Weekend with Eddie - Part 2

The best line up of my life! The chef cooked for us and it was incredibly delicious.

• 2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  I seem to agree a lot with AG and that includes Champagne. I bought a lot of the 06 and so did Eddie. Eddie has not tried it yet so it opened one. The nose strongly reminds me Raveneau Chablis, quite ripe and dense without compromising the purity and precision. Ripe white fruits, a hint of lemon curd, saline, white pepper and mineral. Excellent concentration, sweet citrus fruit driven palate impression, generous very fine mousse, bright acidity and lovely long finish. This is already very enjoyable but will age beautifully. I highly recommend it, definitely a repeat of the 96 and 02 and highly likely to surpass both. My rating may be a bit conservative in lieu of the wines that followed.

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• 2003 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  The color of this particular bottle is quite light, like a young Chablis. Surprisingly delicate, precise and elegant, white fruit, granny smith, lemon curd, light honey and strong presence of mineral. Very precise and delicate palate. I really love the freshness and purity though not as energetic and complex as the 98.

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• 1996 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil 99 Points

  France, Champagne

  This is like the 01 D’Yquem, magically combining the incredibly intensity and finesse. The color is similar to the 98 but the nose displays greater precision and freshness. Perfectly ripe yellow fruit, great Chevalier Montrachet at the peak, orange peel, smoke, honey and brioche. Absolutely perfect palate, intense yet airy, finest mousse that is abundant but not detracting, very pure sweet yellow fruit driven palate impression, perfect amount of acidity and minerality and ethereal finish that makes the world to stop for a moment. The palate reminds me a great Chevalier Montrachet, ie perfect balance, airiness and precision. Monumental Champagne.

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• 1998 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  This is a very deeply toned and dense BdB as the intense golden color suggests. Ripe yellow fruit, baked apple, sweet spices, brioche, butter, flowers and anise. Excellent concentration, nicely layered fruit, generous fine mousse, sweet yellow fruit driven palate impression, bright acidity and lovely long finish. It lacks the precision of the 03 and the 96 but displays excellent weight and complexity. It will be interesting to follow the development.

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• 2001 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  I remember this having laser like focus and precisison upon release. It remains youthful but lost a bit of precision. The fruit expression has transformed to ripe yellow from pure white. Harmonious nose displaying ripe yellow fruit, peach, a hint of coche matchstick, flint, honey, crème brulee and mineral. Very good concentration, surprisingly soft and round palate impression, good acidity and lovely long sweet finish. It is neither as precise nor as complex as the 02. Nevertheless, this is a perfectly mature Corton Charlemagne with a hint of Coche signature. It got fresher and gain precision with air so perhaps an hour decanting may not be a bad idea.

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• 2002 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 98 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Beautifully mature GC white burgundy nose displaying lemon candy, peach juice, lemon and herb infused oil, flint, a hint of coche matchstick, smoke and wet stone. Exceptional concentration, beautifully layered fruits, dense and oily without being heavy, good acidity and mineral presence and lovely long finish. This has very ripe nose with oily palate. The bright acidity and mineral expression provides very good precision and prevent from being cloying. It nicely represents the 02 vintage characters.

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• 2011 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

  Although the overall expression is quite ripe, it displays more white fruits compare to the 08 and 09. Medium expressive nose displaying white citrus fruits, lemon curd and grapefruit, light caramel, limestone, white flowers and noticeable 04 like vegetal note. Very good concentration but far less concentrated than the other two, reasonable acidity and mineral expression, and medium long finish due to the green a la ’04. It lacks the intensity and energy which seem to be an issue in most of the 11 whites.

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• 2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet 98 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

  This is a big scale very ripe style of Montrachet which is much closer to the 08 in flavor profile but definitely not as exotic. Large scale but pretty “controlled” nose displaying very ripe dense yellow fruit, canned yellow peaches, sweet spices, mint, honey, a hint of nutmeg and limestone. Unbelievable concentration, unctuous, oily, beautifully layered, good mineral presence to prevent the wine being cloying and impressive long oil and mineral driven finish. As concentrated as the 08, less exotic and a bit more classic/restrained.

