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DRC Tasting Group
Kirkland, WA
Tasted December 3, 2012 by dpolivy with 593 views
Introduction
For our December DRC tasting, we were planning to have the 1993 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Romanee St Vivant. Unfortunately, the bottle we had was corked :( Very sad.
The rest of the Burgundies were from 2004.
Flight 1 - Starter Wine (1 note)
Nothing like cleansing the palate with some bubbles!
White - Sparkling
N.V. Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Cuvée de Réserve
92 points
Lemon zest and some chalky/mineral-y notes on the nose. Body was creamy and focused, with lots of citrus fruits and great finishing acidity. Very enjoyable.
Flight 2 - The Main Event (9 notes)
The Burgundies were tasted blind, two at a time. 2004 was a tough year, and it showed with most of these. Sadly, the standout (for me at least) was the new world ringer!
Red
2004 Domaine Dujac Morey St. Denis
88 points
Red cherries, baking spice, and oak on the nose. Light body, initially full of red fruit, but it does fade off quickly. Fine tannins linger lightly on the finish. Fairly light on the acids.
Red
2004 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos des Porrets St. Georges
90 points
Lean nose with some green vegetal notes. Darker purple in the glass. Dark black cherries on the palate, followed by light tannins on the finish. Lots of acidity. Overall, a touch out of balance.
Red
2004 Domaine Ponsot Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Cuvée des Alouettes
91 points
Seemed like brett on the nose? -- along with darker fruit and some oakiness. Body is nice and juicy, with tight tannins and some spice on the very lengthy finish. Good structure. One of the more interesting wines at the tasting.
Red
2004 Domaine Perrot-Minot Gevrey-Chambertin
91 points
Lots of green notes on this one (peppers!), plus some spicebox. Still a touch green on the palate, but good depth and structure. Finish is framed by tight tannins and bright acids.
Red
2004 Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares
flawed
Sadly, this bottle seems to be over the hill. The heat singes the nose... dark purple body, but faded pink at the edges. Marking flawed here as I have no other (useful) notes and it was pretty much oxidized.
Red
2004 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Echezeaux
88 points
Dark fruits, cola and cough syrup notes. A bit one-dimensional, the wine finished with light grip and big acids. A bit out of balance. Disappointing for an Echezeaux.
Red
2004 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurène
91 points
The ringer in the lineup. Cola, spice, candied cherries. Nice elegant body with some spice and floral notes. Good length on the finish with tight tannins and a touch of VA. 91+
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Red
2004 Château de Pommard Pommard Grand Vin
88 points
Funky nose -- musty, wood smoke, brett? Light on the palate with a slow lingering finish. The fruit feels suppressed a bit initially. As it opened up, it took on some density, but not enough to make it more interesting.
Red
2004 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays
87 points
Green pepper, pine needles, and oak spice. Thin and bright with big acids on the tart finish. Group consensus was SO2 and VA issues, too.
Flight 3 - Since the DRC was corked... (1 note)
Tasted blind, it was the wine of the night for me!
Red
2004 Château Lafite Rothschild
94 points
Really interesting nose. You can definitely smell the (quality) wood. Such a young wine! Beautiful, elegant body filled with black fruit. Very rich and delicious, but definitely tight to start out.
As it opened up, it really started to express itself nicely with additional depth, graceful elegance and a lengthy, concentrated finish. 93+
As it opened up, it really started to express itself nicely with additional depth, graceful elegance and a lengthy, concentrated finish. 93+
Flight 4 - The White Course (1 note)
And, to change gears a little, we threw in the Leroy Aligote. Probably the best Burgundy of the night, this was quite an interesting wine to taste!
White
2006 Domaine Leroy Bourgogne-Aligoté
92 points
Really enjoyable nose: bubble gum, warm apple spice, and white peach. Laser focused on the palate, with cool white fruits and a really long finish that just keeps on going. A very nice surprise, and probably the best "Burgundy" of the evening!
Flight 5 - To finish... (1 note)
And, to finish, we convinced our gracious host to share a bottle of his inaugural release.
Red
2010 Upchurch Cabernet Sauvignon Upchurch
93 points
Deep, dark, inky wine. I get cassis, spice, and red and black fruits on the deep and dense, but so elegant and balanced, body. Great acids and tight tannins give the finish good focus. While this is drinking well right now, I'm looking forward to seeing how it improves with age. 92+