That bitch, Sandy

ruined my trip to NY and Joe Dressner memorial dinner for Partners in Health (a worthy cause if you are looking for one) as well as the Louis/Dressner sort-of portfolio tasting.

Instead, you'll get some notes on wine that are not LDM.

My brother has had a hell of a year, so he wanted a quiet birthday. A few friends got together for some simple food and some kick ass wines. We had one of those nights, which we have been due mind you, where all the wines showed really, really, well. This is my first really excellent experience with 1996 red Burgundy and gives me high expectations for what remains in my cellar.

2006 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese trocken

This was soil inflected, classic and pretty. It didn’t have a lot of diesel or lactic qualities that personally put me off. It was very svelte and stylish and easy to drink. The minerals were of the clear brook variety and there was a smattering of riverside herbs and flowers. The fruit was the faintest white peach pit. A very good wine that we found in the right spot. Personally, I don’t see much more interest in short to medium term development. Those into the truffle thing would probably put this away for 15 years and maybe get there.

2008 Gilbert Picq Chablis Dessus La Carriere

From magnum. Evidently, a hefty proportion of this was bottled in magnum due to the quality of the vintage for this wine. Our experience here doesn’t disagree. This is quintessential Chablis. Although Picq doesn’t have the best terroir, he does have old vines and a very clean approach to presenting the wines. This was saline and mineral with seashells and rocks galore. There were hints of green apple and maybe a kind of theoretical tart melon that doesn’t exist, but that I can imagine. While I suspect we should have treated this more seriously, it was just so good that we didn’t stop to have any big discussion about it other than, ”Fuck!! This is good!”. This is ready enough for me right now, but should age gracefully and interestingly for 10-12 years, if not more. I suspect that it will develop that savory, chicken broth umami thing with a decade in the cellar.

2009 Pavelot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Dominode

I’ve heard some folks saying that 2009s are showing well so I decided to check in on this one. While young, it is certainly enjoyable. A bit of wood spice frames some distinctly cherry-ish fruit. The structure is full, but not imposing, most likely due to the baby fat hanging on it. This comes across as a very sauve and classy Savigny, which should come as no surprise. This went relatively quickly as the first red of the night, so I didn’t have a chance to see if it closed down with air. If you have a good bit, I think it’s educational and fun to check in with a wine like this at this point.

1996 Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny 1er Charmes

Wow, this is remarkable and much, much improved over my last bottle from 2007. This has a beautiful ruby color with only the slightest hint of turning ruddy. The nose is explosive and beautiful with layers of fruit, sous bois, and an umami type mushroom quality. The fruit is deeply pitched red pitted fruit, bordering on blue. It is long, deep and seamless. The palate is caressing and inviting, with the fruit rolling over it and leaving an aftertaste while the other nose hover like ghosts above it. The structure is such that it is a whole. The acids prop it up, the tannins hold it together such that it stands up to food and each taste clears your palate with your mouth watering for another. Maybe the best wine I’ve yet had from Ghislaine and in a beautiful place for me right now. It’ll be hard to keep my hands off at this point, but those that want more tertiary should probably give it another 5-7 years after watching how this has evolved.

1996 Edmond Cornu Corton-Bressandes

Leaner and more restrained than the Barthod, but still gorgeous. Again, my last bottle of this a few years back really wasn’t that enjoyable, but this bottle is a different story. There is a slightly smoky mineral quality along with spice and a woodsy, though not quite sous bois, note over top of the light red fruit. The tannins are noticeable, but very refined and fine grained. Like other 1996s, the acidity clears the wine from your palate and immediately demands another sip. I think this is on the early side, even for someone like me who wants some fruit remaining in his wine.

The gods smiled

This was one of those nights where everything showed fantastically. In fact, for the reds each was the best bottle of said wine that I've ever had; although, it has been a good while since I've had the 82 Pichon-Lalande.

2007 Baudry Chinon Blanc La Croix Boissée
This isn’t showing nearly as well as the 2006 at the moment. It was a much leaner vintage and the wine is more elegant and pretty and soft spoken. Still there are plenty of flowers and chalky fruit. It’ll be interesting to see where this is at in 6 months or so.

1996 Edmond Cornu Corton-Bressandes
My best bottle yet of this and easily the best showing I've had from 1996 red Burgundy thus far. Still retaining some fruit notes, but happily moving on to secondary sous bois with a heady nose that adds spice to the mix. This was really beautiful and delicious. I could have drunk the whole bottle myself. This is why we cellar wines.

1993 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello
This was amazing. The best California cabernet I've had this year. The nose was a stunning mix of that Montebello smokey oak (with hints of American-ness), dark earth and minerals and impeccably fresh red and blue pitted fruits. Still has enough tanning to frame the wine nicely and enough acid to provide lift. For me, this is in a perfect place. It will surely last and maybe even improve depending on your preferences, but since I like to catch wines when they still have some fruit and tanning but have added secondary bottle complexity, this was great for me. I’d be a buyer of well stored bottles, even at close to $100. This really is “first growth” quality. However, I should note that the alcohol is 12.9%, so it must not be phenologically ripe. Dumbasses.


1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse Pauillac
This was to be the star of the dinner, the Important wine. Loyal readers know how I feel about Important wines, but we were so deep in conversation about this, that and the other that we forgot to genuflect and ended up enjoying it for it’s luxuriant mouthfeel and combination of earth, herbs, tobacco and dried fruit swirling around the dark fruit compote that was still at the core. This bottle was fully resolved and ripe yet still elegant (not ripe in a cal cult way). The cork was soaked so I’m not sure if it has been pristinely kept before my friend got it, but I would say if you own this, there is no harm in drinking it now.