The 1976 Roederer Cristal Rose was only the third vintage ever for this luxury cuvee. It had a gorgeous nose of orange blossoms, rose petals and rainwater. It was also sweet but more restrained and stylish on the palate. This was rock solid every which way, and The Canadian Baked One was all about the ‘butterscotch.’ Oh, that’s right, he is now to be known as The Bulldog (97).

We began the Burgundies on the wrong foot, with an off bottle of 1937 Leroy Richebourg (DQ),but the 1949 Leroy Richebourg that followed was spectacular. ‘This is more like it,’ I wrote. Its nose was sexy with a minty freshness. Its fruit was sweet with a citrus smack to it. Its finish was brick city. This was an older release and a spectacular bottle that was deep, deep inside (98).

We continued with the Riches, but this time with DRC. The 1955 DRC Richebourg was quite sappy and full of menthol. It was a flashy and fleshy wine, with lots of alcohol that was still reined in. It had a painted quality in the best of ways. Flavors of garden and oil joined the mint and menthol. It was an exciting wine, but twisted in a way, and a celery soda kick emerged on its finish (94).

The 1978 DRC Richebourg was another great bottle. There was signature menthol, along with sweet meat and loads of autumnal qualities. Its palate was oily, so much so I wrote it three times. Long and brothy, this was a great ’78 (96).

The 1985 DRC Richebourg was ‘surprisingly’ disappointing. It felt weak by usual standards, and it had lots of cherry diaper going on (91?).

We were back to the spectacular with a 1990 DRC Richebourg. There were loads of vitmains in this rich, saucy and sappy red. Aromas of tree bark and green moss supported massive t ‘n a. Its palate was Superbad, not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good lol. Minty pine flavors tickled the roof of my mouth. This bottle was about as good as it gets for this wine (98).

So was the 1999 DRC Richebourg. It was so young, so primary, the only one so much so. While super rich, it was more about the stalks and stems, along with an ocean of purple fruit. Keep these babies on ice another decade (97+).

A 1953 DRC Romanee Conti was unfortunately shot (DQ),but the two La Taches that followed were not. The second was a 1978 DRC La Tache, which all I wrote was ‘solid’ (95). The previous ’78 Richebourg actually outshined the La Tache for a change, but it was also all about the other LT that preceded it.

There was one last intermezzo to the DRC’s, that being a 1969 Rousseau Chambertin, usually the wine of the vintage that transcends its overall quality. This bottle had a bit too much brown sugar, and more menthol in the DRC direction than usual. It was a bit forward and faded quickly, but you could tell the raw materials were great (95A).

While the ’85 was unfortunately an off bottle, the 1990 was ‘delicious’ per The Punisher. Hollywood Jef agreed. This was a deep, rich, ripe and saucy LT. ‘A nice bottle of 90,’ The Punisher continued, ‘a great bottle of 1990,’ someone countered. The Punisher’s perspective is a bit 20,000 feet lol. This was a heavy wine with a spicy finish, which was also thick and lickety-split, so to speak. The 1996 was smooth and solid, a bit mundane after the 1990, and a bit green, gardeny and weedy by usual standards. The 1999 was another powerhouse, adolescent perfection. The only criticism was that it was too young. Antonio summed it up, ‘the two 1999s are staggering.’ There is a reason Aubert once said to me that it may be the best vintage the Domaine has ever made.

Round two and night one were over. See you again soon!

They don’t make ’em like they used to, except someone just did. On two perfect evenings in Los Angeles, a few good men and a great woman gathered together for two feasts fit for a king. The feasts were fete-ing the feelgood age of fifty-five for none other than The Rev, our official host and insane giver and sharer of great wines. There was other wine royalty on the short VIP list, most notably Bad Boy and The Punisher, aka “The Big Guns” when together. Hollywood Jef and Antonio Galloni, aka Mr. Vinous, were also there, along with Magic Marc and The Stoner aka The Canadian Baked One lol. I can safely say that I will still need The Rev “when he’s 64”, and 64 wines were indeed the magic number we had on these two nights. Buckle up.

