Lunch with 00` and 08` Dom, 97` Williams Selyem Rochioli, 12 red Burgundy with many gems and more

Our lunch group had its first 2020 luncheon at our usual venue, The Santa Barbara Club, and enjoyed one of our best ever IMHO.

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Our wine theme was champagne and red Burgundy. Since one of Burt Williams daughter was my guest, I took one of Burts best Pinots to celebrate him and honor her and it stood up as expected with the best of the red Burgs. In fact, of all of the Burgundy tastings I’ve ever been to, this was as good as any with the exception of some of the La Paulée events, with many spectacular wines coming one after another, 12 in all. Most were so good, I did not want to pour anything out.

Chef Humberto prepared a special menu for us:

First Course
Shrimp tomato gazpacho

Second Course
Hawaiian Dungeness crab cake with tropical coleslaw and coconut curry

Third Course
Scallop served with butternut squash puree

Fourth Course
Roasted quail stuffed with mushrooms served with autumn risotto truffle and duck reduction

Cheese Course
Triple cheese and blue Stilton

Dessert
Rhubarb cobbler

We started off with 2 champagnes, both Dom Perignons:

2000 MOET & CHANDON DOM PERIGNON- 100% Grand & Premier Cru, 51% Chardonnay, 49% Pinot Noir; aged 7 years on the lees; disgorged July 2008; dosage: 6 g/l; this is the 5th bottle of a 6 pack I bought when first released and it was just a bit oxidized most noticeable in the nose and after taste, but not seen in the color which was a medium yellow with a small amount of amber hue; regardless, it had many redeeming qualities including honeysuckle and caramel infused citrus and stone fruit; honeyed brioche and sweet lemon zest were most prevalent on the palate and the incredible mouthfeel was creamy smooth; more than anything else, it had perfect balance. This was definitely the most advanced of the 5 I’ve had.

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2008 MOET & CHANDON DOM PERIGNON- this was absolutely fabulous and for those who say it’s way too young and give it some years/ decades, I say I’ll take my chances and go for it now and over the next few years and THEN the next decade; it had so much elegance and reeked of class and royalty; fresh citrus fruit was enhanced by a streak of allspice in the nose and then the taste profile had all of that and more with a bit of toasty brioche and lemon, lime and kiwi; it just hit all of the right spots and held on with consistency; great champagne from the best vintage of the decade.

1997 WILLIAMS SELYEM ROCHIOLI VINEYARD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR- to honor Burt and to acknowledge my guest, his daughter Katie, I was encouraged to bring this and I trusted it would hold up against any and all of our red Burgs and it did; however, it showed so different from what I had experienced from numerous other bottles I`ve enjoyed over the years; typically this wine has demonstrated the Pinot Noir 3rd tier fruit profile of black cherry and blackberry, but this was at the lighter end with strawberry, red raspberry and red cherry and surprisingly, a strong hit of blueberry; it was embellished with a streak of spice and a hint of cinnamon; it had a super soft texture and passed the true test of time as i went back over an hour later and it gave all of the same nuances as it did initially; it was in perfect balance and most importantly was as good as any wine following it, as always IMHO.

All previous bottles I’ve had were super rich, full bodied and powerful and loaded with black cherry and blackberry fruit.

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We had 2 red Burgs to pair with the next food course:

2009 MAISON LOUIS JADOT 150th ANNIVERSARY BEAUNE 1er cru- this had a very decorative label celebrating their 150th anniversary and what was inside the bottle was as appreciated as the artistic label design; it reminded me of Williams Selyem Allen Vineyard Pinots with a very similar profile of spice and cinnamon laden strawberry, red raspberry and red cherry notes as well as its incredible elegance; this was just so easy on the palate having a soft and smooth mouthfeel. It was made from a selection of 17 Louis Jadot vineyards within the Beaune appellation.

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2005 DOMAINE/MAISON VINCENT GIRARDIN LES SERPENTIERES SAVIGNY-LES-BEAUNE 1er cru- I`ve long been a fan of this producer and considered their red and white wines of yesteryear to have been some of the best QPRs available from Burgundy; they show well early on and age beautifully and this bottle comes from somewhere in the middle having shedded its puberty stage and entered early adulthood; it had a dark fruit profile aided by a nice streak of spice and toastiness; there’s a hit of earthy/ mushroom almost Bretty character, but not to fault.

