Vintage Tastings

By John Kapon

Experience the finest and rarest wines in the world through the eyes and palate of Acker Chairman and globally renowned master taster, John Kapon (our “JK”). “Vintage Tastings” is a written journal chronicling the incredible bottles opened at some of the most exclusive tastings, wine dinners, and events all over the globe. These entries represent JK’s commitment to capturing and sharing the ephemeral nature and ultimate privilege of tasting the world’s rarest wines. Although ratings are based on a 100-point scale, JK believes there is no such thing as a 100-point wine. Point scores assigned to each wine are his own personal attempt to quantify the quality of each experience.

12 Days of Christmas

Hello again! It’s been a while. It’s been a busy year in quite the good way, and equally as good when it comes to all the great wines I have tasted this Fall. Now that the 2018 season is officially over as of today, I have been struck by some Christmas spirit, and I am ready to commit myself to something other than my family and my work: my writing. So here goes the first of 12 articles in 12 days, and I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor, and that it encourages you to drink many great wines this holiday season.

So where to begin? Well, December in New York makes one think of summer, and when it comes to summer, one of my mandatory stops (or two) is ‘The Boat.’ There’s lots of boats out there, but as far as wine lovers go, there is only one, the Mogul’s, of course.

The Mogul and I have lots of busy friends, so we jammed a couple handfuls of couples together for a full day and night of fine wine and friend appreciation as summer started to wind to a close. We kept it simple during the day with magnums of Champagnes and White Burgs, beginning with a magnum of 1982 Dom Perignon Rose. It was full of strawberries but a touch dirty with a bit of wheat germ and whiskey. This was round and dusty but meaty, elegant and regal at the same time. There were red fruits and dark chocolate here, too, but honestly I am usually a bit underwhelmed by DP Roses (93M)

Next up was a 1982 Krug magnum, which was super zippy and intense, very rustic and powerful. The zippy, long intensity of this wine left me more than impressed, as Krug is prone to do. While Jetski found it ‘tart,’ I found it statuesque, quite appealing and still very young (96+M).

The 1988 Roederer Cristal Rose magnum was rich and buttery with nice zip and fruit. There was great, sweet fruit, full of strawberries again, with great length as well. This was a long and stylish Champagne, round and creamy on its palate. Big Boy found it ‘a little soft on its edges,’ but I thought it was crisp and larger than him. I guess that made me a Bigger Boy lol (95M).

The 1979 Krug Collection magnum was full of rocks that held gemstones and waterfalls that could compete with Niagra. Such length and intensity reminded me of razors, rocket fuel and an angry woman. There was real precision here. This had a crazy minerality and became delightfully slutty after I coaxed it out of its anger. I’ve had lots of practice lol (97+M).

We broke into White Burgundy with the first vintage of Roulot’s Clos de Boucheres, the 2011 Roulot Meursault Clos de Boucheres, again in magnum. This was a fantastic white from a vintage that is great to drink now for White Burgundy. There were white fruits, icy fruits, and star fruits as well. It had that Roulot style of great and unique smoke flavors, as well as fantastic length and acid (95M).

The 2000 Raveneau Chablis Les Clos magnum was steel and flint central. It smelled like it could build a small city. ‘Insane flint,’ I wrote. This was clean and fresh but ‘perfume-y’ on the palate per Jennie P. It kept getting fresher with a ‘lick stone’ limestone quality; i.e., one would want to lick the stones in the wine, literally. The Raveneau was mellow and round with milky, lemon chiffon flavors. There was great richness here in a unique Chablis way, still keeping that classic stony, oyster shell finish (94M).

Wild Bill found the 2005 Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet perfect for lobster, and he was right. This was a rock solid wine, full of minty, white fruits and crystals on its finish with a nice minerality as well. It’s all coming back to me, everything on this glorious day was served out of magnum (95M).

And that was it for lunch. We meandered to dinner at 11 Madison, the pop up in the Hamptons, and we started fresh with a spectacular 1971 Krug Collection magnum. This had lots of vanilla and nuts with a tangy, musky and honeyed nose. This was well-rounded on its palate, a little dusty and tangy yet vimful. I was starving at this point, so it was not surprising that it got better with food (97+M).

We kept the Krug and Cristal theme going with a 1982 Roederer Cristal magnum, which was round and easy with a slightly dark color. This had orange blossom and caramel flavors with a creamy and toasty finish. Big Boy thought it to be affected, and ultimately I agreed with him (93A-M).

No surprise, we came back to Burgundy, with a surprisingly profound magnum of 1990 Ramonet Batard Montrachet. It was full of corn, menthol and zippy BBQ grilled rub. Mmmmm. This was a minty magnum with superlative complexity. What a rich, decadent wine! There was great length and a rich spiciness here that made zippy play with its dusty, minerally notes. There was also a great lemony spank and twist, and I was pleased to meet this ravishing Ramonet, likely the best Ramonet Batard that I have ever had (97M).

