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Berserker Offline
Mathilde Bistro - SF
Tasted July 23, 2021 by ohne_musik with 123 views
Introduction
A lovely Beserker Offline with a broad "French wines you love" theme, organized by Yao. Great people and an embarrassment of riches when it came to the reds. None of the reds showed poorly, but the less said about the whites the better. :)
Flight 1 - A Champers, and 2 whites (3 notes)
White - Sparkling
2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
93 points
Lovely on the nose – yeast, crushed rock, and honey-lemon tea. Fruit on the palate is more citrus forward at first, but veering towards yellow orchard fruit after an hour. Crushed Oyster shell minerality, tons of freshness, but perhaps a bit angular at this point. Beautiful texture, tons of dry extract and leesy umami notes, yet remains lean and racy.
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Comment
White
1996 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
flawed
A bit corked, which became more obvious with time. Nice texture/frame and not oxidized though!
White
1996 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières
Over the hill. Butter baked apples on the nose. A bit fresher on the palate, with good acid and weight. Still drinkable, but not much more to recommend it. 84
Flight 2 - Bdx: mostly right bank, mostly at peak (5 notes)
Red
1985 Château Magdelaine
95 points
A delightful treat, textbook perfectly aged right bank. Nose is full of red berry, cigar ash and a swipe of leafy tomacco. Palate is so refined, sappy, more red berry fruit, a hint of berry compote, tobacco, petrichor, and is impeccably balanced. Tannins are fully integrated, leaving a velvet texture and stunning purity on the finish. On the youthful side of its peak, one would imagine. WOTN for me.
Red
1989 Vieux Château Certan
94 points
Had more in common with the 85 Magdelaine than the 90 VCC tonight. Stunning nose of cured tobacco, leather sofa, and macerated strawberries. More savory and complex (developed?) than the 90 VCC on the palate – garrigue, old library books, and more tobacco. Elegant and warm red cherry, plum and a bit of redcurrant acidity. Lacks just a bit of the vibrancy and purity of fruit on the Magdelaine, but we're splitting hairs here. At peak and really lovely. 94-95
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Comment
Red
1990 Vieux Château Certan
92 points
A bit more reserved, natty, and dark fruited than the 89 VCC tonight. A prickle of VA on the nose, along with cherry and black plum. Palate has more weight and intensity, but comes across as a bit more rustic and top-heavy than the 89. Black/purple fruit, cocoa powder, earth and a bit of Christmas spice. Still some unresolved tannins - perhaps still some upside here?
Red
2006 Vieux Château Certan
93 points
Started out a bit muted, but opened up significantly over the course of the evening. Medium weight, with gorgeous red strawberry/redcurrant fruit that shades into black around the edges, wildflowers, and a bit of dried woody herbs – definitely a cabernet franc forward year. Really showcases VCC’s elegance and satiny texture. Needs time to develop more secondary complexity, but should age very well. 93+
Red
1970 Château Pape Clément
93 points
Really pure and fresh, way younger than a 51 year old wine should be, especially compared to the 70 Mouton last month, which was "acting it's age". Crystalline red fruit, stony Graves soil, and tobacco. While not as complex as the other well aged bdx of the night (89/90 VCC, 85 Magdelaine), it carries an effortless purity that is enrapturing – if a red wine could be a limpid mountain spring, this would be it. I find myself repeatedly going back to the glass to experience it.
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Flight 3 - A trio of Rhones (3 notes)
Red
1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
94 points
Excellent! Funky Mourvedre dark-fruit on the nose, no real brett. Medium bodied but saturated with lovely purple/blue fruit, black pepper, garrigue, and a bit of ferric mineral. Very young profile, showing more vibrancy than the 01 I had last year. Savory and super well balanced. Long finish. Perhaps the best match to the excellent duck confit at Mathilde.
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Red
2001 Eric Texier Côte-Rôtie Vieilles Vignes
93 points
Super gnarly brett upon first opening – was afraid this was going to be undrinkable by the time we got to dinner. Everyone seemed to think it was fine, and when I finally got around to it at the end of the night, the brett had magically subsided. Lovely texture, classic feral gamey notes, vibrant red cherry fruit with undertones of black plum. Excellent balance.
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Comments (2)
Red
2001 Eric Texier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
91 points
Nose has tons to offer, with warm black fruit, dried flowers, and a bit of funk. Clean, no brett. Good acid and plum/cherry fruit in the mouth, some savory herbs / ammonia salt bitterness, medium weight and not at all overwrought, but just a bit foursquare and outclassed tonight. 92 for the nose, 90 on the palate.
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Flight 4 - Two stickies to end the night (2 notes)
White - Sweet/Dessert
1988 Château Rieussec
94 points
Wonderful concentration and cut, and on the drier side for Rieussec (or the sugar has “melted away”). Lightly evolved and complex nose – toffee almond, peach, Seville orange marmalade, and a bit of burnt caramel. Palate is fairly rich, layered with tropical fruit, almond-marzipan, ripe apricots and medium botrytis, but offset by bracing acid and cocktail bitters.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1996 Château Tirecul La Gravière Monbazillac Cuvée Madame
92 points
Not as complex as the 88 Rieussec next to it, but a bit more jazzy and playful. Spiced stone fruit compote, good acid, toasted hazelnut and ginger-honey botrytis. A fun wine.
Closing
WOTN for me was the '85 Magdelaine, followed by the '89 VCC and the '98 Beaucastel. Each of them had at least one vote for WOTN, as did the Texier Cote Rotie and the Rieussec. A lovely time had by all!