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• 2008 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet 100 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

  I am so lucky and privilege to try this back to back. As big and expressive but slightly not as kinky as the day before. Expressive nose displaying perfectly ripe orchard yellow pit fruits, also a hint of mango, pineapple and guava, noticeable botrytis, spicy spices, honey and strong presence of mineral. Incredibly concentrated on par with the 09, incredibly layered, sensual dense yet airy, perfect amount of acidity and minerality and long sweet deeply toned spicy finish. Two great bottles back to back, not sure which one I prefer more but I figure it would be unfair not to garner at least one perfect score so this gets it.

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• 1953 Château Lafite Rothschild 98 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Captivating nose displaying subtle but decadent red fruits, plum and cherry, caramel that you find in old clarets that adds the sweetness to overall impression, strong note of Lafite lead pencil, cedar, sautéed cep, smoke and tree bark. Perfectly harmonious palate, extremely silky, slightly lean, subtle sweet slightly dry red fruits, strong presence of mineral a la lead pencil, soft and warm, fully resolved tannins and seamless finish with a hint of cedar as the end note. This is a beautiful claret that is quite soft and warm at this stage. Quite Burgundian but strong presence of lead pencil and cedar clearly tell the origin. I would love to share a bottle with a friend. It provides a nice contrast to the 61 Latour which is a tour de force.

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• 1961 Château Latour Grand Vin 98 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Expressive nose displaying intense slightly dry black fruits, cassis, a hint of mint, eucalyptus, port, leather smoke and cedar. Unbelievably concentrated, so unctuous that you can eat this, layers up layers of intense dark fruits, a hint of port like sweetness, perfect amount of acidity, mineral a la earth and deeply toned seamless finish with a hint of fully mature port as the end note. Freakishly big and ripe. Impressive monumental immortal wine. If you are a claret lover, you would prefer the older brother, 59. Wow!

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• 1971 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 98 Points

  France, Champagne

  Light amber. Expressive nose with a lot of orange and apricot marmalade, tea, lemon curd, honey, a hint of toffee, roasted macadamia, almond paste, rain water and mineral. Fully harmonized palate, still very good amount of fine mousse, pure succulent yellow fruit driven palate impression, bright acidity and seamless long finish that resonates. Quite fresh overall impression despite being fully mature, partially due to bright acidity and strong presence of mineral. Truly great fully mature Champagne.

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• 1985 Domaine Ponsot Griotte-Chambertin 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Clearly demonstrating the producer typicity, ie big, ripe and black fruit driven. Expressive nose displaying dense ripe black fruits, stewed tomato, seashell, damp cellar, dark spices, mushroom, sous bois and earth. Excellent concentration, dense dark fruit driven palate impression, chewy slightly rustic palate, bright acidity and long ripe black fruit driven finish. Very ripe and dense wine.

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• 1951 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 98 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  This brings the fond memory of the 50 drank two years ago. Very fragile color that is almost yellow. It starts slow, a hint of rusty nail, delicate red and yellow fruits, sous bois, ash, iron, mushroom and soy. With only a bit of air, joyful classic fully mature Burgundy nose, essence of raspberry, strawberry jam diluted with water, decadent light caramel, cedar, grilled cep, soy, truffle,iron and a hint of Asian spices. Perfectly harmonized seamless palate, essence of delicate red fruits with light caramel driven palate impression and lovely long ethereal finish. With only a drop or two left in the glass, it is so delicate yet so complex, decadent and vibrant. Very special wine. This is what a 50 plus year old La Tache is all about.

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• 1969 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  Medium expressive nose displaying slightly dry red fruits, soy, a hint of Negroni, cedar, treebark and mushroom. Medium concentration, slightly angular palate, good acidity and medium long finish.

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• 1972 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  Surprisingly youthful, must be cellared ideally. Very youthful and sturdy nose displaying sweet red fruits, raspberry, raspberry jam, a hint of soy, oyster brine, dark spices, mushroom and earth. Very good concentration, generous red fruit driven palate impression and lovely long finish. It doesn’t have the purity and the decadence of the 78, nevertheless really solid La Tache. This particular bottle can further improve.