There was another Batard, a 1986 Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet that had a slight musty or chemical note. There were some nice corn syrup, orange marmelade and honey aromas and creamy, honey and orange blossom flavors. It was so creamy but not a perfect bottle, I mean magnum (95A-M?).

We headed into red, red wine territory with a magnum of 1995 Dujac Clos Saint Denis. This was a fragrant Burgundy with lots of complexity. Aromas of forest, citrus, red cherry and a sweet core of fruit penetrated my nostrils. It was a musky wine with a palate full of acid and a sappy finish. This had a touch of cedar and olive, but one thought it was a tiny bit ‘dry,’ a typical knock on 1995 (94M).(94M).

The magnum of 1993 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze was so rich, so decadent and so oily. Multiple people called it the ‘best wine so far,’ including myself. This was so fragrant and so intense with such clear red fruit and hearty flavors that it was the perfect wine to kick off 12 Days of Christmas lol. 1993 Rousseaus are always near the top of my any time, any place wines (98+M).

There’s only a handful of places to go after Rousseau, and DRC is one of the better ones. The magnum of 1985 DRC Richebourg was as good as this wine gets. Jetski immediately cooed that ‘they killed it,’ and Wild Bill smothered himself in its ‘velvet.’ It was musky, sexy and possibly better than the La Tache in ’85 some wondered. Jennie P called it ‘GREAT’ with lots capital letters. This was a rich, decadent and spectacular Burgundy, indubitably better due to its magnum format, as older DRC’s are very prone to be (97M)

Big Boy immediately found ‘spice box’ on the 1990 DRC La Tache magnum. This had all the cedar any forest would need. It was a soupy, sexy city, still so young but oh so good. It was much, much better than a recently had bottle. There was so much spice it made me sneeze. It was a truly great magnum, as good a wine as there is. So young, so long and so good kept reappearing in my notes (99M)

Bordeaux had last licks, even though Burgundy before Bordeaux is definitely a topic of conversation. I am generally not a fan of 1982 Pomerols, but this magnum of 1982 Lafleur made me feel warm and fuzzy. It was full of Pomerol chocolate and purple fruit. This was a rich and sexy Bordeaux with great smack and lots of swerve on its chalky finish (97M)

The magnum of 1982 La Mission Haut Brion had decadent cassis aromas with rich, buttery and purple fruit. There was gravel, toast and leather flavors. I was running out of words (96M).

A spectacular magnum of 1961 Chateau Latour finished the night in fine fashion and was one of the best experiences I have ever had with this wine, if not the best. This was a classic claret in every which way and kept gaining and gaining and gaining in the glass (99M).

On the first day of Christmas, may your true love give you magnums. See you tomorrow : )

Happy Recap

In Vino Veritas,
JK

Greatest Wines of the World Weekend 2018, Part III

The auction was over, but our day wasn’t. The day was all the more special because of an extraordinary Acker achievement: over US$1 Billion of overall auction sales was realized at the auction that day. I could never have imagined when we started in 1998 that I would be standing in Hong Kong celebrating a Billion of sales. I didn’t even step foot into Asia for another nine years. I can’t thank all of our friends and clients enough, we did it together! I will make one promise: we will continue to be the greatest ambassador for the world’s finest and rarest wines. Actually, I’ll make two: we will achieve our next Billion in less than ten years, let’s go!!!

Major Milestone

There were quite a few goodies already sampled that morning and afternoon at the auction; and I was fortunate enough to taste about a dozen wines, including 2005 La Mission Haut Brion, 1996 Lafite Rothschild, 1982 La Conseillante, 2000 Dujac Clos de la Roche, 2004 DRC Richebourg, 1990 DRC Grands Echezeaux, 2012 Comte Liger-Belair Vosne Romanee Aux Reignots, 2007 Comte Liger-Belair La Romaneeand 1981 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape amongst others. It’s not easy for me to take notes during an auction, but if I did, it would easily be another 250 notes a year. Something to strive for! This could have been an article in its own right, but all I can tell you right now is damn those Liger-Belair wines are delicious, and if you see any old Rayas, grab them and drink them, but you may have competition from me lol.

Lots To Say

We took a couple choppers over to Macau, where we were treated to another three star meal at 8 _ Otto E Mezzo, and we were pleasantly surprised to see Bombana himself in the kitchen. When he heard of this dinner, he insisted to be there himself! Grazie, Chef!!! While none of us wanted the weekend to end, it was time to get started one last time.

Bombana!

