Romanee St.-Vivant Dinner

Sepia - Chicago IL
Tasted Monday, March 2, 2009 by Burgundy Al with 930 views

Introduction

The Chicago-based Lieu-dit Cru (my great burgundy group) got together earlier this week for a Romanee St.-Vivant dinner. Our goal was to bring together a cross-section of top wines that would represent the vineyard well and accurately. We were not disappointed. Dinner was at Sepia, a fine Chicago restaurant that did a wonderful job matching these wines with exceptional, appropriate food.

Flight 1 - Champagne (1 Note)

Something to drink while we wait for everybody to arrive

  • 1988 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    This has often been one of my favorite Champagnes, largely for how bright and fresh it tastes. While tonight's bottle was quite nice and showed the minerality and citrus flavors I was expecting, it was not quite as fresh as other times I’ve tried it recently. Also a bit shorter.

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Flight 2 - "Blind Whites" (2 Notes)

One person typically brings two bottles of white Burgundy with a close link between the two. They are served blind and we try to identify the wines, where they are from, the vintages, etc. In short, we embarrass ourselves.

  • 1999 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Served blind. Started out a bit funky and musty, making me concerned it was oxidized. That gradually blew off, as this opened into a robust and powerful wine. The classic apple flavors were complemented by a richness that was surprising for ’99 Chablis. Nice lemon tartness on finish. I didn’t like the wine to start, but after 30 minutes it was wonderful.

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  • 1999 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Served blind. This had a sensational nose, combining floral and citrus elements. The wine wasn’t as deep as the Raveneau 99 Clos in the next glass, but was very elegant. When first poured, I greatly preferred the Dauvissat, but when we finished this flight, I thought them equal. The group’s preference was clearly for the Raveneau.

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Flight 3 - Older RSV (3 Notes)

Disappointing flight.

  • 1976 Maison Leroy Romanée St. Vivant 87 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    Somewhat disappointing in its lightness and simplicity. Bottle and cork were in good condition, and we “Audouzed” it approximately three hours before serving. Flavors of red cherry were there with some nice forest floor character, but the spice was pale and there was that noticeable sweetness that frequently accompanies good wines that have passed their peak. Given its reasonable level of acidity, it wasn’t surprising that this wine seemed much better and brighter with food than on its own.

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  • 1976 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    The group’s wine of the flight. I don’t have great notes since I got the last pour and our server hadn’t yet calibrated pour sizes correctly. So mostly based on what others said, it was both mature but vibrant, really showing nice baking spice and flavor density.

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  • 1986 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 87 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    Dark fruit and Asian spice to start. This wine probably changed the most in the glass of all the wines. It was big and bold to start, but with lots of fruit remaining. Over time it became more evidently tannic and acidic and so less enjoyable. Given vintage characteristics, it isn’t surprising to realize the 1976 DRC RSV will greatly outlive the 1986.

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Flight 4 - Mostly Leroy RSV and a DRC (5 Notes)

Not a disappointing flight! Perhaps the best single wine flight I've ever had.

  • 1997 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    Gorgeous nose with that classic perfumed Leroy aromatics we would see throughout this flight. Great red berry, acidity, hints of integrated oak and good nice baking spice on the finish. Flavors were good, but the nose was amazing.

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  • 1998 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant 98 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    Leroy ’98 RSV was an incredibly powerful wine with amazing length, while also perfumed and feminine. Both dark and red fruit with lots of classic RSV Asian spice. This really shows so many of the dimensions that Burg lovers find in great Burgundy. I just noticed that the eRP “drinking window” is 2000-2009. I think this wine will be sensational for another 15 years. Almost universally the WOTN. I have found Leroy 1998s in general to be sensational. Leroy 1998 Richebourg was in 2nd place for WOTN at our Richebourg dinner, just behind 1996 DRC but ahead of luminaries such as 93 DRC and 79 Henri Jayer.

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  • 1999 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant 96 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    This was close behind the 1998 for WOTN, but most of the group felt it had the greatest long-term potential. This will be an amazing wine to have in another 15 years. Black and red fruit with great baking spice. It was similar to the ’98 but with more structure, slightly darker, denser fruit and more tannins that were nicely balanced by acidity. Amazing length.

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  • 2000 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    Perfumed and floral with great Asian spice again. Mostly red fruit. Fascinating wine in that it was very similar to the 1998 Leroy RSV in this flight but just showed a little less of everything. Again, lots of fruit and spice, along with great precision. Clearly in its drinking window.

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  • 2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    DRC 2001 RSV was another great wine but actually received some mixed reviews. The wine was amazingly balanced and elegant while still being youthful and primary. It had really great Asian spice and nice fruit, but I found you almost had to imagine how great this wine will be…versus the Leroy RSVs that were showing more greatness that night. Don’t mistake my comments as negative - many in the group put this in their top 2 or 3 wines. Perhaps its beauty was masked by being served with 4 vintages of Leroy.

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Flight 5 - Other Interesting RSV (3 Notes)

  • 1989 Jean-Jacques Confuron Romanée St. Vivant 87 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    Confuron 1989 RSV had some the earthiness and sous bois from the first flight. A bit stewy to start, then lots of the dried cherry and dried rose character I expect from an older RSV, but this showed quite a bit older than I would have hoped. But perhaps that should have been expected given that Burghound’s tasting note suggested “drink now”…but was written in 1998.

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  • 1999 Jean-Jacques Confuron Romanée St. Vivant Flawed

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    This was was slightly corked. Sadly it showed great aromatics when opened and decanted at 5:30 PM…but was not so great when served around 9:30 PM.

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  • 1998 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Romanée St. Vivant 95 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    This wine was just as floral, spicy and sexy as the 1998 Leroy but somehow in different ways. It was definitely a big fruit wine and very showy with wonderful mouth feel and texture. Tasted blind, I would have guessed it was definitely younger than a ’98. Also had incredible length. Hudelot-Noellat 1998 RSV was certainly WOTF and a “Top 3” contender for WOTN.

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