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Tuesday, July 26, 2016

LeDomduVin: Laurent-Perrier Bouzy Rouge Cuvée Cent Cinquantenaire 1812-1962


Laurent-Perrier Bouzy Rouge Cuvée Cent Cinquantenaire 1812-1962 | LeDomduVin ©



Laurent-Perrier Bouzy Rouge 
Cuvée Cent Cinquantenaire 1812-1962



Sometimes life brings you surprises, and I came to stumble on the story of this bottle by coincidence. 

One of my colleagues sent me the picture above (taken by and courtesy of a friend of his who owns the bottle) asking me if I knew anything about the wine and what its approximate value on the current market could be. 

I told him I had no clue, but the label's old look and the bottle's state triggered my interest, and I decided to investigate for him.  

Of course, as a seasoned Sommelier, saying that I had no clue what a "Bouzy Rouge" is would be lying. As for its value, Bouzy Rouge wines are usually rather inexpensive despite their rarity. However, this particular bottle may have a symbolic value, if not a historical one. 

Bouzy Rouge wines are strictly produced from Pinot Noir grapes and are only in high-quality vintages. Only very few producers still craft this delightful and cool climate-refreshing red wine.

Located in the heart of the Champagne region in northeastern France, Bouzy is a little commune of about 1,000 inhabitants in the Marne department, resting southeast of Montagne de Reims (roughly between Reims and Epernay) 


Bouzy | Google maps 


Bouzy's vineyards are situated on hill slopes called "Cotes des Noirs" (meaning slopes of the black grapes) and are classified 100% Grand Cru in the Champagne vineyards classification. 


Village of Bouzy | courtesy of www.champagne-pierre-paillard.com


Like most wines, depending on the desired style, the quality of the vintage, and most importantly, the grapes, Bouzy wines can be aged in vats or in oak barrels, which give them more soul, substance, and character and often strengthen their unique terroir characteristics.


Laurent-Perrier underground Cellars | photo courtesy of www.outlaws.co.uk/producer/laurent-perrier-champagne


Like for the Champagne, Bouzy Rouge are put to rest in underground cellars, labyrinths of galleries carved in the chalky soil more than 5-7 m deep (much deeper for some), naturally maintaining a temperature of about 12°C all year long. 



Photo courtesy of Wine Folly


Bouzy Rouge is a very distinctive wine, characterized by its freshness, finesse, and elegance enhanced by a great acidity and structured by well- integrated tannins delivering an harmonious palate exacerbating juicy red cherry fruit flavors with earthy mineral notes lingering in the finish (description LeDomduVin)

But enough of the facts, let's go back to the bottle. The look and the fact that I could not find much on the internet about it almost put doubt in my mind about its authenticity (living in Hong Kong close to China with the amount of fake bottles around did not help either...). 

I decided to call then email Laurent-Perrier in order to get more info on this "UB" (unidentified bottle) and exchanged a few emails with Fanny Cribier (Chargée d'Etudes Documentaires a la Maison de Champagne Laurent-Perrier), who kindly gave me the following. 



Photo courtesy of www.delcampe.net


Laurent-Perrier used to produce Bouzy Rouge until 2005. Yet, even though they stopped the production, they humbly recognized that "Bouzy Rouge" allowed Laurent-Perrier, from the 50s, to be present on the finest tables of the French Gastronomy and Paris Haute Cuisine venues and other capital culinary scenes like London.     

That particular bottle is a rare specimen as it is one of the last remaining bottles amongst the few thousands produced at the time for the Cent Cinquantenaire Anniversary 1812-1962.  

As such, this bottle is part of the Laurent-Perrier Heritage and has a high historical and symbolic value in the eyes of Laurent-Perrier. 

It is such a treasured bottle that Laurent-Perrier may convince its current owner to exchange it if he is willing to part with it. 

As I said, life is full of surprises. Many connoisseurs and amateurs I know would have not even paid attention to such a bottle... "Oh, but this is just a Bouzy.. a cheap wine.. no interest...,"   but I did... and I'm glad I did... Otherwise, I would have never been a part of this story... of this preserved memory of the past...

Thanks to my colleague John for showing me the picture in the first place and asking for my help to get more info about it.

Thanks to Fanny Cribier (Chargée d'Etudes Documentaires a la maison de Champagne Laurent-Perrier) for her help in this small investigation.