We began with a trio of Clos du Mesnils, and they set the tone early. The 1989 Krug Clos du Mesnil was nutty and full bodied with lots of heavy cream and rich butter flavors. Heavy and creamy appeared again in my notes, as it was an outstanding plus bottle, hitting lots of oily notes with rock star acidity (97).

The 1985 Krug Clos du Mesnil was leaner and cleaner than the ’89, and it had more marzipan sweetness with some ice capped mountain action. While it didn’t have the stuffing of the 1989, it was still long, and the Comte found it ‘young and elegant’ and that it ‘needed the most time.’ It definitely unfurled in the glass(95+).

The 1979 Krug Clos du Mesnilwas Montrachet-like with its buttery butter bomb of a personality. This was a little oakier at first, but it turned into woodsy goodness. WOW, this wine had the intensity and sweetness of a DRC Montrachet. This was an ‘epic’ Champagne, roasted and reminiscent of ‘toasted apricots’ per the French Paradox. While starting to mellow and ‘not so fizzy like the others’ per the Comte, make no mistake about it: this was a stone-cold stunner(99)!

Unfortunately, the 1996 Niellon Chevalier Montrachet was premoxed (DQ). Next!

The 1996 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet had the classic Leflaive popcorn kernel smokiness. There was great citrus and a rich, white meat, juicy poultry quality to it. The fruit was great in a sun-dried way, icy with its crystallized fruit and possessing a smokehouse finish. This was more than outstanding stuff, with ‘amazing length and BOOM’ per the Paradox (97).

Chevalier Showdown

The 1996 Domaine d’Auvenay Chevalier Montrachet was rich, coconutty and almost vodka-ish. There was much more animal here and also butter that was melted. Its palate was meaty and gamier with a bit of brown sugar and honey. It wasn’t a dancer, but you could feel the wine coming, and it did get better in the glass as it tightened up. This was a big, chunky and buttery white, and the Hamburglar admired its ‘concentration, minerality and tension’ (95).

It was on to the ‘main event’ for the whites, a trio of DRC Montrachets. I went oldest to youngest, beginning with the 1996 DRC Montrachet, which quickly garnered three snaps from the Comte. The French Paradox found it to be a ‘laser.’ This had a great, regal yet shy nose at first with nice citrus aromas, but it was muted overall. The palate, however, was explosive and absolutely ‘insane,’ I wrote. Its acidity was great, its finish long and its flavors nice and icy. This was a graceful wine with great fireplace action and awesome minerality. It doesn’t get much better (99).

Mucho Montrachet

The 1999 DRC Montrachet had a deep, honeyed nose full of floral spice. It had a rich and meaty nose with a full body and touches of yeast. It was heavy and honeyed with so much power. This was a muscular Montrachet like ’99s are prone to be, and the Zen Master found it ‘exactly what you expect in DRC.’ This intense wine got more honeyed in the glass (97).

The 2002 DRC Montrachet was perhaps the most typical of the DRC Montys. It was full of mango, cream, honey and lavender with a sweeter profile. This was another rich white and oh so tasty, but it was getting picked on after the first two. The French Paradox found it ‘too toasty’, and the Comte thought there was a ‘lack of elegance’ oh, the French lol… the Zen Master agreed that it ‘lacked precision’ but it did improve with air time, significantly. Exotic coconut and lemon flavors emerged on its finish, and it still made me happy(96).

It was back to Bordeaux one, second to last time, and it was one of the younger red flights of the weekend, but that was ok, as it was 1982 vs. 1989, HB vs. LMHB. That’s about as good a ‘young’ flight of Bordeaux that one can have, for sure. We began with the 1982 Haut Brion, which had sexy aromas of nuts, caramel, pencil and gravel. The palate showed the gravelly Graves side of the wine big time, but it also had loads of cassis fruit. It was very spiny and dry and truly a classy wine, underrated by 1982 First Growth standards(96).

Younger Reference Points

The 1982 La Mission Haut Brion had a more chocolaty nose and was ‘darker’ per the Paradox. It had a touch of band-aid to its nose, but the palate had loads of acidity and gravel and charcoal flavors. Its backside banged with mesquite flavors (95).

The 1989 Haut Brion was near perfect, as always. There were deep black fruits with a nutty glaze, and while heavy, it had an effortless finish. It was gritty and zippy with regal acidity and length. It lasted so long on the palate yet was still utterly stylish. It is still the greatest Bordeaux made over the past thirty years, along with the 1989 Petrus (99).

The 1989 La Mission Haut Brion was not as opulent as usual. It had some tootsie pop, chocolatey flavors, but it was a touch cooked and off (95+A).

Italy was a good place to go next, and we began with the 1971 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva, which had a bit of tomato, celery soda and ‘licorice’ to its nose. Behind that was the classic tar and leather of Barolo. There was rich fruit, and the celery soda persisted on the palate. You could taste the iron and the soil, and brown sugar flavors emerged. The Zen Master found it a touch ‘herbal.’ The Comte cooed how ‘Nebbiolo is the cousin of Pinot but with more alcohol and warmth’ (95).

