With Easter weekend, Friday was pretty slow and I thought I would not have much to write about for today’s blog. Boy was I wrong! Nothing stops us at Graileys from opening up something fantastic and even though it was quiet, it was nice to spend it with close friends over great bottles of wine. We first started out with stunning reds from Burgundy, Bordeaux, and California; but with spring season upon us, we finished the evening with a Chardonnay focus and opened stellar examples from their respectful regions.
We started with a comparison of two amazing Grand Cru white Burgundies: 2004 Vincent Girardin Corton Charlemagne and 2001 Bouchard Pere & Fils Montrachet. The Corton Charlemagne was elegant with evenly layered spices: candied ginger, soft vanilla and nutmeg with hints of wet stone minerality- an absolutely wonderful bottle of GC white Burg. However, to be honest, the 2004 Girardin Corton Charlemagne seemed like a middle child when we tasted it next to the 2001 Montrachet by Bouchard and the 2011 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay- a little overlooked and underappreciated.
The 2001 Bouchard Montrachet was the stunner and completely dynamic! From the start it was loaded with wet rock and lean citrus zest. With time and more air it melded into weightier orchard fruits of candied pears and preserved lychee in the mid-palate with layers of wild yellow flowers. The complex spice and flinty notes were persistent from the beginning to the very awesome end.
We also opened two Chardonnays from the New World that made quite an impression. The 2011 Leeuwin Estates Art Series Chardonnay from Margaret River almost stole Montrachet’s limelight. Deeper in honeyed stone-fruits, orange zest and fresh orange blossoms, the acidity was on point, cutting through the rounder exotic fruits and the fatty, toasty nut. This was the glass we all kept going back to throughout the night, after we finished the Montrachet that is.
Going full throttle, the 2007 Mayacamas Vineyards Napa Valley Chardonnay offered concentrated white pineapple, notes of candied banana, juicy ripe melon and sweet fresh herbs. Rich in texture as it was in flavors; this is not a Chardonnay for the light-hearted- full bodied and mouth-coating with unyielding flavors.
Other Killer Bottles of the Night
NV Godme Pere et Fils Champagne
2012 Georges Noellat Vosne Romanee
2005 Rapet Pere et Fils Corton Grand Cru
2011 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
2010 Macan Rioja (Collaboration of Benjamin de Rothschild and Vega Sicilia)
2010 Jack Quinn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
1995 Marchesi di Gresy Martinenga Camp Gros Barbaresco
1990 Chatea La Louviere Pessac Leognan
1997 Dalla Valle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley