This is still a work in progress as I upload tasting notes and wine labels from as far as 1999... Check back once in a while to get the updates.

September 13, 2008

Burgundian evening

Dinner at Brasserie on the Eighth.

Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle - the luxury cuvée which is a blend of 3 vintages. I am not sure which three vintages were in this bottle, but it was certainly a good way to start the evening off.

2002 Leroy Meursault 1er Cru Les Blagny - the fruit was very ripe and sweet on the palate, while there was also a good balance of acidity. Toasty oak in the nose came out towards the end.

1999 Baron Thenard Montrachet - even though none of us knew the domaine, this was a real treat. Smoky, flinty and almost steely on the nose. The wine was pretty ripe on the palate, while again achieving a good balance with the acidity. Just about my favorite wine of the evening.
1996 Leroy Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Combottes - this was classically Leroy. Initially the tannins were still very obvious on my tongue, a bit surprising given that this is only a 1er cru. The nose showed slightly higher acidity initially, but this quickly disappeared and the old familiar Leroy came back, with plenty of sweet fruit and ripe prunes. Not a bad effort. Production of this wine was tiny - 1,461 bottles for this vintage.

1996 Roumier Bonnes Mares - this was highly anticipated. Prices for Roumier has skyrocketed in the last 18 months, thanks in no small part to the publication of the Japanese wine comic 神の雫 (Les Gouttes de Dieu) - where the 2001 Roumier Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses was chosen as the "first disciple".

Anyway, back to the wine. After a couple of hours in an open decanter, the nose that developed proved to be quite nice, with lots of very sweet red fruits, and very classic Burgundian. However there was something missing there. You can sense that the wine could be so much more. Perhaps we are just drinking it too early. In any event, it was quite a privilege to be able to drink this wine, and I have my friend to thank for it.

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