Notes from a great Saturday evening Holiday BYO at Classic Storage Dallas. While I look forward to going home to Austin in a couple of months, I have to say the Classic Storage crowd here in Dallas is a group of people I am going to miss very much. Please forgive the short notes- this was a highly social occasion and I did the best I could. With about 50 people in the room, none of use could taste everything- so this is just a small sampling that includes what I opened plus what I was lucky sample courtesy of the generosity of other guests.
2007 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne (tasted within 15 minutes of opening)
bright yellow color, bright brioche nose, apple, pears, white blossoms, on the palate a good ripe core- though happily for my tastes not sweet to the degree of the 2006- with a racy long acid-driven finish, vibrant orange notes, lemon grass tones, hints of mineral on the finish, young yet but very approachable and this should cream out beautifully in just a few years, overall a very classical rendering with exceptional balance- a bit of a rarity in a decade that has produced some superlative but also singular vintages, for my part this is a back up the truck kind of champagne to enjoy over the next 10-20 years while we wait for the 2008s to mature.
()+ 2025-2050
2011 Alexandre Filaine Sensuum cuvee Vertigo
good bright champagne color, deft nose with light cream notes and a beautiful breadth of pastry crust, persistent pear note, on the palate magnificent, lush, balanced, superbly- almost digitally- precise, honeysuckle, racy mousse, great length, quite closed in its way despite all it is showing now, 2011 is far from a highly regarded champagne vintage but wines such as this and the Krug 167 Grand Cuvee and 23 Rose (both with 2011 as a base) evidently didn’t get the memo, a good future ahead, it’s hallmarks are ease and elegance- very much in the vein of Perrier Jouet Fleur and Roederer Cristal.
(****)+, 2025-2040
2012 Dalla Valle Maya - decanted and enjoyed about 20 minutes later
near black purple-red color, intense oak on the nose- but well integrated and not raw, cherries and a wide array of dark fruits with pepper notes, on the palate tight and slippery (slippery meaning it goes over the tongue but it feels as though there is a bit of a wall between tongue and fruit- a common feature in young Lafleur and Trotanoy) at first, a smooth and pure gushing of blackberry and cherry fruits, cassis, chalk tones coated in sweet fruit, chocolate notes with time, fine long finish, the exotic qualities of Dalla Valle buried deep but hinted at, this is a baby yet but based on experience should start to get very exciting within 3-5 years at most, marvelous and another reminder of why this is not only my favorite of the CA Cults but also the only one I cellar, it is not just the heavy Cabernet Franc presence that keeps me coming back- but also the balance, there is much excess here- but all in its proper place.
(*), 2023-2037 lots of fun now- but the Cabernet Franc needs a little more time to fully express itself
1988 Chateau Pichon Baron - 6 hours after opening
good maturing red color, attractive aged cedar and dill on the nose, cherries and cassis, on the palate a sedate cherry and cassis fruit- fully mature- with forest notes and a hint of clove and dark spice, saddle leather, a beautifully relaxed and mature mid-weight - all the hallmarks of a fine 1988, the 1989 and 1990 were particularly glamorous at this address and have lived up to their early promise- but the 1988 has its own great appeal for me as do many wines in this vintage, ideal for a quiet evening at home with a rich stew or over a lunch of steak frites, fine finish as well with excellent length- exceptional length for 1988 where the only fault with many otherwise good wines is a short finish, calming, endearing, along with Lafite and Magdelaine one of the finest 88s I have encountered in recent years, and with time in hand.
****, now to 2033
2012 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon
deep purple-red color, classically restrained nose of cedar and cassis, on the palate a great depth that will not fully surface for many years yet, cassis, cherries, a sort of olive note- in a good way, underbrush notes already starting to appear, with time a rich black cherry note appears as the wine livens up a bit and shows a great vibrant quality, this needs another decade I think but will be worth the wait.
(****)+, 2030-2050
1996 Chave Hermitage Blanc
deeping yellow color, buttery nose, wild grass, soft and sweet fruits, on the palate honeycomb, lemon grass, fine long finish with lime driven acids, a full and rich wine- sweet throughout but never cloying, viscous and textured yet sleek with good tension, a full array of fruits peeking out at various points- melons and orchard mostly, I have little experience with white Rhones but there is no doubt this is a world class wine and I would love to try this again in a more quiet setting as there is much to ponder here, it seems in its full glory but time in hand- and perhaps more development yet to come.
****+, now to 2030 best guess on my part- as noted above I have very little experience with Rhone whites
1989 Chateau Magdelaine - served 15 minutes after decanting
good bright red color just starting to brick, intense underbrush on the nose, sweet aged cassis and mulberry, raspberries, dark forest floor, sweet plum and blackberry tones, on the palate heavy underbrush framing a sweet and almost punchy fruit, elegant in its way despite its substantial and sweet-tinted textures, cassis, mulberries, cloves leading into a fine long finish, this was a spontaneous decision at an event crowded with big CA wines when I discovered two of my fellow attendees had never tried Magdelaine, there could be no worse setting for such a wine- and yet it dazzled us all, it gave just enough to inspire one to take a glass into the corner and really explore it- only to emerge happier for the experience, even alongside 2012 Maya- the quiet elegance and confident structure of Magdelaine gently works its magic, a great vintage of Magdelaine very much in the vein of the magnificent 1985- though where the 1985 subtly glows the 1989 has a bit more of a sweet decadence to it courtesy of the vintage, time in hand- this has decades of life ahead.
*****, now to 2050+
2015 Dirty and Rowdy Traditional Method sparkling white wine
rich yellow color, a very unique nose- mostly apples but with a distinct and deep streak of dark berry fruits, on the palate good firm structure surrounds a friendly and generous apple-driven fruit leading into a good finish, not a terribly complex wine- but balanced, unique and very enjoyable, if this were easier to obtain it would go on my short list of must-haves for festive events, young yet and I would be interested to see what happens to this with a little bottle age.
***+, ready now but perhaps more to come
1998 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese Auction
double decanted 3 hours before serving and enjoyed over 5 hours
bright gold mature color, honey, marzipan, decadent blood orange and hints of lime on the nose, on the palate much more an Auslese than a Spatlese- to be expected given the vintage and that this is an auction wine, viscous and rich with orange, tangerine, lime and marzipan notes- all dripping with honey and overlaid with a celestial network of pinpoints of white acids, mineral and slate notes underlying the decadent fruits, this is every bit as good as the magnificent 2005 but here there is more heft and opulence, a stunner of a wine and fully mature, good lengthy finish that is just barely starting to weaken at the very tail end, this has a good decade left in its prime I think- but there is no need to wait.
*****, now to 2025.