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.

A Top Ten for 2023

Hello and Happy Holidays!  This year my Top Ten will not be wines, but rather nights.  Evenings filled with great wines and great times.  Can I get ten articles done after a year’s hiatus?  Let’s see…
 
2023 had its share of great wine events with so many great people all across the globe.  But when I think of its greatest wine event, I keep going back to the Tilson weekend we did in May.  This was actually a Wine Workshop event, one that was open to the public, although the public didn’t let wind or word of this event get too far, as it sold out quickly and deservedly so.  John Tilson was opening up his cellar and some of his best bottles for a sampling of extraordinary proportions, and he was also opening up his home for Day Two.  Day One was at the nearby San Ysidro Ranch, a beautiful location in its own right, and we started with all things Cabernet, meaning Napa and Bordeaux, of course. 
 
The first flight was a flight of two wines but ultimately one as the 1976 was corked.  The 1974 Joseph Phelps Insignia had an incredible nose with the classic asphalt, tobacco, cedar, black fruits, melted chocolate and great spice. There was lots of chocolate and coffee and a bit of wood to the finish but such great fruit.  This was super tasty, a rich ‘Bordeaux style/Bordeaux Blend’ was noted.  I should mention the 1976 felt superior behind the corked quality (95).
 
A trio of Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignons followed beginning with the 1969.  It had a big nose which was more square and muscular but still classy.  It was a little green and a little lean with a touch of citrus.  There was nice slate and minerality to its finish but dry fruit.  It underwhelmed after the Phelps (91).
 
The 1970 Mayacamas was a bit leaner as well.  Someone commented ‘mountainous fruit’ and its drier, smokier nose exuded deep woods.  There was great smoke here and even more citrus along with more grit, but it still was not a super wine (92).
 
The 1978 had the best nose of the three.  It was long, smooth and gritty in a similar style but with much more deep, dark fruit.  There was a bit of pine complexity, and its palate was smooth and tasty.  Its tannins and acidity emerged as it improved in the glass.  It supposedly had a lighter style due to the addition of Atlas Peak fruit although I’m not sure if I I’m interpreting that correctly.  It definitely delivered the biggest experience of the three (94+).
 
The first wine of the third flight was spectacular, and it was the first vintage of a legendary and benchmark Napa Valley Cabernet.  The 1966 Heitz Vineyard Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was an epic bottle, a testament to the heights that Napa can achieve, pun intended!  There was a minty and sexy nose that seeped caramel and eucalyptus.  There was this great herbal complexity that was so expressive.  Insane expression!  ‘So good’ was written over and over in my notes.  The palate was creamy, long and smooth with tasty and fresh caramel flavors.  Divine stuff (98).
 
The 1968 had more dark fruit, more chocolate and more wood but not too much – it just felt like it needed more time.  The herbal eucalyptus qualities were trying to fight through and again I wrote that it needed more time.  It integrated with that time, balancing out well, with its signature caramel coming through.  However, it was no match for the 1966 (95). 
 
The 1970 was like a blend of the two with less weight and leaner qualities.  However, it had more eucalyptus, more slate and still a long finish.  It got mintier and fresher as red fruits tried to emerge along with more tobacco.  It improved in the glass (94).
 
We went from one Napa Valley legend to another, that other being the 1968 Ridge Monte Bello.  I suffered through a touch of glass issues but moved forward to find an extraordinary wine that had a lot of fresh field to it along with that super sexy Cali Cab fruit.  It was rich and grapy with smoky coffee flavors.  Superbly elegant, its great smoke and great fruit carried it to outstanding status (96). 
 
The 1970 was unfortunately corked (DQ).
 
The 1971 had a great nose of asphalt and chocolate wrapped inside of a smokehouse.  It was another deep nose that was also a touch oaky on its tail end.  Its palate was dry like a desert, but it also improved in the glass, becoming richer and grapier, even a bit sappy in a clean way.  There was definitely a signature style coming through in all the Ridges (95).
 
There was another 1971, this bottling being an Eisele Vineyard.  ‘Perfect fruit,’ I wrote, along with ‘super’ and ‘wow.’  There was this sprinkle of sugar and great balance to its perfectly purple kink.  Perfect kept appearing in my notes along with a touch of greeny leaf in the greatest of possible compliments. This rare bottling of Ridge proved to be the most exceptional of the flight (97).
 
There was one more flight of Napa wines, and we would end on a high note thanks to the 1978 Diamond Creeks.  John’s intimate relationship with Al Brounstein became apparent as we dove into this flight.  The first wine served was the Gravelly Meadow which had another ‘wow’ nose.  There was lots of rockiness to its great fruit – that asphalt, smoke and melted chocolate Napa thing came shining through.  This was ‘the southernmost vineyard,’ I assume John said.  Coffee abounded on its spectacular finish and its acidity lifted off.  There was a great, sparkling minerality to its finish.  This was a truly great wine (97).
 
The 1978 Red Rock Terrace had more tang, more smoke and more asphalt.  The vineyard got its name from its red iron soil and terraced slope, per either Dave or John.  Dave definitely observed more minerality and iron in its profile.  There was more iron for sure, along with more spice and a grapier quality.  There was lots of mahogany in its spice cabinet, and a smoky and smooth finish (95).
 