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom  (aka Dominique Noel, aka LeDomduVin) 


@ledomduvin, #ledomduvin, #champagne, #wine, #vin, #vino, #wein, #bouzy, #bouzyrouge, #centcinquantenaire, #oldbottle, #rarebottle, #laurentperrier, #wineinvestigation, #wineknowledge, #wineeducation



Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2016, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).


Crescendo in strength... another night of great wines

Crescendo in strength... another night of great wines


Wines of the night - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

And here we go again, back into the apartment with the view overlooking at Hong Kong.... Beautiful, isn't it? Except for the weather this time, tainted by the usual and almost permanent grey of the blanket of clouds always hovering above the city. I let you admire the view... but i think that once again the best view of the night was the one on these 6 gems above... the wines of the night were a festival of greatness, climbing the ladder of strength and richness the closer we got to the last bottle.   

Hong Kong from the dinner's apartment - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©



Hong Kong from the dinner's apartment - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

These bottles were served with a traditional Chinese dinner, concocted by the house Chinese Chef. Do not ask me to translate the menu, none of them spoke really fluent English and i hard a hard time trying to understand what they were trying to describe. However, I took a few pictures that speak for themselves.  





Lafite Rothschild 1961 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

Lafite Rothschild 1961
Level was low
Cork quite damp but still solid
Restraint on the nose at opening
Still cherry, earth, spice, with slightly evolved notes after 30 minutes
The palate is light, slightly flat in my opinion compared to previously opened bottles and not as full as I remembered it, but still possessed enough acidity to keep bright. Not bright enough compared to previous bottle.

La Mission Haut-Brion 1982 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

La Mission Haut Brion 1982
Literally a bomb after the Lafite,,so young and powerful. Too young in my opinion.
Beautiful nose, fresh notes, menthol, eucalyptus, smoke, earth, spice, touch peppery.
Beautiful, lush, round, coating in the pallet. Here again, touch spicy peppery, smoky, ripe figs, touch prunny.
Lovely balance and texture in the pallet, lingering until the amazing finish.
Le Pin 2000 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©


LePin 2000.... 
How to put it? An amazingly generous and friendly fat baby. Big, round, friendly, coating, full, explosing upfront, yet gradually expanding in every way on its way to the finish. Gaining in strength and fullness. Lots of dark fruit, wood, spice, earth,. What a wine! Yet after such an incredible beginning and mid-palate... I would have love the flavor in the finish to be a little more lingering and the finish itself  longer. Strange, the first things that came to my mind, when i tasted it, were Californien style Merlot and Robert Parker... go figure... but it gave me this impression.


Petrus 1989 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

Petrus 1989
Sous bois,  spice, mushroom, smoky scorched earth, peppery. Very dark fruit. Almost hard. Great acidity in the pallet, lot of spicy, peppery, notes, super dark fruit and more earth. It is paysan wine (in a good way) really impressive and serious attitude. Too serious. Dark and strict. Powerful yet refine.
Beautiful, elegant, refine nose, figs, red and dark berries, some nuts, touch mineral, a smart nose. The palate follow even more beautiful and attractive

Guigal Cote-Rotie La Landonne 1986 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©



Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 1990 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©








Right after double decantation - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©











Monday, July 4, 2016

De Grandes Dames | Vins d'Anthologie

De Grandes Dames : Vins d'Anthologie 


Wines of the night | LeDomduVin  © 

About a few weeks ago, on June 21st, prior to the 1945 horizontale (read it here), I had another dinner where I had to prepare, condition, decant, taste and serve some amazing wines.
A selection to dream of (once again) for a Sommelier like me!

In the order of the picture above from left to right:

Haut-Brion 1986
La Mission Haut-Brion 1957
Ausone 1962
Anglus 1989
Mouton Rothschild 1970
L'Evangile 1989
Margaux 1982
Lafite Rothschild 1961
Latour 1959
Cos d'Estournel 1968
Cheval Blanc 1990
Yquem 1990


The dinner occurred at a famous Hong Kong Chinese restaurant, but I need to admit, the food was not up to par with the wines selected for that occasion.

So no point to talk about the food pairing, and let's go straight to the wines, shall we?


Here they are in the order they were served.



