[Magnum] While those nose is fresh and lively, it is both darker and less expressive than the ‘59. Honeyed. The palate yellow and red apple and is quite lively with rich flavour and texture. Nutty. Nuanced. A sort of middle child in the context. Very good.
Medium gold in colour. Nose is wonderfully fresh, subtly oxidative but mostly caramel and toast. Sweet and frosted. The youth is surprising and very impressive. Younger and fresher than the ‘73 Mag alongside. The palate still has ample effervescence and has rich and dense yellow fruit and minerality. Savoury elements developing, mature, but I think this is just terrific.
Definitely the most youthful of the flight, and quite frankly is rendered to NV alongside the ‘59 and ‘73. Nice brioche but still light citrus fruit. Palate is ripe red apple with rich minerality. Palate definitely outperforms the nose but there is an awful lot of that Krug acid, even in the ‘90 vintage, that I enjoy less. Very good, just rendered young and linear by spectacular company.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
This is the textbook, classic smoky gunpowder nose you hope for in white burgundy. Pleasant reductiveness. Both tropical and citric. Sensational. Benchmark. Mild vanilla wood spice remaining. Nutty, buttery, mineral, everything. Palate is near perfect as well, rich and dense yellow fruit but cut with good acid. Very big acid. An absolute masterpiece.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Fresh nose, quiet creamy, more in the way of stone fruit than tropical. No oxidization problems but relative to the ‘96 alongside the fruit on this is darker. Still very good. On the palate this is rich and textured with developed fruit and nice mineral texture. Not on the plane of the 1996.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Terrific nose, highly expressive, but opulent and exotic. Surprisingly sweet. I think there is some great white burgundy gunpowder in here, but some others are calling this Riesling-like. Passion fruit. Apricot. On the palate this is dense and does have a peculiar oily texture. Ripe. Perhaps some botrytis.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Subtle smoke and less in the way of obvious reduction here, much more tropical fruit, even a certain banana cream. Sharp. Perfumed and smoky. Reminiscent of a pair of ‘12s a month or so ago. On the palate this is elegant and weightless but with excellent flavour. Sharp smokiness.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
While this is a good nose it is rendered quiet by the ‘93 and ‘00 alongside. Less obviously Coche and far more fruity. Vanilla wood spice hanging around. On the palate this is big and round. Notes falling short in the context. Good.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Classic Coche reduction absolutely booming through, smoke and sulphur and with developed yellow fruit. While this is still very fresh, coming back to it after the ‘00 and ‘07 it is certainly heavier and at about plateau development. On the palate this is terrific as well and has immensely rich yellow and tropical fruit flavour. Long dense finish. I had this for wine of the flight over the '00, which was amazing.
Dense, damp leather, damp forest floor, bold blackberry fruit, absolutely booming with power. Secondary development, yes, but overall so youthful and dark. Dense blue and black fruit. Immense power, lush.
This nose has a lot of sweet red and blue fruit on it, violet florals, and a certain inky / acrylic paint character. Mocha and dark chocolate. Highly expressive and playful. Elegant aromatics. Palate is sweet and accessible, straightforwardly delicious. A lovely gravelly texture. Absolutely sensational. The palate has a youthful Burgundian cherry cola spice. On the nose I prefer this to the '59 Latour.
Sour cherry, soy sauce, chocolate. Not a perfect nose. Sweating. A lot of iron in here. Palate is a bit better with chocolate covered cherries, but still not ideal. There are a lot of redeeming and interesting elements here, opulent. Very chocolatey. This comes around in a big way. Coming back to this after a few hours it has livened up meaningfully. Good now, but not on the plain of the '61 Palmer or '59 Latour sharing the flight.
Dense and not terribly expressive. Youthful and a little green. The palate is extremely dense and chocolatey. Clearly still an infant as the '89 ripeness or sweetness isn't really showing yet. The '61 in the flight is spectacular and I enjoy the mature detail of the '79.
This nose has a big perfume with a distinct green bell pepper coming through. Opulent black and blue fruit but the mint and menthol are very present. I actually like this one quite a bit although others are calling it austere. Reminiscent of '79 Haut Brion in terms of herbs and spice notes. Palate is mature but delicious right now.
