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Sydney 1st Growth Bordeaux/Grand Cru Burgundy Dinner

Marque Restaurant

Tasted March 14, 2006 by CamWheeler with 1,069 views

Flight 1 (2 notes)

White - Sparkling
1988 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Oenothèque France, Champagne
95 points
Very fine bead. Nose and palate show exceptional freshness and vitality. Nose shows some cut grass like aromas as well as strawberry, mushroom and citrus. Lacks some of the aged complexity of the Krug, but makes up for it with its supreme elegance and length.
White - Sparkling
1979 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut France, Champagne
94 points
Nose is oxidative, toasty with marmalade notes but still shows signs of freshness with some apricot and lime. I liked the palate better than the nose with some brilliant intensity and concentration.

Flight 2 (4 notes)

White
1999 Jean et Sébastien Dauvissat Chablis Saint-Pierre France, Burgundy, Chablis
85 points
Showing predominantly sulphurous, reductive aromas on the nose. Palate is tight and finishes short and watery.
White
1998 Domaine Génot-Boulanger Corton-Charlemagne France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
83 points
Nose is fairly full on - butter, oak, smoke and cheese. I found the palate to be alcoholic and acidic. I felt it had poor structure and is a wine that is going nowhere fast.
White
1999 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Corton-Charlemagne France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
91 points
This was the best of the white wines in my opinion. Showing aromas of grapefruit, honey and some spicy oak on the nose. The palate is lean and tight but with much better balance and length than the Chablis. This wine shows excellent potential.
White
1997 Domaine Jomain Bâtard-Montrachet France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
79 points
Struck match/sulphur and dirty cheesy aromas dominating. Palate was acidic, bitter and short.

Flight 3 (5 notes)

Red
1997 Domaine Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin Vieille Vigne France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru
85 points
Nose is quite nice, herbs and stalks, spice and cherry. Palate doesn't live up to the interesting nose, being tannic, acidic, short and simple.
Red
1997 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Echezeaux France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
87 points
Exhibits aromas of earth, stalks and mushrooms but with oak coming in over the top. There is some texture to the palate but it is rather simple otherwise.
Red
1997 Pierre Damoy Chapelle-Chambertin France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru
90 points
This was the best of the red Burgundy for my tastes, but it was polarising. Nose of lavender, stems, and cherry and yes call the brett police if you must on the funky barnyard aromas but I thought they were restrained, not dominating and added some complexity. Palate is youthful but shows good structure and potential.
Red
1998 Geantet-Pansiot Charmes-Chambertin France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
86 points
Opens with alcoholic heat on the nose making it difficult to smell some present nutty and cherry aromas. Palate is better but there was nothing of great significance to redeem the poor nose.
Red
1996 Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy Mazis-Chambertin France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
78 points
The nose is comprised of stalks, meat, yeast and freshly burnt rubber on tarmac. Palate is sharp and has spiky acid.

Flight 4 (4 notes)

Red
1966 Château Haut-Brion France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
97 points
This was an amazing colour, with only the slightest hints of brown around the edges. Complex nose of pencil shavings, blueberry, soap, liquorice, smoke, mushrooms and earth. The palate is all class, you can still just feel the tannins propping up the structure of the wine but they are integrated almost perfectly and the mouth-feel is silky smooth. It was wonderful, stunning and superb; roll out all the superlatives for this one.
Red
1978 Château Margaux France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
91 points
Some floral nuances and perfume on the nose as well as violets, herbs, clay and brine. Palate isn't as good as the nose, medium-bodied with some elegance but the Haut-Brion was a hard act to follow. Seemed to be falling apart structurally after only a short time in the glass.
Red
1985 Château Mouton Rothschild France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
88 points
A complex, but not exactly pleasant medicinal, herbal, iodine, smoked meat, cedar and savoury nose. The palate was smooth but didn't really have the intensity or complexity to save the day for this wine. Other members of the table reported that they have had better bottles in the past.
Red
1983 Château Lafite Rothschild France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
90 points
A tight, closed nose of assorted herbs, graphite, cedar a bit of meat and a whiff of hospital hallway. Palate is elegant and is not unbalanced in any way but is also lacking in interest and intensity.

Flight 5 (4 notes)

Red
1982 Château Certan de May France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
93 points
Shows a lovely lush nose of plums, liquorice, raspberry and blackcurrant. The palate is also good, fleshy round mouth-feel, with balanced components and great length. This bottle was drinking very nicely now.
Red
1982 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
91 points
Has a very tight nose of earth, cedar, blackberry and plums. Palate exhibits some stalk and I felt as though the fruit was thinning out a bit as it was left to sit in the glass for half an hour or so. Good structure, but will the fruit remain long enough for everything to come together?
Red
1982 Château Léoville Las Cases France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
96 points
Opens up with a youthful, powerful but tight nose, with cassis, blackberry, some minerality, tobacco, smoke, cedar and graphite. Palate is tight, yet concentrated and powerful - superb structure, lots of tannins and a very long finish. Just a glimpse at its potential tonight, it will continue to improve over the next decade or longer and hold its peak for some time thereafter.
Red
1990 Château Léoville Barton France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
92 points
Showing an intense, surprisingly open/forward nose of tobacco, earth and flint. The palate delivers a rush of flavour across the length of the wine. I thought it had the structure to age further, but I quite liked drinking it at this stage of its life.

Flight 6 (4 notes)

White - Sweet/Dessert
1986 Château Climens France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
90 points
The nose is comprised of apricots, honey and ripe citrus. Palate has an intense sweetness to it, but it is reined into line by good acid structure. As others mentioned, the finish was a letdown with a bit of a harsh, bitter character.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1996 Château Climens France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
87 points
Exhibits some dirty, feral aromas on the nose as well as hazelnut and orange peel. Has a very young, tight palate revealing little at the moment. If it shakes off the funk, it may develop nicely.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1990 Château Rieussec France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
92 points
This wine has rich aromas of oranges and other citrus fruit and honey. A very rich, sweet, viscous, long palate. Perhaps it is just a touch broad/unfocused to be great.
White - Fortified
N.V. Seppeltsfield Muscat GR113 Rare Rutherglen Muscat Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen
95 points
This was very good - intense, complex, layered nose of caramel, raisins, nuts, rancio and mocha coffee. The palate is vibrant and has excellent balance. The length is superb.
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