Vintage Tastings

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.

Monumental Mouton Weekend, Part II

April 6, 2014 No Comments

Per Se Magic

I have to say that I love the private room at Per Se. Not the small one, the big one. If you want to do a great dinner for 20-50 people, there probably is none better. Not to detract from the 18 course extravaganzas, but there is something about 5-7 normal courses there that hits my sweet spot.

Wait a second, I’m not a food critic, and this weekend was about Mouton, and we picked up right where we left off the night before, except we were rocking to the Eighties. The 1984 Mouton Rothschild might not seem like an ‘I’m about to rock’ wine, but it was still soft, round and pleasant. It was a touch wheaty and weedy, showing pleasant purple and rock aromas. Its palate was smooth and easy, ‘not bad’ although there was a bit of cardboard flavors without being corked. Peter found it ‘sweet,’ and someone called it ‘a wet vintage’ (88).

Is it the Forest or the Trees

The 1983 Mouton Rothschild has always been a pet Mouton of mine, drinking wonderfully every time I have ever had it. This was no exception. The ’83 had a great nose with deep purple cassis and spice. Its palate was pleasing and long with nice nuts to its core of fruit. There was a good edge to its dry finish, and minerals, earth and tobacco were all invited to this relatively full-bodied wine. Dave admired its ‘more fruit.’ More is never enough J (93).

Bob and Tom were in the 1981 Mouton Rothschild camp. It had a nice nose with some water and chlorine to go with its chocolate, along with a nice kiss of mint. Its palate had an alcoholic kick to its finish but was leaner on its cherry fruit. Pleasant, balanced and high-toned, the 1981 still delivered pleasure (90).

1980 is another unheralded and forgotten year in Bordeaux, but the 1980 Mouton Rothschild was a pleasant surprise. There were lots of cedar, spice, mineral and coffee aromas in the nose, with a touch of dry grass and nice fruit. Its palate was round with nice green hues and decent depth. This wine was still solid, although probably not a vintage to drink by yourself over the course of an evening (90).

All About the Centerfold

The 1979 Mouton Rothschild had a rich and buttery nose with coffee aromas. Its palate showed the darker side of Mouton, with nice chocolate flavors. There was presence to its palate without weight, like a good ballerina. It had a full body and the longest finish of the flight, evoking ‘warmth’ from the crowd (92).

The 1978 Mouton Rothschild was another pleasant Mouton with a nice nose and more fruit than I expected. A hint of wood accompanied great charcoal and spice in this kicker of a nose. It seemed almost more Margaux than Mouton, and someone observed, ‘light body but full flavor concentration’ (90).

Technicolor Times

The 1975 Mouton Rothschild had a wafery nose that was gravelly with some carob qualities. There was nice balance yet loads of tannins to this back-sided baby. It got more chocolaty in the glass, complementing its smooth, dusty flavors (92).

I have always found 1971 to be a good, under the radar vintage in Bordeaux, and the 1971 Mouton Rothschild fit into that theory. It had a very minty nose with the first sign of that old, signatutre eucalyptus. There were cigar and ash qualities as well. Its palate was more plummy with nice body and a pleasant, round finish (90).

Keep On Keeping On

For some reason, I never finished my note for the 1970 Mouton Rothschild. I started with ‘deep, blacker fruit, long…’ but the note just stopped, as if it disappeared. Perhaps it was the corked 1966 Mouton Rothschild that followed (DQ),or perhaps the anticipation of the 1945 that was coming.

The third flight began with the legendary 1945 Mouton Rothschild. This particular bottle was reconditioned at the Chateau in 1977. There was a lot of instant cooing and purring, and someone quickly hailed it as both ‘the most beautiful woman in the world and a weightlifter on steroids.’ I found aromas of coffee, red spice, tea, mint, red cherry and honey in its complex nose. Its palate was round and tender, yet full-bodied. It continued to put on weight in the glass as it aired. Ed found ‘cola and five spice,’ while Bob noted its ‘Asian spices.’ Cedar came out more and more, and ‘Grandma’s old parlor rug’ came from Ed again, I believe. Peter noted, ‘dry flowers.’ Ed gave it 99 points, but I settled on (97).The wine was spectacular, but I have had other bottles of this wine hit higher notes. Just the facts, ma’am.

