Fresh and maturing apple with great depth and length, still showcasing very bright textures. This continues to be a great Champagne at its release price.
Alongside the 2000. Very rich and layered, this is starting to show some age. So much apple, baked apple, and lemon curd coming across as dense, powerful and very nuanced. I preferred this over the 2000 to start, but the younger wine caught up with more time in glass.
Alongside the 1996. Yellow, green, and red apple with ultra concentration and a long, minerally finish. This was not quite as polished or harmonious as the 1996 to start, but air was this wine's friend, and it came together nicely by the final sip, even if never quite as complex as the older vintage.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Alongside the 2012, both showing great. This was floral, bright and linear with so much apple, lemon and lemon zest. Long and wonderfully precise. Some people preferred the richness of the 2012, but I found this 2011 to be more energetic and the better of the pair.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Alongside the 2011, both brilliant. This was much richer and riper, thus more accessible and forward. Lots of apple, plus something nearly tropical, this showed great depth, but slightly less energy and minerality vs the 2011 which just kept going and going.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Alongside the 2008. Rich and dense with so much ripe orchard fruit, fresh herbs and spring flowers. Starts off lush and brilliant, this brightens up from the middle forward to its long, long exciting finish. The only bad thing I can say about this wine is that the 2008 was even better.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Alongside the 2015. Rich and lush from start-to-finish, but equally bright at every step. Completely enchanting fresh herbs and spice complement the orchard fruit, this has so much depth and concentration. Can white wine get any better than this bottle tonight? I bought this bottle right at release, so know it was perfectly stored since.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
Alongside 01 and 02, this was the star of the vertical. Complex array of red and black cherries and berries with so much Asian five spice character. Certainly powerful, but the balance and persistence is an even bigger star here.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
Alongside the 96 and 02 vintages. Sweet and savory spice with lots of red fruit, 2001's leaner vintage character came through here, with good+ length and good weight. The 2001 Richebourg in the next flight was actually more enjoyable tonight.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
Alongside the 96 and 01 vintages. Ripe red and black cherry with precocious baking spice. Also wonderfully rich and concentrated, this gave the 1996 a fair fight for best in flight, but the older wine was just more harmonious.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Wonderfully rich for the vintage, this was perfectly balanced and harmonious with so much red berry and cherry from start-to-finish. Not nearly as powerful as the great bottles of 1996 and 2002 La Tâche in the previous flight, but certainly more pleasurable than the 2001 La Tâche.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
More black than red fruits here, this comes across as a wonderfully fresh powerhouse that is just starting to show its full charm. Great now, upside from here. I was disappointed with the previous few times I've had this wine, so am glad it is back to the form I recall from a decade+ ago.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Great color, great fill. Opened 30 minutes before serving. Lots of mature black fruit with black truffle, leather and braised meat, but wonderfully fresh for its age, Some people wondered if this was somehow fortified or supplemented, but I thought it completely authentic, probably from Vogüé.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Lots of red cherry everywhere, surprisingly restrained for the richness of the vintage. Starts off as charming, but this quickly expands on its long-ish finish. Really good now, just not as great as the 2009 in the next glass.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Ripe and dense, yet brightly textured with great brightness and weight. A couple of hours in decanter really brought everything together. I last tasted this in Burgundy just around its release, and am thrilled how/ where it has progressed.
Dates and figs with dried cherries, dark chocolate and intense richness. Not as complex as the Nacional 1967 in the next glass, but bigger and more classic.
2002 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 93 Points
France, Champagne
Fresh and maturing apple with great depth and length, still showcasing very bright textures. This continues to be a great Champagne at its release price.
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1996 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil 95 Points
France, Champagne
Alongside the 2000. Very rich and layered, this is starting to show some age. So much apple, baked apple, and lemon curd coming across as dense, powerful and very nuanced. I preferred this over the 2000 to start, but the younger wine caught up with more time in glass.
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2000 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil 95 Points
France, Champagne
Alongside the 1996. Yellow, green, and red apple with ultra concentration and a long, minerally finish. This was not quite as polished or harmonious as the 1996 to start, but air was this wine's friend, and it came together nicely by the final sip, even if never quite as complex as the older vintage.
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2011 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet 96 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Alongside the 2012, both showing great. This was floral, bright and linear with so much apple, lemon and lemon zest. Long and wonderfully precise. Some people preferred the richness of the 2012, but I found this 2011 to be more energetic and the better of the pair.
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2012 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Alongside the 2011, both brilliant. This was much richer and riper, thus more accessible and forward. Lots of apple, plus something nearly tropical, this showed great depth, but slightly less energy and minerality vs the 2011 which just kept going and going.
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2015 Jean-Claude Ramonet Montrachet 97 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Alongside the 2008. Rich and dense with so much ripe orchard fruit, fresh herbs and spring flowers. Starts off lush and brilliant, this brightens up from the middle forward to its long, long exciting finish. The only bad thing I can say about this wine is that the 2008 was even better.
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2008 Domaine Ramonet Montrachet 98 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Alongside the 2015. Rich and lush from start-to-finish, but equally bright at every step. Completely enchanting fresh herbs and spice complement the orchard fruit, this has so much depth and concentration. Can white wine get any better than this bottle tonight? I bought this bottle right at release, so know it was perfectly stored since.
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1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 97 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
Alongside 01 and 02, this was the star of the vertical. Complex array of red and black cherries and berries with so much Asian five spice character. Certainly powerful, but the balance and persistence is an even bigger star here.
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2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
Alongside the 96 and 02 vintages. Sweet and savory spice with lots of red fruit, 2001's leaner vintage character came through here, with good+ length and good weight. The 2001 Richebourg in the next flight was actually more enjoyable tonight.
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2002 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 96 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru
Alongside the 96 and 01 vintages. Ripe red and black cherry with precocious baking spice. Also wonderfully rich and concentrated, this gave the 1996 a fair fight for best in flight, but the older wine was just more harmonious.
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2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Wonderfully rich for the vintage, this was perfectly balanced and harmonious with so much red berry and cherry from start-to-finish. Not nearly as powerful as the great bottles of 1996 and 2002 La Tâche in the previous flight, but certainly more pleasurable than the 2001 La Tâche.
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1996 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
More black than red fruits here, this comes across as a wonderfully fresh powerhouse that is just starting to show its full charm. Great now, upside from here. I was disappointed with the previous few times I've had this wine, so am glad it is back to the form I recall from a decade+ ago.
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1962 Berry Bros. & Rudd Musigny 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Great color, great fill. Opened 30 minutes before serving. Lots of mature black fruit with black truffle, leather and braised meat, but wonderfully fresh for its age, Some people wondered if this was somehow fortified or supplemented, but I thought it completely authentic, probably from Vogüé.
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2006 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Lots of red cherry everywhere, surprisingly restrained for the richness of the vintage. Starts off as charming, but this quickly expands on its long-ish finish. Really good now, just not as great as the 2009 in the next glass.
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2009 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Ripe and dense, yet brightly textured with great brightness and weight. A couple of hours in decanter really brought everything together. I last tasted this in Burgundy just around its release, and am thrilled how/ where it has progressed.
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1967 Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage Nacional 94 Points
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Complex and layered with so much going on. Certainly rich with plenty of fruit intact. Not intensely sweet, and some intriguing bitter notes.
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1970 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage 93 Points
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Dates and figs with dried cherries, dark chocolate and intense richness. Not as complex as the Nacional 1967 in the next glass, but bigger and more classic.
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