Chris and Marjorie Bublitz graced our home last night. I opened some serious white Burgs to go with the lobster and intermezzo. Chris picked a red from the basement to go with the goat chops.
2009 Domaine Doudet Corton-Charlemagne – Medium gold color. The aromas are powerful, showing some age but not in the least oxidized. The aromas feature lime and something woodsy (not oaky), with a tiny floral touch. The palate is dense, quite mineral, with something a little metallic, and a touch of piercing acidity towards the end. This is very distinctive, not sure that blind I would have been sure it was Chardonnay, much less white Burg. Come to think of it though it reminds me a little of some of the few Cote de Nuits whites I’ve had, with a touch of something reminiscent of Pinot Blanc. Hard to rate because it’s so different, but 88 for me.
2009 Chandon de Briailles Corton Blanc – Much lighter color. The aromas are both floral and mineral, with a touch of hay or grass. The palate is not as rich as the previous, but very muscular, more fruit on the palate than the aromas, with a definite note of comice pear. This reminds Chris of Chablis; if so, it’s Grand Cru for sure. The balance is excellent, this is just approaching secondary flavors at 10 years, a brilliant wine with a finish that lasts half a minute. Rated 95, up to 2 points of improvement possible.
1984 Ride Monte Bello – Ridge is a favorite of Marjorie’s, so Chris pulled it as soon as he saw it. My last bottle and the best by far. This is a famous vintage for them with excellent reason. Deep crimson to the rim. Aromas are fabulous, fully secondary but not remotely old, with red currants, black raspberries and a touch of oak. The palate is medium to full bodied, with extremely fine tannins almost fully resolved. The balance and harmony are close to perfection, the finish lasts a minute, the palate is velvety, except that there is muscle and vigor in the mid-palate and finish. Outstanding subtlety, graceful, polite, polished, brilliant. Rated 99.
The 1984 Monte Bello was the first Monte Bello I ever purchased (at $20 per bottle). Great, great wine, but unfortunately mine are long gone. You must have had a great time drinking it with St. Christopher and Marjorie (shouldn’t that be St. Marjorie and Chris?).
Quite a score because quite a wine. In listing producers of red wine from Bordeaux varietals, I can only come up with a handful whose wines I have enjoyed as much as this bottle. Of course, I haven’t had wine from every great producer at peak, but the names that come to mind that equaled this bottle are:
Haut Brion
Lafite
Latour
Mount Eden
Mayacamas
Gemello
and maybes:
Cheval Blanc
La Mission Haut Brion
Inglenook
There was actually wine left in the bottles and I refrigerated them that night. I had the remains last night, 48 hours later (was not home on Sunday night).
The Doudet Corton-Charlemagne actually improved. I can almost swear the color had lightened. The palate had moved more towards Chardonnay and white Burgundy. I’m now sorry I opened this last bottle (I may have one more in Virginia). I would hold five more years.
The Corton and the Mount Eden tasted almost the same. Great wines can have longevity even after opening.
Howard, I don’t know nothing about saints, but both Chris and Marjorie Bublitz are among the nicest people I’ve met.
Dan Kravitz wrote:
1984 Ride Monte Bello – Ridge is a favorite of Marjorie’s, so Chris pulled it as soon as he saw it. My last bottle and the best by far. This is a famous vintage for them with excellent reason. Deep crimson to the rim. Aromas are fabulous, fully secondary but not remotely old, with red currants, black raspberries and a touch of oak. The palate is medium to full bodied, with extremely fine tannins almost fully resolved. The balance and harmony are close to perfection, the finish lasts a minute, the palate is velvety, except that there is muscle and vigor in the mid-palate and finish. Outstanding subtlety, graceful, polite, polished, brilliant. Rated 99.
I have had this bottle twice since 2008, and both times they were spectacular. The 1984 Monte Bello is definitely on my ‘Mt. Rushmore’ of Monte Bello vintages. Thanks for the note.
A little irony here… of course the last bottle is the best.
I had '84 Monte Bello about 10 years ago here in Maine at a dinner with wine biz friends. It was incredible, but overshadowed by 1977 Phelps Eisele.
I had '84 Monte Bello about 5 years ago here in Maine at a dinner with wine geek friends. It was incredible, but not quite as good as 1984 Mount Eden Cabernet.
I can’t believe that if I had either '77 Phelps or '84 Mount Eden on Saturday that they would have been better.
As somebody once said, there are no great wines, only great bottles of wine.