Monumental Indeed

Consecutive vintages of Mouton were unfortunately both (DQ)’d, both 1946 and 1947.

The 1948 Mouton Rothschild had that woody and weedy 1948 style, Left Bank that is. ‘Roasted with pure juniper’ came from the crowd along with ‘forest.’ Ice cream flavors went with its cedar box ones, and its elegant style made its earth and green qualities coalesce. ‘Concentrated celery’ and ‘celery root’ were also noted in this good Mouton (91).

The 1949 Mouton Rothcschild was again stunning, matching the bottle I had nearly three months prior. It was quite fresh, full of red fruits. This was a now, not an hour from now wine. It was really elegant, tender and feminine, quite pretty with its red fruits. Delicate and special, the ’49 had a touch of animal in a young herd kind of way (95).

Before There Was Color

I can’t remember the last time I had a Bordeaux, or a wine, from 1951, and the 1951 Mouton Rothschild didn’t give me much reason to investigate the vintage further. It was soft and simple, otherwise known as water city lol. If Jesus turned wine into water, it would probably taste like this (83).

The 1953 Mouton Rothschild had a gorgeous nose with beautiful fruit and nice tea and aromas. It was tender, smooth and satiny, a true mature lover’s wine. Ed found ‘roses’ and Alex ‘iron.’ While it didn’t have the weight of some of the others, it was lovely and oh so beautiful (95).

The next vintage has long been a personal favorite, that being the 1955 Mouton Rothschild. This bottle was a bit mature with a touch of oxidation to its tobacco road nose. It was soft and shut down on the palate with nice carob and caramel flavors, and it should have been better (94A).

The 1959 Mouton Rothschild hit the highest note of the weekend so far, ‘awesome’ as it was put. It had a great nose that was so deep and black with its young fruit. There were so many layers and complexity, garden and coffee being two examples. This was the fullest, biggest and blackest of them all, still delicate but all about the boom. This was the clock striking midnight and Cinderella coming home all in one (98).

The shadow of the ’59 ran deep; otherwise, the 1961 Mouton Rothschild would have stood out even more like the champ that it was. It was also black in its fruit, possessing cedar and cobwebs. It was the best balanced of its flight, full-bodied and beautiful. One had to work at it more, but the ’61 revealed classic cedar, cassis and tobacco in subtle yet extraordinary ways (96).

Birds of a Feather

The 1962 Mouton Rothschild was simple and didn’t belong in this flight, although I swear I had an impressive bottle of this in the past year. Perhaps, that is the company you keep theory (88).

We descended from the peak of that last flight to one of the peaks of the weekend, the 1982 Mouton Rothschild. Tom hailed it as ‘one of my favorite wines ever,’ and I saw the 1959 resurrected here. Balanced aromas of chocolate folded into intense depth in the mouth, with a chocolaty and creamy intensity to match. Its full finish came across youthfully, with lots of length and spice along with a touch of peanut. This was an all-star amongst all the major leaguers (98).

The 1985 Mouton Rothschild had green bean and honeyed fruit but was a bit weedy overall. Tom noted, ‘sweet pea’ and Ed ‘cucumber. It was solid and got better, with its green becoming more than tolerable (93).

The 1986 Mouton Rothschild has long been considered one of the all-time great Moutons, and while I have had a couple that have been worthy of that reputation, the majority show more like the one we had at this lunch. It was shy and tight with black fruit and even tighter leather aromas. Its palate was the same, bordering on square with a mineral highway of a finish. Diamonds galore sparkled, but ‘where is it going to go?’ asked one guest. Bryan found it ‘lacking the succulence of Mouton’ (95+).

Rockin to the 80’s

The 1989 Mouton Rothschild was a bit of a sleeper, showing lots of coffee aromas and flavors before its big finish. Its hard tannins gave a rustic and briary impression (93).

