AJ McClellan
Saturday is a funny day; when you think it is going to be busy no one comes in. When you think it is going to be slow something always happens. This Saturday felt like a slow day to me.
2006 Champy Signature Bourgogne Blanc – We started with a nice light Burgundy to get things going. Champy is always a great wine to relax and enjoy and, with light yellow pear, lemon zest, and limestone minerality, the wine is a fantastic easy drinking Chardonnay.
1961 Chateau Chasse Spleen – When a member comes in with a 1961 Bordeaux you know things are going to go sideways quickly. The Chasse Spleen was an excellent specimen of old Bordeaux with faded fruit of soggy cherries and red raspberries. The main draw of the wine was the soft forest floor and secondary characteristics that had evolved over the wine’s 50 year life span. Big wood spice with lots of cinnamon and white pepper on the nose, the palate had a soft texture and showed an elegant spearmint and evergreen flavor with a back of cooked cloves, pine needles, and chocolate covered raisins.
2001 Bouchard Montrachet – After the legendary vintage of 1961 our member decided to try a legendary vineyard, that of Montrachet. The 2001 Bouchard was magnificent with buttered popcorn, caramel, and toast spilling out of the bottle. The palate had hundreds of subtle nuances to show off including thick crystallized honey comb, molasses, quince, apricot, honeysuckle, white summer flowers, and a brilliant limestone minerality.
2005 Pavie 375 ml – If I were to give you a hundred guesses as to what would of come next I bet you would not have guessed 05 Pavie, and in half bottle no less. Here it was before us, an inky, deep purple, extremely young, 100 point Parker wine. Simon declared that it reminded him of a young Harlan and I must say that I could not disagree. Big ultra ripe plum and blueberry on the nose with a ton of vanilla and crushed rock on the back. The palate had a distinctive unripe green stem quality that I attributed to the youth of the wine, along with massive tannins and a big black berry jam finish. Through all this I felt that the wine retained a great balance and was well deserving of its perfect Parker score. In another 20 or 30 years this wine will be a contender!
1987 Beringer Private Reserve – After our Old World extravaganza our members challenged Simon to find a New World wine that could stand up to the quality of the wines we had been drinking. The 87 Beringer was very impressive and showed what a well-constructed California wine could do with a little bit of bottle age. Ripe black currant and burnt grass on the nose with a slight funkiness on the palate paired with bark stew and cherry cobbler. The Beringer had plenty of fruit left but it was not overbearing and the wine had superb balance. The finish was one of wood spice and cigar box.