If only all Champagne tasted like this at age 25+ ... really love that the wine retained its sweetness of fruit, creamy texture and bright acidity, while adding the layers of earth and roasted nuts that come with age. A dialed in older Champagne.
Side-by-side with 14 Roulot Meix Chavaux. More richness and unabashed fat Meursault fruit here. Good balancing acidity and excellent length. Held up well on night two, but the forward personality had diminished, and I preferred it on night one.
Side-by-side with 14 Lafon Baronne. While the Lafon was all about rich, chewy, fat fruit, the Roulout was all about its spine of bright, linear acidity. Held up quite well and showed consistently on night two.
12 | 10 | 05 flight. Still way too young, but reasonably approachable and reasonably showing the range of expected pepper and smoke interwoven into the still chewy and firm black fruit. A very, very good vintage but better in a decade+ with several points of upside.
12 | 10 | 05 flight. A marvelous vintage destined to be one of the greats, and already approachable and performing at a high level, yet there is still so much upside as the pure, pristine primary black fruits develop even greater depth pepper, game and spice intensity. Fabulous at age 14, even better at age 25+
12 | 10 | 05 flight. The most monolithic, concentrated and decadent of the flight. The wine is ever so glacially aging and improving in its approachability and development. Better in 15-20 years with plenty of upside.
89 | 90 pair. The 90 was unbelievably aromatic, pure and intense when it was poured, then it started to firm up just a touch but enough to go from perfect to just short of perfect. This wine has it all -- pure fruit, intense and wide-ranging complexity, textural complexity, and length. Cruising along in a peak drinking window, and certain bottles like tonights still have upside from further cellaring. Epic.
89 | 90 pair. A sensational bottle and a rare occasion where with two sound bottles the 89 bests the 90 (albeit by a hair). The wine gained intensity and depth as it sat in the glass. Crazy intense and alluring aromatics. At peak.
87 | 86 pair. This pair was overshadowed by the other vintages tonight but there's still plenty to like in a classic, mature, majestic Chave. All the trademark notes with perhaps a dryness to the fruit and relative lightness to the concentration. This will hold on, but it's best days are past.
86 | 87 pair. Overshadowed by the other vintages tonight but this is a classic Chave. Slightly more sweetness of fruit relative to the 87 but otherwise similarly lower key and fading compared to the still ascending or at peak vintages.
75 | 76 pair. Whereas the 86/87 pair seemed fading/past peak these two from the 70s are gorgeously and effortlessly holding on in a late peak fashion. Beautiful savory fruit with plenty of life/punch remaining and all the black pepper/game/smoke complexity you'd expect. Only problem was it wasn't as drop dead good as the 1975 alongside.
75 | 76 pair. Wow, this is an incredibly impressive 45+ year-old Chave. It's hauntingly loaded with complexity while still holding on to its pure black fruit. Weightless while still packing a punch with a long crescendoing finish (like the mouthfeel a grand well-aged Musigny). What a treat.
75 | 76 pair. After the line-up of Chave bottles, the fruit and youthfulness in the Grange pair was shocking and arresting. Waves of pure, sweet black and red fruit with emerging game/olive character and plenty of spice. Not a ton of difference between the 75 and 76, to be honest. Delicious in some ways, but when might these show complexity?
75 | 76 pair. After the line-up of Chave bottles, the fruit and youthfulness in the Grange pair was shocking and arresting. Waves of pure, sweet black and red fruit with emerging game/olive character and plenty of spice. Not a ton of difference between the 75 and 76, to be honest. Delicious in some ways, but when might these show complexity?
Small pour after many bottles of Chave Rouge. This showed reasonably youthful in terms of the brightness of fruit, which helped to frame the sweetness. Honey and brûlée notes throughout.
1988 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
If only all Champagne tasted like this at age 25+ ... really love that the wine retained its sweetness of fruit, creamy texture and bright acidity, while adding the layers of earth and roasted nuts that come with age. A dialed in older Champagne.