Green has always been the first word to come to mind when it comes to the 1990 Mouton Rothschild, and this was no exception. It wasn’t a bad wine, and it was more balanced than the 1989, as well as fleshier. Bryan found it ‘fresh and succulent but less complex’ than the ’89. Many preferred the open nature of the 1990 (90).

The last flight was more curiosity than kitty, starting with the 1987 Mouton Rothschild. This was a hay is for horses wine, with some weeds. It was a bit funky like a good chicken with flesh and good yeast flavors (89).

The 1988 Mouton Rothschild had nice t ‘n a and felt tight. It was white smoky with a dry, wheaty finish (89).

The last four wines only got a couple of comments out of me each at this point, so I will put them all in this last paragraph. The 1991 Mouton Rothschild was yeasty and unpleasant, a bit tutti frutti at this point (82).The 1992 Mouton Rothschild got no comment (83).The 1993 Mouton Rothschild was solid, a very good wine and clearly a head above the rest of these shoulders (92).Lastly, the 1994 Mouton Rothschild was tannic and dry (90).

Looks are Sometimes Better

It was a spectacular retrospective of one of the great properties in the wine world. Who’s next?

The Happy Recap

In Vino Veritas,
JK

Monumental Mouton Weekend, Part I

March 23, 2014 No Comments

…otherwise knows as ’66 Bottles of Mouton on the Wall.’ 11 Madison and Per Se were the settings, and one of the greatest wines ever to grace man’s lips was the case study, every vintage from 1945-2011 to be precise. I would give more of an introduction, but with 66 notes to summarize, let’s just cut to the chase.

We started with those ‘lesser’ vintages, which can often be the more exciting ones, if you ask me. A great vintage is supposed to be great; it can only live up to expectations or disappoint. An ‘off’ vintage has less expectation coming with it; it can only exceed its pre-conceived status. This first flight was a perfect example, with almost all wines showing well, and two vintages really well.

The View from Above at 11 Madison

The 1977 Mouton Rothschild had a nice nose with pleasant fruit along with some wax, cedar and mineral, someone even said ‘incredible,’ given the context of the vintage, that is. Its palate was smooth, soft and mature, pleasant but light, simple yet elegant. ‘Good nose but dry,’ commented one guest, although there were 3-4 votes for it as wine of the flight. Hamburger noted, ‘cedar, herbal, old school’ (89).

The 1976 Mouton Rothschild had a nutty nose that was much fuller bodied, ‘smells young’ as one put it. Its palate matched its fullness with touches of caramel. It had a creamy palate, with a solid foundation, and an enjoyable, round finish (93).

The 1974 Mouton Rothschild is one of those vintages that would fall under the ‘lowest of expectations’ category. Its nose led us in that direction, showing a funky, ripe and tangy nose that was wild and woolly, with tomato and tobasco aromas. The palate was much better than the nose, but it still had sour cherry flavors and that overmaturity that said, ‘if you only saw me twenty years ago’ (85).

The Unseen Ones

The famed ‘Picasso’ label graces the 1973 Mouton Rothschild. It lived up to the label’s reputation, showing a nice side of vegetal green, dark fruit and ‘eucalyptus.’ There were nice chalk flavors and tender fruit to its long palate. It held and actually gained in the glass (92).

The 1969 Mouton Rothschild was the least of the least, so to speak, the least elegant, the least classic, but with solid richness. It was all about the coffee, completely one dimensional in that regard (83).

The next flight began with the renowned 1968 Mouton Rothschild. Just kidding. Its nose was light with some windex, cardboard, cinnamon and light strawberry. It was clearly weaker but ok. Mr. 47 called it ‘a horrible vintage.’ It wasn’t horrible, despite being light and simpler. Ed found it ‘Burgundian with gorgeous tangerine peel.’ It was a 15 minute wine, for sure, but I enjoyed its citrus and tangerine flavors (86).

The 1972 Mouton Rothschild had a musky, nutty nose that I liked. There was citrus on its palate to go with its tangy flavors and touch of tomato. It was open and ‘horseradishy’ (88).

