Blog

A week after packing up Wolf’s cellar ”“ at least what he parted with, I should say ”“ I was back in Switzerland for a most special dinner hosted by one of Wolf’s dearest friends. It was a belated 60th birthday party for Hans Jorg (born in 1947), but I don’t think anyone minded much that it was a year late after being treated to an extraordinary lineup. When it comes to Wolf and his wine-drinking friends, apples do not fall far from the tree!

We started with a welcome 1998 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois. It had a warm, inviting nose full of mature, yeasty notes, bright yellow sun-baked fruits and perfect toast. The palate was rich, creamy, spritely and delicious, full of vanilla and citrus flavors, and I was quite impressed given it was a 1998. There wasn’t the weight there of a truly great vintage, and its acidity was quite civilized, but it should provide excellent and earlier drinking pleasure for a while still (93).

We sat down to the first ‘official’ wine of the night, which was also a bubbly. There was only one rule for the night ”“ everyone must drink everything! A deep gold color and very slight petillance had every one guessing which 1947 Champagne it was. There was just a bubble here and a bubble there. Its pungent nose had lots of vanilla, almost a vanilla crunchiness to it, and there was also wood, caramel, straw and a combination of wet hay and wet grass. There was better sprite in the mouth, a Chateldon quality of a sparkle, very fine but bright with its lemony goodness. Hints of minerals, wet rocks and earth rounded it out at first. This bubbly kept changing, though, and its secondary aromas were all about dried fruits extraordinaire, this combination of apricot, peach, pineapple and banana peel. It got more stewed, in a good way, and the palate flirted with outstanding, but there was a hint of lightness in the middle. Some caviar brought it across the border; however, we were a bit shocked to find out this was a 1979 Krug Collection, out of magnum nonetheless. I have had infantile bottles of this, so even though this magnum was still outstanding, it was definitely a touch advanced (95A-M).

We had one white wine on this night, a white Burgundy, of course, also served out of magnum. It had a gorgeous nose, honeyed and dressed in white with aromas of acacia, lilac and honeysuckle. On the one hand, it was so sweet and so tropical, but on the other hand still so poised. All the shades of honey joined the party ”“ suckle, comb, nectar”¦even honeydew. Its floral components were definitely all white. The palate was round and softer than the nose, perhaps muted by the cold temperature at which it was served, but the white was still seemingly mature with its integrated acidity despite its youthful flavors. I noted that its acidity could also have been lost in its opulence, and sure enough the broth that came shortly thereafter helped the acidity emerge. Wolf observed, ‘honey, pineapple and botrytis.’ We were thinking ’85 or ’90, shocked to find out it was a 2001 Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche! It was a fascinating follow up to the 2000 I had the night before, showing a lot of botrytis, indeed (93M).

It was time to get serious with some red, red wine. The first red had a great, old nose with the cobwebs, dust and leather, but still fragrance to its fruit. Sweet black cherry, cassis, a pinch of animal and an almost Asian, spicy glaze were all there in this alive and complex nose. Caramel started oozing out, along with some sautéed green beans. The palate was a bit simpler, ‘volatile’ per Wolf, who still conceded ‘beautiful sweetness,’ a ‘the sweetness of death.’ The palate was honeyed with hints of raisin and fig, round and fleshy without the flesh, lush without being chewy. It was soft, tender and caressing in the mouth, with dusty flavors of candle wax and walnuts. The intensity factor wasn’t much, but the beauty was still there in this magnum of 1947 Latour, and that is that ‘sweetness of death’ to which Wolf earlier referred (92M).

The next wine’s nose was all about the graham cracker at first, with chocolate behind it. It flirted with smores but was not that sweet. It was more gamy and ‘waxy’(Wolf, of course), with aromas of dried nuts and shells. The palate was rich and had excellent mouth feel and grip with its great citric spice, tang and long finish. Even Wolf cooed about its length. The wine was round, rich, tangy and long, still with excellent acidity. Flavors of carob and tobacco and a signature gravelly finish rounded out this excellent magnum of 1947 Haut Brion (94M).

The next red was also out of magnum, much lighter in color but still all about Bordeaux. There was a perfect balance of nut and cedar, complemented by an equally beautiful balance of fruits and nuts, along with ‘sweet roses.’ The nose was incredibly harmonious; rich, soft and tender with pinches of gas and earth. ‘Sweet and mellow,’ Wolf admired, calling it ‘more refined.’ Lafite? Ausone? This was grace in a glass, a charming, tender and easy wine, and sure enough was a magnum of 1947 Lafite Rothschild, what would turn out to be the most elegant wine of the night (94M).

The quality continued with a much deeper nose. Aromas of olive, forest, mushroom gravy, black fruits and a cardamom or something of the sorts were all present in this big nose. The palate was noticeably dry, a bit sun burnt in a black sand way. There were more tannins and tobacco present in this gritty red. It was not as seductive as the Lafite, but sometimes a spanking is in order lol. I liked the vigor in this magnum of 1947 Calon Segur. It was more muscle than charm, a sturdy, schoolyard bully of a ’47, and excellent though perhaps a hint brutish (93+M).

The next two reds stole the show, as they should have. The first had great cobwebs in the nose, like walking into a tomb full of wine treasure. Dust, leather, earth, carob and caramel were all there in supporting roles. A hint of Mouton mint and menthol crept in, but this was not Mouton. The palate was rich and saucy, chocolaty and minty. The acidity was superb and noticeably long, giving tremendous lift to an already spicy finish. Everyone quickly agreed that this was wine of the night, a true ‘palate coater.’ This magnum of 1947 Ausone was worth a trip to Switzerland! It was so minty and so delicious, rusty and spiny to the last drop. Traces of gardenia lingered in my empty glass (97M).

The obligatory magnum of 1947 Cheval Blanc followed. Oh, if you insist. The nose was coffee city; rich, concentrated and saucy. It, too, had excellent acidity and was very hearty, spicy and long. 1947 was a Right Bank year, after all. It became classically port-like with a little air time. Flavors of caramel, chocolate and motor oil were all there, and there was no doubting the quality of its intense grit, spice and spine. Walter, aka ‘Mr. Cheval Blanc,’ blessed the wine, so we knew we were good 🙂 The Ausone and Cheval were practically a dead heat, but in the end I preferred the Ausone. Walter then got up and proceeded to give a warm, heartfelt speech. Too bad it was in German lol (96+M).

But it wasn’t over! There were two dessert wines to go, the first being a 1967 Yquem. The Yquem’s nose was sweet and musky, classic with its candle wax, nut and caramel aromas. While it came across mature, its color was so young. Wolf picked on it, citing ‘a hint of bitterness and not quite perfect.’ After getting to know Wolf’s collection intimately, it is easier to understand how ‘not quite perfect’ is a letdown! It was still clean and fresh to me, with delicious flavors of caramel, orange marmalade, butterscotch, peach and apricot. It didn’t last long in my glass – yum (96).

The second Sauternes had a milder nose with more wax and honey to it and also seemed deeper, thicker and nuttier. The palate was much richer and oilier, full of coconut and smoke flavors. There was more acidity and pop here, but the 1947 Rieussec gave a clumsier impression and seemed simpler over time, albeit still excellent in its own right (94).

Happy Birthday Hans Jorg. To many more!