La Mission Haut-Brion 1957 | LeDomduVin  ©

La Mission Haut-Brion 1957
It was amazing (no wonder the Haut Brion wines are my favorites) so smoky and earthy, balanced and harmonious and so flavourful... I could have stayed minutes just on the nose. Very much alive and kicking. Earthy nuances of underbrush, mushroom, game, figue, plum, spice and liquorice lingered in the lightly structured yet complex palate up until the finish. Loved it.

(DN-LDDV | 21.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 5,350 HKD | 620 Euros)





Haut-Brion 1986 | LeDomduVin  ©

Haut-Brion 1986
It was succulent and so youthful, but no surprise there as HB is my favorite wine. Almost a shame to open it so early. Earthy, smoky, red and dark berries fruit aromas and flavors with asphalt and stony nuances, so characteristic to Haut-Brion emanated from the glass and coated the rich, structured and textured palate, up to the full and generous finish. Harmonious and balanced by great acidity, quite common to most 86 Bordeaux Left Bank i tasted in the last 20 years, this wine is promising a bright future and still quite a few years in the bottle. Beautiful.

(DN-LDDV | 21.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 3,640 HKD | 425 Euros)




Latour 1959 | LeDomduVin  ©

Latour 1959
What a stunning wine! It had been quite a few months that I had not tried it and previous bottles were good, but this one was far much better than previously tasted and still so vibrant. Complex, long, rich, structured and textured, beautiful nose and stunning palate. Rich, generous, balanced, harmonious and solid enough to age quite a few more years in the bottle. Game, underbrush, mushroom, spice, wood and earth flavors mingled beautifully in the expanding palate and the lingering finish.

(DN-LDDV | 21.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 20,570 HKD | 2395 Euros)





Margaux 1982 | LeDomduVin  ©
Margaux 1982
A beauty, smooth and delicate, fragile but still very much alive and racy.  A ballerina as I like to call it. Floral, earthy nose leading to a velvety palate nuanced with dark berries, sous-bois and earthy tones balanced with great acidity and freshness tending to the gentle, silky finish. Margaux has always been feminine for me, and this 82 confirms it. A great example of what Margaux is all about, more especially in this classic Vintage. Great silhouette.

(DN-LDDV | 21.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 7,910 HKD | 915 Euros)





Lafite Rothschild 1961 | LeDomduVin  ©

Lafite Rothschild 1961
It worried me to begin with as the level was low and the overall conditions acceptable but not great, confirmation came with the cork being totally damp and friable.. color was dull and tasted a bit flat... this bottle was not a good example, though the wine was not bad but has suffered due to the oxidation and eventual old seepage. To bad. I tasted some tremendous examples of Lafite 61 before, but this one is not one of them. The problem with these old vintages of top tear wines, which traveled all around the world and passed from the hands of a collector to another via Auction Houses, is that it is very difficult to define the quality of the wine inside and more especially the conditions in which it has been stored all these years prior being opened. Even with my knowledge and experience of inspecting countless amount of old bottles for more than 20 years, it is always a difficult task. Difficult to prevent bad bottles from time to time despite obvious signs to the eyes of a seasoned Sommelier like me boasting a certain expertise on the subject.

(DN-LDDV | 21.06.2016 | Average Retail Price  13,568 HKD | 1580 Euros)



Ausone 1962 | LeDomduVin  ©
Ausone 1962
What a nice surprise as I never tasted it before and was not sure what to expect, but it was well behaved, on the light side but still complex enough to be really enjoyable.




Angelus 1989 | LeDomduVin  ©

 
Angelus 1989
Good and youthful but still felt to impress somehow despite its complexity.

L'Evangile 1989 | LeDomduVin  ©


L'Évangile 1989
Pretty good, consistent and well structured, and thorough till the end.
Too young somehow and slightly restraint somehow but still very elegant.

Mouton Rothschild 1970 | LeDomduVin  ©


Mouton Rothschild 1970
Much better than expected for a vintage that was not so great... but then again was not that up to the par for a wine pretending to 1st growth position a few vintages later...