This nose is hugely opulent but dark and dense and requires a great deal of swirling to get a good read. Even with a lot of coaxing the nose doesn't want to give up too much expression. Brooding. The palate however is excellent with chocolate covered cherries and black currant. This is clearly the wine of the flight, probably the best of the Bordeaux category, although I think the '59 Latour is a little more interesting, but others are calling this a clear wine of the night. I'm impressed but not blown away. Textrually dense. Not straightforwardly gettable like most First Growth showings. I wish I spent more time figuring this out.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Gorgeous nose, rustic earth but highly floral. Incredibly pure and fresh notwithstanding the stemminess, mostly manifesting in rose petals. Supremely elegant for a Dujac. Soft teas and spices. On the palate this mature with sweet red cherry and darker earth elements. Long lingering, textured, and detailed finish. I really like the '90 tonight, although most people at dinner prefer this. Excellent in any case. This flight is very consistent and comparable.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Crackling nose, vibrant red berry fruit and booming whole clustered stemmy florals. Amazing projection and expression. Sensationally good. Stalky but fresh. On the palate this is bright and vibrant and is only beginning to layer in more developed spice and earth notes. I am really excited by this tonight, especially since I've been a party to two flawed bottles in the past year. I think this edges out the '93 for wine of the flight, which most others at the dinner prefer. This flight is very consistent and comparable.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
This nose is good but relative to the ‘93 and ‘90 it is a little soft and just slightly tired. Strawberry, leathery red cherry, and dark tea notes. Flickers of oxidization. On the palate this is a different story and is back in line with the other two and every bit as delicious. bright and ripe fruit. Soft structure, integrated tannins, and the one to drink the quickest. This flight is very consistent and comparable.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
This nose is ripe and vibrant and has far more primary fruit than the ‘88 or ‘85 without much in the way of earth influence. Requiring a bit of swirling to get a good read. Youthful and fresh. On the palate the ‘90 is consistent and delivers a big, vibrant, and relatively youthful mouthful. Whereas the nose on the ‘85 was unbelievable but the palate was a little soft, this delivers across the board. This Rousseau Chambertin flight is also very consistent.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
Glorious bouquet, roses, dark teas, soft red cherry, strawberry, mild hay, all culminating in a detailed and highly expressive bouquet. Elegant and pure. Big projection. This easily takes the flight and is reminiscent of a sensational ‘91 enjoyed a month or so ago, I believe from the same distinguished source. On the palate this is quite soft and sweet. The nose is unbelievable but the palate doesn’t totally match, although is elegant and beautiful to be sure. Soft and fully integrated mouthfeel. This has to be about peak performance.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
This nose is highly expressive and has a slightly more rustic interpretation of red cherry and has more earth. This is the cleanest example of the '88 I have had and it is still quite earth influenced. Teas and mild spice. Very pretty. Palate has darker fruit and teas. This Rousseau Chambertin flight is excellent and very consistent.
[Magnum] Dark nose, brooding, black cherry and black current. Intense an inexpressive right now. Some vanilla from the wood in the purple fruit. As one of the last wines at the end of a marathon dinner this is hard to read and appreciate, although the Chaves in the flight are terrific. The magnum format probably doesn't help either. 92 as is with greater potential for the next time.
Excellent bouquet, textbook chave with dry smoky earth, ceramic, smoked meat, and bold black fruit with a lovely floral elegance over top. Highly expressive with a big projection. On the palate this is ripe and round and straightforwardly delicious. The scorched earth character struggles to make it on to the palate as much as this is still primary flavoured, although with nuanced texture. I love this each time.
This does not match the aromatic expression or beauty of the ‘90. Coaxing yields more of the clay and acrylics character, but this doesn’t reach the smoked meat and floral levels. Palate is rich, dense, and intense. Good drinking but not sensational, especially given the very difficult context.
1973 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut Collection 94 Points
France, Champagne
[Magnum] While those nose is fresh and lively, it is both darker and less expressive than the ‘59. Honeyed. The palate yellow and red apple and is quite lively with rich flavour and texture. Nutty. Nuanced. A sort of middle child in the context. Very good.
