Les Gastronomes at Palmeri

Full blind for the first three flights

• 2018 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Clos des Bouchères 94 Points

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

  Sure - 2018 might be a ripe year for Pinot, but I am starting to think (especially for Mersault) that 2018 will be a truly excellent year down the road (but this actually feels ready). There is an intense concentration of fruit on the palate without being overly ripe. The aromatics on this wine are lifted - the white flowers are just intoxicating.

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• 2017 Domaine Bernard-Bonin Meursault Le Limozin 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Needs air to express itself - quite tight and acidic is somewhat incisive on the back palate. With air, the nose and palate expands quite dramatically and integrates the acid well. Oak is not intrusive at this age - mainly just the acid that needs time. Age will likely help the acid to integrate better, but just outshone today by the '18 Roulot Clos des Boucheres.

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General consensus on the wine ranking was #2, #1, and then #3.

• 1979 Château Cheval Blanc 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Very much in the tertiary stage already with wisps of fruit that need air to coax out. The color is starting to somewhat fade, but with air the palate builds out well and has very harmonious balance. I'm not sure that this can age much longer but this is prime drinking age where the tannins have fully resolved. A treat to drink!

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• 1986 Château Cheval Blanc 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Wine of the day - showed beautifully today with impeccable balance and seemingly in the secondary stage. Quite youthful still with a gorgeous bouquet. The tannins have integrated well and the finish is extremely long. This is prime drinking window and perhaps with another 5 years at this plateau.

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• 1994 Dalla Valle Maya 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Well integrated and very much in the prime drinking window right now. 1994 seems to be the start of a great string of vintages for Napa (at least until the overripe mega-purple days came along) and it shows in the winemaking here. Had side by side with '86 Cheval Blanc and it wasn't as one sided as imagined. Shows very youthful and could probably age for another long while.

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• 1995 Dalla Valle Maya 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Riper than the 1994 and it shows in the plum/darker fruit, and veering more towards the New World in terms of fruit profile. Similar to the 1994, the color is still stunningly youthful with practically no bricking. There are still tannins that are present, but I'm not sure they are going to resolve before the fruit disappears.

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Consensus here was #7, #5, and #4 ('97 Maya was somewhat off?)

• 1996 Dalla Valle Maya 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Still drinking well and in better balance than the 1995 (which was comparatively riper), with seemingly less tannins. I'm not sure how much longer this will last but this is in a great drinking window right now.

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• 1997 Dalla Valle Maya

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  The wine itself wasn't faulty, but there was something slightly off on the nose especially compared to the other '94 - '96 and '98 Maya's. Not sure if it was brett or something else, but several other tasters also noticed this as well (i.e. wasn't a soapy glass).

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• 1998 Dalla Valle Maya 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Showed the best out of all of the '94-'98 Mayas tasted - all tasters at the table guessed that this wine was 6-7 years younger than it actually was. I'm sure it could continue to age for a very long while, but this is quite well resolved and the tannins are meltingly smooth already. Very much stood up to the '98 Cheval Blanc in terms of quality and approachability.

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• 1998 Château Cheval Blanc 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Incredibly youthful - probably still could age for another decade or two, but almost explosive on the nose. The tannins are still present and the fruit is very much present as well. Finish is very lengthy and balanced.

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• 2001 Château d'Yquem 98 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Where other Sauterne producers in the vintage also produced excellent wines, d'Yquem is very much clearly in its own league - for this vintage especially, even comparing to other d'Yquem vintages in the recent 20-30 year window. There is a sense of freshness and balance here - the concentration is not cloyingly sweet, but a sense of depth that is remarkable for any type of wine. There is so much energy here that is simply stunning and will just leave you speechless.

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The comparison between France v. USA is often overwrought, but the theme here was more than that - it was more of a comparison between the usage of Cabernet Franc between the Bordeaux/Napa areas - comparing two top producers. Maya has typically been 50%/50% Cab Franc/Cab Sauvignon blends, where Cheval Blanc would be a blend between Merlot/Cab Franc (vintage affecting the blends).