Dinner at the Book Bindery in Seattle with J&M

Finally the day arrived to test drive the eagerly awaited Book Bindery in Seattle with friends. All the wines were decanted prior to arriving and enjoyed in a casual setting over the course of the dinner. Overall they did a fantastic job considering the restaurant has only been open a month. Prior to our departure we sipped a pour of each wine just to get a baseline evaluation before we were in the more casual and lively restaurant setting.

Sipped on at the pre-dinner festivities with a few light snacks and a tour of the cellar.

• 1988 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  What's left to say? Still my favorite of the 88-90 troika. Big acid, bit fruit, apple peels, blah blah...Should prove to be the longest lived of the three imo. Initially a bit bracing, with a bit of air this settled in place and continued to put on weight and length.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

This pair of heavyweights played extremely well with the amouse, the hamachi crudo, and the compressed cucumber courses.

• 1996 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Wow. This is a wine you smell and just shake your head. Almost painfully stinky. Dripping with minerals and dry extract. Luscious and intense. A seemingly more full bodied wine than the '96 Valmur consumed in the same flight. A flashy wine that exudes breed and class. A monumental wine entering its apex. Start thinking about cracking these. The best showing yet out of 6 in the past 18 months, with one being slightly advanced.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1996 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 96 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Seemingly immortal. Easily three shades lighter than the Dauvissat Clos consumed in the same flight. Initially more restrained than the more flamboyant/flashy Clos. Around the 6 hour mark it poured it on like a freight-train and overtook the Clos for white-of-the-night. Intense beeswax lead the charge with just about every textbook smell and taste with want/need in a Chablis of the stature. A stratospheric wine that will prove to be a wine of my lifetime with more patience. If you have a stash it's certainly fun to drink now provided you give it a few hours in the decanter to unwind, but for those with only a few I'd give it at least 5 more years before giving this wine a go.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

This fun flight of reds were heavenly with the handmade cavatelli with just about every wild mushroom available in the Pacific Northwest, the fork tender duck breast, and the "flavor cap" which is their version of the ribcap roast with bone-marrow pudding.

• 1996 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  I wanted to love this wine, but it was just so shy all evening. A ridiculous core of minerality straight through the palate, with compressed dark fruits, but not a lot else being offered by this sleepy giant. I understand a lot of people's concerns with Vogue and their often generous oak treatment, as this wine certainly had its share. The slight touch of caramel/roast peeking through the black fruit on the nose being far from off-putting, one would have to assume with the wine being this stacked and coiled up that it should easily soak up the wood during the necessary slumber this wine will need to truly shine. Should be great with time based on the raw material and pedigree. 92++

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru

  I was somewhat reluctant to open this wine as I thought it would be just too tight to enjoy. Wrong! 30 minutes in a decanter and this thing was screaming out the glass with a boatload spice and stemmy red fruit. The palate took a bit to get up and running but once it did it followed the nose with luscious red fruit and seductive spice that no other region can offer. A luxurious wine in almost every regard. Certainly still primary, but delicious if you don't mind a little fruit in your Burgundy. No sign of '96 angular acid. Tremendous length that built up over time, and a tight but dense mid-palate leads me to believe this should be a truly great wine with patience, but far from a shame to drink now.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1990 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

  Easily the most seductive wine of the evening. Flawlessly clean fruit from Roumier per usual. This wine spoke more to the vintage than the vineyard as it was all about the sweet red fruit driven nose and palate. This wine poured it on all evening, and hit its full stride at about the 5-6 hour mark. Interestingly as much as I loved this wine it didn't scream grand cru or flaunt its pedigree. It was just an exquisitely made and delicious glass of wine. Try one if you have a stash or forget about them with confidence.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Two whites opened as a nightcap back at the house while we waited for the cab to arrive. Just what the doctor ordered to send me to bed with a smile.

• 2002 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Packed and stacked with generous dry extract and perfectly balanced acidity. Luscious mouthfeel and a ripeness that is akin to the top end of the '96's. Fantastic Chablis with a firm nod in agreeance of just how close MDT from Raveneau comes to Grand Cru quality in great vintages. Should continue to gain length and complexity for 15+ more years.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2006 Coche-Dury Meursault 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Obviously very Coche on the nose, but a bit more reserved and cool on the palate than I would have thought for the vintage. Very drinkable now, with a much younger projected aging curve than the 04/05/07 troika. Drink em while the others rest.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No