Monday, April 14, 2008
Burgundies (plus a few others) at Eleven Madison Park
Maureen Nelson was visiting New York for a few days this past weekend; a few of her friends here decided to throw a Burgundy BYO at Eleven Madison Park and I received a last-minute invitation to the event. The theme was pre-1985 Burgundies, but as always at this sort of event a few other wines snuck in.
We started with a couple of whites. First, a magnum of Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc Joseph Drouhin 1993, which I really liked. Nice lemony nose with some slightly waxy notes--John Gilman, who brought the bottle, said that the waxiness is something that often comes out in older Clos des Mouches blanc--and a nicely textured palate that's just starting to turn slightly nutty (in a good way). The other was Chablis Les Clos Raveneau 1984, not exactly a heralded vintage but an excellent bottle, with some of the same beeswax, a lot of minerals, a light-bodied palate but excellent structure and great, persistent minerally flavors. With a little more time in the glass some creaminess came out in it.
I had brought a bottle of Hochheimer Kirchenstuck Auslese Domdechant Wernisches 1971, so with foie gras on the way it seemed like the right time to serve it. The color was amber-gold, and the wine had good acidity, just a touch of sweetness, and long, long flavors of creme brulee, tangerine and blood orange. Great stuff.
Time to move on to reds, first with Savigny Les Jarrons Anne-Marie Guillemont 1985, a really nice bottle. There was a touch of funk in it (someone called it "wet animal"), earthiness, some dark fruits, and a smoky note that came out with a little time. Next came Latricieres Chambertin Avery's 1983, which the person who brought it said was believed to have been bottled from fruit grown by Domaine Ponsot. The nose was light, but very Gevrey, earthy with some black fruits. A hint of citrus developed, as well as what some tasters thought might have been a trace of rot. Still, not bad at all.
Next up was Volnay Caillerets Clos de 60 Ouvrees Domaine de la Pousse d'Or 1979, always an excellent bottling. I really liked this one; the nose had a touch of woodsmoke and a slightly herbal note, as well as great earthiness and minerals, with a lot of acidity and tannin left to it.
We had made the decision to move backwards chronologically, so it was just a coincidence that the bottles one would have expected to be the most impressive were saved to the end. First, Chambertin Leroy 1976, which had a typical Chambertin nose of earth and black fruits. On the palate it had medium weight, somewhat simple flavors, and pretty good length; it didn't show excess tannin (a common characteristic of the vintage), and while it was reasonably tasty, it was a little anonymous.
Following that came a flight of wines from Louis Latour. The Romanee St Vivant Quartre Journaux 1971 was, sadly, corked (our only casualty of the night), but the 1978 of that wine was extraordinary. It was gamy, minerally, had some beef blood and sour cherry; it reminded me of a great Richebourg. Alongside that was another excellent bottle, Corton Grancey 1971, an earthy wine with a delicate nose containing just a touch of red fruits and some notes of violets; it had a really mouthcoating palate, a bit of sourness was coming out, leading one taster to believe that it is on the verge of turning volatile, but the bottle had been open since 8am and drunk at 10pm, so I am not at all convinced of that.
We wrapped up with a couple of non-Burgs; first, to refresh us, a bottle of Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1976. It was pretty tasty, a light-colored wine with raspberries, white chocolate, and brioche on the nose; on the palate it had great acidity, and long, dense flavors that weren't at all heavy, and just a touch of the trademark DP coffee starting to come out. Finally, two dessert wines: Climens 1983, which had a classic Climens tropical nose and good flavors, but just a touch of chalky bitterness on the finish, and Delaforce Colheita 1965 (bottled in 2005), which I quite liked; classic tawny port caramel, medium weight, and good acidity to keep it from being cloying.
We started with a couple of whites. First, a magnum of Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc Joseph Drouhin 1993, which I really liked. Nice lemony nose with some slightly waxy notes--John Gilman, who brought the bottle, said that the waxiness is something that often comes out in older Clos des Mouches blanc--and a nicely textured palate that's just starting to turn slightly nutty (in a good way). The other was Chablis Les Clos Raveneau 1984, not exactly a heralded vintage but an excellent bottle, with some of the same beeswax, a lot of minerals, a light-bodied palate but excellent structure and great, persistent minerally flavors. With a little more time in the glass some creaminess came out in it.
I had brought a bottle of Hochheimer Kirchenstuck Auslese Domdechant Wernisches 1971, so with foie gras on the way it seemed like the right time to serve it. The color was amber-gold, and the wine had good acidity, just a touch of sweetness, and long, long flavors of creme brulee, tangerine and blood orange. Great stuff.
Time to move on to reds, first with Savigny Les Jarrons Anne-Marie Guillemont 1985, a really nice bottle. There was a touch of funk in it (someone called it "wet animal"), earthiness, some dark fruits, and a smoky note that came out with a little time. Next came Latricieres Chambertin Avery's 1983, which the person who brought it said was believed to have been bottled from fruit grown by Domaine Ponsot. The nose was light, but very Gevrey, earthy with some black fruits. A hint of citrus developed, as well as what some tasters thought might have been a trace of rot. Still, not bad at all.
Next up was Volnay Caillerets Clos de 60 Ouvrees Domaine de la Pousse d'Or 1979, always an excellent bottling. I really liked this one; the nose had a touch of woodsmoke and a slightly herbal note, as well as great earthiness and minerals, with a lot of acidity and tannin left to it.
We had made the decision to move backwards chronologically, so it was just a coincidence that the bottles one would have expected to be the most impressive were saved to the end. First, Chambertin Leroy 1976, which had a typical Chambertin nose of earth and black fruits. On the palate it had medium weight, somewhat simple flavors, and pretty good length; it didn't show excess tannin (a common characteristic of the vintage), and while it was reasonably tasty, it was a little anonymous.
Following that came a flight of wines from Louis Latour. The Romanee St Vivant Quartre Journaux 1971 was, sadly, corked (our only casualty of the night), but the 1978 of that wine was extraordinary. It was gamy, minerally, had some beef blood and sour cherry; it reminded me of a great Richebourg. Alongside that was another excellent bottle, Corton Grancey 1971, an earthy wine with a delicate nose containing just a touch of red fruits and some notes of violets; it had a really mouthcoating palate, a bit of sourness was coming out, leading one taster to believe that it is on the verge of turning volatile, but the bottle had been open since 8am and drunk at 10pm, so I am not at all convinced of that.
We wrapped up with a couple of non-Burgs; first, to refresh us, a bottle of Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1976. It was pretty tasty, a light-colored wine with raspberries, white chocolate, and brioche on the nose; on the palate it had great acidity, and long, dense flavors that weren't at all heavy, and just a touch of the trademark DP coffee starting to come out. Finally, two dessert wines: Climens 1983, which had a classic Climens tropical nose and good flavors, but just a touch of chalky bitterness on the finish, and Delaforce Colheita 1965 (bottled in 2005), which I quite liked; classic tawny port caramel, medium weight, and good acidity to keep it from being cloying.