The Volcanic Hill was more gamey; in fact, it was the most gamey.  It was fleshy, smooth and round and clearly the least of the three while also the most grapy.  It didn’t elicit as many notes despite still being an excellent wine (94).
 
The last wine of this flight was certainly not least, as it was the first vintage of Lake.  I soon discovered that this was a sub-climate of Gravelly Meadow, and I definitely saw the GM terroir right away.  I also learned that John was the one who convinced Al to bottle the Lake sepatrately in 1978!  This bottle had certainly come full circle.  It had an explosive nose with endless acidity.  It was still so young and so beautiful.  Sexy charcoal flavors graced my palate, and its finish was spectacular, make that insane.  It had the classic asphalt and chocolate but wrapped in such an exquisite package, with the finest form and penmanship if you will.  This was as good as California wine gets (99).    
 
We ended our California portion of the afternoon on a high note, and so we began our Bordeaux portion as well, thanks to a 1929 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion.  Its nose was very intense with lots of benevolent barnyard, game, wheat, band-aid and gravel.  The fruit was very gamey, and its mesquite flavors came out in a creamy and horsey way – that’s a good horse, by the way lol.  There was ‘more opulence and richness’ and lots of grassy goodness with cereal and citrus skin on the finish.  Grapefruit! That’s what it was, and the horse continued to gallop away on its finish (95).
 
The 1959 La Mission was more chocolaty and rich with a decadent personality.  There was great acidity and superb spice in this incredible wine.  Its chocolate flavors dominated, and light gravel complemented.  This was a special wine woven in the finest cloth that Bordeaux has to offer (98).
 
There was one more La Miss, that being a 1961. This was another ‘super-duper’ nose that had incredible cut and a lean and mean acidity.  There was a great minerality here, and a leathery finish that screamed luxury goods.  The La Miss sparkled without the bubbles, thanks to the fantastic lift it had on its finish.  Its flavors were classic in every which way.  While it was a dogfight, ultimately the 1961 surpassed the 1959 (99).
 
Three Trotanoys were next starting with the 1934.  There was lots of Tootsie pop and dirty chocolate dug out of the earth here.  It was a little leathery and a touch confused, although there was another glass issue here for me.  One guest did comment later how they thought it was one of the best wines of the day, but I had a more limited view of it (92).
 
The 1945 Trotanoy was silky and chocolaty.  There was an earthy and nutty greatness here, and its acidity kept it frolicking in a field.  It had/got game and wowed the crowd.  This was Pomerol power, and its spicy finish showed off deep, deep purple fruit (97).
 
The 1961 felt so much younger, ‘like it’s from the 80s!’ exclaimed one.  This was a sturdy birdie, long on its finish.  There was a lot of brick, and it got more Tootsie poppy with time in the glass, but this flight was ‘very close to perfection,’ per Tilson (96). 
 
Speaking of perfection, the 1950 Petrus was close.  It was deep, dark and rich with a minty freshness, not like that California mint, though.  There was a blueberry appeal here to go with fresh and honeyed flavors.  This was a perfect bottle, both rich and creamy.  It was so plummy and tasty, and its sexy motor oil ignited everyone’s palate.  This was a blueberry bomb that delivered the rarely experienced legend of 1950 Right Bank wines (98).
 
The 1952 Petrus comes from another vintage that’s rarely experienced on the Right Bank, and also a vintage that can deliver a legendary experience.  The ‘52 was more twangy, with a citrus twist to its chocolate core.  This bottle had real heavy cream to its creamy goodness.  This was a voluptuous and concentrated ‘rich rich rich’ wine.  It got a lot of lot of pluses after the check lol.  But this was serious stuff – ‘so great’ and gigantic in personality.  It equaled the 1950 although not many expected that outcome coming in (98).
 
The 1952 Cheval Blanc was a Negociant bottling but a solid one.  It was wine #24, however, so my pen stayed on the table as I was feeling goooood (93).
 
There was one more wine, one last wine, one that made me pick my pen up off that table, as it was as good as anything served on this glorious day.  The 1955 Cheval Blanc had a scintillating nose that was rich and sexy.  There was an exotic, coconutty edge to it that put it in a unique place, despite the number of wines served before it.  It was full of red fruits and cranberry joined the party, along with spice and gingerbread.  This was a fleshy wine with a great, robust, rocket-fueled finish.  It had the motor oil greatness, and the kinkiness to keep it company.  It kept lifting more with each sip, wanting to be known better by anyone lucky enough to have a sip.  I have been fortunate to have had this wine a few times in my life, but never as great a bottle as this.  I think I am writing sexy a lot more as I get older, I need to start compensating at my age lol, but this was so sexy, with the exclamation point!  I always love the bottles that outpunch their weight class (99).
 
What an incredible beginning to our weekend, and there was tomorrow’s lunch next, and that would be no ordinary lunch.  It would be lunch of only DRCs.  Sixteen wines would be served, and the youngest wine would be from 1978.  A Richebourg magnum, to be precise.  Superlatives would be required for one of the greatest wine meals I ever had.  The sequel was coming! 
 
