Almost every year for the past six or so years, I get together with a small group of friends for a "bring something good" end of year dinner. On Tuesday, December 6th, that tradition continued when Greg dal Piaz, Izzy Nosnik, Chris Kravitz and Bill Lawrence and I convened at Beacon Restaurant for a night of revelry. Good food + good wine + good friends= great night!
2008 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec Domaine du Clos Naudin - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Nowhere near as forward and exhilarating as previous bottles. Perhaps slightly off, or starting to shut down? It shows its typical quince and mineral profile, but lacks the exotic gingery note it's previously shown. It's also exhibiting more of an apple character. While a nice match with the crab bisque, overall the wine seemed a bit muted. A-/B+, though six previous bottles have merited an A/A- to an A.
1998 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave- Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Showing so much better than a bottle a year ago, this was an absolute treat. It's extremely floral on the nose with a fields worth of violets to go along with the meat, fur and peppery black and red fruit. Youthful on the palate with chewy tannins and nice acid levels, but despite its brawn, the wine has a Burgundian elegance to it. The fruit is ripe, but not jammy and there's more of a beef blood character to it than bacon. Just great balance, depth and purity here and a real joy to drink, though additional cellar time should see more secondary development than is currently showing. A.
1989 Chateau Angélus - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
A real shame here. When I first opened this up to double decant at home, it smelled beautiful and was full of sweet red fruit, truffles and herbs. A quick taste showed a silky quality with like flavors. However, several hours later when the wine was served, it was a shell of its former self. The exuberance had left it, it was a little hard on the attack, it displayed no length and was cranky on the finish. By the end of the evening the faint whiff of tca started to emerge confirming the problem. A real shame too as this wine never fails to deliver when intact. My first corked bottle out of ten that I purchased and only one bottle left. NR (flawed)
1989 Chateau Ausone - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
From a disappointing period in the estate's history and it shows. The wine revealed little on the nose and was one-note on the palate. Simple, with diluted red fruit and cedar, the acidity is high, but despite that, the wine lacks vitality and is bereft of personality. That said, it's a perfectly fine drop that's akin to a solid, non-descript red that might be poured at a cocktail party, but one expects a lot more given the pedigree, vintage and price. B+/B.
1989 Chateau Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
What a wine! If it hadn't been for the Monfortino, this would've taken wine of the night honors for me. It shows remarkable purity, depth and concentration, but the balance is impeccable. Black fruit in character, with plums, currants and a bit of cedar and mineral, it just seduces you with its rich, yet velvety mouthfeel. It's just hitting the beginings of peak, but shows youthfully, so while there's every reason to open one now, there's a lot more development to go. One of my favorites from the estate and I wish I had some in the cellar. Solid A.
1989 Chateau Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
This was largely considered a dog for the vintage on release and it's never particularly impressed me the four or five times I've had it over the years and tonight it's showing as usual. It's rustic, high acid and chunky in style with an extracted feel to it, but without any richness or enough fruit to fully back it up. Red cherry and red currants on the palate with a touch of herb and earth as well as mint and coffee from the oak that still needs to integrate further. It's showing a bit better than the Ausone, but like the Ausone, given the vintage, Ch“teau and price, one expects a lot more. B+/A-.
1982 Giacomo Conterno- Barolo Riserva Monfortino - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
At this same end of year dinner two years ago, Greg also brought this bottle, but, alas, that bottle was corked. Thankfully, this one wasn't. In fact, it would turn out to be my wine of the year. This is what Barolo strives to be. It's a powerhouse of a wine that's endlessly complex and layered, dynamic and full throttle, yet somehow manages to stay suave and show elegance. Double decanted at 3:00 pm and consumed starting around 8:30-9:00 pm, the wine showed a mostly black profile with its fruit, olive, tar and anise character, but some red fruit joined in once in the glass a bit. Rich and full, but silky with tannins lurking in the background until they started to become a bit bossy later in the evening. Greg calls it a sexy wine if you like women wearing black leather who can throw you around the room. Outstanding. Solid A+.
1995 Huët- Vouvray Cuvée Constance - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
A great way to end a wonderful evening. No longer painfully young, but certainly still youthful, this is actually a rather showy bottle. Intense, expansive and with great length, the wine is bursting with orange marmalade, apricot, bergamot and mineral flavors and aromas and picks up some marzipan after being opened awhile. Quite sweet, but it has riveting acidity that keeps everything perfectly balanced. Solid A.
