Clos Vougeot Dinner

The Lieu-dit Cru, my Chicago Burgundy tasting group, made the trek to the suburbs for dinner at Le Francais, the most famous French restaurant in the Chicago area. My first visit ever. Great food, great service. Our theme was Clos Vougeot, and our goal was to see what we could identify as the typical character of wine from this large and heterogeneous Grand Cru. While we had some wonderful wines, I don't think we left understanding anything more about the vineyard and its wines.

• 1990 Henriot Champagne Cuvée des Enchanteleurs Brut 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  Very bready, yeasty, toasty style. Big and powerful ripe fruit as well, but what's most prominent is the yeasty character.

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• 2002 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

  Served in blind white Burg flight. Lush and opulent on both nose and palate. Floral nose with tons of ripe apricot flavors. Trace of mint, which i should have realized as Ramonet's teetale sign. Oak not fully integrated yet, so I'd give this a bit more time. Long concentrated white fruit on finish.

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• 1999 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet Flawed

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

  Slightly corked. Good fruit in background.

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• 1979 Maison Champy Clos Vougeot 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Red fruit and modest spice aromas with just hints of earth. Subdued, slightly simple palate that was more interesting on a spicy and mushroomy finish. Shockingly fresh for its age and the character of the 1979 vintage, but this was recently hand carried here from the Champy cellars.

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• 1967 Domaine Jacques Prieur Clos Vougeot 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Started really nicely with intense ripe fruit and good charm and minerality. Some slightly sweet elements were both interesting and confusing at the same time (was this fortified?). But overall a fun wine, even if it fell off sharply after about 30 minutes.

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We served the vintages where we thought more acidity would work with foie, but also served some of the Sauternes as well.

• 1994 Domaine Leroy Clos Vougeot 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Spice and perfume driven nose with mature red fruit. Modest amount of structure, but everything comes across as very harmonious and integrated, even if not incredibly complex. Sensational for the vintage.

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• 1996 Domaine Jacques Prieur Clos Vougeot

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Ripe black cherry aromas with plenty of new oak spice. Firmly structured with lots of bracing acidity. Could have used a couple more hours in a decanter or another decade in the cellar. Big concentration really comes through on the finish.

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• 2002 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot Domaine Louis Jadot

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Red and black cherry aromas with good spice. More subdued fruit on palate, also firmly structured, seemingly shut down and needing more time. We included this wine because it is from the same plot within Clos Vougeot as the Champy 1979 we were also serving.

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• 1998 Domaine Denis Mortet Clos Vougeot 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Blackberry and black cherry aromas, plenty of fruit and oak spice. Lush fruit with lots of density and concentration. Still getting better. I've been very thrilled with several 1998s from Mortet. My WOTN, several others agreed, despite us all acknowledging that the oak still needs to integrate a little more.

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• 1998 Domaine René Engel Clos Vougeot

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Austere with far too much structure for the level of fruit. Off bottle?

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• 2003 Gérard Raphet Clos Vougeot 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Lots of black fruit on nose and palate along with espresso and dark chocolate. Ripe but balanced and persistent for the 2003 vintage.

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• 1975 Château Rieussec 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Tasted twice during dinner - first with a foie gras course in middle and again with dessert at the end. Butterscotch, marzipan and candied orange rind. Very long and elegant.

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