Thursday Throwdown: Krug, '69 Colares, '70 Haut Brion, '70 PdB, '71 BW, '98 E. Pepe, '98 Hiedler, '02 Mugnert Gibourg &

Now that life is slowly returning to normal, we got the crew together last night for a long-anticipated dinner. We were making up for time lost to covid- celebrating a belated 50th birthday, a couple of early 50th birthdays, one of the crew taking flight, and an old friend in town. We did our best to throw some good wines on the table, and I think we did ok. We were treated really well by the team Empire State South, a restaurant that sort of flies under the radar after many years on the scene but continues to be one of the best in town.

As always, I try to take notes and impressions from the group, while still being social-we aren’t a group of note-takers.
A really stellar lineup and most wines showed well.
It was great to be with some good friends again and share some wine and celebration. We had too much wine, per usual.
I think this is all of the wines.

THURSDAY THROWDOWN - Empire State South (5/14/2021)

• NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 168eme - France, Champagne
  Youthful yellow. Lemon and citrus, some orange notes. Very concentrated, fine beads, tight and edgy to me. Still has a good bit of youthful energy. Hard to go wrong here, but could stand a little time. imo
• 2013 Dirty and Rowdy Pinot Blanc Traditional Method - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County
  Hard to believe my last bottle of this one was five years ago- thanks, Mike for a trip down memory lane. This showed really well last night. Still has the fresh green apple crispness with a honey/nutty finishes and a touch of sweetness. Refreshing start to the night.
• 1998 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner Maximum - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
  Yes!. This was news to me. I have zero experience with this producer and this was a revelation.
  Thanks Mike.
  And see Mike’s note from January 2019. He nails it- Like spring in a glass. So crystal clear and bright and still energetic with lovely acidity.
• 2013 Dirty and Rowdy Pinot Blanc Traditional Method - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County
  Wow- my last bottle was five years ago- thanks, Mike for a trip down memory lane. This showed really well last night. Still has the fresh green apple crispness with a honey/nutty finishes and a touch of sweetness. Refreshing start to the night.
• 1971 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Rechbächel Riesling Auslese - Germany, Pfalz
  Yes to what Brad’s CT note said. Crazy expressive nose of orange rind, apricot, gouda, black tea. Waves of rich fruit.
  
  
  
• 1970 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  I opened this bottle, poured an ounce, and recorked about two hours before it was consumed. Pale red and slightly cloudy. Shows aged, oxidized nebbiolo, with hints of dried cherry and a bit tobacco. Still lively, with some remaining structure, felt like it could unwind futher.
• 1970 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  This was a special treat. Shows some herbal tones, pencil, and cigar box. Palate has hints of aged red fruit and tertiary flavors that turn to an earthy finish. Balanced and rather elegant and silky on the palate. Very nice bottle. Thanks, Mike!
• 1969 Viuva José Gomes da Silva & Filhos Colares Reserva Tinto - Portugal, Lisboa, Colares
  Crazy and complex aromatics. Green pepper, mint, dark fruit. Kept coming on in waves in the glass. Very complex, plum, tobacco, earthy. Such an interesting wine that does not really show its age. 650ml. Ha!
• 1998 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
  Absolutely fantastic. Has a wild, briary, natural wine nose that smells super fresh. The palate shows the purest red fruit and a silky texture that just caresses the palate. Continued to evolve in the glass over the course of the night with earth tones and fruit in harmony. Nothing out of place. Long finish that sails on. Bravo. Thanks, Rob. I think WOTN for me.
  
  
  
• 2002 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
  What’s not to love here? Textbook red Burgundy doing what it should as it nears 20 years of age. Lovely perfume nose that is floral and earthy, sous bois and cherry and hints of fall. Palate shows poise and balance, acidity and fruit in harmony. Drinking so well. More, please. This is what the Doctor ordered. Oh my, almost considering getting a second job so I can afford more MG.
• 1989 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Notes get fuzzy at this point…This was off a bit- some oxidation and soy/balsamic notes. Just wasn’t great.
• 1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Very powerful and almost youthful. Black fruit, some green pepper, cigar box- slight game notes. Very lively. Polished fruit. Balanced. Still some structure. Seems like it could go for a while. Would be happy to drink this all the time.

