Grand Crew in Bellingham does a half-century celebration

Several milestones for me, including the Birthday:
Best Champagne I can remember, best Northern Rhone (maybe the best Rhone period), oldest wines I've had. Thanks to all for their company and generosity.

* 1959 Contant & Co. Champagne - France, Epernay, Champagne
Bought this on auction for a song, but can't find any info on it. The fill was good, the foil corroded.
The cork quickly broke in two, and the Ah-So chased the distal end into the bottle.
Cloudy, looked like an amber ale.
Oxidized, with sherry and walnuts on the nose. I know what you're thinking, but we all enjoyed it! It was like a light, elegant Fino. Still alive and beautiful in it's own way.

* 1990 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne
Nice follow-up to the oxidized '59 (former) sparkler. Generously brought by Jenise.
Straw colored, with wonderful fine mousse. It's hard to believe this is almost 20 y.o., as it's youthful as can be. The strength of this wine is the perfect balance of gorgeous aromas and flavors, fine mouthfeel, and gentle but lengthy finish. Lemon curd, green apple, a little toast. Persistent. My COTY.

* 1985 Daniel Jarry Vouvray Sec - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Thanks to Serge for bringing this. Like other Vouvrays, seemed more demi-sec than sec. Lively, elegant style, slightly nutty, limestone. This would be a nice aperitif with light cheeses, or with a mild fish. It was lost in the heavy flavors of our Sable Fish in a Spot Prawn reduction sauce.

* 1959 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
My birth year. The wine suffered a little from the agitation during the bumpy drive to our tasting. The cork came out easily with an Ah-So. Despite the stirred up sediment, this wine was wonderful. Huge smokey cedar nose, tar, soy sauce, and still some blackberries. Tannins were gone, acidity still gripping. A living wine and a huge thrill to enjoy.

* 2001 Thierry Allemand Cornas Sans Soufre - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Thanks to Marc for this thrilling wine. I would never have thought a Cornas could be a contender for WOTN in the midst of other legends. It was a wild ride! Intense tropical floral and mineral nose. Gardenias, violets, and the biggest baddest black fruit palate of the night. Later, intense black pepper and subtle olive notes arose. Stunning.

* 2000 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Thanks to Chaz. A little bit of mineral on the nose, candied fruit on the palate, this is shut down tight and never opened.

* 1989 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Thanks to our hosts Mike and Becky at DuJour Bistro in Bellingham who supplied this wine in addition to preparing our awesome five-course dinner. Dark red with amber rim. Great complexity, amazing palate. Cedar, cassis, cherry, some salty minerality, iron. Long finish. Very elegant.

* 1988 Château Climens - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
Eric's treat. Diesel and honey nose, velvet palate. With the Carles Roquefort, a wine pairing made in heaven.

I would never have thought a Cornas could be a contender for WOTN in the midst of other legends..

But Allemand sans soufre is a legend!

Sounds like a great night and interesting descriptor of tropical smells on the Allemand.

[Jenise]

I must post my notes!

But Allemand sans soufre is a legend!

Sounds like a great night and interesting descriptor of tropical smells on the Allemand.

Legendary status well deserved!

Regarding the Allemand, that was the most flowers I've smelled in a syrah that wasn't blended with Viognier.
Cornas is straight syrah, so that can't be the explanation.

Other then the tropical flowers, the wine was a great example of Cornas. Black fruit, slightly oily texture, some olive and white pepper.
But those flowers were amazing while they lasted.

[Jenise]

Can't find my notebook--must have left it in the car. So I'll wing it:

1959 Contant & Co. Champagne - France, Epernay, Champagne
In general not a fan of oxidized whites, but I did like this wine. Golden-gray in color, sherry smells with walnut and bergamot. Tea with lemon slice on the palate. It really was enjoyable. Oldest champagne I've ever had by two decades.

1990 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne
Glad I brought it, even if you're not a rapper. I've had the '90 three times before (from different sources than this one), but the best of those was well under the threshold set by this bottle. So where I expected perhaps one of those emporer-has-no-clothes experiences in which you would merely thank me for the gesture, what we got instead was undeniable proof that Cristal deserves its reputation. One of the best bubblies I've ever had. Powerful, but so well balanced that all the parts came together to create one symphonic, full-bodied hum. Thrilling.

1985 Daniel Jarry Vouvray Sec - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
What? You do not mention the scent of lobster shells? Pale, amazingly youthful clear color. A lovely wine that actually needed a lot more time to open than it was given--two hours later, it had improved dramatically. It was still the wrong wine for the dish, but she wasn't as plain and demure as she first appeared to be.

1959 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Definitely still a living wine. Musty cedar nose, herbs and soy sauce on blackberry fruit. Still noticably Bordeaux and a pleasure to drink, but past prime and the essential Palmer-ness is gone.

2001 Thierry Allemand Cornas Sans Soufre - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Big black and red fruit with a massive nose of violets, gardenias, ginger and more spice than I've ever experienced on a Northern Rhone before, like by about 200%. It was mind-blowingly good, and the wine I woke up tasting the next morning. I MUST OWN THIS WINE.