Piedmont Power

The 1982 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva was unfortunately corked(DQ).

The 1985 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva was clearly the best of flight, and it was thick, rich and full of grit. There was all sorts of desert action on its finish. The Zen Master found it had ‘all the elements’ one could want in great Barolo and also noted ‘Chinese tea.’ This was so dry and so long, just awesome stuff and full of tobacco and leather flavors (97).

We went to the young Burgundies next before the old Bordeaux. It’s ok, you can do that when you’re sophisticated lol. It was time for some Musigny, but the 1996 Vogue Musigny VV, was a bit lacking compared to the next two. It was milky with zippy acid on its nose. There were lots of vitamins, make that vitamin city with a m©lange of colors in the nose. The Vogue did pack a ‘punch’ per Zen, but he also found it ‘not approachable.’ It was a bit too dry as well given the context of all the great wines we had been drinking (93).

There was an incredible ‘elegance’ to the 1996 Roumier Musigny per the Master. It was darker and brooding but classy. Its palate was beefy and full of iron, a veritable spine city. There was a drop of cotton candy here as well. This needed time in the glass, as it was very shy at first, throwing off citric lemon-lime vibes. Rose petals and sexy cranberry flavors emerged, and Puppup loved its ‘floral’ qualities(97).

Musigny Masters

The 1993 Leroy Musigny showed that ‘signature Leroy’ per Zen, along with ‘fresh blood,’ per another, and ‘Chinese root’ per one more. There was so much garden and the ‘flower of Chambolle’ according to the Comte. This had great stink and was super gamy, rich and saucy, and it only got better with air. This was a ‘crazy tasty’ wine, I wrote, and it was full of forest goodness. The Hamburglar called it ‘one of the wines of the weekend,’ while the Comte found it ‘exceptional.’ There was great smack to its bouncing ass of a finish (97).

We were rocking to the Forties thanks to a 1947 Chateau Margaux in magnum. It was classy and classic with its old book, mushroom and cassis aromas. The wine was tender and beautiful with touches of blood, iron and dried fig flavors. Its caressing, beautiful palate got a little chalky, but it held on to its outstanding status (95M).

Rocking To The Forties

The 1945 Lafite Rothschild had caramel on its nose along with pencil, with its caramel outweighing the classic cassis qualities. There were old book flavors in this elegant and graceful claret (94).

The 1945 Mouton Rothschild had that mint and eucalyptus sweetness that is such a trademark for this wine in this era. It was kinky, flamboyant and exotic. There was some ‘spicy pepper’ per the Comte, and I got the Shishito. I also got the pork luau with a touch of pineapple. I told you it was exotic! Toffee and animal led us all into a round of ‘jungle boogie,’ followed quickly by an ‘electric shock.’ This was the wakeup call that the Comte would desperately need tomorrow lol (99+).

There aren’t many producers that can handle following a perfect bottle of 1945 Mouton Rothschild, but I think we got it right when we selected Domaine de la Romanee Conti. The 1971 DRC Richebourgwas actually the favorite of the night for many, and ‘she had me at hello,’ Puppup keenly observed. There was oil, rose and cherry blossom aromas and flavors, and the Zen Master found it ‘buttery.’ . Its acidity sparkled; this so rich and decadent with oily rose and menthol flavors (98).

It’s As Easy As DRC

The 1980 DRC La Tache was a great surprise to all, but not me. It was elegant and delicious, with nice forest floor aromas, and beautiful red fruits, roses and flowers. There were nice minerals to this vimful LT, and it kept improving in the glass until it was a real thriller. There was so much spine and acidity here in the end (97).

The 1990 DRC La Tachewas milky, yeasty and honestly a touch dirty. This wine was still young, and Puppup was right that it was ‘still tight.’ This was great but not on the level of the others. I should note that I had a magnum of this one month later that I rated 99 points. Maybe I will write that one up, maybe I won’t lol (96+).

There were still two more flights, but there really wasn’t any need for another wine after the 1945 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape. This was one of those unforgettable wines, made all the more so by the fact that I will probably never see it again. I have to thank Mr. Wilf Jaeger for this spectacular bottle from his spectacular collection, and yes, timing is everything. This savory red was full of pepper yet ‘Burgundian in nose’ per the Zen Master. The Iceman noted ‘licorice.’ There was some scintillating sea breeze to it, but it was dominated by its rich, decadent strawberry fruit flavors. This kept me smacking my lips and showed that more great winemakers need to be making Grenache (99).

