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I don’t really keep up with all the wines I drink. Not sure if that is a problem, I kind of look at it as a pleasure. Writing gives me joy, but sometimes joy is best kept behind closed doors lol. Not sure if I am getting wiser, but I am definitely getting older, but as long as there is wine on my dinner table, it’s all good.
So September saw me taking two trips to Asia in the same week. I am the worst travel agent, by the way. By the time I came back and gave birth to October’s HK sale, Fall was in full swing. Everyone was back in New York, and my first official week back had me seeing a few familiar faces such as The Don, The Rev, The Inspector and The Queen. Yes, if you don’t have a ‘The’ in front of your name, then you aren’t the one lol. I have a new one on the way, by the way, my fourth and final chapter. Thinking about naming him Kareem Abdul Kapon, has a nice ring to it.
I am not sure of the particular order of the wines sampled, but if anyone wants to wager, I will pay 100 to 1 if you can identify who brought which wine in this article. I am included, of course. 2005 Chateau de Beaucastel Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is a good place to start. This was kinky and big, like a well-placed high heel, rich and concentrated with that unique white Rhone flavor. Glue, inner yellow peel and stinky cheese rounded out this monstrous white (95).
Another kinky white Rhone was a 2006 Guigal Condrieu La Doriane. White Rhone has to be one of the more interesting and underappreciated categories in fine wine today. This was another full, big and rich ‘wow’ white. I loved its gamy intensity and drugged honey flavor (94+).
Awesome Atera
The 2007 Lafon Meursault Perrieres was smooth and direct like NFL Sundays. It had clean fruit, white with a touch of yellow along diamonds and minerals. There was nice flex to its muscle in this cut and fit white (94).
A stellar bottle of 1986 Leflaive Bienvenues Batard Montrachet made one of my nights. It had just the right amount of sweetness, not over top like many siblings from the vintage, ‘deelish’ came to mind. This was an impressive and lingering ’86, still young and still tight, just how I like it (95).
The last white of the week was a 2004 Dauvissat Chablis Les Clos. I am a huge fan of this wine in general. This particular bottle was a bit bready, but still easy to drink if you seek character and complexity as opposed to obviousness. That’s the essence of Chablis (92).
The 1993 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze was a special treat with its aromas of forest, cedar and tree-like fruit. It was served a touch cold but made me feel warm and fuzzy anyway. Flavors of black, burnt rubber made me hot like revved up motors. This was life in the fast lane (96+).
Righteous Rousseau
The 1990 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze was even better, this was a great ’90, immune to the ‘disease’ of the vintage, as the Burghound likes to call it. There was flesh to its fruit, meat to its bones, and flavors of tea, leather, game and sauce. Forest was also there, like Gretel without Hansel. There are dueling banjos and dueling Rousseas, on any given Sunday either of these two great vintages can come out on top (98).
There were two more 1993 Burgs sampled this week, beginning with a shut down 1993 Rouget Vosne Romanee Cros Parantoux. I wanted so much more out of this wine, but only got shy purple and aren’t you not experienced fruit. There was latent potential here but it just didn’t click on this night (91).
Put A Cork In It
The other ’93 was an impressive A. & F. Gros Richebourg. This was a big wine, powerful and rich, showing more fruit than your average 1993. There was percolating menthol to its black and purple personality, and a lot of spice to this behemoth. It got stronger with time (95).
Speaking of Gros, one of the best wines I had this busy week was a 1962 Gros-Renaudot Clos Vougeot. This was an incredible ’62, both delicious and lingering. It felt like it needed a sequel, I wanted more. Its fruit was so lush and creamy, it hit my wine spot and reminded me how age equals beauty when it comes to great wine (96).
Cros, Gros & Beze
A 1999 Roumier Bonnes Mares was another ballgame, delivering a game-winning hit. This was still young, hinting at its wealth, but it kept its wallet in its pocket. There were cascades of red, purple and black fruit but none on obvious display. It had flesh without being fleshy, and flavor without being fruity. Earth and cedar sprinted up and down its sidelines, trying to get in the game. I loved the wine, but it still felt way too soon (95).
We began with the Rhone, so let’s end with it. A 1995 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape was a bit shut down, simpler than I expected, not the usual extrovert. It didn’t get better over a long evening, either. Hopefully this was just any given bottle or any given phase, it just wasn’t any giving wine on this night (92).
It was a busy week, indeed, although no Bordeaux, but The Mogul would take care of that rather quickly and in the finest of fashions…
In Vino Veritas,
JK
