Truly a spectacular night, we hosted an unforgettable Graileys dinner with a close group of cherished members and an evening of Burgundy’s elite. This Grand Cru Burgundy dinner goes down on the books as one of the most memorable dinners we have hosted yet! Each bottle tells its own terroir, own story and must be recognized.
Burgundy’s Elite
2010 Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Les Folatieres (out of Magnum)- Great energy to start the night! The 2010 Leflaive Les Folatieres holds great weight, power and depth while expressing a great breath of spiced lemon zest, green and golden apples, ripe pears. Deep spice tones, almond skin, wild yellow flowers and slight cream counterplays beautifully with focused chalk, limestone minerality and citrus.
2006 Camille Giroud Chambertin- What a stunner! Burgundy’s signature red fruit was the highest toned of the lineup with just ripe red cherry and ripe cranberries; red tea, iron, raw herbs, gorgeous floral notes and concentrated note of cinnamon intermingled beautifully with the weightier flavors of fresh farmyard and deep minerals. Deep round body and silky in texture, an impressive start. This was showing at a beautiful spot that will continue to shine for many years to come.
2011 Leroy Chambolle Musigny- Oh man… Leroy… There is something about Leroy that is always gorgeous, always mysterious, always distinguished in sight, aromatics and in the palate. You haven’t had Burgundy until you have experienced a Burgundy by Leroy and it really says something when Leroy’s village rouge is on par with nearly any famed Burgundian’s top Premier Cru or Grand Cru wine. Everything in this bottle was loud and generous. Bright red cherry and wild raspberries so juicy it neared tones of raspberry liqueur, ripe sexy red fruit lead the way followed by multidimensional flavors of fresh sweet herbs and a subtle hint of mint, a breastfed baby’s natural souvenir and dense spice with deep minerality that just blew me away. Chunks of limestone and chalk were beautifully balanced by each element’s powerful and concentrated nature. Leroy is raw, powerful, seductive and complex and this Chambolle label expresses nothing short of Grand Cru like pedigree in the glass.
2012 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Chambolle Musigny Les Amoureuses- This top Premier Cru expressed the most spice from the lineup with striking red tea, cinnamon, cardamom and fresh nutmeg. The red fruit was also high toned with super floral aromatics and transparent terroir: powerful notes of chalk and limestone, fresh leather, leaves, forest floor and iron. Powerful weight yet very graceful in texture that lead to a lengthy finish of fresh turned soil, red fruit and spice.
1996 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue Musigny Cuvee Vieilles Vignes- Wow, what a beauty! Dense, deep and dark were my tasting notes for everything in this wine! Dark red and black cherries, juicy raspberries and cassis all densely coats the complex and seamless flavors of leather, roasted herbs, savory brown mushrooms, riper herbs, compost, leather, dark clay and iron. The finish is incredibly lengthy. Fantastic showing of Comte Georges de Vogue Musigny VV- it was awake and alive!
2011 Domaine de Montille Vosne Romanee Aux Malconsorts Cuvee Christiane- From the few rows of vines that divides La Tache from the rest of Aux Malconsorts, this superb bottle stood out for its power; an impenetrable wine that will show its beauty until the end of time. Masculine weight and body with a gorgeous cashmere texture that held its energetic flavors tightly together. Wild red and purple petals jumped out from the glass first followed by green herbs and green stems with brighter notes of spice, white mushroom, mint, red tobacco, forest floor, leather and powdered chalk. This is stunning indeed, but I anticipate experiencing this bottle once more in 10 years time.
2011 Emmanuel Rouget Echezeaux- Everything was intense in this one, much like the de Montille’s Aux Malconsorts, the power exceeds its expectations. Candied red cherry, ripe herbs, dense chalk, purple flowers, wild rose, truffles, forest floor and chalk. As mouthcoating as red Burgundy gets with compacted and intense flavors and a long, savory finish.
2012 A.F. Gros Richebourg- The crowd’s winning bottle. The AF Gros Richbourg was a stunner! In one of our member’s memorable words, “The Richebourg is sick!!” Very ripe red and blue fruit, crème de cassis, sweet sage, plump herbs, blue flowers, cola and red licorice all jumps out of the glass. Powerful yet more expressive with amazing elegance. Words cannot do the experience of this bottle of wine any justice.
1993 Domaine Romanee Conti Romanee St. Vivant- BOOM!! Amazing, even for a not so revered vintage, the pedigree delivers the finest. Beautiful fruit, concentrated flavors, compelling minerals, everlasting finish.
2004 Domaine Romanee Conti Richebourg- DOUBLE BOOM!!! Our most gracious host closed the table with this bottle of pure OMG from the Burgundy gods above. From “Holy F” to “Unicorn tears”, this was the shocking bottle of the night. There were other creative, straight out naughty descriptions flashing about at the table that one can imagine how a bottle of DRC Richebourg would taste like.
1990 Krug- Really, this night just keeps getting better and better. One simply cannot Burg without a bottle or two of Champagne in between and a Grand Cru night such as this calls for nothing short than a bottle of 1990 Krug.
1987 Joseph Drouhin Musigny- generously opened by our beloved MF, this bottle is aged Burgundy at its finest! Dried clay and iron lead the way with layers of preserved orange zest, blood and dried rose with subtle hints of red cherries, strawberry field and spice. The finish is extraordinarily long and beautiful. Everything about this bottle was perfect.
1985 P. Misserey Volnay- opened by ‘The most interesting man in the world’, this ’85 Volnay showed brighter, luscious fruit and of more youth than the ’87 Musigny. Red raspberries, black cherry, red plums with fleshier rose and spice. Silky in texture and a haunting finish.
1998 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris SGN- Christmas fruit cake, spice box, bees wax, dried figs and cherry jam galore!
With an extraordinary lineup that was hand selected by Simon, a menu prepared by Chef Sharon Hage and all of the other outstanding bottles that were most generously shared around the table, this was a Grand Cru Night indeed.