In my youth, I would have been able to write up every single wine with individual notes and knock it out in a weekend, but I have learned to be more efficient lol. I will never get this article done if I try to do that, so I will do many notes, but also a few quicker summaries. I am much better at cranking out those 8-12 wine a night evenings 😉

The 1961 Clicquot was delicious and a good drink, but the Salon from the same vintage was unfortunately ‘mushroomy’ per Mr. Vinous and a bit skunky. There would be a few DQ’s throughout the weekend, but it was definitely a small Minority Report. Let’s talk about the other three.

The 1955 Cristal was a gorgeous bottle, direct from the Domaine. Merci beaucoup! The nose has lots of wafer with a side of limestone, unfurling into caramel and a rusty sweetness. It had great sweetness but was a bit stony and rocky. Someone admired, ‘so much weight,’ but I got a touch of burnt rubber on the finish that kept this score from being even higher (95).

The 1979 Taittinger CdC was a laser by comparison. There was still a lot of sweet fruit, yellow sugar and rocky solid flavors to this zippedy doo dah bubbly. Its finish was starting to show more mature flavors, but this felt like it just got out of college in that regard. Its fruit was oh so fresh, like a good tank top with some Daisy Dukes on the right piece of…fruit, of course (96).

The 1969 Salon won the flight, hands down. It came from an OCB I believe. The Bad Boy had to pancake a few people to get it, but it was definitely worth it. It was also very fresh, but there were more mature nuances to its flavor, and a more linear personality versus a laser. That extra decade of aging had done this bottle right. White sugar and waterfall flavors cascaded down my palate in perfect harmony in this beautiful, long and smooth Champagne. A leathery finish rounded out this winegasmic bottle (97).

None of the whites were thrilling or that ‘best wines of my life category,’ but they were all excellent to outstanding, except the corked Ramonet, of course. The Leroy was very Leroy, and the Coches seemed like they were all aged a touch too long and would have been better 5-10 years earlier. Galloni liked the ’83 best due to its purity and cleanliness. It had exotic lime, guava and peachy fruit. The ’82 and ’86 had a bit of funk in their trunks, but behind that were two richer wines with more acidity, especially for the ’82. The ’86 showed more mint and botrytis, but also had some corkiness. The Bad Boy, aka Bruce The Returner, summed it up well when he said, ‘none of them really move me.’ I, too, did want more from this flight.

These bottles were both typical, the Petrus being classic and beautiful just not spectacular, and the Lafleur being jammy and kinky with lots of exotic fruit melanges. There was a bit more zip and zow in thie Lafleur than the last couple of bottles I have had. The Lafleur is as good as ’82 Pomerol can get, but it ain’t more than 95 points. Sorry.

The 1929 La Mission Haut Brion was a perfect bottle of this wine; I think it was from the Doris Duke collection but honestly can’t remember. It was so fresh with loads of fruit. Fleshy, velvety and chocolaty, this was a long and balanced wine still with light grit and great purple fruit. Someone called it ‘the purest wine’ (98).

The 1945 Haut Brion that followed was another superb bottle. The wine was wheaty and yeasty in a good way, with a nose full of caramel oil, cassis, minerals and razors. It had divine toffee butter crunch flavors. Rich, heavy and concentrated, this was a very sexual wine. ‘The dawgs are howling,’ said The Rev, as these two spectacular back-to-back Bordeaux set the bar high for the rest of the show (98).

Speaking of spectacular, the 1947 Cheval Blanc wasn’t too shabby, either. It had a deep nose full of signature motor oil, and these wheaty and smoky qualities like burnt crops. Its palate was thick, sweet, long and round. This was lush and rich, although I have never had it reach the heights it did on New Year’s Eve in 1999. The wine may be in a long, slow decline, but it was still knock my socks off good. Hollywood Jef agreed, even though the Bad Boy was hating on it (97).