Cos d'Estournel 1968 | LeDomduVin  ©

Cos d'Estournel 1968



Château Cheval Blanc 1990 | LeDomduVin  ©

Cheval Blanc 1990


Yquem 1990 | LeDomduVin  ©


Yquem 1990



Corks of the night | LeDomduVin  ©


Trouble | LeDomduVin  ©


Corks of the Night | LeDomduVin  ©



Standing by the ladies of the night | LeDomduVin  ©

...... till next time Ladies

Dominique Noël | LeDomduVin

LeDomduVin | Portrait


Portrait


Dominique Noël | LeDomduVin | Portrait
with ©LeDomduVin Logo 2012 


My name is Dominique Noël, a.k.a. LeDomduVin. I'm a French-American, well-travelled and well-seasoned Sommelier, Wine Buyer, Wine Quality Control Director (Wine Inspection / Authentication) and Market Analyst, with 29+ years of experience in the wine trade on 3 continents, working in really exciting markets such as Bordeaux, Paris, London, New York and currently Hong Kong. 


My Childhood

Born in Bordeaux (in a really bad vintage.... 1973...😊) and grandson a winemaker from the Côtes de Bourg, I grew up partly within the city centre of Bordeaux and partly in the countryside, in a small right bank village surrounded by vineyards called "Comps" in the Côtes de Bourg.

I can truly say that I was born in, perhaps, the most renown wine region in the world, and raised in the vineyards, and, somehow, couldn't escape my fate to work in the wine industry at some point. My passion for wine came gradually with age. As for most young people growing up in a wine-producing area (like Bordeaux), wine is unavoidably part of the culture and traditions, consumed as a daily beverage always on the table and served with every meal. Wine is an indissociable part of life when you come from Bordeaux (or France in general for that matter).

My parents divorced during my early childhood, so my weekly routine was usually to spend the 5 days of the week with my father who lived in Bordeaux "intra muros", where I was going to school, and spend the weekends, some Wednesdays and all the holidays at my mother house surrounded by vineyards, in the countryside, on the right bank, in the "Côtes de Bourg", roughly 50 kilometres north-east of Bordeaux.

For pretty much all my childhood, from the age of 7 years old up to the year I reached my 18 years old, I remembered always being on the move, carrying two bags everywhere I went, one for school, one with clothes to get changed, wherever I was. I also remember always being on a bus to go somewhere...  And, so, roughly for 11 years, I was bouncing around from one house to another, between my mother, my father, my grandfather, my aunt, my uncle and even the houses of some of my best friends with whom I was staying with sometimes... 

All these years of bouncing around defined and shaped my personality and character, and made me flexible, open-minded, creative, curious and sociable, inclined to often travel and meet new people and always be eager to take on new opportunities to satisfy my personal ambition and allow me to (maybe) settle down one day... which I never did, as I took most opportunities life gave me, and thus, indeed, I have always been on the move since the age of 18 and never really succeeded settling down ever since (😊).        

That said, prior to the age of 18, I never really travelled away from Bordeaux and its region. I spent a lot of time alone at my mother's house in the countryside, in the vineyards and forests surrounding the house and our local village. Maybe that's the reason why I always wanted to travel the world, as, when I was young, the only thing I wanted was to escape from the routine of this small countryside village life, happy to live there but somewhat tired of always seeing and going about the same places.


My Grandfather

My grandfather lived near my mother's house. He was a "vigneron", basically someone working both in the vineyards and the cellar, tending the vines and also making wines. In fact, I spent a lot of time with my grandfather during my youth, at his farmhouse nearby my mother's house, where he had all sort of animals and was growing all sorts of vegetables and fruits (read a bit more about my grandfather and my childhood with him here and here). 

He was a blue-collar, who had always worked in the vineyard (and construction too). He was a man of the earth, always in his garden tending to all of his plants and animals needs. He was really knowledgeable about everything and skilful too. I enjoyed very much spending time with him and talking to him. 

I usually watched him do things, and even assisted him sometimes, learning all sorts of things along the way: like how to plant this or that, how to take care of the animals, and also learning about the various stages of the vinification and winemaking process, whether when he was tending the vines or taking care of the vinification and ageing process of the wines in his cellar. I basically grew up in the vines and the wine with him. Hence, wine has always been part of my life directly or indirectly.   


My First Taste of Wine

My grandfather (and my family in general) drank wine pretty much every day with each meal. My grandfather even drank wine with breakfast, as he woke up very early every day and was a hard-working man, therefore his daily breakfast was quite substantial, more like a real meal, and he always had a glass of wine with it.

