Tasting Group Dinner - Burgundy
Our House
Tasted April 7, 2009 by Siggy with 669 views
Introduction
Dave Dalluge, Brad England, Chris Larson, and Craig Vanderah joined me and my wife Jennie for a Tuesday night dinner at our house. The theme was Burgundy, although I couldn't resist throwing in an '88 La Mouline at the end, which turned out to be WOTN. Thanks everyone for another great evening.
Flight 1 - White Burgundy (2 notes)
We munched on a variety of cheeses and sipped on a couple of whites while cooking.
Flight 2 - 1973 Louis Latour (2 notes)
Chris brought these two bottles, which he recently sourced at auction. Although the Bonnes Mares was shot, the Charmes-Chambertin was holding on well and fun to try.
Red
1973 Louis Latour Charmes-Chambertin
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Pale, cloudy brick red color, with a clear rim. Still-complex, high-toned red fruit, iron/mineral, sour cherry, tea, and roses. Light- to medium-bodied. Well past maturity but still pleasurable and interesting.
Flight 3 - 2001 Ponsot (2 notes)
These proved to be much better than some of the reviews I've read. Paired with Dave's awesome appetizer of duck breast with wild rice and a lavender/tarragon sauce.
Red
2001 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Beautifully expressive nose of dark cherries, earth, and baking spices. Elegant and fragrant. Ripe yet restrained on the palate, this wine alternated between holding back and giving its all. Structurally, this is a medium-weight wine, with ultra-fine tannins and earthly secondary flavors that are just beginning to unfold on the long, effortless finish. I preferred this to the '01 Ponsot Clos St.-Denis, tasted side-by-side (see TN).
Red
2001 Domaine Ponsot Clos St. Denis Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos St. Denis Grand Cru
Tasted side-by-side with Ponsot's 2001 Clos de la Roche (see TN), the CSD was meatier, earthier, and more rustic, with larger-scaled, riper, darker fruit. On the palate, the meaty flavors are judiciously framed by oak and build to a long, concentrated finish accented with fine-grained tannins.
Flight 4 - Two Miscellaneous Reds (2 notes)
Red
2003 Domaine Arlaud Charmes-Chambertin Cuvée Unique
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Big, oak-infused nose dominated by licorice, earth, and ripe, black fruit. On the palate this is large-scaled and extracted, with a long finish that carries noticeable oak and a touch of heat. Powerful, even bruising, in style. Decent but not my style.
Red
2006 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
I love Freddy Mugnier's wines, but in some vintages I find his village Chambolle-Musigny just a touch too austere, and that was my impression here (even considering that we opened it way too young). Floral nose, with primary dark fruit and a tight, tannic, somewhat tart character. Focused and pure, this is impeccably made but could use a touch more fruit and sap, IMO.
Flight 5 - 1999 Dujac (2 notes)
Paired with homemade French Canadian pork pie. My mother-in-law got this recipe years ago from a neighbor, who was originally from Quebec. It is a traditional dish that she frequently makes around New Year's. It requires many hours of braising, but it is worth it. We also had white asparagus and acorn squash with brown butter, courtesy of Chris.
Red
1999 Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos St. Denis Grand Cru
Rock and roll. Awesome dark fruit. Sappy, smoky flavors of cherries, meat juice, flowers, and beef broth. Dynamic, kaleidoscopic secondary flavors. Oh-so-silky texture that leads to a long finish dripping with pure fruit. Every '99 Dujac I've tasted has been awesome and this was a great bottle.
Red
1999 Domaine Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Second time I've tasted this. While this wasn't quite up to the level of the previous bottle, it was really tasty, with smoky dark fruit and earthy flavors culminating in a moderately long, tobacco-laden finish. I didn't pick up the brett/VA flavors that others noticed, but my glass did lose a lot of focus with air.
Flight 6 - 1993 Clos Vougeot (2 notes)
Red
1993 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Floral, nicely perfumed nose. On the palate this is ripe and dark, with fine tannins, mature red fruit, and secondary nuances of vitamin pill/mineral that build to an earthy, slightly rustic finish.
Red
1993 Domaine René Engel Clos Vougeot
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Tasted side-by-side with the '93 Jadot Clos Vougeot, this showed less perfume on the nose but meatier, spicier, and more complex flavors on the palate. Ripe dark fruit, and still formidable tannins on the moderately long finish.
Flight 7 - Bonus Bottle (1 note)
I served homemade almond pots de creme, and what better pairing than... '88 La Mouline. Sauternes wasn't going to cut it tonight, and we had to go for one of the big guns. As is often the case with this group, the LaLa stole the show and was WOTN.
Red
1988 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Fourth time I've had this. A meat and bacon extravaganza, wrapped in perfume and silk. Unreal, dazzling layers of secondary flavors: broth, violets, olives, melted tar, earth, and bloody, furry animals. Amazing balance and elegance and a near-endless finish. WOTN.
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