FIN
 
JK
 

The RC RC Tasting

There will be a lot of great Burgundy drunk this week at La Paulée events and auctions, and that had me thinking about a special day where I tasted some of one of its finest.  Eighteen vintages of Romanee-Conti is practically a lifetime worth of experience, but thankfully one Sunday this Fall, it was one spectacular tasting.  The 1990 was a head above the rest, but there was a lot of jockeying behind it.  A tasting this historic needs detailed notes, so I figured I better plant a flag to make me do it before this fades into the graveyard of never “posted” bottles.  It’s a big plot of virtual real estate lol.  All this dang work gets in the way a lot!  Big thanks to King Richard and Sir Michael for organizing an unforgettable afternoon.
The 2015 had a deep, dark nose with lots of stalky and rocky fruit and a whiff of good wood from the forest.  Red and purple flowers were abundant in this deep wine.  Its palate was rich and long, and while still young it didn’t feel too young.  There was lots of garden goodness to the palate in a royal way.  There was a great, tight, rusty edge and loads of acidity on its “luscious palate of extraordinary power,” noted one.  James Suckling noted “dried strawberry and baby fat – for a baby that goes to the gym” 😂 (98pts)
 
The 2014 didn’t thrill me as much as a bottle I had on its own recently, but it was still outstanding.  The (wine) company you keep can affect your experience!  This bottle had a more cedary edge this time, with much more acidity than I remembered.  It was another rich and hearty red, with a beefier side but still a delicate finish.  It got leaner in the glass as cedar and ‘tea’ came out along w ‘wild herbs and fennel.’ (95pts)
 
The 2010 was extremely tight and unyielding at first.  It, too, was on the cedary side but times two with lots of dry components like desert, rock and minerals.  Its terroir and acidity unfurled, and this really benefitted from air more so than any other – its finish flexed its superiority with time but it still needed it! (96+pts)
 
The 2009 had a great nose of beef blood, rose, meat and iron.  It was more open and deep and ‘a stunner’ per Suckling.  The ‘09 had a great broth to it and was lush and round with hues of blue and black to go with the red and purple.  There was a tenderness here I don’t usually see in 2009.  It had the best balance of the quartet and was super stylish.  The finish on all four wines set them apart in general. ‘Harmony and seamless tannins’ noted JS. (97pts)
The 2008 immediately signaled the next step of maturity.  There was a lot of good herbaceousness to go with a cedary and lemony personality, and plenty of wild herbs in this rusty RC, along with a bit of sweaty pheromones…these are all compliments!  There was great richness to the palate with plenty of red fruits and a touch of tomato goodness.  Its finish was more mellow than I expected, but it still had some vim and skip.  I loved its emerging tomato flavors. There was a delicacy and spice with an Asian glaze to its flavors, and a nice oily edge.  Great spice and rust appeared again in my notes, as did leathery finish.  JS also noted a little greenness, and Hollywood Jef it’s ‘peppery finish.’ (96pts)
 
The 2005 was deep, dark and brooding. It was wound up, but in a regal and reserved way.  There were aromas of cola, spice and cinnamon to go with its rich but very shy fruit.  The palate came across extremely wealthy, ‘towering’ above anything else so far.  The richness and flesh, and balance between the two, were extraordinary.  This was red velvet city, dripping with jewels of fruit.  It was still a bit shy, but everyone knew it was a star.  This was a va va voom wine, so pure!  Suckling summed it up succinctly as ‘stunning, emotional wine, perfect.’ (98+pts)
 
The 2001 had more exotic fruits on the apricot and peach side.  There were orange hues to this very musky RC.  There was lovely flavor and texture, but it wasn’t as long as the others.  It seemed ready to go and very open.  It was tender and friendly but light and advanced compared to everything else.  Similar observations of ‘a little lean’ and ‘drying out’ came from the crowd. (94pts)
 
The nose on the 2000 was singing like Christmas with its spice and aromatics.  There were red fruits and a bit of purple here, and a round and long nose intrigued.  The 2000 continues to resonate as a connoisseurs’ vintage, and this was a great example.  This was full-bodied with great minerality and spice – super special!  Everything was in the right place at the right time, and food brought its greatness out even more.  Hailed as ‘the surprise wine of the tasting,’ I already knew better 😉 (97pts)
 
Where were we RC?  Right there with the 1999 which had a deep nose full of t n’ a and spice.  Our host observed the relationship between ‘99 and ‘05.  This was rich, explosive and plush with the oil and the pop.  It had a darker, oilier palate than most and a touch of caramel in a rusty way.  Rich rich rich with endless acidity, it reminded me of a recent 1990 but not quite there.  BC found it ‘spectacular’ and King Richard ‘beautiful and powerful, worthy of its reputation.’  There was great length and spice on its finish. (98pts)
 
The 1995 had strawberry, cranberry and brighter red fruits.  ‘Extraordinary, sexy wine’ came from the crowd.  There was a gingerbread goodness to this elegant and well-bred wine.  It had a sexy, delicacy type style.  It was ‘peppery’ per the King and while outstanding, it was the least of this flight. (95pts)
 