Of course, what would a great flight of 40s and 50s Bordeaux be without a 1959 Lafite Rothschild? This has always been my favorite all-time Lafite and one of the greatest bottles of the 20th Century, and this bottle didn’t change either of those opinions. The ’59 had a superb nose of sweet cassis and pencil with a great perfumed quality. This was a rich, sumptuous and sensual claret. Andy admired its ‘smooth’ character, and I did its thick finish (98+).

As for the other wines in the flight, the 1945 Latour was not as good as usual. I consistently rate this wine around 98 points as well, but this bottle was a bit stripped and possibly reconditioned. It wasn’t off; it just wasn’t a great bottle (93).The 1959 Mouton Rothschild had the disservice of following the Lafite and was no match for it despite being an outstanding wine. There were more black fruits and signature mint here, but it was a softer, kinder claret that had a gamy finish (95). The 1959 Petrus was an Eschenauer negociant bottling and off (DQ).

The next white wine was serious Burgundy, ‘as good as it gets,’ I wrote. The nose was kinky, sweet and sexy. There was a lot going on in this complicated wine. There were super fireplace aromas amongst its drippingly wet fruit. This was a crazy wine, ‘so kinky’ I wrote again. There were aromas and flavors of yellow, white and orange fruits, butter, honey, toast and leather, with the whips and chains. I was thinking Coche, and it was. Yeah, baby : ) This 1997 Coche-Dury Meursault Perrieres was spectacular. It was fat and ‘roasted,’ and even better than the 1996 that I had five days prior. That was still pretty damn good, too (97).

We were clearly in red Bordeaux territory with the next wine. It had a deep, rich nose of cassis, chocolate, coffee, bandaid, earth and a touch of garden goodness. There were lots of wild herbs and wild child action in this very old wine. The palate was tangy, rich and spicy with more chocolate and game flavors. It was revealed to be a 1928 Margaux, wow! There was so much power in this ancient warrior, a testament to the vintage. This was rich, sumptuous and saucy. Plush and long, the Margaux also had caramel flavors develop. While spectacular for the first glass and refill, it did start to fade with time, but by that time, there wasn’t much left. When wines are old, enjoy them right away and don’t hesitate (96).

Europe 2016 is off to a good start.

We moved quickly on to the Burgundies, which would keep us busy for most of our 150+ minute flight. The first was a 2002 Roumier Bonnes Mares that was a beauty. It had a classic nose that was smooth and still shy, but there was rusty, rosy, earthy and minty black fruits that kept growing and growing. While a bit in hibernation, the Roumier was sexy and satiny, tight yet great. There was more stuffing to this than the wine that followed. Pits called it a ‘Time Machine’ (96).

The 2002 Dujac Bonnes Mares was much more expressive with lots of grape and purple aromas. It was very fruit forward and creamy. Its violets were singing. Its nose was richer and more decadent than the Roumier, but the Roumier had much more booty. The Dujac was more ready and more pleasurable on this night, and Pits found it ‘bright’ (95).

A pair of 1990s was next, beginning with a 1990 Drouhin Chambertin. It was deep and open with lots of fruit and spice. Iron, earth and minerals provided a great frame for this sturdy and zippy wine. Rich and flavorful, it had a long finish with menthol kisses (94).

The 1990 Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin Clos St Jacques was sweet and gamy with aromas of cherry, mint, more red fruit and iodine. There was lots of spice and acidity with rusty orange flavors and thick slate on its finish. It was almost right thurr (96).

We began our initial descent with a 1964 Dom Perignon, which had an herbal essence to it, along with the usual suspects of vanilla and white sugar. I found it very similar to the ’85 qualitatively, and Alexander The Great noted ‘caramel.’ It got a bit woodsy but still held its own (96).

We made it to our ultimate destination and began with a 2005 Ramonet Bienvenues Batard Montrachet. It had a milky nose with a rich, meaty, honeyed and buttery flavor. It was tasty with caramel, corn and mint qualities (93).

