Pre-Memorial Day Wine Before/During/After Dinner

Warmup

• 2002 André Clouet Champagne Brut Millésimé - France, Champagne
  Served blind, easily identifiable as from Champagne, then correctly identified as having a major Pinot Noir influence. Orchard fruit and red berry hints, good textures and length. (90 pts.)
• 2002 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
  Tired, but drinkable. I had a great streak of excellent bottles through 2012 or so, but bad luck since. Certainly drinkable, but disappointing for its level, pedigree and price.
• 2009 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
  Floral start with ripe peach and apricot with hints of orange peel, spice and a trace of mint in the background. Ripe and lush stone fruit again on palate, with subtle structural elements providing good balance. Very good now. (93 pts.)
• 1995 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
  Nice floral start with red cherry and hints of leather and spice. Red and black cherry flavors with some firm tannins for now. I think had been open an hour when I tasted this, but I'd hope it might have benefited from a little more time and air for those tannins to soften. (89 pts.)

Dinner at The Bristol

• 2002 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
  Fantastic now, incredibly lush and fresh, but with the stuffing to be great for another decade. (94 pts.)
• 2005 Nicolas Potel Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
  Bottle had been opened the day before. I was told it was very firm and backward, so was given a day to mellow. Lots of structure was very dominant that second day, in the forefront ahead of the black cherry and berry flavors. Good raw materials so I'd cellar this longer, but don't have a good sense of where/ when this will be more pleasurable. (90 pts.)
• 2001 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
  Black cherry aromas and flavors with some game, leather and earth notes. Slightly lean style shows 2001 character, very enjoyable right now, perhaps not showing the density or intensity I like from Beze in good vintages. (91 pts.)

Winding Down

• 1983 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges
  Popped and poured. Fully evolved from the start, this quickly faded into something uninteresting.
• 1993 Domaine Modot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Lavrottes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
  I can't recall ever seeing wine from Domaine Modot Pere et Fils before, so this was a first. Largely mature black fruit, faint spice, firm structure characteristic of many 1993s. Held up nicely in glass over an hour, but just moderately interesting. (84 pts.)