Three-plus weeks of solid biz travel makes kybo a dull boy...
At home on a Saturday night for the 1st time in three weeks, with the occassion to have dinner with two couples from our wine group. Our host Chris thought it'd be a good time to clear out some of the 'last of's', and the roast leg of lamb was the perfect reason to go deep into the cellar.
Started w/some excellent CA sparkling:
'92 Schramsburg Blanc de Noir - Deeply nutty and toasty aromas, smooth pear and apple, an interesting herbal twinge. 90 pts., great stuff.
Then when straight to the good stuff:
'79 Auxey Duresses - Domaine Du Moulin Aux Moines: Brown, though still very clear, no sediment to speak of. Slightly maderized smell, with black cherry and chocolate notes. Tart, and somewhat astringent finish, fruit fading rapidly. Clearly over the hill but still enjoyable. 83 pts.
'70 La Tache: Unfortunately, this wine was suffering from a bad case of bad provenance. Chris had gotten this from a colleague who had stored it improperly for the first 6 yrs. of its life. Needless to say, it wasn't as good as it could have been.
Muddied bronze color, nose of minerals and wet earth. Tart berries, some acidity, not completely dead but definitely on life support. Not rated.
'89 Joseph Drouhin - Pernand Vergelesses: Reddish brown, initial nose was almost non-existing, then some cherry showed through. Light cherry, cream, spicy finish. 2nd glass was much better w/a little more aeration. 86 pts.
'85 Nuits St. Georges les Hauts Pruliers: Strong dark cherry nose, also quite reddish brown in color, lots of legs. Hints of leather, dark red fruit, more bittersweet chocolate. Still very nice Burgundy. Tons of sediment. 88 pts.
'93 Bouchard Pere & Fils - Vosne-Romanee Aux Raignots: Youthful, strong, deep cranberry color. Meaty, herbal aromas, deep red fruit on the palate, long, cherry/cranberry finish. Maybe a bit young yet. 88 pts., maybe 1-2 more in a couple years.
'93 Monticello Corley Vineyard PN Napa Valley: Deep cranberry color, excellent clarity, creamy cherry, somewhat herbal, w/a long, smooth red fruit and spicy oak finish. 88 pts., still holding its own quite nicely.
'78 Tokaji Aszu - 3 Puttonyos: My first try for this wine, not what I expected but still a real treat. Orange blossoms and toast on the nose, more orange, sweet oak, and neat tart-sweet mid length finish. Only lightly-sweet; I don't know if this is what it's supposed to taste like, but I like it!
Long night, fun times, good friends, food, and wine...Glad I kept some notes.
...hey, chief - you gonna finish that bottle?
Posts: 3624 | Location: Alpharetta, GA | Registered: Nov 17, 2001
PE: I've been doing the planes, trains, and automobiles thing for some 5 weeks now - I don't know if I'm coming or going. Done some lurking while on the road but haven't really had much to share. Thanks for the interest!
...hey, chief - you gonna finish that bottle?
Posts: 3624 | Location: Alpharetta, GA | Registered: Nov 17, 2001