Miro Miro on the Mouton

Hamburger purred about the ‘mocha and milk chocolate’ in the 1967 Mouton Rothschild. There was big-time cocoa for sure. Its palate was rich, tasty and long with grit, definition and depth. There were flavors of earth, tobacco and powdered sugar along with creamy bakery goodness. Someone noted, ‘hazelnut,’ and Ed found it the best wine of the flight ‘by far’ (93).

The 1965 Mouton Rothschild had sour milk and paint aromas in as good a way as possible, even Mr. 47 said it ‘wasn’t bad.’ It also had that Burgundian edge; it had flesh but was weedy and milky, about as close to the border of not recommended as any wine of the weekend (81).

There was great spice to the 1964 Mouton Rothschild. A stick of cinnamon gum and forest floor added complexity, and its palate reminded me of 1976 with its caramel and chocolate. Ed found it softer than ’67, and he was right (91).

Psychedelic Sixties

The 1963 Mouton Rothschild was quite stewed and forward with some interesting spice and stinky fruit. The palate was quite good, being chocolaty, rich and yeasty with a nice body. This was a pleasant surprise that was tasty (90).

The last wine of the flight was a 1960 Mouton Rothschild. It had a yeasty nose with a light palate yet nice cherry flavors. It had a nice body and nice flavors, pleasant all around. Nice summed up this forgotten vintage (89).

A Lovely Pose and Another Dimension

The most interesting thing about this flight was when someone looked up some ratings for the vintages we just had, and two were in the 50-point range. Yikes. First of all, if it is below 80 points, just call it ‘Not Recommended.’ I mean is there really a difference between 55 and 72 points when it comes to wine? Also, guess which vintages had such a score? The two best. Oy.

We continued on to the rockin’ Fifties, beginning with a 1958 Mouton Rothschild. It was a touch musty with some minerals in its nose, but it was tough to get much out of it aromatically. Its palate was cinnamon and jasmine, almost incense like in character. It was another ‘not bad’ wine, still pretty with some nice tannin expressions. There was a touch of cork to its cinnamon flavors, but it was still pleasant (88).

The 1957 Mouton Rothschild had a beautiful nose full of pretty fruit with lovely red cherry and citrus notes. Its palate combined the red and citrus in elegant fashion. This was just beautiful all around (92).

The Rockin Fifties

The 1956 Mouton Rothschild had ‘sherry/caramel dry fruit,’ but its nose didn’t tell its full story. It was round, tender and fresh, with someone finding it ‘sophisticated.’ It was another pleasant surprise (89).

Another vintage of Mouton I’ll probably never taste again is the 1954 Mouton Rothschild. This also had the coffee thing going on, full of hay and the blacker side of fruits. The palate was a bit mature, possessing Madeira flavors but never losing sight of its coffee (84).

The 1952 Mouton Rothschild was another beautiful nose, more elegant than expected given the tannic nature of 1952. It was bready with red spices, and its palate was round and gorgeous with a thick finish. It was in a great spot, wine of the night so far. It was full, rich and heavy, the first wine that came close to the upper echelon (94).

Cool Labels from not so Cool Vintages

The 1950 Mouton Rothschild was the first, official (DQ) wine of the night, which wasn’t bad given the vintages and the fact that this was wine number 18. And so we ended our vintage portion of the program, or at least the older vintages.

We were back to the future immediately thanks to the 2008 Mouton Rothschild. The young bucks were indubitably here; this was a whole different category. Its nose was rich with butter, toffee and cassis along with garden notes that carried over to the palate. This was a balanced and elegant vintage with some substance and meat underneath. Someone thought it was ‘WOTN’ already, and another found it more ‘Californian.’ Asian spice and bitter black licorice rounded out the ’08 (94).

The 2007 Mouton Rothschild was more floral and purple, quite smooth for a younger vintage. A touch of fresh forest rounded out the nose, and its palate was full of black fruit flavors. It was solid up front, put together well, with the ‘best balance’ per one. Caramel flavors rounded out this enjoyable, early pleasing Mouton (93).

Whippersnappers

The next vintage had unusual aromas of ‘wet rug’ and ‘cheap lavender soap,’ although I thought there some issue with the glass accordingly. It was like chlorine or something of the sorts. The palate was solid, however. It clearly had the best finish of the flight. This was a controversial wine, or a controversial glass, but I saw the potential, and perhaps my score is low for the 2006 Mouton Rothschild (94+).

The 2004 Mouton Rothschild had some tutti frutti in the nose with baked spice, and a gamey and sweet personality. This was not like the last one I remembered having at all. Its palate was wheaty with long, dry earthy flavors and some black fruits (91?).

The last wine of this young flight was a 2002 Mouton Rothschild, which got a few ‘best drinking’s from the crowd, including the Rapmaster. There were some green edges to its nose, ‘more approachable’ with long, fresh, zippy and creamy qualities. Ed noted its ‘crabapple’ (92).

The 2001 Mouton Rothschild was a fresh start to a new flight. It was another young nose, but it had acid and a deep backside with purple, graham cracker, cedar and minerals. The palate was simpler with a dry finish, showing sandy, desert flavors (91).

The 1999 Mouton Rothschild had a big, smoky nose with waterfall and garden aromas. It was smooth, balanced and solid with a nice finish. ‘Cocoa and mocha’ came from the crowd, along with ‘vanilla bean French soup.’ This was almost a flight stealer (94).

Obligatory Food Shot

There was more yeast and bakery in the nose of the 1998 Mouton Rothschild. Cassis and black fruit came across in this elegant Mouton. It was surprisingly lighter and lesser than the 1999 that preceded it (92).

The 1997 Mouton Rothschild was all about the waterfall, smokehouse and cinnamon in the nose. Its palate was soft and easy, green beany in a nice way, light and simple, clinging on to getting into the 90-point club, but probably not for long (90).

The 1996 Mouton Rothschild got lots of ‘best’ for wine of the flight, including me. Aromas of cedar and caramel laid on top of strong acid. Ed interestingly found it ‘more Cheval Blanc than Mouton,’ while Mr. 47 commented that the 1996 had the best of new and old. Its acid continued to flex in strong manners (95).

The 1995 Mouton Rothschild that followed and ended this flight didn’t keep up with the 1996. ‘Plastic pamper’ came from the crowd, along with ‘crushed gavel, saran wrap and milk.’ It had a grainy nose but a soft finish. It was a nice wine, but a letdown after the 1996, which is clearly distancing itself from its oft compared and similarly priced sibling (92).

Flight in Motion

One of the best comments came from Peter, who noted that there was ‘more personality from vintage to vintage.’ Mouton is very diverse in its expressions.

There was one last flight to go, all the big-time young bucks, and what better vintage with which to begin than the 2000 Mouton Rothschild. Its nose was deep and meaty with nice cabinet spice and pepper, paprika and more herbs. There was cassis, nut and black forest in its majestic nose. The palate was a bit square, but its finish was long and sensual. This Korean BBQ edge let a little bit of excitement into the glass (95+).

The 2003 Mouton Rothschild had a sweet, ripe style typical of the vintage and was almost psychedelic. Its palate was round with flavors of coffee grinds, pleasant and easy, not as rock n’ roll as I have come to expect from this overheated vintage (93).

Last but not least

2005 was a watershed of a vintage, but I’ll stay off the record why. The 1995 Mouton Rothschild had a deeper and thicker nose with great raw materials and coffee aromas. While its nose was rich and deep, its palate was more shut down. Its nose was intoxicating, much better with its thick, full-bodied, big boy impression. Ed noted, ‘fresh herbs, tarragon and resin’ (95+).

I didn’t have much left in the tank, but enough to tell you that the 2009 Mouton Rothschild was much more forward in the nose but even more shut down than the 2005 (94).

The 2010 Mouton Rothschild was the real deal, so long and so deep. It was the wine of the night for sure, and a vintage that will outdo every other since 1982 (97+).

The Happy Recap

It was an epic first night, but it would only get better the following day.