The 1991 had such a deep nose with dark, Black Forest qualities and a touch of rust in between.  It was smoky like a great BBQ with great balance between its meat and fruit.  There was clarity to its style in its ‘supple and smooth’ ways.  Delicacy came up in my notes, but the tannins expressed themselves here more than the 1995, which was considered even more tannic for many years. (97pts)
 
The 1990 was once again a rock star. Twice in one year, 2022 thank you 🙏 This will be the benchmark RC against which all others will be judged.  Wow again – so concentrated, this was another level of richness from everything else that preceded.  It almost had that signature 1947 Cheval motor oil.  Smoky, nutty, rich and decadent, the 1990 had a super strong finish with layers of whips and chains. ‘Wine of the tasting,’ ‘ethereal, weightless, floating in the clouds,’ ‘has everything’ all came from the giddy crowd.  Give it up for the 1990 RC!!!! (99+pts)
 
The 1985 DRC Romanee Conti had a tough act to follow.  This was a typical showing for many 1985 DRCs, showing that dirty birdie side, a bit of shit if you will.  It was earthy with tootsie pop flavors, and there was a meaty, horsey, animal quality to the palate.  The finish was still zippy and lifted with its leather, but it couldn’t shake the dirt or the tootsie (94).
 
The 1980 DRC Romanee Conti was so good, much better than the 1985 and back to the Promised Land.  It had gorgeous spice, and this expressive, oily and musky personality.  Its length was impressive, and my lips were smacking with its musky greatness.  ‘Such great cola’ emerged in this leathery and spicy wine, and menthol joined the party.  ‘So 1980,’ I wrote.  It was up there near the top of the food chain (98).
 
The 1979 DRC Romanee Conti was similar to the 1980 but with less menthol and cola.  It had a rocky edge to it, but it was round and sweet, also with a nice oily component.  This was a polished beauty, with a honeyed palate that was long and elegant with a flash of grip.  This was a tasty wine that mellowed more in the glass (95).
 
Lastly, there was a 1966 DRC Romanee Conti.  There actually was a 1978 and a 1971, but they were both DQ’d.  That was a tough pill to swallow, but everyone was still giddy for all the other great bottles.  The ’66 was exotic and sweet, a bit of a candygram compared to the others, with some exotic apricot to it.  Acidity again unfurled on its finish, a trend for all the wines as they got older.  The wine ended on a tropical note, and the day ended on a high note thanks to this legendary tasting (95).
 
Thanks again to King Richard and Sir Michael for organizing, and I hope to see many of you this week in New York so we can share more great Burgundy together at La Paulée, whether at our auctions Thursday or Friday or the Gala on Saturday!  I won’t have more RC, but I will have some DRC to share and lots more goodies all week long 😊 .  Come see us!
 
FIN

JK

 

Tastings Notes From The Emperor’s Cellar

Tasting Notes from The Emperor

The Emperor’s incredible wine empire is featured in our February 10th Hong Kong Auction in ‘The Return of The Emperor’ (Lots 317-577) , nearly 300 selections (over 100 of DRC!) where every lot is a star! The Emperor has opened some great bottles for me over the years in Hong Kong. Here are a few of the best ones I have shared from The Emperor’s cellar!

The Emperor kept himself and his other guests busy with a magnum of 1996 Krug Clos du Mesnil, which was a big, rich, buttery beast, all the more so since it was out of magnum. It was razor sharp and mountainous in its character, long and strong. ‘The longer the better,’ The Emperor sagely advised, and it was easy to see why Clos du Mesnil is the Romanee-Conti of Champagne. This was a laser of Star Wars proportion (98+M).

The Emperor flew back from London just for our dinner together. I felt like a diplomat of significance, so I brought some significant wines accordingly. What I did not bring was the stunning bottle of 1976 Dom Perignon with which we started. One accurately noted, ‘crushed walnuts and quince peel.’ It was creamy and lush with nice apple juice flavors and a touch of burnt granulated sugar. It was tasty, round and fresh, still youthful but about as good as it will ever get (95).

The Emperor definitely started with a 1-2 punch, as the next wine was a 1996 DRC Montrachet. Damn. This was an extraordinary bottle of white wine, showing that signature botrytis along with that Versailles garden action. Rich, long and buttery, this was still young by DRC Monty standards, as most are more developed by age twenty. There was this stony, mahogany edge that melted into an oily finish. The wine kept getting richer, and it developed this sexy, smoky caramel quality (98).

We inched into the reds with a 1937 Haut Brion. While the 1930s is generally considered a lost decade when it comes to Bordeaux, this HB showed admirably. It had a complex nose with aromas of caramel, bookshelf, mocha and some forest. Its palate was creamy and lush, fresh yet mature. There were candle wax kisses to its palate and nice leather on its finish, along with a touch of signature gravel. Secondary flavors of celery soda and molasses rounded out this toasty Haut Brion (94).

The 1928 Leoville Las Cases was recorked by Whitwham’s, a British company I believe, back when recorking was a little less controversial. The LLC had a chocolaty and earthy nose, and some green crept out. Vanilla and cream joined the party, and the longer tannins of the legendary ’28 vintage really shined. There was still finesse to this glassy red, and while the length and finish were superior to the Haut Brion, the character was not (93).