Operation Starfish set the bar high off the list with a magnum of 1937 Lafite Rothschild. It was super classy in the nose, with aromas of pencil, cedar and nuts. It was a bit lighter in the palate, smooth and chalky with nice flavors and honey kisses. We discovered it was reconditioned at Bern’s in 1991. This was solid and classic in many ways, but, like almost every Bordeaux from the entire decade, only in the very good to excellent category (93M).

A 1953 Ponnelle Pommard Epenots was tight and acidic, yet it had lots of strawberry goodness. It was long and a bit bitey. 12 Gauge found it ‘alive and enjoyable, not gone but not glowing’ (90).

The 1962 DRC Romanee St. Vivant (Marey-Monge) had a deep, pungent nose full of bouillon and Asian spice. It was beautiful with smooth and tender beef satay flavors, and honey bean ones, too. There were flavors of garden and leaves with green and brown shades, all in autumnal mode. There was a nice swell of flavors to this mature red (94).

The last wine on this extended evening blew everything else away, but it wasn’t a Bordeaux or Burgundy. It was a 1964 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle. While the 1961 gets all the attention and sometimes deservedly so, there are many great, old La Chapelles. This 1964 was spectacular, equaling the quality of a different bottle already sampled this year. This is a special, secret wine! There were oceans of black and purple fruits to go with its rich, meaty personality. The garrigue qualities said Rhone all the way. It was so delicious, and it smoked everything. It had a great balance of fruit and acidity. ‘What a beautiful and special bottle,’ 12 Gauge concurred (98).

Sunday began with a very late breakfast, and I couldn’t help but notice WWE superstar John Cena having brunch at the hotel as well. I was so tempted to go flip over his table, flex in his face and then have an ultimate stare down, but I was too hungover. I’ll get him next time lol.

The 1985 Krug Clos du Mesnil showed why it is the Romanee-Conti of Champagne. It crushed and hushed the Selosse with its large and in charge personality. This was huuuuge like a Republican Presidential candidate. This was big like a butterball or a butterbomb, take your pick. ‘Brioche, cereal grains and clover honey’ came from 12 Gauge (97+).

A 1988 Raveneau Chablis Montee de Tonnerre was deliciously mature. There wasn’t much minerality left, but there were thick, yellow, sun-dried and tasty flavors. This was mature Chablis just hitting its stride, both gamy and good. ‘White and Acacia flowers’ came from the crowd (94).

The last “pool” wine was a 1999 DRC Romanee St. Vivant. 1999 + DRC = Legend! Aubert once casually mentioned to me that he thought that 1999 is the greatest vintage DRC ever made. I wouldn’t disagree. This was an awesome wine, concentrated yet pure. Its stony acidity sizzled, while its meaty and fleshy palate chewed up the rest of its fat. This was a long and strong wine, and as good as I remember any RSV from DRC…ever (96+).

The next wine was from one of my favorite, secret vintages in the last 100 years in Bordeaux. The 1922 Pichon Lalande had a great nose with big aromas of cedar, chocolate, aged cassis and smokehouse. Its palate was delicious, round and satiny. It was also smoky, rich and buttery. This was another sexy 1922. I have had maybe five wines from this vintage in the last couple of years, and they have all been delicious (95).

We continued with the 1922 Lagrange. ‘How good is that?’ I wrote. There was amazing cassis fruit. This was a wow wine; I thought it was fifty years younger! Long, round and soft, it was different in style than the Pichon, but equally qualitative. This was a dark forest of a wine (95).

Wintergreen, gingerbread and light molasses permeated through the nose of the 1942 Ausone. It had a soft palate that was interesting in a gamey and tangy way. There was a web to its way, and its flavors were sundried. Alexander The Great found lots of ‘iron’ in this gritty wine (93).

There was one more wine on our agenda, a 1978 Bouchard La Romanee. Its terroir shined through its rock solid structure. It was very vigorous and youthful, full of beef and bouillon flavors. It was tasty with great acidity. La Romanee is one of the greatest terroirs in Burgundy, no doubt (95).

We flew back after dinner because it was just that easy. We got back after midnight, but the slipper still fit. Mission accomplished thanks to our fearless leader, Operation Starfish. I will always be ready for duty, sir!