On Friday, with a Thai dinner, I opened a bottle of the '04 Luneau-Papin L D'Or Muscadet
nose: intense flint and citrus palate: minerals, rich mouthfeel, fruit, intensity
Wow! From the nose, I'd have thought that this was a Premier Cru Chablis that I was smelling, but it tasted like Muscadet, only moreso. This was a profound wine, and one that I'm glad that I have more of.
On Sunday, with a dinner of braised duck with turnips, we opened a bottle of the '99 Ponzi Pinot Noir Reserve
n: initially, dark, indeterminate fruit; later, round, red fruits p: initially, reticent with dark fruit, but later opening up and rounding out to show more typical Pinot red fruit and more of a velvety mouthfeel.
A lesson learned. I was ready to give up on this wine as an overextracted monster for the first half hour, but with time and exposure to air it took on a more nuanced and perfumed character. If you've got this wine, hang onto it for a while longer or decant it ahead of time.
Tonight, with a dinner of roast chicken and mashed potatoes, we opened a bottle of the 2004 Robert Chevillon Burgundy:
n: very closed in with hints of bright cherry fruit p: medium body, bright acidity, cherryish fruit, very tight
We put the unconsumed half of this bottle in the fridge for later examination, in the hopes that the wine will open up a bit more. Still, it was quite tasty.
Mark Lipton