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We now poured the last 2 champagnes:

2008 BILLECART-SALMON BRUT- 65% Pinot Noir consisting of 1er and Grand Crus from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallee de la Marne and 35% Chardonnay from the Cote des Blancs; light yellow color; it had a very nice inviting spicy citrus nose along with distinct gardena aromas; on the palate came more of the same with lemon, grapefruit and pear notes; it had a nice easy mousse and finished with a refreshing dose of citrus confirming its bright acidity.

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2006 HENRIOT BRUT MILLESIME- this was a full bodied, very rich bubbly with some toasty brioche accents to the ripe citrus fruit; it had great feel and held on for a nice refreshing finish.

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Now, back to the red Burgs of which we had 3 flights, 1 of 2 and 2 of 4:

2002 PHILIPPE et VINCENT LECHENEAUT LES PRULIERS NUITS ST. GEORGES 1er cru- this comes from 2 brothers who took over after their father passed early on after they took over the domaine; the nose suggested something very serious forthcoming and that was certainly true; the nose had generous amounts of spicy and sweet black cherry with an herbal accent; the taste included all of the aforementioned plus some lighter red cherry fruit; it had wondrous feel, body and length; loved it.

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1994 DOMAINE HENRI PERRIOT-MINOT EN LA RUE de VERGY MOREY-ST. DENIS 1er cru- the color and aromatics clearly stated some maturity and the fruit profile also demonstrated mature, dried red and black fruit with cranberry and cherry most evident; although quite mature, it had some redeeming qualities to please, but its time to drink this one up.

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2006 PHILIPPE LECLERC LA COMBEAUX MOINES GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 1er cru- this was very different and difficult to pin down as to what it actually was trying to say; it had a soft texture and medium to full body, but intertwined amongst the wild cranberry fruit was a medicinal character that one would think was not intended nor desired; still it had enough redeeming qualities and as a stand alone wine would have passed the grade.

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2002 FREDERIC ESMONIN MAZY-CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU- this was simply fabulous out of the gate with super inviting aromas of spicy red cherry/ berry and a touch of cinnamon and white pepper in the background; it had a fantastic mouthfeel which gracefully carried all of the goodies to the back end and left me with a smile on my face.

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2003 FREDERIC ESMONIN MAZY-CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU- my smile continued as I had an idea that this would follow in the foot steps of the 02 and build on it which is pretty close to what happened; it had all of the traits of the 02 with perhaps just a bit less fruit, but all in all, they were a handsome pair and like just about every other red Burg {and the WS} on the day, a nice evening could be made just around this one bottle.

2005 GEORGES LIGNIER LES COMBOTTES GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 1er cru- this was very fruit forward with fresh, ripe red cherry/berry in spades and a nice dollop of clove to provide a pleasing accent; it was easy on the palate, but more fruity than anything else and perhaps in time, will balance out.

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1996 DENIS MUGNERET RICHEBOURG GRAND CRU- this had mature, earthy and leather dried red fruit notes throughout; red cherry and cranberry were most evident along with a nice texture in its medium to full body and wieght.

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1996 MAISON ROCHE de BELLENE COLLECTION BELLENUM LATRICIERES-CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU- this bottle seemed to have some very different character than any other and the best I can do to describe it is to say the cherry and cranberry like fruit was mature and dried out and had a wildness that made me think of game and how it would pair with quail {which was on our menu} or pheasant; it had accents of talc and leather and somewhat bitter tannins especially at the end.

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2004 DOMAINE FAIVELEY LATRICIERES-CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU- this was one of my favs on the day; it had ripe red cherry/ berry fruit with some black raspberry and black cherry in the background; it had a silky smooth velvety texture which may have been its hallmark if its impeccable balance was not.

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2003 DOMAINE du COMTE LIGER-BELAIR AUX REIGNOTS VOSNE-ROMANEE 1er cru- the youthfulness of this bottle was evidenced by its amazing energy expressed and suggestive it’s just needing time to take a breath and balance out, but at his stage, it’s very enjoyable with promises for a whole lot more down the line; it has lots of fresh red fruit delivered in layers with serious depth and a long, sustained finish; this is a gem in the making. Spank the hands that touch it before 5+ years.

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And then the dessert course in liquid form to support the solid one on the menu:

1983 GOULD CAMPBELL PORT- 375ml bottled 1985; this had concentrated cranberry/ black cherry fruit along with dark chocolate; its full bodied providing a mouthful of fortified fruit throughout.

