With caviar and some raw Island Creek oysters
2012 Ulysse Collin Champagne Les Pierrières
Since Ledru basically doesn't exist anymore I've been checking out the Collin wines again. I always liked them (Olivier Collin is also charming), but I don't drink much Champagne in this price range. This seemed to be at a lower atmosphere than most and very vinous and dry. On the lemon side of things and very mineral and the mouthfeel is one of density. I quite liked this.
With a sort of oysters and pearls thing since Island Creek now sells the caviar that Keller uses for this dish (he uses their oysters).
2014 Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault Les Chevalières
A big fan of Fichet and the wines in 2014 are strict, linear and bracing. They almost have a mothwatering quality to them. Then the lemony stone fruit kicks in followed by more bracing on the finish. It's actually a little gentler to drink and with real fruit than I'm making it sound, but it is an etched wine.
With prime rib roast, reverse sear is where it is at!
1996 Fratelli Brovia Barolo Rocche dei Brovia
Out of a magnum that I stood up for more than 2 weeks and decanted about 5 hours before service. The fruit is on the darker side of the scale for this wine. I remember it being lighter than this, but maybe age has darkened the fruit. Still tannic, although the last glass has softened a bit (or maybe I had). There were some more earthy characteristics that I associate with older Barolo, but nothing particularly balsamic. The fat from the roast helped a great deal and made the wine seem sweeter than it was on its own, as one would expect. Very good, but less thrilling than I had hoped. I think that I either needed a longer decant and probably need to wait a few more years to open my next one.
1995 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays
My last bottle of this and holy shit was it good. Gossamer (RIP CC) sous bois bottle sweetness with dried red and black fruits. Tannins are only there as shape and the acidity lifts the wine along the palate. There is no 1995 roughness here as I've had with other recent 1995s. It was all lovely spice, leaves, dried fruit grace and caressing. I don't have the words to properly express how much I enjoyed this but it did remind me why we cellar wines.
With Jasper Hill Harbison and other cheeses
2011 Domaine de la Bongran Viré-Clessé
Delicious and perfect with the cheese. I love the funky ripe botrytis inflected flavors and rich palate of this wine. Enough structure so that it never goes flabby and enough grace the the fruit never goes pineapple, but borders on tropical.
2012 Ulysse Collin Champagne Les Pierrières
Since Ledru basically doesn't exist anymore I've been checking out the Collin wines again. I always liked them (Olivier Collin is also charming), but I don't drink much Champagne in this price range. This seemed to be at a lower atmosphere than most and very vinous and dry. On the lemon side of things and very mineral and the mouthfeel is one of density. I quite liked this.
With a sort of oysters and pearls thing since Island Creek now sells the caviar that Keller uses for this dish (he uses their oysters).
2014 Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault Les Chevalières
A big fan of Fichet and the wines in 2014 are strict, linear and bracing. They almost have a mothwatering quality to them. Then the lemony stone fruit kicks in followed by more bracing on the finish. It's actually a little gentler to drink and with real fruit than I'm making it sound, but it is an etched wine.
With prime rib roast, reverse sear is where it is at!
1996 Fratelli Brovia Barolo Rocche dei Brovia
Out of a magnum that I stood up for more than 2 weeks and decanted about 5 hours before service. The fruit is on the darker side of the scale for this wine. I remember it being lighter than this, but maybe age has darkened the fruit. Still tannic, although the last glass has softened a bit (or maybe I had). There were some more earthy characteristics that I associate with older Barolo, but nothing particularly balsamic. The fat from the roast helped a great deal and made the wine seem sweeter than it was on its own, as one would expect. Very good, but less thrilling than I had hoped. I think that I either needed a longer decant and probably need to wait a few more years to open my next one.
1995 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays
My last bottle of this and holy shit was it good. Gossamer (RIP CC) sous bois bottle sweetness with dried red and black fruits. Tannins are only there as shape and the acidity lifts the wine along the palate. There is no 1995 roughness here as I've had with other recent 1995s. It was all lovely spice, leaves, dried fruit grace and caressing. I don't have the words to properly express how much I enjoyed this but it did remind me why we cellar wines.
With Jasper Hill Harbison and other cheeses
2011 Domaine de la Bongran Viré-Clessé
Delicious and perfect with the cheese. I love the funky ripe botrytis inflected flavors and rich palate of this wine. Enough structure so that it never goes flabby and enough grace the the fruit never goes pineapple, but borders on tropical.