2000 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Very cool that Chaz walked in late with this as Erik and I were discussing Clos des Papes in general, and my inability to locate any of the 2007 to buy specifically. I've never tasted a Clos des Papes before so had been looking to provide myself with this essential Rhone experience. Very closed, but oddly even more closed on the nose than on the palate which showed a bit of fruit jamminess. Glimmers of a great future ahead were quite apparent though.

1989 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
It blows me away that Mike, who dislikes Bordeaux, produced a wine like this. A great bottle in perfect condition--you described it well.

1988 Château Climens - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
Everything that makes Climens my favorite Sauternes was evident in this bottle. I'll bring a 95 tonight!

I found this...>

http://livewineblog.com/2008/03/14/daniel-jarry/

I found this...>

http://livewineblog.com/2008/03/14/daniel-jarry/

Bob,
Thanks for the link.
Track down information on Contant & Co, in Eperany, and I'll really be impressed!

1985 Daniel Jarry Vouvray Sec - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

What? You do not mention the scent of lobster shells? !

I forgot to mention the distinct Roquefort aromas in the Climens

Mas Notas
A 50th party
My friend and drinking buddy invited me to help him celebrate his 50th, with a couple of birth year wines.
Luckily he has held up considerably better than the wines have.

A fifty year old bottle of champagne was alas, OTH. 1959 Contant and Co Brut, Epernay was a light amber color, oxidized and without bubbles. Quite dead, but not mute. Some interesting flavors of walnut, caramel, oolong tea, dates, and mushrooms made this actually not too bad with a bowel of steamed clams and garlic. It paired more like a glass of good sherry than champagne.

Jenise brought a bottle of 1990 Roederer Cristal Brut that was wonderful.
Full bodied, honey and vanillin nose, with balanced flavors of citrus, green apple and biscuit. What made it interesting for me was a fennel pollen flavor towards the finish. Big enough flavor and acidity to stand up to a sablefish and spot prawn dish. I've heard this criticized for being a tad too sweet, but this wasn't for me. The rapper are drinking this too young.

The 1985 Daniel Jarry Vouvray sec was overwhelmed by the sablefish dish.
It was a nice subtle wine that had a little lanolin and musty Chenin funk, with a whisper of honeycomb. It started with a big lemon rind burst of acid, but finished soft and full. Contemplative wine, and enjoyable.

There was an asparagus and chanterelle risotto dish that had a little truffle oil in it. I'm not a great fan of truffle oil, but it matched well with the mature Bordeaux flavors of a 1959 Chateau Palmer. Lots of cedar closet and spicy soy sauce. There was a little blackish fruit left and a skeleton of acidity. The tannins are gone and the wine faded in the glass. Drink up.

2001 Allemand Cornas sans soufre was opened to go with a lamb loin chop. The dish was a little challenging as the lamb was topped with chopped olives and white anchovies. The strong flavors of lamb and anchovy were just too much together.

OK, the Allemand was incredible. Initially it had lots of tropical floral smells. Someone mentioned gardenias, another person said jasmine. There is no Viognier allowed in Cornas, right? This changed into something more Cornas like with air, typical black olive and pepper with time in the glass. In the mouth the wine had a depth of black fruit and a little oily feel. While the nose seemed complex and evolved, the mouth was very young. Everything seems in place to age nicely, though. Fabulous, maybe the best young Cornas wine I've tried so far (not a lot).

I had read that Allemand had used a little higher proportions of new barrels in 2001 when he was replacing some older barrels, but I didn't notice any oak in this bottle.

There was also a 2000 Clos des Papes with the lamb chop. It was much tighter than the Cornas. A little iron minerals and dried fruit nose. Very elegant tannins, but it was hard to get much out of this bottle. With time there was some candied cherry fruit. I think its just closed.

A 1989 Ducru Beaucaillou is in a great drinking place. A little cedar and forest floor mixed with savory dried red fruit and pencil led. It started gently and then the flavors expanded in the mouth. Some drying tannins, but pretty fine overall. At 12.5% alcohol, a Platonic Bordeaux for me. Terrific with a braised bison and mushroom dish. Thank you Mike and Becky.

Some blue cheeses and apple slices were served with a 1988 Climens which was very good, maybe just a notch below exceptional. Honeyed apricot botrytis flavors and a little diesel, not too sweet, but a little soft in the mouth. The wine persists forever in the mouth. Very nice with the cheese platter.

Cheers,
Marc

[Jenise]

Marc, glad you said that about the lamb dish. I really disliked that combination. Where the lamb would have been, I think, just pleasantly gamey on its own, the anchovies made it nasty-gamey. Children, don't try this at home!

Marc, glad you said that about the lamb dish. I really disliked that combination. Where the lamb would have been, I think, just pleasantly gamey on its own, the anchovies made it nasty-gamey. Children, don't try this at home!

Other than that, the food was great.
I think Warren talked him into using the anchovies.

Actually I think I've had anchovies ground with olives, garlic, and olive oil that makes a great tapenade.
I could see using it to flavor a leg of lamb. This had just too much anchovy flavor to work.

[Jenise]

Actually I think I've had anchovies ground with olives, garlic, and olive oil that makes a great tapenade.
I could see using it to flavor a leg of lamb. This had just too much anchovy flavor to work.

And after all that, Warren didn't even smell the anchovies in the Allemand.