In Vino Veritas,
JK

Super Bowl Friday

February 16, 2014 No Comments

The Super Bowl came to New York City, and the wives went out of town. Friday night saw five married men and one bachelor gather at Craft for an evening of good wines and good times. We like to keep our celebrations at the dinner table, and since it was Friday, we were still able to celebrate the soon-to-be buckling Broncos. It’s hard to believe it was only two weeks ago; it feels like months already!

Bad Boy led things off with an original bottle of 1976 Krug. It was wheaty with white fruits, along with honey and caramel. Its palate was solid, lean and elegant with nice orange zip and a smooth, soft finish (94).

Big Boy’s 1985 Krug Clos du Mesnil took it up a notch. There were more vanilla flavors and richness, ‘like a laser.’ This had much more body, Jessica Rabbit style, and its acid was super and duper, both related to long. Rich, heavy cream flavors complemented this big, blonde and ‘big-tittied’ baby. Who dat (97)?

Kruggerands

Twin Coches loomed like towers, and a great 1999 Coche-Dury Meursault Perrieres took no prisoners. Its nose was full of toast and kernel, ‘Coche city,’ according to one, and ‘sick’ per another. There were lots of oohs and aahs for this big, masculine and buttery wine. This was a sunny yellow in the nose, and a creamy rich honey in the mouth. It played perfectly into the strength of the vintage. ‘Compact and intense’ summed it up (97).

The 1996 Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne that followed didn’t quite live up to its reputation, although The Inspector confirmed that this wine was starting to mature quicker than most people realized. Its nose was more elegant and cleaner with a gorgeous, yellow core. There were waterfall flavors to its ‘fat’ palate. This was a pretty wine, sneakily long with lingering acid and ‘apricoty’ goodness. The Perrieres was mintier over time, and better (95).

Cochy Cochy Koo

The first red was a 2002 Fourrier Griottes Chambertin, which had great, fresh red fruit up front. Milky and strawberry aromas saw cedar and wood join the party along with menthol. It was a bit all over the place. The palate was a touch medicinal, not in a bad way, but its sweet fruit flavors were flirting a lot with cherry cough syrup. Smooth and silky, a few comments included, ‘1er Cru weight’ and ‘before he hit his stride.’ It was smooth and silky, yet ‘before he hit his stride,’ one noted. I should add that there is no question from about 2005 on, Fourrier has been as good as it gets (93).

It was my second bottle of 1990 Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes this month, and the first one was corked. The second one was weird. Cat box was the first thing that came to mind, followed by milky, minty and black fruit. The palate was rich, heavy, big and broad, impressively so, but there was this ‘farm/barnyard’ quality (94?).

The Inspector pulled out a 1966 Clair-Dau Chambertin Clos de Beze, which was slightly musty at first but opened up nicely. It stayed on the earthy and dirty side of things, but red cherry and citrus fruit slowly took equal footing. It was big, earthy and round with nice spice, brothy and staying dirty (93).

A surprisingly fabulous 1972 Rousseau Chambertin stole the show from the other reds. Its nose was open and soupy, with that ’72 alley cat action. Rich tomatoes prevailed in the nose, and its saucy palate had me commenting that this was the best 1972 that I have ever had. I drank it like catnip, finishing it first (95).

Chambertins Activate!

1990 DRC La Tache. It was all there, but it was a little shy. It was a supermodel for sure, with great mint and a whiff of cedar. Its palate was mouth-coating and delicious. It still possessed elegance to its length and thickness. Red fruit and cedar were its reticent and brooding flavors. We could thank The Duke for this beauty, and he also noted its mouth-coating qualities (97).

Bad Boy brought a perfect bottle of 1959 Lafite Rothschild. Everywhere I go, this wine seems to follow me, as it should as it is about as pleasurable a Bordeaux to drink in the world right now. What a wine, especially when Bad Boy was its third owner, knowing the entire history of the wine. There was so much fruit here, like grape meeting sexy back. Cedar and carob complemented its fruit perfectly, along with vitamins and cereal. This was so fresh, and I was stunned to learn this was decanted 2 _ hours ago. Wow. It was so young and so delicious, it got the highest rating from one of our distinguished six guests, ‘PP.’ I asked, ‘PP? What’s that?’ I should have known better. ‘Pure P****,’ I was told. I’ll let you channel your own inner Match Game and figure out the ‘Blank’ (98).