Top Dogs

The two Rayases that followed were both great, but I couldn’t pay as much attention any more. The 1989 Rayas had a Smuckers jam quality to it, and that is all that I wrote, other than (95). I could see the ’45 Ra in my glass of 1990 Rayas. Such great potential, I can’t wait to try it again in 45 years, and maybe another dozen times before then (98).

Of course, we had to have some dessert wines. We may not have been able to see straight, but we could still taste. The oldest wine of the weekend, the 1884 Yquem was corked despite being reconditioned at the Chateau in 1989. Tant pis (DQ). The 1890 Yquem was rich and full of nougat and caramel like a perfect Milky Way candy bar. This had nuts and spice and everything nice (93). The 1900 Yquem was a WOW wine. It was rich and decadent on the palate with caramel and candle wax flavors, and an intense slate minerality. It was still young, but oh so good(97).

Ancient Wonders

And there you have, Night Three of the Greatest Wines of the World Weekend. See you next year.

The Long Way Home

In Vino Veritas,
JK

Greatest Wines of the World Weekend 2018, Part II

Day One was in the books, and Day Two, or night rather, was at the iconic Peninsula in Kowloon, on the ‘other’ side of Hong Kong. The Garden Suite overlooked the bay and had a spectacular view of Hong Kong Central, and The French Paradox and The Comte were quickly outside on the massive patio admiring the local architecture of a hotel next door.

We started with a perfect bottle of 1969 Salon. It had great citrus, white ice, soda water and cream aromas. It was so dense with zippy, tangy yellow fruit flavors and long, long acid. Colorado John admired its ‘fantastic flavors,’ and I thought it was (better than) outstanding stuff as well (98).

Rock Star ’69

The 1971 Salon was a bit mature and advanced, but I admired its caramel flavors and texture, but there was no fizz and it was clearly oxidzed (95A).

Someone called Salon ‘the Montrachet of Champagne’ following the 1996 Salon. It was a little tough after the perfect ’69, but it was so fresh and zippy. The Zen Master was all over its ‘tangerine’ notes (96+).

We moved on to the whites and a fabulously waxy bottle of 1983 Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet in magnum. It was full of nuts, honeycomb, ‘tropical fruit’ and decadent butter in its baked nose. The Zen Master admired its ‘minerality’ and I was loving the wine’s lushness and kisses of wood on the finish. There was more tension and energy here. This had a little botrytis kiss that made this wine oh so delicious (96M).

Magnum Force

The Zen Master called out even ‘more structure’ on the 1985 Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet, which was also served out of magnum. There, indeed, was better structure and better body to this wine, as well as better balance. It had a full body and a long creamy, zippy finish with ‘lift on the end.’ This was the better wine of the two; the ’85 was still taking off while the ’83 was landing (97+M).

The 1978 Ramonet Montrachet had a fabulous nose that was so creamy, so rich and so lush. It was nutty and reductive, quite gamy in a great way and full of cocoa butter. The acid was blindingly bright, this was a WOW wine all the way and then some. One of the best white wines I have ever had, make that wines period (99).

Eeny Meeny Miny

The 1979 Ramonet Montrachet was so young out of magnum with a rich, buttery nose that had a fireplace spark with the brick house casing. The wine sparkled on the palate and had a crazy intense finish. This magnum was about as good as it gets, if it didn’t follow the 1978, it probably would have gotten 99 points from me (98+M)!

The 1985 Ramonet Montrachet magnum was full of ‘ginger’ per the Zen Master. It had a lot more exotic stuff going on, but it was also less intense. I wrote exotic three times, and it had a great chewy texture with ginger candy flavors and more of those exotic notes on the finish. However, it was no match for the ’78 or ’79, as outstanding as it still was (95M).

The next three wines we tasted were all Bordeaux and all perfect examples. The 1949 La Mission Haut Brion had a touch of band-aid, along with gravel, chocolate and cassis in its wealthy nose. There was so much gravel in the mouth, full of pencil and ‘graphite’ flavors. The Zen Master thought the wine was ‘rustic’ with some ‘old library’ vibes. This was a zippy, great old claret, rock solid in every which way it could be (96).

Three Kings

The 1953 Lafite Rothschild had a great coffee nose that you can often get in old Bordeaux. This was the best in show for this flight and had lots of ‘licorice’ per the Zen Master with toffee and smokehouse flavors. This was spectacularly delicious and a wine that deserves much more credit than its price (98).

The 1955 Haut Brion was ‘smoky and peaty like a whiskey’ according to Charles and ‘richer’ per Zen. This was another delicious wine, ‘so big’ per The French Paradox. The ’55 was fat, chunky and delicious with a lush, rich and gritty finish (97).

