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Chicago Burgundy Geek Dinner
Boka - Chicago IL
Tasted October 19, 2014 by Burgundy Al with 910 views
Introduction
Kwine Tjia is a serious Burgundy guy from the Netherlands, visiting Chicago for a few days. So a small group convened at Boka to enjoy and discuss some Burgundy. I hate to admit this was the first time I've returned to Boka since it reopened at the start of 2014. i really enjoyed the food and look forward to future dinners there where we can more precisely pair the excellent food with our wines. I've listed the wine in the order served, which was partly menu driven, but haven't broken them into the flights. Much thanks to Kwine for the visit and inspiration for the dinner, and also to Philippe for organizing and planning. We might have had a slightly slow start but really up picked up steam a few flights in, and a good time was had by all.
Flight 1 (19 notes)
White - Sparkling
1999 Roederer Estate L'Ermitage Brut
From magnum. Pleasant and enjoyable but simple with a slightly sweet finish. Touch of apple cider.
White
1998 Coche-Dury Meursault
90 points
Ripe apple with good concentration, lemon peel hints, pronounced toasted nuttiness and very good balance and persistence. Moderate length.
White
1990 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne
89 points
Very ripe apple and pear with some slightly sweet spice. Moderately short of acidity, but still holding strong longer than I would have expected at this age.
White
Red
1990 Louis Jadot Vosne-Romanée
86 points
Still drinking well, even if at the end of its life. Almost all earthy character with faint red fruit hints and a fleeting glance of Vosne spice. Drink up.
Red
1993 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Romanée St. Vivant
93 points
Decanted 30-60 minutes before serving. Red and black berry aromas with lots of Asian five spice. Exactly the same fruit and spice profile on palate. Some faint barnyard hints add a nice touch. This is very pleasant to start with hints of power in middle and finish. Very good now but I expect this has upside potential for here. Several thought this their WOTN, for me this was one small notch below Roumier 1998 Bonnes Mares.
White
1999 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot
91 points
Much like another bottle from a few weeks ago. Ripe stone fruit with some candied citrus peel and sweet spice. Good density, slightly mature, but with the right degree of evolution for a wine its age, but I won't hold my remaining bottles more than another few years.
White
1992 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles
93 points
Some candied apple with a fat/ripe and slightly honeyed character that I'd consider prototypically Pucelles. Starts forward and very accessible, but sneaky structure comes out from middle to finish. There are layers of flavors that unfold with emerging nuance and complexity.
Red
1993 Joseph Drouhin Chambertin
89 points
Very enjoyable aromatic start with mid-aged tart red cherry and subtle spice. Slightly less interesting on palate, with moderate depth and density which I wouldn't have thought Grand Cru if served blind.
Red
1996 Frederic Esmonin Chambertin
88 points
Not much forthcoming at all on nose. Lots of very good black berry and cherry flavors were the real highlight, but I thought them somewhat obscured by very firm tannins. Like many 1996s this was still firm and backward, but I also found it slightly out-of-balance for now. Others enjoyed this more than I did tonight.
Red
1998 Louis Jadot Echezeaux
90 points
Very Vosne-like and easy to enjoy with plenty of maturing red fruit and savory spice throughout. Very good balance, everything is in harmony right now. Elegantly styled, even if not the most nuanced of Grand Crus.
Red
1998 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares
94 points
This bottle flew from Amsterdam to Chicago earlier in the day, was then open for just a few hours before serving (not decanted) Black and red berry aromas with flavors that skewed more toward black berries. Hints of spice at the start that opened and expanded with more air. Very good structure provides great balance and length. Excellent performance given its travel itinerary today. My WOTN, slightly ahead of the Arnoux 1993 RSV and Roumier 1998 Ruchottes-Chambertin.
Red
1998 Michel Bonnefond Ruchottes-Chambertin
93 points
Open 4-5 hours before serving, not decanted (wish I had decanted). Meaty and dense all black fruit with lots of sauvage throughout. Very layered and expanding with more time in glass. Will certainly benefit from more time in cellar.
Red
1999 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chênes Carteaux
Decanted several hours prior to serving, but this wine would have benefited from far more air...or even better another decade in the cellar. No question of the quality of fruit here, but the tannins are just so dominating that no pleasure was to be had from this wine tonight. The finish was like running sandpaper over the roof of my mouth.
Red
1995 Dominique Laurent Grands-Echezeaux
Very nice but non-descript. All black fruit with lots of vanilla and medium roast coffee. A tough wine to assess because any assessment requires context. So while I thought this was an easily enjoyed glass of Pinot Noir, I didn't really get any Vosne/Echezeaux character and could have been convinced this was from almost anywhere in the world that uses lots of new French oak.
White - Sparkling
1996 Dom Pérignon Champagne Oenothèque
92 points
Cross-section of apples on nose and palate with plenty of concentration and character of rich, toasted brioche. Much like previous bottles, this is a wine I always enjoy, just never as much as the "regular" Dom Perignon 1996.
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