CHAMPAGNE AND 82 BORDEAUX NIGHT - Berkeley (5/31/2014)
Some friends and I gathered to open a couple of 82 Bordeaux, a rare treat for all of us. Most of the wines performed wonderfully.
The Champagnes
I was looking for the right ‘wino’ occasion to open the de Venoge and tonight seemed perfect. I loved the contrast with the Pol Roger - and was surprised by how much I liked the PR and its profile. I’m not very familiar with the de Venoge. The only bottle of the Grand Vin des Princes I’ve ever seen was in my cellar for about a dozen years. But the bottle is a crack-up. It looks like a giant salad dressing bottle or the ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ magic lamp. Nonetheless, it was very fine bubbly.
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1993 de Venoge Champagne Brut Grand Vin des Princes - France, Champagne
Kind of a steely light yellow color. Bready nose along with mineral and citrus. Taut and nutty with lemon, bread and stone on the palate. Excellent to Outstanding.
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2002 Pol Roger Champagne Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne
Surprisingly good for me. Perhaps it was because I tried it after the '93 de Venoge Grand Vin des Princes. It seemed quite open and contrasted nicely with the tightly wound de Venoge. Outstanding.
The Whites - Bordeaux and Burgundy
The Pavillon Blanc was quite disappointing. It was fine with the food, but I expected a bit more. Once again the 2002 Colin-Deleger was exceelent. After every single 2001 was oxidised, not one of my 2002s or 2003s have been premoxed.
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2004 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Contrôlée
Perfect light hay color. Waxy, grassy nose. Light bodied with grass, vanilla and lemon. It was an excellent match for roast monkfish coated with a balsamic/honey sauce, but on its own was not that impressive. Very Good. -
2002 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumées - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Another beautiful 2002 Colin-Deleger! Medium golden color. Nose is classic vanilla, almond citrus and mineral. the palate has a nice combination of racy citrus and minerality combined opulent flower and vanilla. Outstanding.
1982 Bordeaux
What a treat to have two 1982s and have both perform so well!
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1982 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Great dark purple-red color. Leather and tobacco on the nose. Palate has cedar, tobacco, mineral and fruit. It tasted mature but in no manner old or tired. Quite a nice wine and it was very close to being my favorite red of the night (I preferred the 82 Vieux Chateau Certan). It paired very well with beef tenderloin with soubise sauce. Outstanding.
The wine was stood up in the cellar a week ahead. Opened 4 hours in advance and slow ox’ed. Since the cork crumbled the bottle was decanted a few minutes before serving.
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1982 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Red with some purple. Some leather and tobacco on the nose, but also chocolate or cocoa. The palate a little soft with rich fruits, more tobacco, cedar and mineral. This was easily the consensus wine of the night, even with an 82 Leoville Las Cases on the table. Probably it was that it so open and the LLC seems more structured. The VCC definitely tastes mature but not old or tired. Outstanding.
The wine was pulled from the cellar a few hours before opening and then decanted a few minutes before appearing on the table.
Dessert: Sauternes, Of Course
The 1989 continues to perform well, if not spectacularly.
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1989 Château Rieussec - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Deep golden color. Nose of apricot, flowers, honey and botrytis. Palate is at once rich and light, with vanilla creme brulee a dominant flavor. Good acidity on the finish. Nicely paired with fig, roquefort and honey tart. Excellent to Outstanding.
It was a real pleasure trying all of these wines. I’m looking forward to doing this again!