We continued with another flight of Bordeaux, and the Comte found the 1911 Latour to be an ‘old baby.’ This had the most intensity of the old flight despite bring the oldest wine. Someone else admired the ‘house style’ of Latour after all these years! There were great citrus, walnut, beef, iron and mineral flavors here, along with an exploding finish. Great vanilla flavors emerged as well. I am so glad I grabbed this bottle at one of our auctions when no one else had the balls to do so ? (97).

Those Were The Days

The 1928 Lafite Rothschild that followed was full of herbs, mahogany and cedar like a brand new cabinet filled with spices. This was beautiful, pretty, tender and soft. Zen found it ‘peppery,’ and I felt lots of tobacco. The ’28 improved in my glass, and the tannins of the vintage came through in the end, but it was still no match for the 1911 (95).

The 1929 Mouton Rothschild was ‘sexy’ and ‘alive’ per The Comte. It was fruity, and I can’t read exactly what I wrote next, but it looks like ‘margarita’ lol. It was a little grapey, soft and fleshy on the palate with just a touch of vim remaining, but this wine was definitely on the downward slope, but at age 89, there were no complaints (93).

The Bordeaux set a high bar on this night, but a flight of Roumier was a good place for Burgundy to counter. The 1979 Roumier Bonnes Mares was oozing autumnal forest floor, wet leaves and misty mornings. This was bloody good, really, like blood, with super spice and intense acidity. The Dirty Frenchman, I mean The French Paradox, called it ‘minty with Griotte cherry,’ and the Zen Master thought it was ‘mossy.’ There was a hint of Sauternes and some olives in this special treat (96).

Roumier Recap

The 1985 Roumier Bonnes Mares was dirtier, but it was rich with great body and more stuffing than usual. This was earthy, vitamin-y and iron-y without the irony and a good gaminess. ‘Better balance,”truffles’ and ‘more precise’ came from the crowd (95).

The 1990 Roumier Bonnes Mares had this rubber tire action to its nose, along with rose soap. It was rich and a touch dirty, but it had a great finish. However, the wine left me a little disappointed for such a theoretically epic bottle. It was more ‘easy drinking’ than I expected and remembered from this wine (95).

I initially thought that the 1989 Henri Jayer Cros Parantoux was a little off, but the Comte dissuaded me of that ridiculous notion. It did need some time to air out; this was a beast coming out of its cave, for sure. The CP was rusty and milky at first, and I could see all of its potential in the beginning, but little did I realize how much it would open up so quickly in my glass. The palate was rich and great with ultimately the best finish of the flight. The Comte found it ‘amazing,’ and bouillon flavors added some delicious complexity. The finish got insane (98+)!

Jayer Jewels

The 1991 H. Jayer Cros Parantoux was more elegant than the Echezeaux that followed (at this point it was all splitting hairs they were all great!). Northface observed ‘menthol,’ and I found purple rain flavors on its long and flexing palate. This wine was where integrity met sensuality. There was a Rocky Mountain High that this wine gave me, whatever that meant lol (97).

The 1993 G. Jayer Echezeaux was spectacular. It got a ‘Deep Ocean’ from me. Long live Big Boy lol. This was a rich and smooth wine that oozed decadence. There was more of that purple rain goodness along with ‘incredible concentration, color and intensity.’ This was a lip smacker of a wine that got another decadent from me, along with heavy (97).

The 1978 Guigal Cote-Rotie La Landonne was the Zen Master’s favorite of the LaLas, and I always agree with the master! This was great stuff with powerful acidity. There was black fruit, slate, asphalt and a hot, black, zippy intensity. Even The Comte said he could drink a bottle of this on its own and not need anything else. Sacre bleu! Someone noted how its ‘crisp terroir had more influence than the winemaker,’ and The French Paradox called it ‘a monster truck.’ This was a complete wine (98)!

La La La

The 1985 Guigal Cote-Rotie Turque was a beautiful, elegant wine with a touch more bitters to it than the La Landonne. It fell a little short of the bottle I had in London within the last year, which dominated a great tasting. Violets and the classic pepper spice brought it home, although it didn’t bring me home quite yet (96).

The 1991 Guigal Cote-Rotie La Mouline was still dark and deep, full of bacon fat goodness. My belly was feeling like bacon fat goodness, too, at this point (95).

I had excused myself to the patio to watch a bit of a Hong Kong light show of sorts and brought the 1953 Schloss Reinhartshausen Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Edelbeerenauslese with me. After all the red wines, this was simply delicious. And delicious is a lot easier to write than the wine lol (96).

One Hot, One Not

Unfortunately, the 1953 Schloss Johannisberg Furst Von Metternich Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese was off. At this point, there were no fucks given (DQ).