We went back to HB with a 1959 Haut Brion, which had a great nose that possessed rich cedar and smokehouse aromas and loads of cassis. There were black, smoky fruits here, along with rich, buttery flavors with lots of tobacco and more cassis. Iron aromas emerged, along with band-aid and Worcestershire flavors in a tertiary way. There was solid acid to this rock star Haut Brion (97).

The next wine was also from 1959, and ‘the best bottle I ever had,’ per Dr. Feelgood. I think he meant the particular wine, but it could have been every bottle ever as this 1959 Lafite Rothschild was staggeringly good. This was classic in every sense of the word. The cedar, the wheat, the pencil...this was a rich and thick wine that was as good as Bordeaux gets. Sebastien found it ‘deep,’ and there was super sweet fruit with a dry edge. The Emperor found it ‘flawless’ (99).

Now the Emperor was just showing off, pulling out a spectacularly good bottle of 1982 Le Pin. I have an on-again, off-again love affair with Le Pin. Some vintages are everything I could ever want, yet others I find disappointing, bordering on uninteresting. This ’82 was an exciting bottle. ‘From strength to strength,’ was said, and this was a perfect bottle. It was rich, chocolaty, chunky and lush. Chocolate merged into chocolate bar in the mouth, with more raisin and nut flavors. I never had an ’82 Le Pin this good; it was delicious (97).

The Emperor pulled out a 1971 Roumier Musigny. That’s why he is the Emperor. Someone compared it to ‘God singing in the glass.’ It definitely had an incredible, wow nose. There was so much brightness here, along with amazing spice and red citrus fruits. A thick forest added complexity. There was just a hint of autumn in its flavors, along with a kiss of BBQ. There was beautiful freshness to this satiny, sexy wine. ‘Stones up’ (97).

The Emperor started rolling - now it was a 1985 DRC Romanee Conti. There was gorgeous fruit in the nose with sweet red honey, garden and cherry. Fresh, citrus flavors and a kiss of good dirt accompanied green cedar and tobacco. There was lots of earth expressing itself more and more in the mouth, with more tobacco coming out. Some preferred the ’85 best over time compared to the Roumier, but the Roumier thrilled more initially (97).

The 1968 Vega Sicilia Unico was a nice way to end the evening. Its unique, leathery and kinky aromas and flavors showed off that edgy Tempranillo edge, but it was still so young and purple. This was an absolutely delicious wine, classic Vega and perhaps its finest vintage ever (96+).

The Emperor has been a dear friend of mine, one whose kind heart and soul has translated into so many great times together. This is one of the greatest collections I know in Hong Kong, filled with many bottles such as the ones above. I hope you enjoy what is on offer this Friday night in our Hong Kong auction and can add a few bottles from The Emperor to your own collection!

FIN
JK

The Greatest Wine Day Ever?

Happy New Year! May 2023 be one of your best and brightest years ever. I couldn’t think of a better way to ring in a new year than an article about arguably the greatest wine day I have ever had. I will let you be the judge. This has been an article over one year in the making. Time flies, and business has been busy, and before you know it, another year is gone. As Confucius once said, ‘the days are long, and the years are short.’ A month or so before my 50th birthday celebrations, The Rev hosted his delayed 60th celebration, one delayed by that pandemic thing. Remember that? Seems surreal at this point, but one of the benefits was giving The Rev more time to procure more incredible bottles, about half of which he provided himself. The other half he got by with a little help from his friends, including Vintage Tasting alumni such as Big Boy, Bad Boy, Hollywood Jef, The Ambassador, Dr. Evil, the Attorney General and JBL. I am pretty sure that a record was set for most points ever awarded in one session by myself. Did we break 5000, it has to be close? Let’s see and let the (recap of the) games begin!!!
There aren’t too many events that begin with a Jeroboam of 1971 DRC La Tache as an aperitif!  Well, here we were, and this Jero delivered a fabulous experience.  It had a deep, dark nose that was a little woodsy but more on the autumnal side with some brick, rust and rose fruit behind it.  It had black fruits but also had menthol and cream to go with its great richness and lots of body.  Its acidity was endless, and the only complaint I might muster was that there was a touch too much forest floor.  Its citricity and brick flavors housed its finish.  It wasn’t the peak of what this wine can deliver, but it was close (98J).

A duo of Champagne took us to the afternoon dinner table, and it was quite the duo being from 1928.  The 1928 Moet was smoky and toasty, full and rich.  While it lost most of its bubbles, there was still a delicious persona with lots of vanilla cream.  It was rich and fleshy with burnt sugar and great caramel flavors on its finish.  Despite no bubbles, it was still so creamy with great oil and honey flavors (95).

A 1928 Roederer was another great aged bottle of Champagne, and while the nose had less vanilla, it was deeper with more citrus.  There were oatmeal flavors with some brown sugar kisses.  More austerity and vim marked the Roederer, along with brighter citrus and a touch of ceramic flavors.  JBL commented that the Roederer was ‘more Pinot driven,’ and he would know!  Big Boy was also in the Roederer camp (96).

