With the holiday season upon us, our evenings have not been as busy as we had anticipated; yet the wines that have been opened have been simply spectacular. Some of my most memorable wines in the past couple of weeks have been both old Burgundy and a horizontal of Francois Lamarche, another smoking 2012 Napa Cabernet and a magnum of aged Champagne!
I have to start with the 1961 Nicolas Charenton Vosne Romanee- it was such a nice surprise to experience a village wine with significant age, yet it offered beautifully and perfectly preserved red fruit, an expansive palate of soft compost, dried spice, red tea and rose with a touch of old leather all in a cashmere like texture.
We sampled a horizontal of Francois Lamarche from the shadow vintage of 2006. It was really cool to taste the two Premier Crus: Les Malconsorts and Les Suchots side by side. We also tasted the famous monopole (singularly estate owned vineyard) Grand Cru La Grande Rue. The two Premier Crus had personalities that were worlds apart! The Les Malconsorts was more precise and focused. A more serious wine with righteous power, depth, and firm structure. The Les Suchots was the wild child- untamed juicy fruit in almost every berry species you can find, dark spice, nearly brooding, hedonistic richness, reflecting a Pinot Noir more from the New World than of Burgundy. Both phenomenal bottles that would benefit from a lot more with time in the cellar.
The 2006 Grand Cru La Grande Rue was a beast. Definitely needs more time to sleep. The flavors seemed a little edgy with tight and tart red and black cherry, fresh baking spice, wild rose and a slight touch of bitter minerals towards the finish. The structure seemed a little disjointed as there was weight, but not filled from its flavors as all of its elements have not settled this wine in yet. Should be compelling in the future and I anticipate to give this another go with at least another 5 years of sleep.
2012 Kata Beckstoffer Bourn Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon- Sexy! Sexy! It was pretty open and giving straight from the bottle for its youth. Ripe and juicy black and blue fruit, bright cinnamon, clove, smooth vanilla, silky chocolate with hints of coconut oil and eucalyptus. The tannins were round and sweet with a velvety texture that lead into a lengthy finish that was as fruit forward as the mid-palate itself.
One of the most memorable wines I have had at Graileys yet was opened last week. It was the 1989 Krug Collection from magnum. Woah…. Now this is a serious glass of wine. Soft and creamy yet holding unbelievable power, precision and depth; the bubbles were miniscule while the flavors were some of the most complex I have had from a bottle of Champagne. Soft milk bread, toasted almonds and hazelnuts, caramelized brown pear and baked apples with savory layers that made the wine even more compelling. Dried spice, deep minerals and ever so subtle layers of organic earth were all seamless and quite perfect with a light lift in the finish that made the wine just as breathtaking in the finish as it was in the beginning and the mid.