WineLovers Discussion Group

A marvelous dinner with good friends and good wine, leading to the piece de resistance: a '66 Dow vintage port.

• 2003 Bott-Geyl Gentil - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
  Bright, fruity nose, even a bit spritzy. Rich in the mouth with a dry, biting finish. A definite mineral element which plays off the fruit nicely. Very, very good.
  
  This was well paired with a torchon of foie gras, rhubarb chutney, with a rose water pinot gris jus.
  
• 2004 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Blanc - USA, California, Santa Cruz
  Nose not revealing much, perhaps a bit too cold. In the mouth you are hit immediately with smoke and tobacco. Good minerality. Expands to fill the mouth. A lingering, fruity finish. Good.
  
  Paired with smoked duck breast, citrus salad, and aspic of duck consomme. The smoky elements of the wine played wonderfully with this course, and the aspic and wine was a astoundingly delightful match.
  
• 1998 Château de Meursault Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Peuillets 1er Cru - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune
  A rich and intriguing nose, but in the mouth rather austere, begrudgingly giving up a wee bit of fruit. Short, drying finish.
  
  A course of halibut with artichoke hearts, asparagus, ramps, and morrels, with a red and yellow beet vinaigrette improved the wine slightly, though I was still disappointed. So, I opened the following, and was delighted...
  
• 1998 Château de Meursault Aloxe-Corton - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Aloxe-Corton
  Rich nose, mouth filling. Spicy with a lingering finish. Quite good.
  
  After an intermezzo of lemon sorbet, candied lavender, and limoncello, we brought out the big guns.
  
• 1999 Elan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Atlas Peak
  Thick, funky nose. Complex: smoky chocolate, tobacco, dirt. Long finish. Quite good.
  
  Paired very well with rack of elk, sultana-fennel relish, and cabernet sauce.
  
• 1966 Dow Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
  @ Decanting -- The cork came out with a satisfying pop and a waff of spirits into the room. Once in the decanter, wow. Much darker than I imagined, with a little bit of caramel around the edges. Deep fruit on the nose. In the mouth, just a wow. The fruit is so forward, with a candied element. No hint of alcohol at all. Even right after decanting, this is a beautiful bottle.
  @ 3 hours -- The fruit merges into the background a little. Drinks a bit less like a fruit bomb. A swirl of complexity: deep cherry fruits, nuts, caramel, vanilla. My, oh my, this is good.
  
  A seriously good port. And a seriously good cheese: Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen Bleu. Served with an amarone mostarda. I could have lingered on this course for ever.
  
• 2000 Weinlaubenhof Alois Kracher Cuvée Beerenauslese - Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee
  Not cloying sweet, but rich. Nice and dry in the mouth, with a lingering finish. A slight bit of a pepper balances the fruit. Very good.
  
  A very good wine to finish with. And the dry spice of the wine paired well with an herbed pot de creme, honey sabayon, and pine nut biscotti.

Posted from CellarTracker

Hi Michael, good notes on some serious wines. Welcome to the forum.

Thanks for the notes and happy Bday! It's funny, I've never heard anyone say anything good about Ch de Meursault - it seems they are eternal underachievers. I did taste two wines at a fair here which showed some improvements over the previous vintages, but still they seemed a bit lacklustre.

The Aloxe-Corton was much better than the 1er Peuillets. I just need to chalk it up to being a neophyte Burgundy buyer. One can learn more from one's mistakes, after all.

Unfortunately, 2 bottles of the Peuillets remain in the cellar. There's always boeuf bourguignon.