A trio of Krugs followed our duo of 1928s, beginning with an apple-y 1976 Krug Collection typical of 1970s Krug.  There was nice soda and seltzer vivacity compared to the ‘28s, and some good earthiness.  The 1976 was balanced and elegant with nice citrus and wheat flavors (95).
The 1961 Krug Collection clearly had more richness and body than the ’76.  There was also that touch of apple, but a touch more meat to go with its great style.  Its wealthy fruit blasted and lasted in the glass (97).

Big Boy immediately said to wait on this superlative 1947 Krug Collection.  As the ’61 took the ’76 to another level of richness, so did the ’47 to the ’61!  While more mature brown sugar kisses, the 1947 was by no means too mature.  There was an incredible smokiness here in this great flavor profile.  There was a unique nuttiness and smokiness to go with the most savory and complex of these three heroes (99).

It was on to white Burgundy, and a pair of DRCs, beginning with a magnum of 1999 DRC Montrachet.  Ok, if you insist lol.  ‘So good,’ I wrote, so rich I continued, along with buttery, smoky and toasty with incredible yellow fruit.  Its palate was a beast with a monster finish to match.  There was so much acidity here, with a searing richness out of magnum.  It was admittedly too young out of magnum, but what proper grand cru white Burgundy wouldn’t be?  Big Boy found it positively ‘fat,’ while the Attorney General said it was ‘like a red wine.’  Someone else seconded my ‘monster’ emotion (97+M).
The 1978 DRC Montrachet that followed brought back so many memories, memories like dinner at Georges V with Bipin, Wolfgang and Aubert probably two decades ago!  Some dinners you never forget.  The ’78 was tropical and fully mature, kinky with its touch of apricot.  There was a honeyed, milky and creamy style to it.  ‘Awesome,’ I wrote, along with ‘so rich, so honeyed.’  While its flavors were mature, its finish was strong and still youthful.  Uni aromas developed in its exotic and complex nose (98).

The next wine was a bit tangy with a sour nose that was milky in the wrong way.  It had vim and a touch of tropicality but was not interesting compared to the others.  There was a bit of a morning mouth finish in this 1959 Bouchard Montrachet.  I have had spectacular old bottles of Bouchard, but this wasn’t one of them (90?).

‘Great nose, great wine’ started my note on the magnum of 1985 Ramonet Montrachet.  This was smoky city, with that kinky, corny and minty Ramonet sweetness.  There was heavy cream to its palate, along with lots of butter – this was a French chef’s dream white lol.  More corn and mint effused out of its tasty palate, and the Ambassador agreed with me on my 98-point rating, although he disagreed with me on the DRC, which he gave 99 points.  I can see him being impressed with the DRC; like the ’99, he is still so young lol (98).

There were two more Montrachets to go, and we were walking this way towards the 2012 DRC Montrachet.  It was so young yet so exotic, with cleavage spilling out of its shirt, pick your own sex lol.  It was long and deep, a bit painfully so, but its showy fruit more than made up for it (96).

There was one of these cooperative 2016 L’Exceptionelle Vendange des Sept Domaines Montrachet that was a collaboration between DRC, Lafon and others due to the tiny crop that year due to inclement weather.  This was a sweet, young baby, and while it had some richness and decadence, it was too young, and one could see the effects of that devastating vintage (95).

The first red served was spectacular and one of the wines of the night.  It was a 1971 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze.  This was so good, singing with its leather, autumn, citrus and rose aromas.  Its spice was catnip to my inner feline, and this exotic potpourri blended into a garden worthy of Versailles.  Its alcohol and acidity seeped and creeped out of its nose, while the palate seconded all emotions in both a rich and elegant way.  There was great mouthfeel and lots of spice to go with light iron on its magical finish (99).

The 1971 Rousseau Chambertin was similar yet lesser in every way, with more autumnal qualities.  At this age, it always comes down to the bottle as much as the wine.  While this bottle was still solid, it was showing a touch older and with less vim than the Beze (95).

A litter of La Taches were next beginning with a near 80 year-old 1942 DRC La Tache.  There was sweetness in its nose, along with a bit of old library.  It was on that ‘shroomy, earthy and foresty floor side, more brown than red, showing its signs of age (93).

The 1943 DRC La Tache was more on the touch oxidized side but still nice.  It was richer with more tomato and weight, better with air but not a better bottle than the 1942 (93A).
The 1959 DRC La Tache was flat-out awesome, heads and shoulders better than the others so far.  It was a perfect bottle, dripping with rose and its oil.  JB admired its ‘juicy’ quality.  It was also saucy, full of juicy red tomatoes to go with its juicy red fruits.  ‘So good,’ appeared over and over again in my notes, and a touch of benevolent cereal.  This was a La Tache firing on all cylinders (99).

There were some questions about volatile acidity in the blind wine that was served next by the Attorney GeneralI liked its sour cherry flavor to go with its long citrus and earth core.  It was dusty and tasty, a bit leathery like an old Italian before tobacco took over.  It might not have been perfect, but it wasn’t a bad bottle either, this 1964 Burlotto Barolo (94).

