Northwoods
Tasted Sunday, December 28, 2008 - Sunday, January 4, 2009 by vanpe003 with 1,209 views
A New Year's tradition in the great Northwoods of Wisconsin. Some skiing, relaxing, a lot of good food and wine with FBM's clan. I know there are more than a few wines that I've forgotten in these notes. There were too many poured to keep up with. Thanks to FBM for offering up so many fantastic wines....!!!
Of this bunch, the 1996 Henri Giraud was the standout. Quite an accomplishment given the presence of both vintage and non-vintage Krugs in the mix. The 1995 Nicolas Feuillatte wasn't far behind. In general, the champagnes were the strongest wines served over the course of the week. The most memorable are from the Dethune on down the list.
Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of whites opened over the course of the week. Probably because of the wealth of champagnes that took front and center. Of the whites, the "aged" Jakoby-Mathy, left over from Thanksgiving, took 1st place as "biggest surprise". The '02 Tablas Creek was the WOTF.
A tough group to score. In general, the 1989 Bordeauxs were relatively nondescript as compared to others in the group. Standouts were the 96 Opus, 89 Anderson's Conn Valley, 73 Mayacamas, and 74 Inglenook. A nice batch of wines.
Served over multiple evenings, there wasn't a "dud" in this group. The '02 Firebreak was outstanding. The only "average" bottle was the JK Carriere.
The biggest surprise for me of this bunch was the '04 Genium, which was surprisingly smooth and balanced given its relative youth. The underperformer in this group was the '98 Fontodi Flaccianello which was not as good as either of the Poggio Anticos. Both the '97 nebbiolos were excellent after a few hours open.
The '78 Mayacamas doesn't quite fit the bill for a "dessert wine", as it's a bit lighter and more zin-like than it is a pure-form dessert wine.
A few wines upon the return home, opened at home and at Domincin's on a snowy Saturday night and on Sunday in advance of the Viking's playoff appearance.
1998 Deutz Champagne Blanc de Blancs 91 Points
France, Champagne
(12/31/2008)
A good champagne, but suffered next to some of the others opened this week.
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NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne Cuvée Rosé Brut
France, Champagne
(1/1/2009)
A nice bottle, but didn't have the richness of many roses (e.g. the 2000 VC from a couple days later). Perhaps needed more time to smooth out?
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1998 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésimé 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
(12/31/2008)
Always interesting to taste champagnes from smaller producers. This one "hung in there", but didn't have the complexity of some of the "heavy hitters" opened. A very nice wine that on any other occasion would have been a perfect treat. More depth and complexity this time around than a couple of years ago. Drinking well now, and should continue to hold for a couple of years.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée
France, Champagne
(12/31/2008)
I normally enjoy this wine more, but thought that the Dethune was the better bottle this evening. I'm not sure about disgorgement date, but my impression of this bottle was that it "drank young". Very focused and tight, and perfect for fans of that style. For me, another couple of years of bottle age would have been nice, but hard to tell what to do with NV stuff in terms of aging.
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NV Paul Dethune Champagne Grand Cru Brut Cuvée à l'Ancienne
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
(12/31/2008)
An excellent bottle. Probably not up to the 1996 Henri Giraud, but a very strong showing nevertheless. For my tastes, another couple years of bottle age would serve this well.
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1990 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut La Grande Dame 94 Points
France, Champagne
(12/31/2008)
Similar to prior note. This was the most "aged" on the palate of the champagnes opened this week, and for my palate one of the more enjoyable.
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1995 Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Brut Cuvée Palmes d'Or 94 Points
France, Champagne
(1/1/2009)
One of my favorites opened over New Year's. Very well balanced, long finish.
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1990 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 94 Points
France, Champagne
(1/1/2009)
An outstanding wine, and certainly one of the best Champagnes served. Much younger in its demeanor than the '90 Grande Dame served the night before. Probably a toss-up for me between this and the '95 Nicolas F. for #2 Champagne of the week. The '96 Henri Giraud was the top wine for me.
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1996 Henri Giraud Champagne Grand Cru Aÿ Fût De Chêne Brut 97 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
(1/1/2009)
Best champagne of the week. I'm absolutely haunted by this wine, particularly since I can't find any easily available in the States. This is probably the best champagne I've ever had. I really enjoy the honey tones on the palate which give just a tinge of sweetness that makes this all the more alluring.
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