Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Fourth Annual White Truffle Dinner
David Burke's Primehouse - Chicago IL
Tasted January 9, 2009 by Burgundy Al with 782 views
Introduction
Scheduling problems pushed this dinner into January causing problems procuring good white truffles. Still, good wine.
Flight 1 - Chapoutier Blanc (4 notes)
White
1994 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L'Orée
90 points
Lush, spicy and slightly sweet aromas. Unctuous textures and favors of mature ripe fruit with just moderate length and intensity on the palate.
White
1995 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L'Orée
89 points
Also showing sweet fruit aromas, mostly stone fruit and butterscotch. Fat, oily textures, very subdued flavors that are good but imperfectly balanced and showing some heat on finish.
White
1999 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L'Orée
91 points
Stone fruit on nose and palate with some good supporting anise and allspice. Overall good balance and textures, this was my favorite of the 4 vintages of this wine in the underwhelming flight.
White
2000 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L'Orée
89 points
Floral start with sweet peach aromas. Subdued (shut down?) peach and pear on palate with background spice hints and some heat on finish.
Flight 2 - Deiss and Zind-Humbrecht (4 notes)
White
1994 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand
93 points
Ripe and lush Riesling aromas with clear signs of sweet character, also apple, orange, orange peel. Flavors of orange peel and candied lemon peel with spiced apple, also with more than a hint of sweetness. Lush, long and well textured. My favorite of the flight.
White
1999 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand
92 points
Apple and orange zest aromas, not quite at the same intensity level as its 1994 counterpart in the next glass. Similar fruit profile on palate with good spice on finish.
White
2000 Marcel Deiss Altenberg de Bergheim
92 points
sweet aromas of butterscotch, ripe peach and candied orange peel. Fat and lush fruit on palate with hints of alcohol on finish. A slight step up from the Deiss 2000 Schoenenbourg in the next glass.
White
2000 Marcel Deiss Schoenenbourg
91 points
Apple, lemon and orange aromas with slight floral hints. Leaner styled fruit on palate with good length and energy, but not the same intensity I remember from when I had this previously.
Flight 3 - White Burgundy (5 notes)
Flight of the Night.
White
2000 Marc Colin et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet
93 points
Ripe stone fruit with excellent spice. Same good fruit and spice on palate; lush, long and extravagant. Close to its peak now.
White
1996 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet
95 points
I brought this bottle and the Colin-Deleger 1996 Batard-Montrachet in the next glass with some trepidation, given the producer's problems with premature oxidation, particularly in the years starting in 1996. No problem with this fantastic bottle. Lush peach and apple aromas and supporting spice. Same large scaled fruit on palate with great intensity and well supported by acidity and minerality, providing a burst of energy at the end. I have a few more bottles...hope they are close to this level!
White
1996 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Bâtard-Montrachet
91 points
I brought this bottle and the Colin-Deleger 1996 Chevalier-Montrachet in the next glass with some trepidation, given the producer's problems with premature oxidation, particularly in the years starting in 1996. No big concern with this bottle, even if not to the level of the Chevalier. Fat and lush stone fruit on nose and palate. Modest spice, moderate length. Showing as "age appropriate."
White
1976 Louis Latour Montrachet
91 points
Dark color. Ripe fruit and slightly sweet elements on nose. Still retaining some intriguing fruit and very good earthy flavor elements. Certainly helped by the fact that it has retained a sense of acidity in a generally ripe vintage, which has mostly proven tough for bottles of white Burgundy at this stage in their life.
White
1939 Bouchard Père et Fils Montrachet
96 points
One of the most fascinating wines I've ever had. Popped and poured. Kevin recently hand-carried this back from the Bocuhard Père cellars. Beguiling aromas started with some earth and white truffle (or was the truffle from the food?) with some sweet orchard fruit aromas emerging in a few minutes. Palate was slightly sweet with earthy and apple flavors that were sensational for about 30 minutes, fading somewhat quickly after that.
Flight 4 - Older Aldo Conterno (2 notes)
I am trying to recall the explanation for the existence of the older wine in this flight (before Aldo Conterno existed), and think it was that the brothers divided the inventory of older bottles of Giacomo Conterno wines when they split and Aldo released the bottles from his stash under his new label, or something along those lines.
Red
1967 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Speciale
Unusual bottle, not characteristically Barolo in any way.
Red
1937 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Speciale
Also tough to understand, this was nicely floral to start but came across as perhaps fortified. Much more interesting than pleasurable.
Flight 5 - Sweet Wine with Foie Gras (3 notes)
White - Sweet/Dessert
1996 Château Tirecul La Gravière Monbazillac Cuvée Madame
91 points
Candied orange peel and candied lemon peel aromas with good dose of botrytis. Similar fruit flavors on palate, lush and forward with moderate finesse, moderate finish.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1968 Château d'Yquem
92 points
Very dark golden color, almost brown. Caramel and botrytis on nose. Sweet orange, orange zest, caramel and butterscotch on palate. Sweetness has moderated, good finessed, subtle end.
Flight 6 - 1961 Bordeaux (2 notes)
Red
1961 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
89 points
Not nearly at the same level as another bottle I recall from several years ago...oh well. Mostly forest floor aromas with some tart black cherry lingering around with leather and hints of tobacco. Similarly mostly earthy flavors on palate.
Red
1961 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
94 points
Very nice mature aromas of cigarbox, leather, black cherry and leather hints. Mature, ripe black fruit also on palate with good spice behind the enticing mushroom and earthy flavors.
Flight 7 - Guigal LaLas...too young (3 notes)
Red
1996 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
93 points
Vertical included the 1997 and 1998, this was my favorite, but still not close to ready. Aromas of blackberry, licorice, black pepper and espresso. Dense, chewy on palate. Long and interesting with great potential but not as nuanced and layered as I expect it will be in another decade.
Red
1997 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
92 points
Black fruit aromas with some black pepper and Herbs de Provence. Fruit comes across slightly subdued and compact on palate with very good spice emerging on finish.
Flight 8 - 1990 Chateauneuf (2 notes)
Red
1990 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Centenaire
flawed
Oddly both bottles in this flight came across as somewhat muddy and/or heat damaged.
Red
1990 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
flawed
Oddly both bottles in this flight came across as somewhat muddy and/or heat damaged.
Flight 9 - Vega-Sicilia Unico (2 notes)
This would have been the Flight of the Night, but flights need three bottles to get my vote.
Red
1994 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
95 points
I think this was decanted close to all day! Sensational black fruit aromas with great spice and allure. Powerful black cherry and plum on palate with great spice. Layers of flavors unfold, coming through beautifully alongside lots of acidity and tannins. Great wine that will be even better in 10 years and drink great for 30+ years.
Red
1970 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
96 points
Black fruit with great spice and sensational earthy notes in the background. Incredibly powerful for a wine its age, with great textures and layers. Long, balanced finish.
Flight 10 - But Wait...There's More (2 notes)
Red
1959 Château Brane-Cantenac
91 points
Very good earthy, woodsy aromas with cedar. Palate also mostly earthy, also quite good, still showing nice spice.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red - Fortified
1978 Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage Nacional
94 points
Lighter color than I expected. Great fruit on palate with wonderful intensity that shows dark chocolate character on long, long finish.