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1959 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut Collection 97 Points
France, Champagne
Medium gold in colour. Nose is wonderfully fresh, subtly oxidative but mostly caramel and toast. Sweet and frosted. The youth is surprising and very impressive. Younger and fresher than the ‘73 Mag alongside. The palate still has ample effervescence and has rich and dense yellow fruit and minerality. Savoury elements developing, mature, but I think this is just terrific.
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1990 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut Collection 93 Points
France, Champagne
Definitely the most youthful of the flight, and quite frankly is rendered to NV alongside the ‘59 and ‘73. Nice brioche but still light citrus fruit. Palate is ripe red apple with rich minerality. Palate definitely outperforms the nose but there is an awful lot of that Krug acid, even in the ‘90 vintage, that I enjoy less. Very good, just rendered young and linear by spectacular company.
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1996 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 97 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
This is the textbook, classic smoky gunpowder nose you hope for in white burgundy. Pleasant reductiveness. Both tropical and citric. Sensational. Benchmark. Mild vanilla wood spice remaining. Nutty, buttery, mineral, everything. Palate is near perfect as well, rich and dense yellow fruit but cut with good acid. Very big acid. An absolute masterpiece.
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1995 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Fresh nose, quiet creamy, more in the way of stone fruit than tropical. No oxidization problems but relative to the ‘96 alongside the fruit on this is darker. Still very good. On the palate this is rich and textured with developed fruit and nice mineral texture. Not on the plane of the 1996.
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1983 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Terrific nose, highly expressive, but opulent and exotic. Surprisingly sweet. I think there is some great white burgundy gunpowder in here, but some others are calling this Riesling-like. Passion fruit. Apricot. On the palate this is dense and does have a peculiar oily texture. Ripe. Perhaps some botrytis.
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2000 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 96 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Subtle smoke and less in the way of obvious reduction here, much more tropical fruit, even a certain banana cream. Sharp. Perfumed and smoky. Reminiscent of a pair of ‘12s a month or so ago. On the palate this is elegant and weightless but with excellent flavour. Sharp smokiness.
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2007 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
While this is a good nose it is rendered quiet by the ‘93 and ‘00 alongside. Less obviously Coche and far more fruity. Vanilla wood spice hanging around. On the palate this is big and round. Notes falling short in the context. Good.
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1993 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 96 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Classic Coche reduction absolutely booming through, smoke and sulphur and with developed yellow fruit. While this is still very fresh, coming back to it after the ‘00 and ‘07 it is certainly heavier and at about plateau development. On the palate this is terrific as well and has immensely rich yellow and tropical fruit flavour. Long dense finish. I had this for wine of the flight over the '00, which was amazing.
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1959 Château Latour Grand Vin 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Dense, damp leather, damp forest floor, bold blackberry fruit, absolutely booming with power. Secondary development, yes, but overall so youthful and dark. Dense blue and black fruit. Immense power, lush.
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1961 Château Palmer 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
This nose has a lot of sweet red and blue fruit on it, violet florals, and a certain inky / acrylic paint character. Mocha and dark chocolate. Highly expressive and playful. Elegant aromatics. Palate is sweet and accessible, straightforwardly delicious. A lovely gravelly texture. Absolutely sensational. The palate has a youthful Burgundian cherry cola spice. On the nose I prefer this to the '59 Latour.
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1961 Château Mouton Rothschild 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Sour cherry, soy sauce, chocolate. Not a perfect nose. Sweating. A lot of iron in here. Palate is a bit better with chocolate covered cherries, but still not ideal. There are a lot of redeeming and interesting elements here, opulent. Very chocolatey. This comes around in a big way. Coming back to this after a few hours it has livened up meaningfully. Good now, but not on the plain of the '61 Palmer or '59 Latour sharing the flight.
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1989 Château Lafleur 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Dense and not terribly expressive. Youthful and a little green. The palate is extremely dense and chocolatey. Clearly still an infant as the '89 ripeness or sweetness isn't really showing yet. The '61 in the flight is spectacular and I enjoy the mature detail of the '79.
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1979 Château Lafleur 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
This nose has a big perfume with a distinct green bell pepper coming through. Opulent black and blue fruit but the mint and menthol are very present. I actually like this one quite a bit although others are calling it austere. Reminiscent of '79 Haut Brion in terms of herbs and spice notes. Palate is mature but delicious right now.