We got back to our usual programming, and the 1978 DRC La Tache delivered the same level of experience as the 1959.  Big Boy hailed it as ‘the real deal.’  Mint, menthol and spearmint punctuated its permeating nose.  It was rich and almost buttery with tasty caramel and brick flavors.  It had a long, long finish like a long, long time ago but still had plenty of legs left in it.  So complex, so much fruit, so much length and acidity in all the perfect places; this was true greatness (99).

The 1979 DRC La Tache was the second wine that felt out of place.  It was woody and full of celery, which is my least favorite food on the planet for those of you that don’t know lol.  There was good texture, but its flavors were sickly.  I have had much better bottles of 1979 DRC out of large format, I should add, and that’s a whole ‘nother topic (88).

1980 DRC La Tache has always been a pet wine of connoisseurs of this majestic vineyard, and this bottle delivered.  At first, it was a touch shy with its lighter impressions of mint and leather in the nose.  Its palate had great flavors of rust, citrus, strawberry and more leather, and this vintage of La Tache found the perfect harmony between flavor and balance (96).

The 1985 DRC La Tache was smooth with clearly lots of acid and nice, mature autumnal edges.  There were lots of classic characteristics in this vintage, one that is holding onto its outstanding status but just barely, although large formats might disagree (95).

The 1990 DRC La Tache was ‘dirty’ per The Rev and ‘as usual’ per me.  There were chocolate and earth flavors to go with its solid concentration, but as great as it was, it didn’t deliver the knockout experience (96).

The last of our La Taches was nipping on the heels of the ’59 and ’78.  The 1999 DRC La Tache has long been one of my favorites, ever since Aubert told me it might be the greatest vintage ever for the Domaine.  Does he say that every year lol.  This was rich, concentrated, ‘great’ and ‘special.’  It was deep and dark, full of black fruits and forest and would normally be 99 points, but not in this company (98)!
It was time for a refresher, and we had one of the best guests in the world for that, known as ‘JBL’ to his closest friends, although I am not sure how that translates into French.  We were all saying ‘ah oui oui’ when the ex-Domaine 1976 Roederer Cristal Rose came out.  This was a ‘lights out’ bottle, disgorged in 1982, and despite twenty years later, it still had so much freshness.  It was so good and so zippy, possessing light strawberry flavors and a touch of splendid sweetness.  A touch of complex pine needles emerged on its spectacular finish (98).

The 1982 Roederer Cristal Rose magnum had a cinnamon-y nose with a porridge-like richness.  Its acid was screechy and extraordinary, with a ‘wow’ and bigger finish, as it should out of magnum.  The Attorney General found it ‘tight,’ and Big Boy was heralding its ‘pitch and acidity.’  Its ‘cheesy’ quality was admired by another, a good thing for those of us that love cheese (96M).

The Rev was born in 1961, so a bunch of Bordeaux had to happen before the end of the night.  Now seemed like the right time, especially when a magnum of 1961 Haut Brion.  Its nose was the perfect blend of deep purple, chocolate, charcoal and tobacco.  ‘A little too young for you,’ Dr. Evil smiled, but I was more than content with its rich plum and chocolate flavors.  This was creamy, long and wealthy with long acidity.  ‘So good’ appeared in my notes repeatedly (98M).

A bottle of 1961 La Mission Haut Brion usually is a length ahead of the Haut Brion, but this bottle couldn’t keep pace with the magnum.  There was classic band-aid and charcoal, but it softened in the glass sooner than I wanted, but it was still outstanding with decent richness and long acidity that gained back (96).

The 1961 Palmer was our first off-ish bottle.  At this level, for wine #29, I will take it every time – no rating was necessary.  The 1961 Latour was another small hiccup, another soft and plush bottle, and while it wasn’t great, it wasn’t a bad bottle either (95).
The 1961 Petrus was a touch tight, but all its Pomerol goodness expressed itself.  There were clay and ceramic borders to its deep purple fruit.  Rich and decadent with great minerality, this was a superlative bottle of Petrus, so fleshy and a ‘Burgundian style of Petrus’ per one guest (98).

This was now officially wine number 35, and it was all Ponsot, Dujac and Roumier.  I took a break before this flight, and it was tough to focus for a minute, but I managed.  Here is the summary: 
1979 Clos de la Roche 95
1980 Ponsot Clos de la Roche  97
1985 Ponsot Clos de la Roche VV 94
1985 Dujac Clos de la Roche  98
1990 Ponsot Clos de la Roche VV  94
1990 Dujac Clos de la Roche 95
1991 Ponsot Clos de la Roche VV  97
1988 Roumier Bonnes Mares VV  95

A summary paragraph would go a little bit like this.  The ’79 had a milky goodness along with lots of zippy, citrusy fun.  The ’85 disappointed given its reputation, but it had lots of strawberry and earthiness to go with its roundness.  The 1980 was delicious and minty, with its acidity lifting the wine to new heights along with its menthol, red cherry and oil.  This was a superb wine with lots of rust and spine.  The Dujac announced itself on the scene admirably.  The 1985 was rich and saucy with autumnal action and an enticing herbal goodness.  It was fully mature but so good with a lot of how now brown cow action.  The ’90 Ponsot was meaty and yeasty with nice concentration in a softer way, while the ’90 Dujac was not as great as I wanted it to be but still solid.  The ’91 Ponsot took it up a notch, noticeably better than the 1990s, decadent but still elegant with its fruit.  After having a blockbuster ’88 VV within the last year, I ‘just couldn’t do it,’ I wrote, meaning I was hitting my limit.  This wine usually scores near the top of the food chain, but perhaps I was done with ‘young’ wines at this point.  It was wine #42 after all.

