MNSC Dinner - Caprice

MNSC dinner at Caprice. Hosted by me.

1971 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nose was very oxidized, as expected, with sugar cane, straw, marmalade notes. Ripe, soft, and lovely on the palate.

First flight: served 2 hours after opening, without decanting.

2000 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - a little grilled meats, leather, not quite open. Definitely harder and masculine. 93 points.

1999 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - much bigger, more open, and more toasty on the nose, also a little dusty and dirty. Very smooth on the palate but also more noticeable tannins. 94 points.

1995 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - cleaner, softer on the palate. Black fruits and some eucalyptus. 94 points.

Second flight: served 1 hour after opening, without decanting.

1949 Haut-Brion, ex-château 2013 - very savory, huge and punchy nose. Very oxidized but not quite madeira, with Chinese salted plum, much more ripe and smoky. Classic old claret with that savory soy sauce and aged tangerine peel. 95 points.

1944 Haut-Brion, ex-château 2013 - very savory, a little medicinal, woodsy, more open and much more beautiful. 96 points.

Third flight: served 3½ hours after opening, without decanting.

1970 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - sweet grass, kinda fruity, pretty fragrant, minty, and kinda ripe. 94 points.

1971 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - a little oxidized, a little savory, kinda ripe. 93 points.

Bonus round:

1959 Clos de Nouys Vouvray Moelleux - flinty, floral, pollen and orange blossom notes. A hint of sweetness but not too rich.

Full post on dinner is here.

Mixed bag at home

Dinner at a friend's home.

2015 Jules Desjourneys Pouilly-Vinzelles - toasty and buttery.

2001 Lake's Folly Cabernets - smoky, plummy.  Definitely smelled the acidity on the nose.

1949 Averys Richebourg - way over the hill, with wet cardboard, prunes, and a little stinky.

1997 Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - nice and caramelized, a little toasty, buttery.

1989 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Émile Vendages Tardives - tons of petrol and polyurethane, initially short finish, but improved significantly with aeration.  Also white flowers.  Somewhat sweet on the attack but turns drier mid-palate.

2012 Cecile Tremblay Bourgogne Pinot Noir - kindly flat, toasty, kinda firm on the palate.

1999 de Montille Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens - decanted for 4 hours prior to serving.  Strong minty and forest notes.  Pretty ripe fruits.

2002 Torbreck Run Rig - decanted for 2 hours prior to serving.  Pretty sweet and pretty ripe as expected, but a little too alcoholic.  Not drinking as well as hoped.

MNSC dinner - Jackson Room

MNSC dinner hosted by Dr. Poon.

1993 Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet - high acidity here but not too sharp.  Mature and very ripe on the nose, with toasty notes.

First flight: opened for 1 hour prior to serving.

1982 DRC Grands Echezeaux - beautiful and floral nose, fruity and elegant, with intense sweetness almost like honeydew.  Slightly less elegant after a few minutes in glass, but still great.  97 points.

1993 DRC Grands Echezeaux - more powerful with a much bigger nose of leather.  Stemmy and almost a bit stinky.  A hint of savory black olives, then a bit of green pepper.  95 points.

Second flight: opened 2 hours prior to serving.

1993 Lafleur - classic and smoky nose, with spicy green peppers.  Dry on the palate.  Very nice.  95 points.

1993 Screaming Eagle - rich and open, sweeter on the nose, with oaky notes and a hint of rubber and eucalyptus.  Sweet and ripe. A bit sharp and alcoholic, and some acidity on the palate.  98 points.

Third flight:

1937 Latour - opened 30 minutes before decanting and serving. 60 minutes after opening, showed a really minty nose, almost medicinal, savory, funky, and almost like fermented shrimp... with a hint of coffee? 93 points.

1949 Latour - opened 2½ hours prior to serving. So beautiful!  So smoky with cedar, oak, and tobacco notes.  Pretty sweet at first and showed a little higher acidity later.  97 points.

1959 Latour - opened 2½ hours prior to serving. Much leaner, greener, grassy, green pepper, smoky.  High acidity on the palate with some tannins.  93 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

Burgundian night

Burgundian evening at Neighborhood.

2012 Patrick Javillier Corton-Charlemagne - nice and toasty.

2005 La Pousse d'Or Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret - more mineral, some toast, a little lean on the palate but also rounded on the finish.

1959 Joseph Pontinet Meursault Pinot Blanc - very toasty, huge nose, lots of coffee, toffee, really big nose of pain grillé. Absolutely beautiful.

2015 Bernard Van Berg En Busigny Blanc - very closed and muted at first. Lean on the palate. Nice, elegant, clean. But reality is that it shut down and was disappointing. Acidity still there, so the wine wasn't dead. 3 hours after opening, nose showed some Anjoy pear, iron, and minerals.

2016 Laurent Ponsot Corton-Charlemagne Cuvée du Kalimeris - flinty, tropical stone fruit, floral, pretty ripe and sweet. Beautiful.

2010 Arnaud Ente Meursault Clos des Ambres - toasty minerals on the nose, good acidity on the palate. Beautiful.

2002 Coche-Dury Meursault - nice and toasty, with some flint, but not as huge as expected. Good balance between acidity and ripeness on the palate.

2010 Confuron-Cotetidot Echezeaux - minty with sweet fruit.

1949 Moillard-Grivot Corton Bressandes - savory, lots of mushrooms, mature.

1995 Domaine Ponsot Griotte Chambertin - not bad at all. Eucalyptus and some ripe fruit.

2011 Dujac Echezeaux - for some reason this seemed very muted.

1979 Lupé-Cholet Echezeaux - very mature, with plenty of black olives, leather, and almost a little stewed fruit.

2004 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée - absolutely beautiful and exactly what I expected from this wine. Very floral, lots of leather, and toast. Soooo seductive still.

Full post on dinner is here.