Le Serbet/ Becky Wasserman's 35th Anniversary Celebration
Château de Sully - Southern Burgundy
Tasted Sunday, May 18, 2014 by Burgundy Al with 1,120 views
Introduction
In honor of Le Serbet's 35th anniversary, 400-500 of Becky's closest friends and associates from around the world came to southern Burgundy for a late lunch and some fine wine. I was honored to be included with people I'd consider Burgundy's finest and whose wines and tradition I tremendously respect. The wines below probably represent half of what I tasted that afternoon, but it's what I wrote down.
2002 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Still nicely floral with peach and some ripe apple with good spice. I didn't get that classically Meursault "nutty" character, but this is nicely forward and balanced. Slightly mature, at a very good place now.
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2007 Benjamin Leroux Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Embazées 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
From 3L. Ripe apple with some subtle, enticing tropical hints. Forward and pleasurable, but with sneaky background structure and energy for the long haul. Very good.
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2004 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Lots of summer flowers with ripe stone fruit and orange peel with marzipan hints. Same peach and apricot flavors, perhaps ever so tropical. Very good density. This got richer and tastier as it went from cellar temperature to room temperature.
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2006 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
From magnum directly from the domaine. Ripe and tropical with lots of toasted nut, peach and baked apple. Very forward, just ever-so-slightly shorter and simpler vs the 2004 just tasted.
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2000 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Bottle that stayed in Burgundy its entire life, much better than bottles I've had that were exported at release to the US. This was fresh and vibrant, with apple and pears on nose and palate with good acidity and impressive minerality. Good bottles such as this should age gracefully going forward.
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2007 Domaine Dublère Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
This was the first wine that ever excited me about Blair Pethel's wine, and I was thrilled to see Blair walking around offering this wine at the party. Floral and alluring with rich, ripe fruit. Perhaps not classically "Chablis" given that slight botrytis hint, but this is an easy wine to enjoy now, and it is aging very nicely and slowly.
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1996 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Elegance personified. Starting to evolve nicely. Not the most powerful vintage of Mugnier les Amoureuses, but starting to pick up greater complexity.
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2007 Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Magnum directly from Nico. Red cherry with moderate spice, very good overall balance. Moderate length.
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2005 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Ruchottes-Chambertin 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Stunningly good. Bottle directly from the domaine. A little more red cherry aromas with both black and red cherry flavors. Great spice throughout. Very long with amazing balance at this incredibly early stage.
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2007 Domaine Dublère Charmes-Chambertin 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Red and black berry flavors and aromas with some sauvage hints. Moderate intensity, but very good balance and textures. Good now.
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2009 Domaine Dominique Mugneret Echezeaux En Orveaux 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Forward and balanced red fruit with modest spice, another 2009 easy to enjoy right now. Moderate density for the level and vintage.
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2011 Au Bon Climat Hildegard 90 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
It's been several years since I've had this wine from any vintage, but this glass reminded me what I always liked it. It's an unusual cepage, but Jim's hommage to Corton Charlemagne comes across as fat, rich, and slightly tropical, while still energetic and flowing. A very good value wine.
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2001 Bouchard Père et Fils La Romanée
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Romanée Grand Cru
This is the 3rd time I've had this wine (all from magnum!) in approximately one year. Decanted an hour+ in advance. Incredible fruit quality and density. But also incredibly firm, tight and backward, showing hints of future greatness. Please stop opening these magnums for another decade, world!
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1990 Camille Giroud Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux Flawed
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
From magnum directly from the Maison. Nothing like the 750 ml bottle we tasted at Giroud the other day. Some thought it corked, I thought it very brett-driven. David Croix didn't think it corked.
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1982 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos des 60 Ouvrées 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
From magnum. I didn't have high expectations from the vintages, but this was an Old School beauty. Lots of stem, earth, mushroom, spice all mixed up with some lingering dark fruit and providing lots of pleasure.
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2001 Camille Giroud Chambertin 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
Directly from the Maison, this is a powerful of a wine, just seemingly/ faintly emerging from a hard shell. Lots of black fruit with impressive density. Very firm tannins today. Background spice with gamy character in reserve. Better in another 5+ years.
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2002 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
From 3L. This is a massive wine in every dimension. Everything great you want in Burgundy is here in the forefront, but so firmly structured for right now. I haven't had this wine since shortly after release, but I think my drinking window just got pushed out.
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2005 Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
From magnum. Very enjoyable. Big and powerful black fruit on nose and palate. World class fruit, good spice and animale hints. Very long and persistent.
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2010 Domaine Sylvain Pataille Marsannay Clos du Roy
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay
From 6L bottle that had been open several hours and most of it already emptied when I got to taste. Very tasty black fruit, already accessible and balanced and pleasurable, even with lots of firmness throughout. Very good.
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1995 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Directly from the domaine courtesy of Eric Rousseau. Lots of black fruit, meaty character and intense spice. Still firm and slightly backward, but very good harmony throughout.
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1985 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
From magnum. We opened this an hour before starting to pour, and that probably should have been longer. At first it was very barnyardy (I described it as showing "merde" to Veronique Drouhin, at which she laughed) with very mature fruit. After another hour this was more concentrated and the barnyard was more mushroom and umami, with lots more spice and power emerging. Quite a few of the Burgundy producers who tasted this in that final hour enjoyed it tremendously. Started tired (88 points?) at first, ended exciting (93 points?)
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2005 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Bâtard-Montrachet 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Very ripe, rich and sexy, this has everything you expect in Batard in supersized proportions.
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