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• 1979 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 97 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  Perhaps the most youthful of the three 70s. The fruit is more black, also mushroom, a hint of vosne spice, a hint of damp cellar and sous bois and strong presence of mineral. Excellent concentration, decadent slightly dry black fruit driven palate impression, bright acidity, nicely resolve tannins and long finish. Surprising youthfulness and concentration. Really impressive.

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• 1971 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  Eddie announced in advance that it is a Rudy’s bottle.
  
  Correct color. Generous sweet red fruit, raspberry and strawberry jam, a slight hint of soy, sous bois, mushroom and earth. Medium concentration, slightly dry red fruit driven palate impression, strong presence of mineral and nice long finish. It is not as complex as what one expects from the 71 La Tache. I may be able to call this as fake if served blind along with a few bottles of La Tache in a tasting setting. We all agree that it is a fake but certainly a very good one. I am curious whether this is a blend or one wine. My guess is a lesser crus from the same period. I would rate this around 92-93 pts for sure. If I were drunk, 96-97 pts.

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• 1978 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 100 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  Very good fill. Stunning nose displaying perfectly mature Pinot fruit, subtle ripe raspberry, the essence of strawberry, dry orange peel, decadent light caramel, sous bois, a hint of soy, sweet spices perhaps nutmeg, a hint of Vosne spice, tie guan yin, mushroom and earth. Perfectly harmonious palate, subtle strawberry jam and light caramel driven palate impression, very polished ethereal palate, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, fully resolved tannins and the finish that lasts forever. There is a perfect order and pitch in how each elements express. It is perfectly harmonious and energetic. One of the greatest wines of my life. The taste is still so vivid.

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• 1993 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  Bright ripe red fruit driven nose, noticeable stem, a hint of sous bois, spicy, Vosne spice, and earth. Very good concentration, bright red fruit driven palate impression, a hint of stem and mineral, good acidity and long finish that ends with stem as the end note. Due to the stem expression, this young wine will show better in another decade.

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• 1991 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Flawed

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  Corked. Excellent concentration and very youthful.

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• 1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 99 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  For my palate, this flirts with perfection consistently and this is no exception. Expressive nose displaying perfectly ripe blackberry, also a hint of red cherry, Vosne spice, licorice, very floral, coffee beans, smoke, incense and stem. Incredible concentration, ripe black fruits, very precise and pure palate, unbelievably layered fruits, bright acidity, tannins are masked by opulent fruits and never ending finish. So intense yet perfectly pure and precise. Absolutely joy.

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• 1966 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  A lot crème brulee and tarte tatin, baking spices, roasted almond, a hint of toffee and mineral. Lovely sweet palate, good freshness, shy mousse, excellent acidity and lovely long sweet finish. Still really enjoyable as Champagne. Not as energetic as the 71 Salon. Nevertheless really enjoyable.

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• 1964 Maison Leroy Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Épenots 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  Served blind while I am still enjoying the 78 and the 90 La Taches. Subtle sweet red fruits, strong presence of iron, roaster chestnut, mineral and earth. Shy and very mature palate. Need to be drunk soon!

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Simon kindly invited all of us to his beautiful condo. We sat outside to enjoy the beautiful weather and smoke cigars. Eddie had a bottle of the 85 DRC Richebourg in his car which he generously opened. I sort of skipped the bottle. Simon then offered to open the 59 Latour in magnum which was perfect. We order a few delicious pizzas. The perfect exclamation mark to end the memorable occasions!

• 1959 Château Latour Grand Vin 100 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  From a magnum with excellent fill. Explosive nose displaying intense blue and black fruits, cassis, blackberry jam, a hint of milk chocolate, caramel, cedar, butter, tobacco and eucalyptus. Incredible concentration, layers upon layers of cassis, unctuous yet polished and silky, bright acidity and unbelievably long finish with cassis and cedar as the end notes. First time trying in magnum, it certainly shows the perfect mature Latour characters but so much more opulent and energetic. I have drunk at least ten bottles of this wine and this is a couple notches better. One of the greatest Bordeauxs of my life.

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It was one of the most memorable wine events. Both lunches lasted more than five hours. A good time was had by all!