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Dinner at Jade Court

Chicago, IL

Tasted February 18, 2019 by acyso with 197 views

Flight 1 (15 notes)

Rosé - Sparkling
2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut France, Champagne
93 points
There's a nice juiciness and ripeness here that I really like. The champagne isn't over the top complex, but there are a lot of good elements here, and the fruit really comes through with the sweetness. There's no strong distinguishing characteristic here -- everything seems to be in good balance right now. One thing I'll note is that the redness of this wine seems to be quite prominent. I think it wouldn't be too hard to pick this out blind if it were served next to the blanc de blancs.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White - Sparkling
2008 Jacques Lassaigne Champagne Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Millésimé France, Champagne
93 points
I've not been a massive fan of brut nature, but this bottle does it really well. It's lean and racy, but this is one of those examples where there's enough midpalate breadth so that this doesn't become a one-dimensional pile of acid. The 2008 character, with its generous acids and tart white fruits, is quite prominent here. This strikes me as a champagne that really characterizes the vintage well.
White - Sparkling
1996 Pascal Doquet Champagne Grand Cru Coeur de Terroir Le Mesnil-sur-Oger France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
flawed
No one else at the table agreed with me, but I swear I picked up some unpleasant musty notes here. "It's just the taste of old champagne." I'm not really in agreement there, I think there's something not quite right because of that mustiness. Seems a little overly bready too. Rereading my old note now makes me more convinced that this wasn't a totally sound bottle too.
Rosé - Sparkling
N.V. Savart Champagne Premier Cru Bulle de Rosé Brut France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
88 points
Disgorged January 2016, 6 g/L dosage. Strange mineral and slightly reduced nose on the start. Overall, this just comes across a little thin and more astringent than I'd really like. It's got the right acidity and some interesting supplemental tones, but I think this is just too much of an acid-forward champagne for my enjoyment. I suspect Savart does best in super ripe years...
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
2013 F.X. Pichler Riesling Unendlich Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
95 points
I've never been a big fan of F. X., but this is really a special bottle. Extremely complex nose with tons of herbal elements, as well as peaches, lychees, and a mix of fruits local and exotic. The palate has that richness that you get on the best Keller GGs, but also a racy and mineral-driven acidity that lifts all that material up. Indeed the finish is quite long, though unending isn't the most accurate descriptor I could come up with. Regardless, a very impressive wine and one that I could actually see myself buying.
White
1981 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
85 points
Probably not the soundest bottle (we were talking about consistency in this wine and it was pretty much agreed that this bottle could be better). Really odd cigarette ash and smoke quality on the nose and palate, with a little out-of-place green astringency. I think there are good elements here, but there are also some flavours that just seem tired or off.
Red
2015 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
90 points
There's a nice bit of dustiness on the nose that doesn't immediately strike me as Burgundian, but it does seem to add complexity to the overall wine. Nice mix of fruit and structure here, with a slight smoky tone. It's not a very large-scaled wine, which makes sense given the relatively lower appellation, but it's fairly pleasant nonetheless.
Red
1997 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
93 points
I quite liked this wine, with its classic Burgundian nose, going a bit more towards the red-fruited side of the spectrum (probably a good thing given the riper vintage). There are some mild mushroomy tones here as well. The palate is probably as integrated as it's ever going to be: this is fully resolved and ready to drink.
Red
2009 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
85 points
I don't think this has aged particularly well. There seems to be a bit of an astringency on the nose here, with something that seems a little stemmy. The initial attack on the palate is fairly nice, with some black fruit, but what follows is that the overall fruit sensation here seems to have dried out, leaving a bit of a tannic husk. Drink up.
3 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2014 Château La Conseillante France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
93 points
This is a really nice example of young Bordeaux. It's obviously nowhere close to being ready to drink, but there are some nice characteristics here, starting with the plummy nose and a hint of pyrazine. The palate is supple and soft, but there's structure hiding underneath the fruity elements. Young, but already fairly delicious.
Red
2012 J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage Farconnet France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
90 points
The nose shows some black cherry notes, as well as a moderate hint of spiciness and earth. I'm missing the brine and savoury elements I like in syrah here, but there's a good deal of black-fruited structure that really is typical for the Hermitage style. To my palate, still a bit too young and a little more brooding and heavy than I like my syrah.
Red
2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
90 points
Classic Rioja nose with the American oak on full display. This really shows the house style quite prominently, with those polished wood notes of dill and pickles. The palate has a green tinge similar to Loire cabernet franc, though it's nicely balanced by the prominent black fruit elements. Fairly nice now, but should improve with more time.
2 people found this helpful Comment
White
2012 Château Simone Palette Blanc France, Provence, Palette
90 points
It's made from white Rhone grapes, but I actually think that this is a little racier and more fresh than white CdPs. Clear hints of herbaceousness and a mild bit of smoke here. There's not a huge amount of acid, but enough to generally keep things fresh. Definitely needs food.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Rosé
2013 Château Simone Palette Rosé France, Provence, Palette
88 points
The ripeness here gives the sensation of some more rounded fruit, which is pretty nice for a "lowly" rose. It's fairly non-descript, but it's also not an uninteresting wine; I think there's a reasonable amount of interesting notes on the palate. I wish I got to this with a little more of a chill on it, as I think that would have amped up the freshness overall.
Red
2011 Château Simone Palette France, Provence, Palette
90 points
Nice overall ripeness in this wine, giving this a bit of a juicy sensation. There's no signs of the super hot southern weather here, but there's also not much overall that makes this super interesting. This is a good wine with plenty of tannin on the back end that obviously needs time to resolve. The fruit lies on the red side of the spectrum, and I think there's enough acid to freshen things up here.
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