start up on the nose, followed by a little dark, sweet citrus. Similarly, the palate quickly begins to offer earth and crushed berry fruit and a slight spiciness that comes and goes. Finally, with a little more time, the Vosne flowers come out on the nose. And then they’re gone. That’s really what happened with the whole wine; there was a nice complexity from a varied array of notes, but all those notes appeared and disappeared so quickly that off and on (for much of the time) the wine was nothing but textural richness, the same richness that was the dominant note of a nicely persistent finish. Clearly, this is still very young and needs at least five years (and maybe much more). It’s hard, though, to know exactly where this will go. If the nose/palate flavor notes remain as fleeting as they are today, this will be enjoyable and interesting but not much more. But if they step up in volume and persistence, this could rise to a much higher level. All the bits are there, but I don’t know if it will all come together at once. At any rate, it has escaped the roasted ripeness that plagues some wines of the vintage and is a sexy drink that hints at seduction to come.

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Despite the performance of the Pez, I was struck again by how good the quality of older wines purchased in Tokyo usually is. They can be a little steep in price and one must still be careful about provenance, but the Japanese attention to fine detail delivers a great deal of care from merchants – in their acquisition, shipping, and storage.