Dinner at Elite

Elite Chinese Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
Tasted Wednesday, September 10, 2014 by tooch with 710 views

Introduction

Big group got together at Elite to open a nice selection of wines. Lots of champagnes! Thanks to everyone for being there...

Flight 1 - Champagne Starters (7 Notes)

  • 1995 Lilbert-Fils Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Millésimé Cramant 90 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    I was very fond of this. It didn't have much in the way of bubbles, but the chardonnay was very tasty and rich. Reminded me a bit of some Jura chardonnays that has really nice apple and lemon notes. If you're looking for a chardonnay with lots of bubbles, this may not be what you're looking for.

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  • 1988 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 90 Points

    France, Champagne

    Definitely more advanced than other bottles I've had. Lots of waxy apple tones, some minerals, and pears. Still a very tasty champagne, but it was definitely lacking energy.

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  • 1996 Dom Pérignon Champagne Oenothèque 94 Points

    France, Champagne

    About the same as the bottle I had a couple weeks earlier. Big and brawny, this is a powerhouse. Tons of dense, creamy, toasty, lemon and apple tones with a very firm bubble. I came back to this later in the night and the firmness had broken down a bit, but this is a bottle that'll reward patience.

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  • 1997 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    Big and rich, this had a really creamy, toasty thing going on. Along with the bakery-in-a-glass note, I liked its lime and slate tones too. Had nice balance, but lacked a touch of acidity. Very good, though.

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  • 1997 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 94 Points

    France, Champagne

    Beautiful stuff. With air, this developed a freshness and crispness that made this seemed a bit more focused than the other champagnes on display. Loved the minerality and citrus notes on the palate...great balance, drinking incredibly well.

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  • 2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 92 Points

    France, Champagne

    The first bottle of this I tried seemed a bit more advanced while this had more firmness and tightness (as I would have expected with such a young Krug). This had lots of great material, and the beautiful toasty notes that Krug always seems to have...that "bakery-in-a-bottle" thing. Should reward patience...the firmness here was noteworthy.

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  • 2002 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    This was my first time trying this, and it really blew my hair back. Tons of toasty notes that I love, and big, dense citrus tones. Certainly young, I'd love to get my hands on some of this for some long-term aging.

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Flight 2 - White Burgundies (3 Notes)

  • 2004 Henri Boillot Bâtard-Montrachet 93 Points

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

    The guys in LA love their Boillot! They always seem to open some of these gems when I'm in town...and boy am I always happy about it! This had a cool, sleek slate and citrus personality to it. A bit timid (in a relative sense), but beautiful all the same this had an elegant floral note on the finish.

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  • 2008 Domaine Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet 91 Points

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

    Just a brief taste. Nice flinty notes, with lots of fresh lemon and lime zest tones. Young, but showing great promise already.

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  • 2010 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bâtard-Montrachet 92 Points

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

    Lots of crystalline fruit, florals, and flint on the nose...probably a bit closed down, but still smells great. The palate was a bit rigid at first...opening up with some air. Great material...lots of lime, lemon, flint...just beautiful. Will be great with time.

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Flight 3 - Everything Else (8 Notes)

  • 2007 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur Blanc Brézé 90 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur

    Holy tropical fruit, Batman! I haven't had a Brézé in a while and had forgotten how powerful they can be...the fruit here was just massive and sappy. It had some good minerality and acidity, but this all about the big peach, lychee, and mangos. Let it sleep!

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  • 1996 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares 96 Points

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

    "Surprise! We're open for business!" said the 1996 Burgundy. "Oh really?" I replied, "Yeah, I've been shut down for the past 10 years or so and figured that tonight seemed like a great time to show what I'm made of...whaddya think?"

    "I'm still reeling from the fact that you're open for business...but, yeah, you have some really sweet dark fruit with a nice meaty, brothy edge to it." I said.

    "That's cool." said Bonnes Mares..."I've heard other people talk about the meatiness too."

    "You're a big wine too" I marveled. "You'll be around for a while I bet!"

    "Shit, I hope so...lots to see and do, ya know?"

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  • 1996 Georges Lignier et Fils Clos de la Roche 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

    Awesome wine that with some air really fleshed out and showed beautiful fruit, florals, and some earth. Yum!

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  • 2009 Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts 93 Points

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

    What a beautiful nose! Dark, deep and perfumed with lots of florals, wet earth, and red fruits. The palate was juicy, fresh, and YOUNG. Certainly time will do wonders for this wine, but it's already drinking nicely. I think some of the earthy tones will develop with time...right now it's mostly about the fruits.

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  • 1998 Robert Michel Cornas La Geynale 94 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

    I've enjoyed this vintage a lot in the Northern Rhone and this was a fine example (to my tastes). Tons of meaty, earthy, raw Syrah fruit here with some licorice too. A very traditional, rustic Syrah...just loved it.

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  • 2004 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 93 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

    Beautiful nose of meat, dark fruit, earth, and violets. The was very nice...firm, but showing nice complexity. Dark fruits, earth, beefy notes, and more violets. This is probably entering its peak...should be in a good place for a while.

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  • 2005 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    My first Schrader. It's big, and has a lot of powerful dark fruits packed in there. Definitely a glossy wine that is filled with lots of rich and sweet fruit. Balanced though, and with a few more years some secondary tones may emerge from the big fruit.

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  • 2007 Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz Gewürztraminer Spätlese 90 Points

    Germany, Pfalz

    Exotic and spicy, this was delicious. Only had a small taste, but the tropical fruits were awesome.

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