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Lyon 2021 Birthday Bash
Bear Creek Woodward/Lyon Den
Tasted May 14, 2021 - May 15, 2021 by jkwoodward with 177 views
Introduction
Two awesome people born 60 and 61 years ago! What better reason to celebrate. A night of "Hedonism" to start, and "Refinement" on the big day. Big bold food with the big bold wines, simple food with the aged beauties. We have been looking forward to this for months! What will occupy my time now?! So. Much. Fun.
Flight 1 - Hedonism (7 notes)
The penultimate night to the big day. Big food and big wine. Some amazing cabs and rhone blends. Enjoyed with cucumber caviar bites and american wagyu ribeyes, but the pasties de nata stole the show.
White - Sparkling
1996 Duval-Leroy Champagne Femme de Champagne
96 points
Lovely straw color, fresh effervescence, pear and brioche, a hint of salt and apple. Nice medium length finish, consistent with my last score. Love this wine.
White
2012 Evening Land Vineyards Chardonnay Summum Seven Springs Vineyard
95 points
The cellar raid of the evening. A "little white wine" to fill the gap between champagne and wagyu ribeyes. Coming up on a decade, this was popped and poured, and opened just beautifully with citrus and peach. Good structure and another long finish. Still has time but drinking beautifully. Same score 3 times in a row now, I think I will save my last bottle another 5 years and see what the age does to it...
Red
2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia
97 points
This bottle was spot on. Coffee and dark fruit, with cassis at the forefront. Good structure for 20 year old Napa blend. Tannins were soft, with a loooong finish, which made it my WOTN. I don't think it could have drank better at a different point in its evolution, just differently.
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Comments (3)
Red
2009 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard
93 points
Not as much funk as I am used to with Cayuse, but still there. Iodine/kelp still present, blue fruit? Good wine, just overshadowed on this night.
Red
2010 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Exzellenz Sacrashe Vineyard
95 points
Brought by the birthday couple, Hall's crown jewel. Good year, came out smashing with dark fruit, cassis, kirsch and powerful at that. So much fruit in this bad boy, still has tons of time. Structure was stunning, with a little heat present too. Can still get better I think. Of the four big reds, this matched up best with the American Wagyu ribeyes, understandably.
Red
2013 Saxum Heart Stone Vineyard
96 points
So lovely on first nose, wonderful bouquet of tar and leather, cherry and black fruit. A little smoke too. For such a huge wine, it had a nice soft structure to it with everything integrating so nicely. Contender for WOTN, barely lost out to the Insignia for me.
Red - Fortified
1961 Cálem Porto Reserve Colheita
95 points
Birthday year Colheita to cap the first night. Almond, sweet fig, hazelnut and a long finish. Plenty of heat. Was great on its own, but the homemade Pasteis de Nata served with it really stole the show. The result was an amazing pairing.
Flight 2 - Refinement (9 notes)
The big day has arrived. Much planning and many attempts to keep a straight face... success! Surprise! So glad to share this experience together. Caviar, charcuterie, truffles, duck, iberico, and dessert to elevate these epic wines. Unless you get it, you just don't get it. Happy Birthday Mark and Denise!
White - Sparkling
1961 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
There is no way to compare this to anything else. Mark's birth year champagne, TONS of sediment, madiera notes, but still a little citrus and apple, definitely some creme brulee. First pour a deep gold, turning to tea/cola with sediment. An education to say the least. Very drinkable, just unrecognizable as champagne. Paired with caviar.
Red
1961 Bouchard Père et Fils Clos Vougeot
98 points
What an incredible surprise. The 'token burgundy' on a night of 1961 gems. Raspberry freshness and clove, with persistent structure and a deep garnet color. I just couldn't believe it. Written note - "wow, what a treat!" I feel so fortunate this bottle was in amazing shape. Aged burgundy - who knew?!
Red
1961 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia
93 points
Birth year wine for my buddy Mark, with many other '61's, this struggled to stand up to the rest. Still good in its own right, notes of tobacco but slightly muted compared to the others. May be bottle variation, but the others just sung. Wouldn't kick it out of be for eating crackers though...
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Comment
Red
1961 Giacomo Conterno Barolo
95 points
Cherry with tertiary notes, tangy on the open but smoothed out over 4 hour decant. Brick color, so silky and smooth, with a little wet road/asphalt. Lovely with seared duck breast. Decant this!
Red
1961 Château Lafite Rothschild
94 points
So very elegant, gravel, cigar, graphite on the nose. First of the 3 Bordeaux, sung from a split bottle. Perfect cork. Less structure than the Ducru and Palmer. Elevated by Iberico pork loin.
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Comment
Red
1961 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
95 points
Second birth year Bordeaux for my buddy Grinner. Leather/saddle and fruit still there, but more muted on the nose than the Lafite. The structure and sweetness/glycerin powered it through though, with a more powerful presentation. Out of split, still really very nice.
Red
1961 Château Palmer
100 points
The crown jewel of the evening. My buddy's birth year wine and 3rd bordeaux of the evening. Contender for wine of the vintage with the Latour. Well this did not disappoint and I was so relieved. 'Sexy' nose we agreed, with perfect fruit and integration. Forest floor, cigar box. Sweet glycerin on the palate. Maybe some violet as reviewers suggest? Beautiful garnet color. OMG, I am in heaven. Usually these things don't live up to the hype, but I am so very glad this did. Happy Birthday Grinner! No tag backs!
White - Sweet/Dessert
1961 Château Climens
97 points
Another great surprise of the evening. Burnt orange in color and taste. Creme brulee and orange peel with spice. Great with Roquefort. What a fun wine, and a great experience. The perfect cap to a phenomenal evening.
Red - Fortified
1961 Cálem Porto Reserve Colheita
95 points
We had to revisit this on day 2. The heat had died down a little, but not much different. Still spectacular, and again with the pasteis de nata. To die for. Yum.
Closing
Great wines with great friends. Experiences are what make life worth while. We will carry this one with us always. On to the next great wine adventure.