A little about the winery: It was founded in 1797 by Garret Gould and was acquired by the Symington family in 1970 but is still run as a private family business today; its located in the Alto Douro area, where grapes produce Ports with great complexity and depth, Gould Campbell uses traditional methods and still tread their grapes by foot in the lagares.

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1997 RENE RENOU BONNEZEAUX {appellation} CUVEE ANNE- 500 ml; 100% Chenin Blanc; as I understand it, this was the last vintage made of this wine due to a legal fight over the name; regardless, this was thick and creamy, super rich and had concentrated apricot, almond and caramel notes x 10.

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2001 SUDUIRAUT SAUTERNES- 750 ml; amber color; this may be the 10th time I`ve had this wondrous botrytised phenom and as good as any before it with honeyed lemon, apricot and creme brûlée served up in a syrupy texture that coats the palate so heavily that I used a spoon to scrape some of the residual off.

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Any and all of the superlatives I can think of apply here as to the degree of joy and pleasure this luncheon provided. It was one of our best ever, again IMHO, and certainly one of the best representations of red Burgundy I’ve had.

Cheers,
Blake

Menu pics:

First Course
Shrimp tomato gazpacho

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Second Course
Hawaiian Dungeness crab cake with tropical coleslaw and coconut curry

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Third Course
Scallop served with butternut squash puree

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Fourth Course
Roasted quail stuffed with mushrooms served with autumn risotto truffle and duck reduction

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Cheese Course
Triple cheese and blue Stilton

Dessert
Rhubarb cobbler

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My kind of lunch. Thanks for the notes

As I often do, I so enjoyed reading your report, Blake. Lots of joy that the 04 Faiveley performed so well.

I have about 3 halves of that 01 Sud left and am trying like the dickens to hold off (one of them is slated for WineFest in July), but reading notes like this doesn’t make it any easier!

Any decanting for any of the wines?

All my best,

Mike

That’s kind of my usual remark to posts like this a well David.

Much appreciated as always Mike. I decanted the WS an hour in advance. As far as I know, no other wines were decanted although I would have for sure re the younger ones.

Blake,

No perceivable greenness with the 2004 Faiveley?

None whatsoever. It rocked! Thankfully

nice to see an '04 show so well
beautiful lunch [cheers.gif]

Agree on both remarks. I’m very fortunate to have not only this but 2 other wine groups that are comprised of very generous and wine passionate folks.

I just had an after thought about the 2000 and 2008 Dom Perignon.

Some of my friends and some on this board have encouraged me {this is saying it nicely} to learn to appreciate “older” champagnes which as I understand it from their posts translates currently into those from the 60s and older.

In the case of the 2 Doms on this day, and I’m only talking about 2000 and 2008, I think it is safe to assume that some of the aging characteristics that were evidenced in the 00 will eventually be present in the 08. More specifically, this includes the notes of caramel, almonds, butterscotch, honeysuckle and even stone fruit which as I see it is an evolution from citrus.

For me, I so much more prefer the elegance and primary fruit notes in the 08`. Maybe I’m just chasing the wine version of the fountain of youth, but whatever it is, it hits my palate with more pleasurable nuances than when it has been reduced to having very similar notes as many other"aged" wines.

I can think of 2 exceptions, and these aren’t even that “old”, 82 Cristal and 81 Taittinger CdC. They were mature and fantastic but not golden brown and full of nuts and caramel and butterscotch and …

Blake, Bernie decanted his Richebourg before coming to the luncheon; I think that was the only one that got decanted, and some of the others did have a bit too much sediment, I felt.

With respect to the Doms, I can see both points of view. I loved the '08 (second time of trying that wine in as many weeks) but thought it could age a bit more before reaching its apogee; and I loved the '00 you brought even more!

Thanks Larry for the input. Since we had 17, some were bound to get some sediment as well as small pours.

As to the aging of champagne, I received an email recently announcing the sale of an “aged vintage Grand Cru champagne” and was surprised to see it was 2000 Lanson Champagne Blanc de Blancs ‘Noble Cuvee’. I guess it’s all according to who’s idea it is about what “aged” means. The folks on this board who have remarked about me missing the boat on drinking champagne too young, 60s and older, would have fun with that solicitation.

BTW, I just received a few bottles of the 08` Dom today and my first thought was how long do I wait to open one? I give myself about a month or so. Sort of kidding. No doubt, this is prior to reaching its apogee.