Mostly Blind dinner - 88 Krug, 02 Boillot Monty, 02 Laurent CdB, 89 Palmer, 96 Yquem and etc.
Black Salt, Washington DC
Tasted Thursday, July 9, 2015 by dcwino with 705 views
Introduction
David E organized another wonderful wine dinner for 8. This time, all wines except the MV Krug were served single blind. The sous Chef created a wonderful tasting menu that was perhaps the best I had at Black Salt.
Flight 1 - Champagne (3 Notes)
Initially I preferred the MV which was one of the best versions of this wine I had. However the 88 Krug improved dramatically with air and flirted with perfection at the end of the night.
Flight 2 - Two whites (2 Notes)
The Y seemed very tight. The Muscadet was really good, a serious wine.
Flight 3 - White Burgundy (3 Notes)
The Lafon showed very well, quite complex for a village wine, the complexity can be attributed to slow aging. There is nothing like a nice mature WB. The 02 Montrachet was exceptional once again. The Dauvissat Clos underperformed for my palate but others liked it better.
Flight 4 - Red Burgundy (3 Notes)
The Rouget was a bit angular. The Laurent showed really well. If you don't mind caramel/sweet Leroyesque expression, you outta give Laurent a chance.
Flight 5 - Red Burgundy and a ringer (2 Notes)
Flight 6 - Bordeaux (3 Notes)
The 89 Palmer showed incredibly well. The HB was surprisingly concentrated albeit not terribly complex. The 90 Beausejour was quite good but not great.
Flight 7 - Yquem (2 Notes)
For my palate, Yquem is all about weightless texture Both bottles were saying Yquem. The 86 was very precise, the 96 fat, opulent and hedonistic.
Closing
Another great night of sharing great wines with great friends.
2002 Pommery Champagne Cuvée Louise Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
Oh boy this is dry. My guess is a grower’s champagne with 0 dosage. The overall fruit expression reminds me the 02 Dom in some ways. Fresh nose displaying white fruits, apple, a hint of pear, lemon curd, white flowers and mineral. Very good concentration, fresh fruit driven palate impression, slightly coarse mousse, strong presence of mineral, bright acidity and bone dry finish. The finish is extremely dry and gives a bit of bitter impression. Really fresh and darn dry. Need a few more years of cellaring to soften but already very enjoyable.
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1988 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 98 Points
France, Champagne
I can’t help but notice the Krug bottle shape. Pop and pour, very oxidative impression but not madeirized in anyways. A hint of Vin Jaune, brioche, smoke and tarte tatin. The overall impression seems a bit advanced. Quite full palate, warm and round, ripe sweet yellow fruit driven palate impression, fine mousse, strong presence of mineral, bright acidity and lovely long finish. It improves dramatically with air becoming more delicate and fresher. With two hours of air, complex and beguiling nose displaying sweeter yet fresher and more delicate yellow fruits, apricot, orange peel, lanoline, brioche, smoke, honey and sweet spices. The palate becomes incredibly silky and polished. The best is the last drop! I highly recommend giving an hour or two of air. This is a great example of fully mature Krug that needs a lot of air. It starts around 93 and gets up all the way to 98pts! My guess was 79 or 90.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée 96 Points
France, Champagne
I tried a bottle of 20+ year old MV, ie a 30 year old MV, a couple years ago and rated 97pts. This is another great example of a fully mature MV, demonstrating the benefit of cellaring them. Beautiful golden color that you get in a fully mature Champagne, foretelling what is to come. Beautiful fully mature yet very youthful nose displaying a hint of red currants, apricots, yellow peach, honey, ginger candy, toffee and brioche. Perfectly integrated overall palate impression, sweet yellow pit fruits and a hint of orange peel, round yet cool, good acidity and lovely clean sweet finish. It is fully mature yet without any oxidative notes. Compare to the 88 in the same flight, the palate is slightly less delicate and the nose is slightly less complex. Nevertheless, this is a very complete champagne with exceptional balance. I initially rate this higher than the 88. Just incredibly enjoyable.
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