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1961 Château Lafleur 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
This nose is hugely opulent but dark and dense and requires a great deal of swirling to get a good read. Even with a lot of coaxing the nose doesn't want to give up too much expression. Brooding. The palate however is excellent with chocolate covered cherries and black currant. This is clearly the wine of the flight, probably the best of the Bordeaux category, although I think the '59 Latour is a little more interesting, but others are calling this a clear wine of the night. I'm impressed but not blown away. Textrually dense. Not straightforwardly gettable like most First Growth showings. I wish I spent more time figuring this out.
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1993 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche 96 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Gorgeous nose, rustic earth but highly floral. Incredibly pure and fresh notwithstanding the stemminess, mostly manifesting in rose petals. Supremely elegant for a Dujac. Soft teas and spices. On the palate this mature with sweet red cherry and darker earth elements. Long lingering, textured, and detailed finish. I really like the '90 tonight, although most people at dinner prefer this. Excellent in any case. This flight is very consistent and comparable.
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1990 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche 96 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Crackling nose, vibrant red berry fruit and booming whole clustered stemmy florals. Amazing projection and expression. Sensationally good. Stalky but fresh. On the palate this is bright and vibrant and is only beginning to layer in more developed spice and earth notes. I am really excited by this tonight, especially since I've been a party to two flawed bottles in the past year. I think this edges out the '93 for wine of the flight, which most others at the dinner prefer. This flight is very consistent and comparable.
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1985 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
This nose is good but relative to the ‘93 and ‘90 it is a little soft and just slightly tired. Strawberry, leathery red cherry, and dark tea notes. Flickers of oxidization. On the palate this is a different story and is back in line with the other two and every bit as delicious. bright and ripe fruit. Soft structure, integrated tannins, and the one to drink the quickest. This flight is very consistent and comparable.
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1990 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin 96 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
This nose is ripe and vibrant and has far more primary fruit than the ‘88 or ‘85 without much in the way of earth influence. Requiring a bit of swirling to get a good read. Youthful and fresh. On the palate the ‘90 is consistent and delivers a big, vibrant, and relatively youthful mouthful. Whereas the nose on the ‘85 was unbelievable but the palate was a little soft, this delivers across the board. This Rousseau Chambertin flight is also very consistent.
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1985 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin 97 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
Glorious bouquet, roses, dark teas, soft red cherry, strawberry, mild hay, all culminating in a detailed and highly expressive bouquet. Elegant and pure. Big projection. This easily takes the flight and is reminiscent of a sensational ‘91 enjoyed a month or so ago, I believe from the same distinguished source. On the palate this is quite soft and sweet. The nose is unbelievable but the palate doesn’t totally match, although is elegant and beautiful to be sure. Soft and fully integrated mouthfeel. This has to be about peak performance.
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1988 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
This nose is highly expressive and has a slightly more rustic interpretation of red cherry and has more earth. This is the cleanest example of the '88 I have had and it is still quite earth influenced. Teas and mild spice. Very pretty. Palate has darker fruit and teas. This Rousseau Chambertin flight is excellent and very consistent.
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1979 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 92 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
[Magnum] Dark nose, brooding, black cherry and black current. Intense an inexpressive right now. Some vanilla from the wood in the purple fruit. As one of the last wines at the end of a marathon dinner this is hard to read and appreciate, although the Chaves in the flight are terrific. The magnum format probably doesn't help either. 92 as is with greater potential for the next time.
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1990 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Excellent bouquet, textbook chave with dry smoky earth, ceramic, smoked meat, and bold black fruit with a lovely floral elegance over top. Highly expressive with a big projection. On the palate this is ripe and round and straightforwardly delicious. The scorched earth character struggles to make it on to the palate as much as this is still primary flavoured, although with nuanced texture. I love this each time.
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1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
This does not match the aromatic expression or beauty of the ‘90. Coaxing yields more of the clay and acrylics character, but this doesn’t reach the smoked meat and floral levels. Palate is rich, dense, and intense. Good drinking but not sensational, especially given the very difficult context.
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