I picked up Craig and Franco last night and we headed to Andy’s for our monthly SOBER tasting. Andy greeted with some nice snacks and a couple bottles of the Clouet 1911 Brut Champagne. Lovely bottle, doughy and leesy, very long, best bottle I’ve had of this. A-
So we sat to table for the blind flights.
Blind Flight Number 1 So we started our usual double blind journey, and all thought this was PN, but maybe #1 Burgundy and #3 CA. Then Andy made an announcement, that we’d do something a bit different. He announced all the red wines were 2002 Burgundies, with each flight containing 3 wines from the same vineyard. We just had to get vineyard, and then producers. It took us a while to get this vineyard!
There was a beautiful potato-leek veloute with this flight.
Red wine #1- Kirschy fruit but not hot, herby, medium bodied and elegant. B+*
2002 Mugnier “Les Amoureuses” Chambolle-Musigny 1er
Red Wine #2- Big nose with smoke and herb, some oak. dense red fruit underneather, a lot in reserve but some pleasure now. B+/B for now. * 2002 Roumier “Les Amoureuses” Chambolle-Musigny 1er
Red wine #3 -darker, bigger, extracted, oakiest with a burnt edge, when unveiled lots of division as to whether this will come together. B-/C+ 2002 Comte de Vogue “Les Amoureuses” Chambolle-Musigny 1er
- I’m writing notes based on what I thought during each flight. At end of night revisited a few. The Mugnier didn’t show well at all at end of night, a weird volatile bugspray kind of thing, while I felt the Roumier had really blossomed, still a bit of oak but much more giving.
Blind Flight Number 2 With pate, salad, and cornichons
Red wine #4- beautiful, all sandalwood and flowers, sure there’s some oak but well balanced. My WOTN A-/A. 2002 Dujac Clos de la Roche
Red wine #5- similar nose at first, then became smokier/earthier, really fine wine that clearly could use some time, some people’s WOTN. . A- 2002 H. Lignier Clos de la Roche
Red wine #6- tight, a bit disjointed, dark fruit, not my fave. B- 2002 Ponsot Clos de la Roche
I thought Dujac continued to improve, Ponsot still eh on retry.
Blind Flight Number 3 Veal medallions in a sweet demiglaze sauce, pasta, and broiled tomato
I think Craig called Chambertin or Beze immediately, and Mark then immediately got Rousseau for #9.
Red wine #7- much lighter than its flightmates, elegant and pretty. A-/B+
2002 Drouhin Chambertin Clos de Beze
Red wine #8- intense sour cherry fruit, big but not unintegrated acids, some wood, needs time (mucho). B+ 2002 Jadot Chambertin Clos de Beze
Red wine #9- Full and lovely, a little lifted note, earthy and supple. A-
2002 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze
Blind Flight Number 4 With an assortment of cheeses (tomme de Savoie, St. Nectaire, Epoisses and one I don’t know , “prefers de something”)
Mark got Richebourg, and Dan called middle wine as Anne Gros, then it took us forever to figure producers for other 2.
Red wine #10- good fruit, Christmas spices, earth. B+
2002 Grivot Richebourg
Red wine #11- Big, sweet, a hint of VA on nose, good length. B+/B
2002 Anne Gros Richebourg
Red wine #12 -long, elegant, delicious B+/A-
2002 Hudelot Noellat Richebourg
There was a tarte tatin and meringue cookies for the dessert eaters, and a bottle of the 1989 Ch. d’Yquem to finish. Complex, deep, and long, excellent bottle of Sauternes. A-
Andy said it was his custom to check into Burgs around 10, though he typically drinks at 15-25, just to get a sense of where they are going. Nice of him to include us!
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.