In France, more especially when you are born in such an illustrious wine-producing region like Bordeaux, drinking wine is an indissociable part of the local traditions, culture, mentality and ways of life. 



How kids get acquainted with wine in France by ©LeDomduVin 2018



I had my first taste of wine at his house when I was about 6 years old... I did not like it... yet, by the age of 10-12 years old, my grandfather officially started my wine education by adding droplets of wine to my glass of water. The older I became, the less water was in the glass. Hence, my taste and passion for wine grew gradually and naturally with the increasing amount of wine droplets...😊 (see picture above). 

During my youth, every year, I was helping with the manual harvest of the grapes at different local small wineries (sometimes with my grandfather, or in the vineyards of my grand-aunt in the "Côtes de Blaye", and/or in the vineyards of some neighbours and/or friends of my grandfather). Growing up, my hideout was literally a huge, (roughly 2 meters high by 2.5 meters of diameter), empty wooden vat in one of the cellars at my mother's house, it was fun. My mother's house was located a few parcels of vineyards away from my grandfather's house, the reason why I was always messing around in one or the other.  


My Wine Career

I officially started my wine career in 1992, right after finishing the army, while working as a Head Waiter assisting the Sommelier in various restaurants and events in several towns in France (Orleans, Bourges, Strasbourg, etc...). In 1994, I came back to Bordeaux and worked in a Relais and Chateaux, where I was also working as Head Waiter and Sommelier for a bit more than 3 years. 


Sommelier Promotion of 1997 - Catering and Hotel Management School of Talence (Bordeaux)
Article from and courtesy of the French newspaper "Sud-Ouest" - June 1997 (close up)


1996-1997, while still working at the restaurant at night and on weekends, I went back to the Catering and Hotel Management School of Talence (Bordeaux), to follow the "Mention Complémentaire de Sommellerie" and graduated as a certified Sommelier in June 1997. I'm the one at the bottom of the picture above... 😊 ... I was 24 years old

Right after graduating, in July 1997, (and after 5 long years working in restaurants in France), I started a long journey which brought me around the world up to this day...

July 1997 marked a new chapter in my life, as I moved to London (UK), where I worked as a Sommelier and Head Sommelier / Wine Buyer for several restaurants until mid-2002. 

In 2002, I moved to New York (USA), where I worked as a Wine Director, Wine Buyer, Wine retail Store Manager (I was a "Caviste" as we say in France), and Wine Writer for 2 prominent wine retail stores, until 2011. 

In 2011, I moved to Hong Kong, where I still am currently, I first worked as Head Sommelier and even as a Restaurant Manager; then, a few months later, early 2012, I took the difficult decision to stop my career and retired from the restaurant world for good this time, due to physical issues (shame as I loved the restaurant life and vibes). 

In 2012, facing my personnal situation, I took a leap of faith and put my own company together. Logically, I called it "LeDomduVin". I was providing Wine Consultant / Wine Specialist services like Wine marketing, Promotion, Events, Wine Writings and Wine Education. I had a blast with many great experiences promoting, educating, organising events and selling wines for the rich and famous of the luxury world of Hong Kong... 

It lasted for about 6 months. Back in 2012, competition was fierce as Hong Kong was the world's new wine hub and everyone was fighting to get a piece of it. Each importer, wine merchant and/or distributor had a foot in Hong Kong and a foot in China, and everyone was targeting the rich and famous. The experience was a great opportunity to extend my work and social network, get to know people and explore HK differently, it was super exciting, yet, it proved not as financially rewarding as I expected it would be...   

I needed a more financially stable job to sustain my little family, so I stopped the consulting, and accepted a job that had nothing to do with my previous lives as Head Sommelier/Restaurant Director for Restaurants and Store Manager/Wine Director for wine retails, I became a "Wine Quality Control Director / Market Analyst" for the Wine Division of a major financial corporate company based in Hong Kong. 

It was in July 2012. And since then, aside of my daily job at the office, I have, (and still do today), also occasionally played the role of personal Sommelier of our Chairman, which gave (still sometimes gives) me the chance to prepare, open, taste and serve countless times (and drink occasionally) some of the most prestigious, illustrious and most expensive bottles of wine in the world, predominantly from Bordeaux and Burgundy. I consider myself one of the luckiest Sommeliers in the world, having the chance and opportunities to prepare and taste such amazing wines on a regular basis. 

