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World's Greatest - Night II |  (829 page views) | | | - 1982 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne
Still some brightness in the nose but overall developed smoky and dried yellow and orange fruit scents. Powerful on the palate with a surge of bright and concentrated orange fruit up front. Toasty honeyed notes through the finish. Zippy acid still. (92 pts.)
- 1979 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne
Smoke, ash, and dried apricot on the nose. A lot of smoke in here actually. Developed and mature peach. Nice caramel too. There is a lot of round orange fruit here, but this is also a little oxidative, not too bad though. Creme brûlée. Nice. (93 pts.)
- 1976 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne
Interestingly the nose on the '76 is the freshest of the flight ('82, '79, '76) and has flowers and white peach in addition to the developed caramel tones. Fresh nectarine and mandarin on the palate. Bright and juicy. Curiously this is showing younger than both '82 and '79. This is the wine I would want to buy out of all of these, if this is indicative, but this is likely a great bottle. Big mouthful of juicy white peach. Mmm. (94 pts.)
- 1982 Etienne Sauzet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Honeyed nose with big Chardonnay butter. Complex, big, and very inviting. Nose is rivaling that on the Leflaive Chevalier. Palate is nicely developed with overripe pineapple and mango. This is great. Ripe and delicious, in a perfect place to quash now. (94 pts.)
- 1982 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
[Magnum] This nose has smoke, olive oil, and saline, but not that super rich Batard character. A littler leaner and true to the Ramonet cleanliness. Beautiful traces of mint and lavender too. Coriander and spice. Precise but generous palate. (95 pts.)
- 1982 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Classic Leflaive matchstick right off the top. Rich but also seems to have a ton on minerality. This coats the mouth up front but comes though the middle a little flat and has a thinner finish than one would hope for. Edge to the '82 Ramonet Batard, á mon avis. (94 pts.)
- 2002 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Super fresh and candied nose with light lemon citrus. More white flowers as it warms and opens up. Very young but very intricate and complex. Focused on the palate with tighter grapefruit upfront. (95 pts.)
- 1996 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Lemon pith and a little more of the typical Coche reduction that I've come to hope for. On the palate this is expansive with melting orchard fruit and citrus. Easily the most classic of the three ('02, '96, '93). Big and rich and immensely pleasurable drinking right now, and imagine this will continue to put on weight and deeper development. Wow... (96 pts.)
- 1993 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Beautiful nose, still supremely fresh, white flowers, very subtle. Palate is further advanced with honeyed and mildly oxidative yellow fruit notes. Still mouth-coating and very delicious. Some thought this was a little too advanced, but this seems pleasurably mature. (93 pts.)
- 1989 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Perfect example of this wine on the nose: black currant and blackberry fruit, spicy cigar box, and damp red cedar bark. Big expressive bouquet. Massive opulent palate firing on all cylinders, super juicy. A consistently impressive piece of work. (96 pts.)
- 1989 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Stylistically comparable nose to that on the regular Haut-Brion but more savory and with more rusticity showing through. Still generous on the palate with opulent blackberry and black currant fruit. Fine, but perhaps not a great bottle, and in the shadow of the '89 HB in any case.
- 1989 Pétrus - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Very dense and dark on the nose with a minty herbaceous quality. Reading closed. Requires a lot of coaxing to get at the intricacies, which seem to be mostly herbal so far. Incredibly concentrated and dense palate with tight tannic structure. Obviously a towering masterpiece of a wine, but honestly not approachable yet, and completely ungiving the way the '89 Haut-Brion is while also being built for the serious long-haul. (95 pts.)
- 1961 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
This nose is reminiscent of Chave rouge somehow. A little more delicate than the other '61 bordeauxs here with florals in addition to the red berry fruit. Palate is beautifully secondary and perfectly integrated. Very nice. Palmer is having a strong weekend. (94 pts.)
- 1961 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Smoky, cut hay, scorched earth, rustic terroir. Spectacular nose that will be appreciated by those who like a bit of wild animal in their terroir and who don't mind a kiss of Brett. Very showy. Rusticity translates to the palate which is textured and has developed sweet and savory flavours. Cool gravelly soil. (95 pts.)
- 1961 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Somehow this wine remains so young. Have had the luck to have had this a few times now and it always shows brawny and bold. Some more air brings out developing red and black fruit with traces of earth and terroir coming out. Palate is intensely dark with a big tannic structure. Consistently a beast. (95 pts.)
- 1993 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Bright red and black cherry. Lively and youthful. Perfumed. Palate is big upfront but fades quickly. Not a great deal to the finish. I guess '93 is pretty finicky, and the context of the lineup doesn't help. (93 pts.)
- 1980 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Mature and subtle nose that has a lot of mushroom and soil in addition to the drying rose petals. This bottle is firmly secondary and looking tertiary. Tired. Better on the palate though. Still has pleasant secondary red berry fruit.
- 1969 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
Wicked, crackling nose that seems to be unapologetically whole clustered. Highly expressive with green stalkiness. Easily dominating the flight. Sensational. On the palate this is absolutely gorgeous with soft strawberry and raspberry and roses. Not merely a novelty or 'good considering the age', this is crushing it on all measures. (96 pts.)
- 1978 Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos St. Denis Grand Cru
Beautiful nose, dark cranberry and mature red cherry aromas. Both big and wafting and nuanced and complicated. Power on the palate that lingers with developed flavor on and in. The Dujacs tonight are certainly the most consistent across vineyards, and are all gorgeously perfumed and finessed. (96 pts.)
- 1978 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Fresh, stalky, bright red cherry. Highly expressive and very pretty. Sweeter red cherry fruit on the front palate that expands into a developed mouthful. Spent coffee grounds. The Dujacs tonight are certainly the most consistent across vineyards, and are all gorgeously perfumed and finessed. (97 pts.)
- 1978 Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Nose is dialled down from the CSD. Somewhat musty. Sweeter red cherry without the depth and intensity of ten CSD. Spectacular on the palate though. Rich, developed, and a generous and lingering finish. The Dujacs tonight are certainly the most consistent across vineyards, and are all gorgeously perfumed and finessed. (95 pts.)
- 1978 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Subtle nose that has drying red roses and rare roast beef. Dense and rich. Decedent. Kapon provided a pretty good argument as to why and how this is in a great place right now, and it certainly is, but the '76 just has so much more nuance over power. (95 pts.)
- 1976 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Expressive nose that has the same drying red roses and rare meat as the '78, but with a far more showy and Burgundian exposé of terroir. Also lush and opulent. There is nuance and elegance here. Still has a real wallop of black fruit power in the mouth. (96 pts.)
- 1969 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Rich cranberry and blackberry nose. Perfumed and dense but doesn't have the same expression of earth as the '76. (94 pts.)
- 1990 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
[Magnum] Nose is lacquered, black cherry fruit. I just don't get these. '90, '88, '85, '82... all magnums, all similarly massive and ungiving. (89 pts.)
- 1988 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
[Magnum] Nose is lacquered, black cherry fruit. I just don't get these. '90, '88, '85, '82... all magnums, all similarly massive and ungiving. (88 pts.)
- 1985 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
[Magnum] Nose is lacquered, black cherry fruit. I just don't get these. '90, '88, '85, '82... all magnums, all similarly massive and ungiving. (88 pts.)
- 1982 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
[Magnum] Nose is lacquered, black cherry fruit. I just don't get these. '90, '88, '85, '82... all magnums, all similarly massive and ungiving. (89 pts.)
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