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2014 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Baronne 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Side-by-side with 14 Roulot Meix Chavaux. More richness and unabashed fat Meursault fruit here. Good balancing acidity and excellent length. Held up well on night two, but the forward personality had diminished, and I preferred it on night one.
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2014 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Meix Chavaux 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Side-by-side with 14 Lafon Baronne. While the Lafon was all about rich, chewy, fat fruit, the Roulout was all about its spine of bright, linear acidity. Held up quite well and showed consistently on night two.
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2012 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
12 | 10 | 05 flight. Still way too young, but reasonably approachable and reasonably showing the range of expected pepper and smoke interwoven into the still chewy and firm black fruit. A very, very good vintage but better in a decade+ with several points of upside.
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2010 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
12 | 10 | 05 flight. A marvelous vintage destined to be one of the greats, and already approachable and performing at a high level, yet there is still so much upside as the pure, pristine primary black fruits develop even greater depth pepper, game and spice intensity. Fabulous at age 14, even better at age 25+
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2005 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
12 | 10 | 05 flight. The most monolithic, concentrated and decadent of the flight. The wine is ever so glacially aging and improving in its approachability and development. Better in 15-20 years with plenty of upside.
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1990 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 98 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
89 | 90 pair. The 90 was unbelievably aromatic, pure and intense when it was poured, then it started to firm up just a touch but enough to go from perfect to just short of perfect. This wine has it all -- pure fruit, intense and wide-ranging complexity, textural complexity, and length. Cruising along in a peak drinking window, and certain bottles like tonights still have upside from further cellaring. Epic.
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1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 99 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
89 | 90 pair. A sensational bottle and a rare occasion where with two sound bottles the 89 bests the 90 (albeit by a hair). The wine gained intensity and depth as it sat in the glass. Crazy intense and alluring aromatics. At peak.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
1987 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 92 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
87 | 86 pair. This pair was overshadowed by the other vintages tonight but there's still plenty to like in a classic, mature, majestic Chave. All the trademark notes with perhaps a dryness to the fruit and relative lightness to the concentration. This will hold on, but it's best days are past.
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1986 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 92 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
86 | 87 pair. Overshadowed by the other vintages tonight but this is a classic Chave. Slightly more sweetness of fruit relative to the 87 but otherwise similarly lower key and fading compared to the still ascending or at peak vintages.
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1976 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 94 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
75 | 76 pair. Whereas the 86/87 pair seemed fading/past peak these two from the 70s are gorgeously and effortlessly holding on in a late peak fashion. Beautiful savory fruit with plenty of life/punch remaining and all the black pepper/game/smoke complexity you'd expect. Only problem was it wasn't as drop dead good as the 1975 alongside.
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1975 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 98 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
75 | 76 pair. Wow, this is an incredibly impressive 45+ year-old Chave. It's hauntingly loaded with complexity while still holding on to its pure black fruit. Weightless while still packing a punch with a long crescendoing finish (like the mouthfeel a grand well-aged Musigny). What a treat.
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1976 Penfolds Grange 93 Points
Australia, South Australia
75 | 76 pair. After the line-up of Chave bottles, the fruit and youthfulness in the Grange pair was shocking and arresting. Waves of pure, sweet black and red fruit with emerging game/olive character and plenty of spice. Not a ton of difference between the 75 and 76, to be honest. Delicious in some ways, but when might these show complexity?
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1975 Penfolds Grange 93 Points
Australia, South Australia
75 | 76 pair. After the line-up of Chave bottles, the fruit and youthfulness in the Grange pair was shocking and arresting. Waves of pure, sweet black and red fruit with emerging game/olive character and plenty of spice. Not a ton of difference between the 75 and 76, to be honest. Delicious in some ways, but when might these show complexity?
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1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Vin de Paille 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Small pour after many bottles of Chave Rouge. This showed reasonably youthful in terms of the brightness of fruit, which helped to frame the sweetness. Honey and brûlée notes throughout.
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