I love wine and I love my job, and through both, I love Life!  



LeDomduVin Logo with name ©LeDomduVin 2012




Santé! Cheers!

Dominique Noël a.k.a. LeDomduVin   

     
#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #portrait #sommelier #winebuyer #abitofmylife 


All pictures and other materials used in LeDomduVin blog and websites, as well as within all the other Social Media and Networks (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc...) related or affiliated to LeDomduVin are subject to copyrights ©LeDomduVin 
           


Sunday, July 3, 2016

Rêve de Sommelier | Une horizontale de 1945

Rêve de Sommelier | Une horizontale de 1945



1945 Horizontale | LeDomduVin © 

Ouvrir de belles bouteilles est une passion et un privilege. Passer du temps avec ces grandes dames d’un certain âge me comble. Ces flacons historiques, légendaires que dis-je, sont des perles rares qu’il faut savoir bichonner, préserver, admirer et aimer.  

Voila plus de 24 ans que je travaille au quotidien avec des vins (et spiritueux) du monde entier, et bientôt 20 ans officiellement en tant que Sommelier et responsable des achats dans la plupart des établissements pour lesquels j’ai travaillé.  Tout d’abord pendant 6 ans dans différentes villes de France, puis 5 ans a Londres, en Angleterre, en restaurants, hôtels et casinos privés ; pour ensuite évoluer en tant que Caviste, directeur de magasins et responsable des achats pendant 9 ans a New York, et finalement continuer l’aventure depuis bientôt 5 ans a Hong Kong.

Durant toutes ces années, j’ai eu la chance de travailler pour des gens très fortunés qui avaient du gout et surtout l’argent pour se payer de superbes nectars, des mémoires du passé qu’il valait mieux laisser attendre afin d’en capturer pleinement toutes leurs complexités. Et Dieu seul connait le nombre de ces vestiges que j’ai eu le plaisir d’ouvrir et de déguster (jamais or vraiment très rarement pour ma consommation personnel malheureusement..(sic)..).   

Il y a quelques jours, je partageais sur Facebook des photos d'un dîner fait le 21 Juin (a lire ici), ou j'avais revêtu ma tenue de Sommelier après le boulot, comme il m’arrive de le faire assez fréquemment (en dehors de mon travaille quotidien), pour préparer, conditionner et servir des vins de 1957, 61, 62, 70, 82 et 89... mémorable.... mais quelques jours plus tard, le 26 Juin, j’ai fait l’expérience de ce qui doit être la soirée que tous Sommeliers rêvent de faire au moins une fois dans leurs vies...

J'avoue que depuis 4 ans je n'ouvre que des vins d'anthologie…. je dois être l'un des Sommeliers les plus chanceux du monde de pouvoir avoir accès à de tels flacons historiques... mais ce soir la fut mythique.... une horizontale du millésime 1945 comme j'en ai rarement vu ou eu l'occasion de préparer et servir... et tout ça dans un appartement privé surplombant Hong Kong... je vous laisse apprécier la vue...  


Hong Kong view from mid-levels | LeDomduVin ©


Et bien voilà... je l'avoue... j'ai encore passé une grande partie de la soirée avec de très grandes dames d'un certain âge... quel régal... mûres, distinguées, charmeuses, discrètes, exubérantes ou excentriques... ces vierges ne demandaient qu'à s'ouvrir après tant d'années de solitude... je leur soulevais la capsule... insérais délicatement et méthodiquement mon Durand jusqu'à entendre un léger soupir lascif à peine audible à chaque traversée... accompagné d'un soulagement à chacun des bouchons que je retirais tout en douceur par de légers à-coups et va-et-vient expérimentés ... elles ne se sont pas faites attendre très longtemps... le désir étant plus fort que de se restreindre... elles se livrèrent jusqu'à la dernière goutte... sur la fin.. ma main sur leurs épaules... je caressais leurs flancs... m'enivrais une dernière fois des volutes de leurs parfums... tout en leur caressant l'étiquette... ce soir mon histoires avec ses dames fut troublée et troublante... (avec quelques sédiments)... nous nous sommes égarés dans nos ébats... le temps s'était arrêté... It was a night to remember... A Sommelier night....



The 7 bottles of the night | LeDomduVin ©


Les vins présents au diner ce soir la ne se limitaient pas qu’a l’horizontal de 1945, les voici dans l’ordre de service.