I needed a palate refresher, and I could ask for none greater than a magnum of 1961 Dom Perignon Charles and Diana Wedding Cuvee.  This was a come to Jesus wine, and I’m not sure how anyone who attended that wedding didn’t have a religious experience or a baby.  Either or.  This was one of the, if not the, greatest bottle of Champagne I ever had.  It was electric on the palate, bringing the zippedy, doo dah and beautiful day all in one.  It was so young but had such maturity and wisdom to its flavors.  Bready, meaty, oily and long, this was rich, decadent and full of itself, as in its finish and length.  So good as in so great (99M).
There were two more flights, well, technically three, arguably four, but let’s just say I consolidated what I could handle.  The ’61 Wedding Cuvee did me a huge solid, as it resuscitated my palate, and it needed to be for the fantastic four wines that followed.  The first was a 1959 Lafite Rothschild.  It was deep and dark with rich purple fruit and classic pencil, cassis and carob.  This was a rock star bottle of Lafite and the greatest of all-time along with the 1953.  Everyone was in the ‘older is better’ zone, one I agree with more with every passing day lol (99).   

Right on cue came the 1953 Lafite Rothschild.  This was another spectacular bottle, perfect in every way, another ‘holy shit’ wine I eloquently wrote.  There was more caramel in the ’53, and while softer like the vintage, it still had great concentration and unbelievable sweetness.  The two best Lafites showed the best they could be on this magical night (99).

You didn’t think we could complete this night without a bottle of 1945 Mouton Rothschild, did you?  The wine that I once ranked as my #3 bottle of all-time delivered yet again, and it confirmed its previously ordained position (1945 RC is #1, and 1945 Petrus is #2, although a 1947 Petrus late last year has a legitimate claim to a top three slot.  Need to think about it 😊) Back to the 1945 Mouton, half my notes I can’t even read today, but I could read ‘so deep and so insane.’  I could also read my infatuation about its eucalyptus, pine, sage and herbal greatness.  This was a caramel sex machine and the greatest bottle on this greatest day (99+).

There was a 5th bottle in this flight, but I believe it was corked, unfortunately, as it was a 1947 Cheval Blanc.   I can’t quite read my writing again, could have been cooked, whatever it was, it wasn’t on (DQ).

There was one more bottle of Bordeaux to go, and it was one I expected to be a dud, but it was another incredible Pomerol.  While most 1947 Lafleurs would be DQs within seconds, this was a Vandermeulen bottle that had the embossed crest on the label, and I was a believer.  The concentration on the ’47 reminded me of only two other wines, and both ‘47s: Petrus and Cheval.  Its plumminess played with my senses in erotic ways, and its concentration was as intense as any other wine on this night.  This was as hedonistic as wine gets (99).

I know it seems like the 99-point ratings were getting handed out like candy at the end of the night, but believe you me, that’s what happens on the greatest wine day ever!  There was only one wine that could keep me interested at this point, and that was Chateau Rayas.  The legendary trio of ’78, ’89 and ’90 were on call, and the 1978 Rayas delivered another near-perfect experience.  Cherry cola oozed from its sexy nose, and the art of Grenache was on full display with that fleshy decadence and red fruit gamy greatness.  Strawberry, cranberry, lingonberry, if you were a red berry, you were invited to this party, and all the gentlemen in attendance were trying to introduce themselves this late in the evening lol (99).

The 1989 Rayas had a touch of cotton candy and bright acidity (97), while the 1990 Rayas was ‘wow’ concentrated, with loads of cherry and oil (98).
There was one more wine I took a note for, and seven more I didn’t (all Rhones and Port, no disrespect intended), but 52 wines is my limit.  I think I did a pretty good job.  The 1966 Guigal La Mouline seemed like a great place to finish.  The acidity on this bottle was impressive, and the violet and white pepper were dancing with the stars together.  It was another ‘so good’ wine, and at this point I was officially done (98+).

A million thanks to The Rev for this pandemic delayed party.  I am not sure you can ever outdo yourself, but I look forward to you trying for many years to come.  Anyone that wants to try to achieve the greatest wine day ever in 2023, you know where to find me!  Happy 2023!!!!

FIN

JK

 

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“Under the law of the U.S., intoxicating liquor must not be sold or supplied to a minor (at least age 21) in the course of business.”

根據香港法律,不得在業務過程中,向未成年人售賣或供應令人醺醉的酒類。
Under the law of Hong Kong, intoxicating liquor must not be sold or supplied to a minor in the course of business.

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Are you over 18 years old?

“Under the law of the U.S., intoxicating liquor must not be sold or supplied to a minor (at least age 21) in the course of business.”

根據香港法律,不得在業務過程中,向未成年人售賣或供應令人醺醉的酒類。
Under the law of Hong Kong, intoxicating liquor must not be sold or supplied to a minor in the course of business.

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