MNSC Burgundy Trip Day 2: Coche-Dury, Henri Jayer and more

Lunch at La Colline du Colombier in Iguerande, France.

2003 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets - lots of toasty oak, oily, buttery, a little steely with minerals, really round and smooth on the palate. Not acidic but not overly ripe either. Plenty of toasty corn at the end. A classic Coche-Dury.

2000 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne - this wine had always eluded me, because I had always been content to drink Jean-François Coche-Dury's cheaper offerings. This wine was initially very closed, but after some aeration revealed the classic intense nose of toast I have comeh to love. Pretty ripe on the palate, with lots of minerals. After a bite of the acidic jelly, the wine tasted really sweet when I sipped it. What a wine!

1990 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée - a little vegetal at first masking the fruit core. Later strawberry notes emerged, with a little bit of grass, forest and mint. Still really young, although the color was pretty light. A reasonable amount of tannins left.

1993 Henri Jayer Echezeaux - very floral, osmanthus, a little smoky, some fruit came out after a while. Still enough tannins to be a little grippy.

1988 Henri Jayer Cros Parantoux - very farmy, nose was much more open and beautiful, with lots of fruit and a bit toasty. Higher acidity on the palate was noted. Lovely, floral like violet. A beautiful wine!

Dinner at Troisgros in Roanne France.

2002 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Perrières - nose was a bit toasty and mineral, which kept the ripeness of the fruit hidden underneath.  Drank beautifully while we were at the bar.

1996 Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Perrières - nose was very open and floral, with a bit of apricot, ripe fruit, honey, marmalade, sweet grass, and just sweet perfume in general.  There was also a slight hint of acetone.  A really beautiful wine.  Someone at the table commented that this was just like kissing and smelling the sweet scent of a woman's neck.  I think he was having a Les Gouttes de Dieu (神の雫) moment...

1993 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée - not in the original line-up, but Dr. Poon inserted this bottle as he thought it would be a reasonable choice.  I'm glad he did, as this bottle drank very well.  Minty nose with herbs, pine needle, black cherries... Sweet and a bit alcoholic.  Dr. Poon loved it so much that he spoke of opening a bottle for breakfast tomorrow...

1995 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée Beaumonts - a little hard and steely at first.  Nose turned floral and pretty sweet later. 

1992 Henri Jayer Cros Parantoux - a little vegetal on top of the fruity and sweet nose.  Farmy and minty notes, with rose overtones.  Really open and beautiful.  Definitely my favorite Henri Jayer today.

1982 Lafite-Rothschild - WOW!  What an amazing wine!  Decanted for almost four hours, this was beautiful!  Nose of mint, sweet grass, smoke and a little soy sauce along with some fruit.  A classic elegant claret through and through, and you know this wine can last for a long, long time.  Of course provenance is without question, and Pineapple acquired this bottle some years back and I know he is extremely meticulous on this topic...  This was the "missing bottle" from our Bordeaux trip last year - when we drank a bunch of '82 First Growths - and it was sooooo much better than the bottle I was invited to taste a couple of months ago in Hong Kong. As much as I liked this wine, I could not bring myself to give it a perfect score, as that is reserved for the next bottle we drank...

1998 Le Pin - I knew we were drinking a Le Pin the minute I swirled the glass and took a whiff.  The exotic nose was unmistakable.  Explosive, sweet, ripe and fruity, with notes of French pears and sweet tropical fruits.  Also notes of tea.  Decanted for 2 hours.  What a beautiful wine!  I actually wrote down "f**king awesome" in my tasting notes, because I loved it that much.  We drank another bottle of this wine last year in Bordeaux, and at the time it was also my favorite wine of the evening.  100 points!

Full post on lunch and dinner is here.