2008 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec Domaine du Clos Naudin - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Nowhere near as forward and exhilarating as previous bottles. Perhaps slightly off, or starting to shut down? It shows its typical quince and mineral profile, but lacks the exotic gingery note it's previously shown. It's also exhibiting more of an apple character. While a nice match with the crab bisque, overall the wine seemed a bit muted. A-/B+, though six previous bottles have merited an A/A- to an A.
1998 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave- Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Showing so much better than a bottle a year ago, this was an absolute treat. It's extremely floral on the nose with a fields worth of violets to go along with the meat, fur and peppery black and red fruit. Youthful on the palate with chewy tannins and nice acid levels, but despite its brawn, the wine has a Burgundian elegance to it. The fruit is ripe, but not jammy and there's more of a beef blood character to it than bacon. Just great balance, depth and purity here and a real joy to drink, though additional cellar time should see more secondary development than is currently showing. A.
1989 Chateau Angélus - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
A real shame here. When I first opened this up to double decant at home, it smelled beautiful and was full of sweet red fruit, truffles and herbs. A quick taste showed a silky quality with like flavors. However, several hours later when the wine was served, it was a shell of its former self. The exuberance had left it, it was a little hard on the attack, it displayed no length and was cranky on the finish. By the end of the evening the faint whiff of tca started to emerge confirming the problem. A real shame too as this wine never fails to deliver when intact. My first corked bottle out of ten that I purchased and only one bottle left. NR (flawed)
1989 Chateau Ausone - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
From a disappointing period in the estate's history and it shows. The wine revealed little on the nose and was one-note on the palate. Simple, with diluted red fruit and cedar, the acidity is high, but despite that, the wine lacks vitality and is bereft of personality. That said, it's a perfectly fine drop that's akin to a solid, non-descript red that might be poured at a cocktail party, but one expects a lot more given the pedigree, vintage and price. B+/B.
1989 Chateau Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
What a wine! If it hadn't been for the Monfortino, this would've taken wine of the night honors for me. It shows remarkable purity, depth and concentration, but the balance is impeccable. Black fruit in character, with plums, currants and a bit of cedar and mineral, it just seduces you with its rich, yet velvety mouthfeel. It's just hitting the beginings of peak, but shows youthfully, so while there's every reason to open one now, there's a lot more development to go. One of my favorites from the estate and I wish I had some in the cellar. Solid A.
1989 Chateau Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
This was largely considered a dog for the vintage on release and it's never particularly impressed me the four or five times I've had it over the years and tonight it's showing as usual. It's rustic, high acid and chunky in style with an extracted feel to it, but without any richness or enough fruit to fully back it up. Red cherry and red currants on the palate with a touch of herb and earth as well as mint and coffee from the oak that still needs to integrate further. It's showing a bit better than the Ausone, but like the Ausone, given the vintage, Ch“teau and price, one expects a lot more. B+/A-.
1982 Giacomo Conterno- Barolo Riserva Monfortino - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
At this same end of year dinner two years ago, Greg also brought this bottle, but, alas, that bottle was corked. Thankfully, this one wasn't. In fact, it would turn out to be my wine of the year. This is what Barolo strives to be. It's a powerhouse of a wine that's endlessly complex and layered, dynamic and full throttle, yet somehow manages to stay suave and show elegance. Double decanted at 3:00 pm and consumed starting around 8:30-9:00 pm, the wine showed a mostly black profile with its fruit, olive, tar and anise character, but some red fruit joined in once in the glass a bit. Rich and full, but silky with tannins lurking in the background until they started to become a bit bossy later in the evening. Greg calls it a sexy wine if you like women wearing black leather who can throw you around the room. Outstanding. Solid A+.
1995 Huët- Vouvray Cuvée Constance - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
A great way to end a wonderful evening. No longer painfully young, but certainly still youthful, this is actually a rather showy bottle. Intense, expansive and with great length, the wine is bursting with orange marmalade, apricot, bergamot and mineral flavors and aromas and picks up some marzipan after being opened awhile. Quite sweet, but it has riveting acidity that keeps everything perfectly balanced. Solid A.
