Tasting Older Burgundies
I am more than a casual football fan. If you understand this it’s probably not a surprise that in September I went to Tampa to see the Ravens kick-off their season (very auspiciously I am pleased to ad).
My other mission was to go to Bern's Steakhouse and see what sort of a tasting I could string together from their cellar. I'd had a report from Jay Miller that on his most recent visit the cellar still had considerable treasures (including a 95 point ‘69 Sorrel Hermitage).
I am compelled to make a few comments about the restaurant and its noble purpose. The entire supply chain of this Grande Dame has been controlled as much as possible by the founder. From beef to produce, to charcoal and warehouses of wine, he attempted to have it all under his control. I will admit to understanding how he felt. All the wine is kept from release and in perfect conditions. They are slow maturing if anything. The service was informed and considerate. The kitchen's abilities are not entirely up to the ingredients available.
Because consumers tend to be afraid of Burgundy, the older ones remained. I was pleased to find many remarkable wines to be drunk. I sorted two flights of Grand Crus: Musigny and Clos Vougeot.
For the Clos Vougeot we had the 45 Chateau de La Tour which showed remarkable color and corpulence. 92 points. The ‘45 showed the caramelly flavors and thick texture characteristic of the year. It made me wonder if a little Chateauneuf du Pape had been snuck into the vat, but the wine was too fresh for that to have been the case. The ‘53 Paul Bouchard Clos Vougeot was breathtaking in all its come-hither, silky details. Excellent length, perfect balance and sweet plump fruit were all qualities in abundance. 97 points.
The Noellat from 1964 was perhaps as dense as the ‘45 may have been in its youth and was clearly made from robust, ripe and superb material. The bottle we had was flawed and I therefore reserve my assessment for another opportunity to taste it.
The three Musigny were lovely, the ‘62 Paul Olivier being the best of the lot, but the wines did not age the same way as the Clos Vougeots. The Olivier showed more feminine fruit and softer tannins (all of them did) but clearly was not up to the cellar time that the Clos Vougeot were. I have thought for a while that the structure and natural gaminess and ripeness make Clos Vougeot ideal for extended ageing. This evening's tasting showed it far superior to Musigny for that purpose. In my experience only Richbourg, La Tache, Clos de la Roche and Corton will age as well. (The Olivier ‘62 was a 92 point wine).
More recently I had the chance to taste 1945 Clos de Lambrays, a legendary wine in its time, and the ‘49 Richbourg from Leroy. The Lambrays was on the verge of dropping the last of its fruit but still had charm and its distinct dark fruit, iron-y minerality. 86 points.
The Leroy Richbourg was magnificent. It showed real layering of texture, precise acid structure and very generous, detailed fruit. The integration of fruit and earth notes was complete enough to make the wine seem neither a product of vine or earth. It seemed some sort of fleeting, celestial gift.
My other mission was to go to Bern's Steakhouse and see what sort of a tasting I could string together from their cellar. I'd had a report from Jay Miller that on his most recent visit the cellar still had considerable treasures (including a 95 point ‘69 Sorrel Hermitage).
I am compelled to make a few comments about the restaurant and its noble purpose. The entire supply chain of this Grande Dame has been controlled as much as possible by the founder. From beef to produce, to charcoal and warehouses of wine, he attempted to have it all under his control. I will admit to understanding how he felt. All the wine is kept from release and in perfect conditions. They are slow maturing if anything. The service was informed and considerate. The kitchen's abilities are not entirely up to the ingredients available.
Because consumers tend to be afraid of Burgundy, the older ones remained. I was pleased to find many remarkable wines to be drunk. I sorted two flights of Grand Crus: Musigny and Clos Vougeot.
For the Clos Vougeot we had the 45 Chateau de La Tour which showed remarkable color and corpulence. 92 points. The ‘45 showed the caramelly flavors and thick texture characteristic of the year. It made me wonder if a little Chateauneuf du Pape had been snuck into the vat, but the wine was too fresh for that to have been the case. The ‘53 Paul Bouchard Clos Vougeot was breathtaking in all its come-hither, silky details. Excellent length, perfect balance and sweet plump fruit were all qualities in abundance. 97 points.
The Noellat from 1964 was perhaps as dense as the ‘45 may have been in its youth and was clearly made from robust, ripe and superb material. The bottle we had was flawed and I therefore reserve my assessment for another opportunity to taste it.
The three Musigny were lovely, the ‘62 Paul Olivier being the best of the lot, but the wines did not age the same way as the Clos Vougeots. The Olivier showed more feminine fruit and softer tannins (all of them did) but clearly was not up to the cellar time that the Clos Vougeot were. I have thought for a while that the structure and natural gaminess and ripeness make Clos Vougeot ideal for extended ageing. This evening's tasting showed it far superior to Musigny for that purpose. In my experience only Richbourg, La Tache, Clos de la Roche and Corton will age as well. (The Olivier ‘62 was a 92 point wine).
More recently I had the chance to taste 1945 Clos de Lambrays, a legendary wine in its time, and the ‘49 Richbourg from Leroy. The Lambrays was on the verge of dropping the last of its fruit but still had charm and its distinct dark fruit, iron-y minerality. 86 points.
The Leroy Richbourg was magnificent. It showed real layering of texture, precise acid structure and very generous, detailed fruit. The integration of fruit and earth notes was complete enough to make the wine seem neither a product of vine or earth. It seemed some sort of fleeting, celestial gift.
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