That was a wrap for night two. Night three would be in Macau, after the auction. There was much more tasting to do, and some drinking in the day, too

In Vino Veritas,
JK

Greatest Wines of the World Weekend 2018, Part I

Last year, we held our first “Greatest Wines of the World Weekend.” This event was a reincarnation of sorts, for those of you around long enough to remember the “Top 100” days. The first Top 100 was in 2004, and even though less than fifteen years ago, it certainly seems a lifetime away. One thing that hasn’t changed is our insatiable appetite to try the world’s finest wines over and over again. It never gets old, at least for me. So when we decided to do this event again, we didn’t change the premise, but we did change the location. Hong Kong here we come. This year’s event proved even more extraordinary than the one before, which was no easy task. This would be a weekend of pure wine heaven.

Here We Go

The first night was at Bo Innovation, one of Hong Kong’s few three star restaurants. Chef Alvin Leung, also known as ‘The Demon Chef’ and one of the stars of Master Chef in Canada, was personally on hand and created a special menu that was the greatest meal of East meets West that I have ever had. Bravo Chef! We were off to a great start food wise, but the wines would take it up even another notch.

Bravo Chef!

We began with a rare bottle of 1959 Krug Collection, which was a rich butter bomb with ‘apple juice city’ flavors. It was full of buttery deliciousness. There were nice, fully mature flavors and a rich mouthfeel full of dry honey. The acidity lingered in a sneaky way (96).

The 1973 Krug Collection Magnum was younger and showed much younger. There was more of a mineral backbone with lots of zip. This was very perfumed and had the best of both worlds of young and mature Champagne. Someone commented it was ‘softer than ’59,’ and there were lighter apple flavors (95M).

The Good Doctor preferred the 1990 Krug Collection out of the three, finding it the freshest, which is what he likes in his Champagne. The Hamburglar found it ‘low acid,’ which is generally true for the vintage, he went on. Colorado John found it ‘light and crisp’ (95+).

Three Meursault Perrieres from Roulot are definitely a good way to start any wine portion of any evening. We started with the rarely seen 1983 Roulot Meursault Perrieres, which was full of honeysuckle, acacia, sweet white flowers and jasmine. The French Paradox noted ‘passionfruit.’ There was an unusual sweetness and ripeness here to the point where The Good Doctor noted that this was ‘sweeter than any Burgundy I’ve ever tasted, it’s almost like a Riesling.’ We later discussed that California’s Ted Lemon, now of Littorai, might have had a hand in this vintage as he came to the Domaine in 1984 and made three vintages at Roulot. This was a super sweet and exotic wine, with guava flavors joining the party (95).

Righteous Roulot

Jean-Marc Roulot had taken over the winemaking full time in 1989, and he has become one of the greatest white winemakers in the world. While most 1995 whites are past their prime, his 1995 Roulot Meursault Perrieres still had something to say. It had more milky, creamy and vanilla qualities. Its palate was meaty and lush with more vanilla flavors, and the Good Doctor tasted ‘honey’ (93).

The 1996 Roulot Meursault Perrieres had an explosive nose with lots of T ‘n A. The Good Doctor admired how these vintages were all so ‘different.’ There was lots of richness, texture and more length here than the other MPs. Its flavors were nutty, buttery and more yellow. There was nice light spice and great smokehouse flavors as well. Irv noted ‘butterscotch,’ and 12 Gauge correctly hailed it as ‘benchmark’ Roulot (97).

A good place to go after Roulot is definitely Coche-Dury! The 1993 Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne was classy and classic and a bit yeasty and butternutty. There were smoky fruits in its nose, and it was very buttery on the palate, fully mature and round with great richness and a nice mouthfeel. It was dusty and fully mature. The sommelier was in awe and shrieked, ‘Amazing dude!’ Maybe he was talking about me lol. I was struck by its elegance on the finish, and The Good Doctor preferred the 1993, citing ‘older is better’ lol. A discussion about this wine being on a plateau ensued with 12 Gauge (95).

Killer Coche at Large

12 Gauge moved on to the ‘weightlessness’ of the 2000 Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne. This was ‘very Coche’ per The French Paradox, full of lots of smoky fireplace action and clean waterfall qualities. This was a super fresh 2000 that was as good as the vintage in general gets. The Paradox admired ‘the roasted Coche thing,’ and this smoky, icy, lemon pie of a wine left me with a lip-smacking finish (97).

The 2007 Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne was rich but young, definitely doing its suave Coche thing. It sparkled like diamonds and possessed outstanding richness, but it was still a bit shy. There were lots of white ice, minerals, white fruits and flowers in this í”Springí”-y wine. The Paradox continued, ‘You can see the whole Coche family in this flight’ (96).

After nine bubblies and whites, it was time for some reds. The Good Doctor set a high bar when he said that the 1959 Latour was ‘one of the best bottles of Latour I’ve ever tasted.’ He was absolutely right; I seconded that emotion! This was a perfect bottle that was so sweet (in the right way) and so rich with loads of great spice. Dusty, long, thick and smooth, the crowd cooed ‘chocolate’ and ‘cassis.’ This was a gritty and exciting wine. I often say that I usually prefer the ’59 Latour these days to the ’61, and this bottle was Exhibit A-Z (99).

