Old Friends, Old Wine Weekend-Red Burgundy, Rioja, Barolo, and a Few Germans

We congregated for four delightful meals with a different wine focus each time. Needless to say, it was the company and passionate interest of our dear friends that complemented great wines to make for a very special long weekend.

• 2014 Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos la Néore

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

  (1/12/2018)

  Pale. Layered aromas-herbs, citrus, then flowers and musk melon. Light to start, then picked up some glycerine. Strict, dry citrus and a swirl of mind boggling, explosive acidity and stone. Unevolved yet incredibly intense. What a treat to get an early glimpse of this wine which stands alone amongst Sauvignons. It should be hitting its stride in another 15 years, give or take. The most impressive wine of the meal, hands down.

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• 2012 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  (1/12/2018)

  Full ruby. Ripe black cherry, raspberry, and more green than I expected. Medium to full bodied for Pinot with a clay underpinning. Great depth of fruit, good acidity, round, broad tannins. Not terribly complex at this point, and quite dense and chocolatey for Chambolle, bordering on heavy handed. No question about the quality of the material, but if it is going to become more airy, it will take a good long while. It is more foursquare than grumpy right now.

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• 2013 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Acclivi

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (1/12/2018)

  Light ruby with slightly tawny rim. Laid back aromas of dried cherry and a whiff of tobacco. Light, elegant Nebbiolo weight that seemed ethereal after a bigger Barthod Chambolle. I was was surprised by how open this was right out of the gate. Gently sweet, bright citric twist, soil throughout. It is carried forward more by acidity than tannin, although at the 2 hour mark, it began to involute and the tannins became more assertive. Lovely young Barolo that has more backbone than initially meets the eye (or I should say palate).

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• 1973 Verwaltung der Staatlichen Weinbaudomänen Mainz Niersteiner Auflangen Riesling Qualitätswein

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  (1/13/2018)

  Deep yellow. Peach. Round and mouthfilling, just off dry. Alive and very satisfying.

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• 2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  (1/13/2018)

  Light ruby. Mostly green, stemmy notes on opening, reluctantly joined by some spice and mixed fruit over 2 hours. Lean at first, gained some texture but still did not wow with its feel or depth. Terrific acidity, some stony minerality, moderate finish. This was swept away tonight by the other Burgundies. It is cool and composed but lacked the excitement that this great cru can provide. I can't help but think that this was not as good as it can be. Needless to say, disappointing.

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• 1978 Bouchard Père et Fils La Romanée

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

  (1/13/2018)

  Deep, primary ruby. Incredibly fascinating aromatics-at different points, blackberry, smoke, tobacco, game. Big, powerful, and packed with coffee, ripe red and black fruit, fantastic acidity, and strong minerality. Powerful and penetrating with grainy tannins that make themselves felt over time. Profound. Another year, another great bottle of this, but not for those seeking delicacy in red Burgundy.

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• 1959 Thorin Echezeaux

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

  (1/13/2018)

  Light, translucent red without any browning. Aromas of sweet cherry and spice. Medium weight, very sappy. The depth and freshness of red fruit are miraculous for a wine that is almost 60 years old. Long finish with a bit of soil. Not the most precise wine, but a bolt from the blue, and an utter joy to drink. Fully expressed but not fragile at all. These perfectly stored Thorin wines can be real sleepers.

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• 1971 Weingut St. Georgshof Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Beerenauslese

  Germany, Rheingau

  (1/13/2018)

  Light golden color, sound for its age. Pure peach, clean, no botrytis. Great feel, moderately sweet, best on the very long finish supported by excellent acidity. Another crazy find-a 47 year old dessert wine from an unknown producer in splendid shape. Quite a capper to a great evening.

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• 1968 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  (1/14/2018)

  Tasted with the 1962. Ruby through the central 90%, slightly tawny edge. Immediately seductive aromas of balsam, strawberry, and cinnamon. All sorts of secodary high tones. Beautifully vibrant yet subtle red fruit with uplifted blood orange, long, gently fading finish. This was the better of the 2 wines for about 90 minutes, after which it began to show some astringency. Still, a totally wonderful, sexy 50 year old wine.

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• 1962 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  (1/14/2018)

  Tasted with the 1968. Light ruby with earlier transition to tawny than the '68. At first, a definite whiff of VA, but then it harmonized and bore more of a sinuous red berry and spice resemblance to its younger sib. Lean and quite mineral in the mouth to start, it fleshed out marvelously in the decanter, picking up body, fruit, length, and sweetness. It was still improving when the last drops were poured at the 2 hour mark, eventually eclipsing the 1968, although both bottles were fantastic. Bravo, C.V.N.E.!! The essence of why we love old wine.

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• 1990 Dr. Fischer Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spätlese

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  (1/14/2018)

  Deep yellow that then lightened. Incredible orange peel and petrol. Fuller body, a bit of sherry that blew off, and amazingly, it freshened and became more Mosel-like over time. Long soil filled finish, only average acidity. Excellent overall.

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• 1981 Bishop of Riesling Bernkasteler Riesling Qualitätswein Flawed

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  (1/14/2018)

  Dark yellow. Some better moments, but maderized and quite possibly corked as well.

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• 1982 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Prapò

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (1/14/2018)

  Light red. Wonderfully open aromatics of cherry, rose, and tobacco. Perfect elegant weight, natural sweetness balanced by strong acidity leaving pleasing tartness on the finish. Seductive, fully mature, lilting Barolo that did not seem like a highly structured Serralunga wine.

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• 1989 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (1/14/2018)

  Medium ruby with early fading. Wow, what aromatic intensity and penetration! I could smell this wine across the table. All tar and tobacco to begin, then slowly revealed some spice and ripe fruit all encased by furry tannins. A shame we could not give it more time in the decanter, as it got better and better with more air. Iconic, great, and very, very young. I'll end where I started-magnificent, totally wow wine.

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• 1989 Gaja Barolo Sperss

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (1/14/2018)

  Almost black compared to the Giacosa. More scents of wintergreen. Dense, ripe red fruit, sappy almost to the point of being alcoholic and syrupy. Long, ripe tannins with woody astringency. This started to show more at around 2 hours, but it was undeveloped and monochromatic compared to the Giacosa. Let's see what happens with another 20 years of aging, but I don't think it will be great.

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• 1971 Schloss Eltz Eltviller Langenstück Riesling Beerenauslese

  Germany, Rheingau

  (1/14/2018)

  Golden color. Slightly honeyed fruit surges out of the glass. Little in the way of secondary Riesling tones, remarkable for a wine of this age. Although it smells like TBA, sweet but not overpoweringly so. Layered and deep but not unctuous. Fresh apple and peach. Spicy, backed up by fine acidity. My only minor complaint is a bit of almond kernel bitterness that shortens the finish, but this was a gorgeous bottle that far outshone the prior night's selection. And so ended our indulgent weekend.

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