Spur of the moment date night last night with the wife at one of our favorite restaurants we hadn’t been to in a while. Brought the Gagnard Criots and planned to get a red from the restaurant. What I have always loved about this restaurant is their reasonable markup on their high end wines. Their lower end wines are pretty typical 3x, but the higher end are usually only about 30% over retail. It gives you an opportunity to try something fun without feeling gouged.
2004 Blain-Gagnard Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru (1/14/2021)
Opened for a small taste about an hour before pouring. Pox roulette and we won. Beautiful straw color; no hint of premox. Tightly coiled at first, but opened up with time in the glass. The best sips were 2+ hours in. Lovely orchard fruits and bright white flowers with wet stone on the nose. Perfect Grand Cru weight. Palate was slight understated, but brought lovely white peach and minerality with a solid acidic core. Very balanced. One notch short of profound, but a lovely wine in a great place. (94 pts.)
2006 Joseph Drouhin Musigny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru (1/14/2021)
Only had an hour to decant, could have used more. Deep and dark. Nose was very closed at first, but opened to reveal lots of spice garden and pine with a core of black fruit. Palate was luxurious and layered with spices, black fruit, and a good acidity. Finish was long and smooth. A lovely experience, but not fully realized. Lots of stuffing here and should show better with a few more years in the cellar. (93 pts.)