The 1961 Palmer had the disservice of coming after the Latour. It was also a member of the ‘Better Bottle Club’ as some of us referenced having better bottles – not that this one was off. It was still very nice with sour cherry aromas and a citrusy twang. It had fleshy ice cream flavors and still merited an outstanding score (95).

The 1961 Mouton Rothschild was full of chocolaty deliciousness. It was mature, jammy, creamy and zippy with a nice slaty finish. The Hamburglar pointed out the ‘opulent’ warm vintage, and its rich and roasted flamboyant style backed up that argument (95).

We hit a big time Lafleur trifecta next; it was a thrilling flight, and none more thrilling than the 1961 Lafleur. It is extremely difficult to find a good bottle of this wine, but when you do, it is incredible. It had a deep nose that was so plummy, chocolaty and full of royal garden aromas. This was a rich and sumptuous bottle, tangy and intense with amazing texture and incredible acid. This was a perfect bottle, truly incredible. It smacked lips and asses (99).

A Lifetime of Lafleur

The 1979 Lafleur was more Cab Franc-y and more jammy in the nose, but its palate was very slaty with a dry, dry finish. Boysenberry jam emerged with some time, and the wine continued to show off its long finish (96).

I have always loved the 1989 Lafleur, which struck me like the modern day ’61 but even stronger. This is an undervalued wine in the marketplace. There was lots of oil and alcohol, enough for a Russian bachelor party lol. There was a flash of jam in this monster wine. Intense, super stuff (98).

Exit Bordeaux, enter Burgundy. The Bordeaux certainly set a gold standard, so to speak, but the wines of Domaine Dujac were up to the challenge. I drank the 1993 Dujac Clos de la Roche first by accident, or maybe I got served it first and couldn’t wait, but I broke my oldest to youngest trend on this night. There was great spice, great intensity and great twang here. Yes, it was great lol. There was a super m_lange of black, purple and red fruits. This was another lip smacker, thick as a brick with a long, intense finish. It got a ‘WOW,’ and a ‘Tootsie poppin’ fuck it 🙂 (98).

Du-Jac

This bottle of 1990 Dujac Clos de la Roche was not as good as the ’93, having more bouillon, more flesh but a less intense finish. It seemed mellow by the usual 1990 standards for Dujac. It was a little dirty and was another member of the ‘BBC.’ No, the Better Bottle Club, geez. 12 Gauge is a ’90 lover in general, and he found the Dujacs were ‘the closest and most consistent flight of the night’ (94).

The 1985 Dujac Clos de la Roche was outstanding, similar in personality to the 1993 but with more mint. It was really more menthol, which developed into what I hailed as ‘Super Menthol’ lol. There was great citrus and great spice here along with gorgeous mahogany and exotic apricot flavors. Sexy stuff (97).

There are not too many Burgundy producers that can follow the flight of Dujac that we just had, but Rousseau would be one of them. The 1985 Rousseau Chambertin was ‘dirty in a typical way,’ someone noted, adding that it was a good thing. I got lots of plum, menthol and some other things I can’t read at the moment. This was a deep wine with rich and smooth purple fruit flavors. Outstanding stuff (96).

Three of a Kind

The 1988 Rousseau Chambertin was dirtier and a little one dimensional compared to the 1985. Another BBC (92).

There was almost something tropical about the 1990 Rousseau Chambertin. It was so rich, a bit soupy and honeyed in those regards, both positives. This was a lush Rousseau with good acid. There were good forest flavors led by cedar and presumably some other tree (again I can’t read what I wrote, it was that time of the night). The ’90 was clearly the richest of the flight, perhaps a touch sweet in a beet like way, but this was a meaty and bite-y wine that showed the best that 1990 has to offer in Burgundy (96+).

The 1978 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle Magnum was all about the pheromones and sexy accordingly. It was so rich out of magnum and also gamy, candle waxy, creamy and dry with texture to match. This was outstanding but another where I had grander memories. Someone likened it to a ‘triple shot of Starbucks’ thanks to the coffee that developed (95M).

Wait, There’s More

I usually have a lot more to say about a 1989 Chave Hermitage, but all I could muster up was ‘hitting a wall.’ I wasn’t spitting much (95).I similarly wrote ‘no more notes’ for a spectacular 1990 Chave Hermitage (97).And I didn’t even write a score for the 1927 & 1945 Taylor. Oops.

Oops

It was a spectacular beginning to a spectacular weekend. We would see everyone tomorrow.

15 Bottles is All I Can Fit in One Shot

In Vino Veritas,
JK

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