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Killer lineup. The whites stood out simply because they each got a bit more time to shine relative to the avalanche of amazing reds that hit the table. That gruner was absolutely my favorite wine of the night, which is shocking in that lineup, and the 71 auslese such a joy to have in the glass. Really nice too that we had such a diversity of reds - having the burgs (there was also the bottle that Steven opened), Bordeaux, barbaresco/montepulciano, and Colares all out there duking it out was fun, though slightly overwhelming!

Great job guys. Some gorgeous wines in there. I too love that Emidio Pepe Montepulciano from 1998. It has crazy complexity and is so vibrant. Wished work hadn’t intruded. Thanks for the vicarious thrill through these notes Dennis.

A really nice set of wines!

I’ve had more luck with the 1970 Produttori than your post suggests. Did you stand it up for several days beforehand?

Rare Emidio Pepe sighting and a 1970 Haut Brion that rocked added to the interesting read.

Thanks, Don. Next time. Soon!

Thanks, Ramon- I stood up the Produttori the day before- and it was really good- I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. It might have got lost a bit with all the firepower on the table

Thanks for the notes, Dennis, it was a terrific night. The enjoyment and excitement factors from the combination of quality and variety made it particularly special and almost impossible for me to pick a favorite, though I’d probably pick the Pepe if forced.

We had a few other wines. The 2008 Gouges NSG Les St.-Georges was surprisingly approachable and appealing. The 1994 Domaine Ernest Burn Tokay Pinot Gris Goldert Clos Saint Imer Sélection de Grains Nobles worked well to cap off the night, with a great combination of sweetness and bright acidity. And the 2019 Alberto Nanclares Albariño Dandelión was floral and refreshing.

The quality of the food, wine, service, and company was extraordinary and a great celebration of a return to some sense of normalcy. I can’t wait for the next round!

02 MG CV sounds nice. I recently backfilled some 09.

Thanks for filling in the gaps, Mike- I totally forgot about the Gouges! I think I was overserved.

Excellent event.

Hiedler is a hidden gem in the Skurnik (formerly Theise) Austrian portfolio. The prices are uber-reasonable, and the quality is always at a very high level. I don’t buy enough, and I know how good it is!

Well done Dennis. Come to Chicago and I’ll pop the 1934 Colares.

Yeah, I spent some time on winesearcher looking up Hiedler this morning. For sure.

Great notes Dennis and sounds like a fun time sharing wines among friends.

Your experience with the 98 Pepe mirrors mine from last year. When they are on (often for me) the wines are some of the best on the planet.

Tom

What a fun, eclectic line-up . . . but from you, totally expected!

Gomes made some really killer Colares in the 1960s. I love the 69 and 65 in particular. I have some notes scattered on the site. I think I have some 1960 left. They age glacially.

Major bummer on the 89 Pichon Baron. That wine is magnificent, and so textbook Pauilliac.

Thanks, Jordan! That '69 was Brad Kaplan’s bottle, hand-carried back from Portugal a couple years ago if I’m not mistaken.

The Colares was a treat- Brad’s bottle and it showed well. Not something I have much experience with at all. The Somm at ESS came close to nailing it blind, which was impressive. We had so many stellar bottles that the bad '89 PB went by in a bit of a blur and the bummer factor was certainly softened by other bottles. Still…

Absolutely spot on night. First of the after times. The Gruner was typical aged gruner. I always get the springwater and fresh laundry aromas. The night flowed perfectly and nothing was overdone. The 98 Pepe remains a true gem and every bottle has delivered.The word for that Pepe is “alive”. The Colares was astoundingly fresh and clean as well. Great breadth of wine and I’m glad to be a member of this gang.

I’m a newbie with Hiedler too, discovered just the last couple of years. The Löss Grüner Veltliner have become a house daily-drinker favorite with sufficient complexity and dry mineral notes.

ATL Crew! Rocking out with Style… Pulling on my heart strings.

Good to see Mike Evans feeling fit and ready for duty . Good to see some stellar wines, too. Be safe, gentlemen. So good to see the evenings coming together once more.

Thanks, Nick. Hope all is well with you!

Glacial is right, this has decades to go… such fascinating wines. Wish I had brought home more from our visit, though you can find them in the US for much higher prices. Here are a few photos of Mr. Baeta and the casks/dusties at Adega Viuva Gomes…