Burgundy Dinner with Friends

Bryn Mawr Country Club, IL
Tasted Friday, July 23, 2010 by MatthewF with 821 views

Introduction

A group of 8 of us got together on a very rainy July for a ridiculous evening of eating and drinking.

Flight 1 - Champagne to start (1 Note)

  • 1997 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

    France, Champagne

    Yellow citrus and light stonefruit aromas. Crushed stone. Creamy fruits on the palate and a nice mineral backbone. Has picked up some weight since the last time I've had it. Drinking quite well right now.

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Flight 2 - Chablis Flight (3 Notes)

Paired with an assortment of East and West Coast oysters along with a giant cold seafood platter.

  • 1995 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Straw-like color. Very youthful aromas of yellow fruit and lime peel with some faint toasted nut notes in the background. Touches of baked pineapple as well. Same fruits on the palate with great acidity all throughout. Good minerality as well. Decent weight with a moderate finish. Drinking great.

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  • 2005 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Forêt

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Very forward nose of juicy lemon and lemon peel. Crushed stone and white floral notes as well. Same lemon on the medium bodied palate. Medium finish with nice acidity. Drinking quite well, but definitely still has time to go.

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  • 2005 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Much more reserved on the nose and palate than the 05 Foret served alongside. Showing the same lemon dominated character, but with a lot firmer mineral backbone and more grip on the finish. Still, a very delicious wine with a great future ahead.

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Flight 3 - Montrachet Flight (3 Notes)

Paired great with a warm fish dish.

  • 1978 Maison Leroy Montrachet

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

    Opened about 20 minutes before pouring and it could have used even more. Lime peel, ginger, and almond notes on the nose. Butterscotch. The palate had much of the same flavors as aromas. Creamy lime custard with some spicy gingner and a mineral finish. Medium body with a very long finish. Great acidity. The longer it sat in the glass, the more and more it unfolded. An outstanding wine.

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  • 2004 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

    As expected, lightest color of the Montrachet flight. Lemon custard and white floral notes with crushed stone. Very expansive on the well structured palate. Great mineral backbone to the wine and great acidity on the very long finish. Absolutely beautiful wine.

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  • 2002 Bouchard Père et Fils Montrachet

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

    Much darker color than expected. Almost as dark as the (amazing) 78 Leroy Montrachet in the next glass. Very honeyed character with notes of baked lemon and hazelnut. Same nutty, honeyed lemon character on the palate as well. There were some nice mineral structure underneath, but the oxidative notes (and all the other great whites) kept me from dwelling on the wine too long.

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Flight 4 - Leroy Beaux Monts Flight (4 Notes)

With a Squab Dish.

  • 1988 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

    Darker cranberry and cherry notes with some dried floral. Cinnamon and clove. Some nice earth tones as well. Very pretty berry and cherry notes on the palate as well with the same brown spice notes all throughout. Medium body and finish.

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  • 1993 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

    Most powerful of the Leroy Beaux Monts flight. Incredible aromatics of dark berries, clove, cinnamon, soy and hoisen. Some attractive damp earth tones as well as beautiful floral. Ripe berry fruit on the palate with powerful spice all throughout. Very expansive on the palate and just kept getting better with more time in the glass. Medium body with a very long finish. Absolutely fantastic wine.

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  • 1996 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

    Very spicy red cranberry aromatics. Lots of floral too with asian spice and soy notes. Spicy, sweet red fruit on the palate too with a good bit of structure. 2nd most spicy wine in the flight, after the 93. Vibrant acidity and a long gripping finish. Gorgeous.

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  • 1998 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

    Crushed dark red cranberry and raspberry with the same cinnamon/clove and soy/hoisen notes as the other wines in the flight. Fruit seems a bit riper here than the 96. Very forward on the palate, though there is great structure remaining and I would be in no hurry to drink these up. Medium bodied and a moderate plus finish.

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Flight 5 - Rousseau Chambertin/Beze Head to Head x3 (6 Notes)

With Pork Belly and Mushrooms

  • 1998 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

    Powerful nose of red and blue fruits with some earth and a slight savory herb note. Meaty. Dark spice too. Fruit forward on the palate, but still with great structure. Dark spice on the palate too. Medium plus body and a long finish.

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  • 1998 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

    Darker, richer fruit profile on the nose than the Chambertin in the next glass. Lots of spice and mineral notes on the nose. The palate was pretty firm, but still showed some great elements. Medium body with a fairly tannic finish.

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  • 2000 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

    Much darker nose than the 1998 Chambertin. Aromatics of black cherry and berry with smoky bacon notes and darker spices. Some earth and leather as well. Good fruit upfront on the palate with the same dark spices. Really nice texture and it had a great earthy component on the midpalate. Medium body with a long finish.

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  • 2000 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

    Great red berry and cherry notes on the nose with some darker spice, but not as dark as the 2000 Chambertin one glass over. Fruit forward and very giving on the palate with some very nice spice on the backend. Less structure than other bottles I've had. Medium body and finish. Showing much more feminine than the Chambertin tonight, but still very good.

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  • 2003 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

    Powerful dark red and blue berry fruits on the nose. Tons of spice and some darker floral elements coming out. Savory herb notes as well. Lots of the same dark berry fruit on the palate with great spice. Very expansive. Love the texture. Full bodied with a long and powerful finish. Great wine!

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  • 2003 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

    Darkest fruit profile of the entire flight. Very big and very powerful on the nose. Black and blue berry fruits with a decent amount of spice and wet mineral notes in the background. A bit of savory herb too. Huge and expansive on the palate; this is a monster Burgundy. Full bodied with a medium finish. Nice to try against the other vintages.

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Flight 6 - Romanee St. Vivant Flight (4 Notes)

With Dry Aged Striploin

  • 1995 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant

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

    Beautiful red berry and cherry fruit with explosive spice on the nose. Great floral component. The same red fruit came through on the palate, with again, lots of brown baking spice notes. Medium body with a medium plus finish. Very pretty wine and totally different than the much more powerful 95 DRC in the next glass.

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  • 1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant

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

    Consistent with previous notes.

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  • 1996 Sylvain Cathiard Romanée St. Vivant

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

    Unfortunately Corked. Some pretty red fruit elements came through, but corked is corked.

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  • 1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant

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

    Intense, powerful aromatics of spicy dark berries. Beautiful flowers as well. Rich, sappy palate with the same dark berries. Brown spice on the palate as well. Great acidity and a lengthy finish. Medium plus body. Absolutely fantastic.

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Flight 7 - Something Sweet to Finish (2 Notes)

With Creme Brulee

  • 1983 Château d'Yquem

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    750ml. Light amber color. Honeyed apricot and peach aromatics with baked pineapple. Some brunt brown sugar and orange peel notes as well. Rich fruit on the palate, just a touch of fig too. Medium bodied with a very long finish. While the wine is drinking very well now, there is no rush to drink it.

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  • 1989 Château d'Yquem

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    750ml. Slight golden color. Apricot and baked peach and pineapple aromatics with vanilla and a bit of honeysuckle. Ripe, rich palate with the same fruit profile. Brown sugar and custard notes. Great length and good acidity throughout. Still very young and will go for many more years.

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Closing

In the end an amazing night of wine, food, and friends. Thanks to everyone for their generosity tonight.

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