2003 Chard and then some

Dinner at Aroma Cuisine. 

Jacques Selosse Contraste (disgorged Oct 27 2009) - a wine that's no longer made.  A combination of the 2002 and 2003 vintages, made with only Pinot Noir from Ay and Ambonnay.  Color was kinda dark.  Nose was classic Selosse... very oxidized and lovely, a little salty with minerals, yeasty, a little toasty.  Notes of honey became more prominent with time. 

2003 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge - the last time I opened up a bottle of this wine was with this group two years ago.  Knowing that this is a big wine, I decanted it about 90 minutes before dinner.  Turns out it was the right decision.  The wine had opened up well by the time we poured it into our glasses, with a huge toasty nose, lots of smoke, a little popcorn, loads and loads of vanilla, lemon, apricot, and very sweet like marshmallow and nougat.  Pretty ripe and sweet on the palate.  A monster of a wine that could use a few more years of aging to mellow out a little.  Not for anyone who's looking for subtlety...

2003 d'Auvenay Meursault Les Narvaux - a pure coincidence that we matched up two Chards from the same vintage...  This was completely different in style.  With my first whiff of the nose I thought I was smelling a briney oyster from Brittany...  Definitely salty and mineral, with toasty corn and prominent notes of grass and straw.  Kinda ripe and hot on the palate, too.  I could feel the alcohol (13.5%)...  What a treat to taste this together with the Judge!

1997 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - sweet, minty, very lovely nose with a hint of grass, potpourri, lots of fruit and grilled meat.  Definitely can still feel the concentration even after all these years.  What a great wine!  Caymus SS is pretty under-rated these days.

1990 Vega Sicilia Unico - still young after 20 years... Lovely and elegant, with grass, gamey, smoky, minty and exotic spices.  Very enjoyable now, but I wonder when it will really develop and reach its peak.

Full post on dinner is here.