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Tasting Group Dinner - Burgundy
Cafe Levain, Minneapolis
Tasted November 9, 2008 by Siggy with 1,137 views
Introduction
Approximately 17 Twin Cities wine lovers gathered on a cold Sunday evening at Cafe Levain in south Minneapolis. The theme was Burgundy, and our intrepid leader Craig Vanderah secured two chef's tables for a relaxed, fun dinner. Chef Adam Vickerman prepared a five-course tasting menu (seared diver scallops, salad, salmon, coq au vin, plus dessert) that paired beautifully with the wines. We opened an eclectic range of whites, reds, and one rosé, in semi-random order. The two tables had separate groups of wines, so my notes aren't comprehensive. (I did get to taste many of the other table's wines, as Craig and Brad Ballinger were feeling especially generous).
WOTN for me was the 1993 Chevillon NSG Chaignots.
Flight 1 (20 notes)
Rosé
2006 Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay Rosé
89 points
Sweet strawberries on the nose. On the palate this is crisp and tasty, with delicious, fresh watermelon-tinged fruit, a creamy texture, and a long finish.
White
2000 Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières
flawed
Deep gold color. This starts out with a whiff of oxidation that unfortunately got worse with air. Flawed bottle.
White
1996 Domaine Caillot Meursault Les Tessons
90 points
Intense, stony nose. Full, precise, and racy on the palate. Nicely integrated oak on the long finish.
White
1999 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Hameau de Blagny
87 points
Bright, citrus- and mineral-infused nose. The palate shows moderately intense lemon curd/citrus flavors and minerals, framed by high but balanced acidity. This is tasty but also a bit stern.
White
2002 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles
90 points
Expressive, stony/minerally flavors and lemon curd. Good persistence and length. Some new oak in evidence here, especially on the finish, but still well-balanced.
White
2000 Marc Colin et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets
85 points
Second time I've had this. No evidence of oxidation like the last bottle. Nice expressive nose that leads to simple but tasty pink grapefruit flavors and light minerality. A decent quaffer. The midpalate and finish are noticeably shorter than the other wines in this flight.
Red
2003 Henri Jouan Morey St. Denis
91 points
A pleasant surprise. I'm generally not a fan of 2003 Burgs, but this was quite impressive. Ripe red fruit on the nose. Complex, layered palate of ripe dark cherry fruit and forest floor. Reminds me of a younger version of the 1996 Maison Leroy Cote de Beaune Villages. Good structure and balance. A touch of rusticity on the long finish.
Red
2005 Domaine Tollot-Beaut Chorey-Côte-de-Beaune
80 points
Dark fruit, pepper, earth, and smoke. This is nicely ripe but a bit clumsy and muddled on the palate. Tannic and very oaky. Rustic. This was drinkable, but I was not a huge fan.
White
2002 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes
92 points
Bright and fresh. On the palate this is zesty, racy, and tropical, with intensely concentrated flavors of lemon, grapefruit, and mineral. Terrific supporting acidity. Like the other 2002 Girardin whites we tasted tonight (see TNs), there is plenty of new oak in evidence, although in this case it's not obtrusive.
White
2002 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières
90 points
More exotic and tropical than the '02 Girardin P-M Combettes, tasted side-by-side (see TN). Also more evolved. Caramel, grapefruit, lemon, and coconut. This shows plenty of oak but manages to stay in balance. Long finish.
Red
1996 Jean-Jacques Confuron Chambolle-Musigny
90 points
Floral nose. Attractive, middle-weight, expressive flavors of sour cherry, earth, and mineral. Smooth, soft texture. Quite charming and delicious. I really enjoyed this. I think we hit this wine at the peak of its drinkability curve.
Red
1993 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots
93 points
Terrific core of dark fruit, blood, and iron. Succulent, meaty, earthy, and spicy. The secondary flavors are well-displayed and there is a hint of maturity creeping in on the finish. No need to rush to drink these up, though, because the tannins are still ripe and smooth. Delicious, classic NSG and my WOTN.
Red
1996 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots
90 points
Tasted alongside the 1993, this was noticeably riper and higher in acidity. Tasty dark fruit, meat juice/blood, and iron flavors, with ripe tannins on the finish. This was excellent, although not in the same league as the 1996.
Red
1997 Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion Clos Vougeot
flawed
A badly cooked bottle. Smells like nail polish remover; I couldn't bear to taste it. Heinous. Flawed.
Red
1999 Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin
92 points
Second time I've had this. More open and expressive than the last bottle. Deep, pure core of dark cherry fruit. Smooth, silky texture. Great structure and balance; long finish. Delicious.
Red
2001 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
92 points
Having tasted this many times now, I continue to be intrigued with how this is evolving. This bottle started out quite oaky, but settled down with air. There was a minty (spearmint) flavor component, alongside the dark fruit, that I don't remember from previous bottles. Complex, long and minerally on the palate.
Red
1999 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Épenots
88 points
Interesting flavors of molasses/gingerbread, sushi wrapper, smoke, and dark fruit, framed by lots of toasty oak. Mid-weight, with a long finish. A bit odd, but this was very tasty and really grew on me.
Red
1999 Dominique Laurent Grands-Echezeaux
92 points
Complex, layered flavors of Asian spice/hoisin sauce, earth, and sappy dark fruit. Savory sushi wrapper/umami flavors. Nicely balanced oak treatment. Long finish. Delicious. Wines like this are forcing me to re-evaluate my bias against this producer.
Red - Fortified
1994 Ramos Pinto Porto Vintage
85 points
Prune, raisin, and creosote/smoky flavors. A decent Port, but this needs a bit more flesh on the midpalate and finish to be memorable.