Last night wines...
(October 2nd 2021)
These wines were for a private party in one of our restaurants.
I briefed the staff about when to open, decant and serve the wines, then was supposed to head back home. Yet, my instinct was telling me to stay and do the wine service to help the team.
So, I stayed and took care of the wines, and the patrons too.
What can I say? Even on my days off, like yesterday, I cannot help it. It is part of my DNA. I'm a Sommelier, always have been, always will be. Therefore, how to resist the call of doing what I do best? More especially, when facing such a line up of great wines....
Krug Grande Cuvée "169ème Edition" Champagne NV (@krugchampagne)
Surely one the best non-vintage Champagnes I have ever tasted.
The 169ème Édition is a blend of 146 wines from 11 different years (youngest from 2013 and oldest 2000). Resting around seven years prior release gave this Édition its remarkable expression and elegance.
Olivier Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet Burgundy 2014 (@olivierleflaive)
Cousin of Anne Claude Leflaive. Together they run Domaine Leflaive from 1990 to 1994, when Olivier left to set up his own Negociants business. His Bâtard-Montrachet is one of the best. Pure, mineral, crisp, tense, intense, generous and beautifully crafted, razor sharp equilibrium, rich and complex in a subtle and elegant way.
Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet Burgundy 1996 (@domaineleflaive)
What an incredible wine where mingle minerality, earthy and fruity notes, buttery, oaky nuances, wrapped in a silky, ample, generous, beautifully expanding mouthfeel towards the seamless finish.
Chateau Cheval Blanc Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2001 (@chateauchevalblanc_ )
It has evolved beautifully and showed really well. Classic in its own way. I was a bit doubtful as I personally think that 2001 is not a great vintage, (in Bordeaux that is), yet, the right bank managed to do much better than the left bank on that vintage. Overall, 2001 vintage, from the beginning, has always been dry, tannic, even austere, with some wines showing even some vegetal nuances and green edges, due to a certain lack of ripeness for some wines in some of the Bordeaux appellations.
In my opinion, the first 10 years, most 2001 were quite closed, timid, rather tight and not very expressive. However, within the last decade, having the chance to taste many of them in numerous occasions, I was pleasantly surprised that some evolved quite nicely, despite a difficult beginning. And Cheval Blanc was one of them, despite its superior taste and quality compared to many others, it was a lesser version of itself, which yet appear to have gained and benefitted from a long rest in the bottle.
Last night, the tannins were still present, yet much more integrated than I remember from previous tasting of this particular wine. Overall, the wine showed really, not as rich and complex as usual, rather liner (some may say more elegant and subtle), quite integrated and fairly silky (which surprised me a bit), with some earthy and herbal notes mingling with some tertiary aromas.
As I said: Classic in its own way.
PS: Nothing surprising coming from a Bordeaux vintage ending in "1", which are usually bad to mediocre in terms of overall quality of the wines. And, it looks like 2021 may not be an exception either. I wrote a post on "my Theory of the decades in Bordeaux" and the pattern of the cycle of the vintage's quality that seems to come back nearly every decade the same way. If interested, read it here.
Château Calon Ségur Saint-Estèphe Bordeaux 1982 (@chateaucalonsegur)
Still alive and kicking at 39. Wow! I was impressed... as I thought it reached its peak, but not just yet..
Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru 2013 (@Domaine_Armand_Rousseau)
What an incredible wine! It was the cherry on the cake. Probably the best wine of the night. Bright red, juicy cherry, mineral, great acidity, texture and structure, fresh, crisp, racy, refine, superbly defined and elegantly crafted, very precise from beginning to the lengthy finish. Looooved it.
I always feel very privilege when I get to taste and serve such great wines. I love my job.
That's all folks! Thank you for reading my post and take good care of yourself and your loved ones, and give each other some love, 'cause that's all we got left....
Cheers! Santé!
Ledomduvin (aka Dominique Noël)
#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #wine #vin #vino #wein #wineislife #lifeiswine #lifeinwine
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