Last night I hosted a small dinner party with the guests of honor being Louis-Michel Liger-Belair of the Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair and Peter Wasserman. This is what we drank:
Before going to the table:
1998 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Spatlese Auction
1996 Fritz Haag Bruaneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr spatlese
With a carmelized onion tart and an arugula/watermelon radish salad:
1990 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile
With brined rack of pork roasted over fennel and garlic, lentils de puy, and sugar snaps:
1988 Morot Beaune Marconnets
1988 Pousse d'Or Clos de la Bousse d'Or Volnay
With a couple of excellent american cheeses:
1955 La Romanee
With pecan butter cookies:
1999 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hemannshohle auslese
1996 Navarro late harvest cluster select riesling
The schaefer was in a really great spot - very focused and deep and delicious; the haag suffered by being served after altho it's a perfectly nice wine. The CFE I decanted for a bit as I suspected it could use the air and indeed it blossomed. Pure, structured, lush (yes all at once), just excellent. One of the best showings of this wine I've experienced since it shut down years ago. From a stash bought from David Schildknecht when he was at the party source in the mid-90s. Both 88s were decanted shortly before being served. Both were excellent, the volnay a bit more pliant and aromatic, the beaune more masculine and mineral. Peter had suggested I serve CdB wines and LM selected these two from among the several that I stood up. The Beaune I bought for $20 in 1990 - gee, those were the good ol' days.
I acquired the La Romanee about 8 years ago from a local retailer who'd bought a cellar. About a 3.5" ullage. We left this on its side and pulled the cork before dinner - well, tried to pull the cork, the moment peter touched it, it went right into the bottle where we left it. When we were ready to focus on it, it was decanted and poured. It smelled a bit musty at first and I was a bit concerned but I was at least glad to verify the good color I'd observed through the bottle as the wine was very alive. In fact, the wine was much more ruby and dark than one would expect for its more than 50 years of age. LM seemed to think it was a bit over the hill - at first. Because with air, the wine blossomed and was totally delicious - all of us were quite pleased with it and I couldn't tell you whether the fruit was short-lived because the wine only lasted outside the bottle and in the decanter and our glasses for about 20-30 minutes and then it was down the hatch(es) so to speak.
The Donnhoff was very low acid and flat and boring and I refused to end the evening on that note so opened the Navarro (Peter had already rejected the half bottles of 86 and 88 climens I'd chilled - can you imagine?). It was quite dark in color, rich and sweet but very well-balanced with excellent acidity. Quite lip-smacking.
In response to some of my questions (such as what do you think of the vineyards you are newly exploiting), LM revealed that he greatly prefers petit monts to suchots as he finds the latter too soft and forward! He's also quite pleased to be producing echezeaux which he thinks is an underrated grand cru - I think his explanation for it being underrated is because it's the first wine shown at DRC, which of course has many grand grand crus. So while it may be a "lesser" wine at DRC it nonetheless is still grand cru and with the exception of about 5% of the production, it shows its elevation over premier cru. When I asked where outside of vosne he'd love to own vines he quickly replied Chambolle Amoureuses.
Louis-Michel is a charming man and he and Peter (and Cole and Tim and Francoise) mostly abided by my request to speak English, not French, so I could follow the conversation. Peter was surprised that LM didn't want the 88s decanted sooner but they were so fruity and ready that the lack of air didn't hurt them much. The La Romanee really only needed 5 minutes to show off so that was fine too.
At midnight, the crowd went off into the snowstorm but all arrived at their resting destinations safely.
Before going to the table:
1998 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Spatlese Auction
1996 Fritz Haag Bruaneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr spatlese
With a carmelized onion tart and an arugula/watermelon radish salad:
1990 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile
With brined rack of pork roasted over fennel and garlic, lentils de puy, and sugar snaps:
1988 Morot Beaune Marconnets
1988 Pousse d'Or Clos de la Bousse d'Or Volnay
With a couple of excellent american cheeses:
1955 La Romanee
With pecan butter cookies:
1999 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hemannshohle auslese
1996 Navarro late harvest cluster select riesling
The schaefer was in a really great spot - very focused and deep and delicious; the haag suffered by being served after altho it's a perfectly nice wine. The CFE I decanted for a bit as I suspected it could use the air and indeed it blossomed. Pure, structured, lush (yes all at once), just excellent. One of the best showings of this wine I've experienced since it shut down years ago. From a stash bought from David Schildknecht when he was at the party source in the mid-90s. Both 88s were decanted shortly before being served. Both were excellent, the volnay a bit more pliant and aromatic, the beaune more masculine and mineral. Peter had suggested I serve CdB wines and LM selected these two from among the several that I stood up. The Beaune I bought for $20 in 1990 - gee, those were the good ol' days.
I acquired the La Romanee about 8 years ago from a local retailer who'd bought a cellar. About a 3.5" ullage. We left this on its side and pulled the cork before dinner - well, tried to pull the cork, the moment peter touched it, it went right into the bottle where we left it. When we were ready to focus on it, it was decanted and poured. It smelled a bit musty at first and I was a bit concerned but I was at least glad to verify the good color I'd observed through the bottle as the wine was very alive. In fact, the wine was much more ruby and dark than one would expect for its more than 50 years of age. LM seemed to think it was a bit over the hill - at first. Because with air, the wine blossomed and was totally delicious - all of us were quite pleased with it and I couldn't tell you whether the fruit was short-lived because the wine only lasted outside the bottle and in the decanter and our glasses for about 20-30 minutes and then it was down the hatch(es) so to speak.
The Donnhoff was very low acid and flat and boring and I refused to end the evening on that note so opened the Navarro (Peter had already rejected the half bottles of 86 and 88 climens I'd chilled - can you imagine?). It was quite dark in color, rich and sweet but very well-balanced with excellent acidity. Quite lip-smacking.
In response to some of my questions (such as what do you think of the vineyards you are newly exploiting), LM revealed that he greatly prefers petit monts to suchots as he finds the latter too soft and forward! He's also quite pleased to be producing echezeaux which he thinks is an underrated grand cru - I think his explanation for it being underrated is because it's the first wine shown at DRC, which of course has many grand grand crus. So while it may be a "lesser" wine at DRC it nonetheless is still grand cru and with the exception of about 5% of the production, it shows its elevation over premier cru. When I asked where outside of vosne he'd love to own vines he quickly replied Chambolle Amoureuses.
Louis-Michel is a charming man and he and Peter (and Cole and Tim and Francoise) mostly abided by my request to speak English, not French, so I could follow the conversation. Peter was surprised that LM didn't want the 88s decanted sooner but they were so fruity and ready that the lack of air didn't hurt them much. The La Romanee really only needed 5 minutes to show off so that was fine too.
At midnight, the crowd went off into the snowstorm but all arrived at their resting destinations safely.