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Lafon 1er Cru and Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée Aux Brulées Dinner
Les Nomades - Chicago IL
Tasted March 31, 2016 by Burgundy Al with 487 views
Introduction
Dinner with some of my Chicago Burg friends and a couple of out-of-town guests visiting Chicago for the Hart Burg auction. An evening well spent, with great wine, great company and a wonderful menu from Roland and team.
Flight 1 - As People Arrive (1 note)
White - Sparkling
1997 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
93 points
From magnum. Lots of lemon, lemon peel and apple with perfectly balancing acidity and minerality. Good length, very persistent. Classically Salon, drinking great now.
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Flight 2 - Lafon Charmes Vertical (3 notes)
White
2007 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
94 points
Starts out with some ripe and forward orchard and stone fruit aromas with lemon peel and toasted hazelnut, but this seems to turn on a dime showing lemon peel and Apple flavors with racy, energetic textures. Still getting better, this was best on the last sip vs when first poured. Very good now with upside from well stored bottles.
White
2005 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
88 points
Ripe fruit, somewhat tired and lacking energy. An eminently drinkable and enjoyable bottle of wine I'd have gladly continued drinking...if not for other wines being served alongside and in subsequent flights.
White
2001 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
93 points
Ripe apple with apple pie spice notes. Flavors are moderately mature, but much fresher than most 2001s at this level. The right amount of structure for perfect balance right now. At a great place now, this was my favorite of the Lafon Charmes flight, although the 2007 will become a better wine when it reaches its peak.
Flight 3 - Lafon 2000 Meursault Horizontal (4 notes)
White
2000 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières
94 points
Served blind to the group, I knew the flight but not which wine was in each glass. Apple, lemon and lemon peel with glorious textures that make it textbook Genevrieres for me, which helped me identify each wine correctly in the flight.
White
2000 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
93 points
Served blind to the group, I knew the flight but not which wine was in each glass. Lots of ripe apple with roasted hazelnut and ginger. Very dense and lush, but still fresh. I've had this wine at least a dozen times over the years and have never had an oxidized bottle, but it has been quite enigmatic and variable, with tonight's bottle probably the best one yet.
White
2000 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre
88 points
Served blind to the group, I knew the flight but not which wine was in each glass. Tired nose, more lively flavors with good density. Knowing there was one Villages level, I thought this would be it, which also helped me identify each wine in the flight correctly.
White
2000 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
95 points
Served blind to the group, I knew the flight but not which wine was in each glass. Very ripe start with lots of apple, salted pecans, doughnut peaches. Great density and textures on palate with the most intense finish of the flight, which helped me correctly identify this as the Perriieres.
Flight 4 - First Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulées Flight (3 notes)
Red
1997 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées
91 points
Very ripe while still nicely fresh. More black than red fruit, but nice cross-section of cherry aromas and flavors. Sweet baking spice adds an alluring note. Moderate structure, moderate length. At its peak now.
Red
1998 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées
An odd bottle, despite no evident flaw. Subdued black cherry aromas with subtle spice. This also had an interesting floral start that some identified as lavender. More structure vs fruit on palate. This was intriguing, but not nearly as alluring as all the other vintages tasted tonight. Needs more time?
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Red
1999 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées
95 points
This is why we buy and store wine for a decade or two or three. Bright red fruit with sweet and savory spice throughout. Long and superbly textured. Kept getting better over the 30 minutes in my glass. Excellent in every dimension, this and the 2002 were my favorite wines tonight.
Flight 5 - Second Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulées Flight (3 notes)
Red
2000 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées
94 points
Great red and black cherry and berry with an intriguing spice box. This was very similar to the 1999 from the prior flight but slightly less intense, and absolutely great for now.
Red
2001 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées
94 points
Red and black cherry with floral and spice notes. This kept changing over the 30 minutes in glass, showing different degrees of fruit, concentration and spice...so teasing us with its potential. Probably the one bottle I wish we opened earlier in advance (most open 30-60 minutes before serving). Lots of upside here.
Red
2002 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées
95 points
Opulent red and black berries with great intensity, great spice, great everything. As much pleasure as the 1999 from the previous flight, but there is more structure here, so probably even more upside. I would really like to have this wine alongside the 1999 side by side in another 5 years. Also excellent, this and the 1999 were my favorite wines tonight.
Flight 6 - And then a bonus bottle gets opened (1 note)
Red
1998 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot
90 points
Bonus bottle. Consistent with prior notes, I've always liked this wine but never found it to live up to other comparable vintages of Meo's Clos Vougeot (one of my three favorite producers of Clos Vougeot). Meaty and dense, certainly with good fruit and spice and balance, but less nuance and structure than I would like.
Flight 7 - Something necessary with soft cheese (1 note)
White
2002 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
94 points
Served at the end of the evening with Softer cheeses, this was probably the more powerful and dense of all 5 vintages of Lafon Charmes tonight. Ripe orchard and stone fruit to start, but lots of acidity, good minerality and some citrus coming through from middle to very long finish.
Closing
But then came the Rouget after party. Notes to follow separately.