Although it wasn’t universally accepted as such, the 1989 Petrus was my wine of the night. Look, I get the Lafite being the best wine at that time on that night, but that doesn’t necessarily make it the best wine. The 1989 Petrus will go down as one of the Big John Studd wines of all-time. We’re talking Secretariat on his farm, wearing his wreaths the year after he won the Triple Crown, collecting checks for filling the fillies. Yeah, that kind of good. Its nose was Deep Purple, as in the fruit and the rock stars. Big, rich and creamy, this wasn’t rich, this was wealthy. Its acidity could not be denied as the longest and strongest, and anise added just the right amount of kink. Of course, The Inspector was the one who couldn’t deal with this young behemoth, even though I know he is a secret Bordeaux lover lol (99).

Stealing the Show

We were nearing the end, mercifully, so we changed it up to Rhone with a 1966 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle. This was a great Rhone in a perfect spot, long and full of coffee and menthol flavors. It felt like it had a tattoo which read ‘animal’ (95).

I should add that we had two completely DQ‘d wines, a 1953 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle and a 1985 Meo-Camuzet Richebourg. Ouch.

Lastly, we curled up with a 1949 Henri Gouroux Clos Vougeot. There weren’t much notes left in me, other than tasty, classic, earth and early birdie (93).

Thanks to Tom Terrific for gathering us all together, but more thanks go to the ladies that love to leave us alone for a weekend, so we can eat, drink, be merry and be good .

In Vino Veritas,
JK

The Emperor Still Rises

February 9, 2014 No Comments

2014 has been a happy new year, full of great wines. I’ve been tasting a lot, and Hong Kong started the year off on the right foot, not a lucky Rabbit foot, but a strong Horseshoe. It was only fitting that the first truly great tasting of 2014 would be with the Emperor.

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. Gil 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).

Let’s Get This Party Started

A 1982 Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet was gorgeous, with ‘cheerio and wheat thin’ aromas. It was sweet and buttery with a honeyed nose, along with some creamed corn. The palate was round, soft and tasty, its sun just starting to set. It was smooth and flavorful, but it had just turned the corner (94).

A 2002 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet was slightly corked, unfortunately, but once past the nose, the palate still sang. This was a rich, long and sexy wine, perfect at age 12, with lush fruit and supporting corn and butter flavors. This could be an all-time classic Leflaive (95+A).

White White Baby

The 1998 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues Batard Montrachet was sweet and a bit simple by comparison to the two vintages prior. It was a touch overly sweet, and after 82 and 02, this was (89), although it might have snuck up a point if served first.

Another affected bottle was next, this time it was a gorgeous bottle of 1947 Petrus. Tant pis! Again, the nose was completely DQ’d, oxidized not corked, but the palate impressed despite the flavor handicap. The texture was so rich and unctuous, so ’47, it had amazing concentration. The plum and chocolate just wanted to bust out, but it was definitely affected. The texture and indicators all told me this would be in 98+ territory were it a good bottle (DQ).

Legends of the Fall

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).

Appropriate Backup

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 Full Monty

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 97-point goodness came to a screeching halt with exhibit B, the 1989 Le Pin, which was flat out smoked by the 1982. The ’89 was soft and tender, easy with some classic components but very simple in the mouth. There was a touch of slate to its one-dimensional plum flavors, and I just didn’t feel this vintage at all, and this wasn’t the first time, either (91).

Dirtier Can Be Better

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+).

I Owe You One

The bottle of Vega came crashing to the floor a few minutes thereafter, as our invigorated crew began to shake their tail feathers away from the table. The bottles may fall, the bottles may break, but the Emperor still rises.

Crime Scene

In Vino Veritas,
JK

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