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Grand Cru Burgundy Dinner
Troquet, Boston
Tasted May 10, 2005 by Topper with 1,018 views
Introduction
Seven of us gathered at Troquet for a no holds barred grand cru burgundy (and a couple of others) dinner. Each brought at least one wine and we supplemented this with a couple from Chris' extraordinary wine list. Frankly there were too many wines in too many flights so that by the end there was serious palate fatigue. The dinner also showed the mercurial character of red burgundy with a couple of the greatest wines we had ever tasted and several clunkers. Here's how it went.
Flight 1 - The baby bubbly (1 note)
White - Sparkling
1990 Gosset Champagne Célebris
89 points
To celebrate Matt's new baby, he brought this bubbly. Not too dark, not overly big. A pleasant champagne with yeasty, toasty notes but some astringency and a spare amount of bubbles. THere's probably better value out there but this was a pleasant start to the evening.
Flight 2 - Two remarkable corton charlemagnes (2 notes)
White
1990 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne
93 points
I very much enjoyed this wine though some felt it was atypical of CC. Full, rich and expansive on both the nose and palate. Fat and buttery with copious sweet oak falvors that were balanced by the ample fruit. Would go fabulously with lobster. Might have fared better had it not been in the same flight with the 96 Coche.
White
1996 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne
99 points
Quite simply the best white wine I have had. I'm just saving that last point in the hopes that I someday experience something better. Pale yellow-green color foreshadows the brilliance of the wine. If a laser had flavor, it would taste like this. Brilliant, penetrating, piercing flavors with focused, intense fruit just balancing the bright mineral flavors. Extraordinary finish. This was the last one of 6 that had been available at Troquet. I hope I get to taste another.
Flight 3 - From the sublime to the disappointing. Somehow expected at a Burgundy tasting (3 notes)
Red
1991 Domaine Ponsot Griotte-Chambertin
88 points
I confess that I did not appreciate this wine as much as some others, finding it overly tart and never opening up over the course of the evening. Dominant note of sour cherries but there was an elegant feeling to the wine and a floral quality that many felt quite appealing. Quite likely overshadowed by some of the more extravagant burgundies in the tasting.
Red
1962 Charles Noellat Richebourg
97 points
We all felt privileged to try this exquisite grande dame. Came flying out of the bottle with gorgeous flowery aromas of plum and violets that grew with time in the glass. The taste was fabulous with a touch of the velvety mouthfeel that seems to only reside in the best burgundies. For 20 minutes this was one of the best wines of our collective tasting experience. Then, in a flash, it was gone, as if it had taken too much effort for the wine to show so well, leaving a memory of an incredible experience.
Red
1972 Remoissenet Père et Fils Musigny Vieilles Vignes
80 points
We all expected more from this wine, especially with the rumor that it had been sourced from de Vogue juice back in 72. Nothing much left though, if there ever were. Highly acidic with sour cherry flavors, almost like a sweet tart candy. Obvioulsly giving way to brett and bricking with not much left to show. Perhaps we were a decade too late for this one.
Flight 4 - Nothing special (2 notes)
Red
1988 Joseph Drouhin Musigny
85 points
Showing the risks inherent in buying fine burgundy. This one just never showed it's stuff. All brooding barnyard aroma with no life or flesh or spark. Never opened on the palate over the course of the evening, remaining closed, dark and mysterious
Red
1988 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot
90 points
A very nice, if rustic wine that showed the earthy side of burgundy. Nose of earth and sawdust, though without any barnyard aspect. Full and chunky on the palate, going nicely with lamb and beef. A good solid burg to match with a hearty dinner but not a showboat.
Flight 5 (2 notes)
A winner and a loser
Red
1999 Domaine Leroy Clos Vougeot
94 points
Even though it was toward the end of the tasting and all the palates were growing fatigued, we could all tell that this was a truly delicious wine. Drinking well even at this young age, the wine had a clarity of flavor and aroma along with a bracing acidity that was beautiful and refreshing. I personally had never had a CV that knocked me off my feet but this one came close. I would be unafraid to serve it to anyone. Could match with food or go it alone. Great balance and clarity. This is great now and can only get better. I'd try another one (if I can get another) in about 5 years.
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Comment
Red
1993 Domaine Jean Grivot Richebourg
78 points
Should have been a contender but startled us all with a metallic, medicinal odor and taste (one called it benzene), that never went away. Had a strange dark, purple color unlike any of the other burgundies at the dinner as if it had been blended with something else. Hopefully just a strange bottle but try one if you have any to make sure that this was just an aberration.
Flight 6 - A sweet ending (2 notes)
White - Sweet/Dessert
1999 Château Rieussec
92 points
Although still young, this completely overshadowed the older (90) Suduiraut served along side of it. Very nice, structured, bracing sauternes without the flamboyance of the better years and without the complexity and wow factor of the '01. a good dessert wine to serve over the next few years maybe with a nice apple tart.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1990 Château Suduiraut
80 points
Someone brought this to dinner to try to prove that Suduiraut was a great sauternes but it backfired. This was not the vintage or the bottle to show the merits of this wine. Fat and flabby with little structure. Had a dark brown honeyed color and about as much structure as a spoonful of honey.