DRC Montrachet 2004 | LeDomduVin ©

DRC Montrachet 2004
Jeune (trop jeune peut-être..), équilibré et structuré, grande acidité, mélange de fruits jaunes (pomme) et agrumes, légèrement toasté, beurré, avec des nuances minérales au nez et en bouche, un palais enrobé, soyeux, rond, long et riche sur la finale... suave et tendre. Superbe!

(DN-LDDV | 26.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 4,360 USD | 33,698 HKD | 3,922 Euros)


DRC Romanee Conti 1966 | LeDomduVin ©

DRC Romanée Conti 1966
Wow !!! Quelle surprise, je goûtais ce vin pour la première fois : incroyablement frais et jeune, beaucoup de cerise et de fruits rouges fraîchement écrasées, très belle acidité, encore un très bel équilibre et une fin de bouche texturée à souhait, encore assez complexe et dynamique, belle fraîcheur, un vin élégant, complexe et plein de charme. Palpitant.

(DN-LDDV | 26.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 11,450 USD | 88,541 HKD | 10,307 Euros)




Haut-Brion 1945 | LeDomduVin ©
Haut-Brion 1945
Je pensais que servi juste après la DRC RC, le contraste serait trop grand, mais je me suis trompé, ce Haut Brion 45 était un vin délicieux sur la fraîcheur et le côté lumineux, frais. Le nez avait les caractéristiques mêmes pour lesquelles il est connu: la terre, le fumé, des arômes de gibier se mêlant a des nuances de sous-bois, bois épicé, figues et champignons. J’aurais pu rester de longues minutes seulement sur le nez (mauvaise habitude entre moi et Haut Brion). Étonnamment, le palais était vif, gorgé de cerises rouges et de baies, toujours ce coté fumé avec des notes terreuses, là encore, l'acidité est sans doute le secret de sa jeune attitude, la fin de bouche est assez longue et séduisante. J’adore, même si un peu léger (mais il n’y a pas de mal, Haut Brion est mon vin favori)

(DN-LDDV | 26.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 3,860 USD |  29,890 HKD | 3,480 Euros)



Petrus 1945 | LeDomduVin ©
Petrus 1945
J'adore Petrus, bien que j’en ai goûté certains vraiment inconsistant dans ma carrière, mais ce 1945 était incroyable ... riche, détaillé, complet et complexe, harmonieux, texturé, structuré, équilibré et se développant en complexité avec le temps au nez et en bouche... quel vin fantastique, riche et sur la longueur. Il promet encore quelques belles années à venir. Tant le nez que le palais étaient incroyablement attrayant. Sûrement le meilleur de la sélection ce soir.

(DN-LDDV | 26.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 9,570 USD |  73,988 HKD | 8,612 Euros)


Mouton Rothschild 1945 | LeDomduVin ©

Mouton Rothschild 1945
J'ai ouvert et goûté ce vin d’innombrables fois dans ma carrière, et j’ai toujours été un grand fan, mais le fait d’être servi après le Petrus ne lui a pas fait de faveurs, car il était un peu moins complexe et puissant que le roi de la rive droite. Néanmoins, il était aussi mémorable. Une pure expression de son terroir Médocain et de son âge avec des arômes d’épices, bois, sous-bois, champignons et gibier bien marqués au nez et en bouche. Encore plein de vie, Incroyable.

(DN-LDDV | 26.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 13,410 USD | 103,666 HKD | 12,068 Euros)


Latour 1945 | LeDomduVin ©
Latour 1945
Je me attendais a tellement mieux de Latour 45 ... et été un peu déçu... Le niveau était un peu bas... au bas des épaules. Le bouchon déjà se présentait mal, complètement imbibé, friable, fragile et s’effritant en enfonçant les lames du Durand… mais aussi recouvert d’une substance terreuse qui s’est avérée être des résidus de sédiments du vin infiltrés entre le verre du goulot et les cotés du bouchon suite a de mauvaise condition de stockage a mon avis.  Il m’a semblé que le vin avait atteint son apogée et souffert d'une légère oxydation au nez. Couleur très terne et trouble due à beaucoup de sédiments épais au fond de la bouteille, on aurait dit de la vase. Mais le vin n'avait pas complément disparu et a réussi a nous surprendre après près de 3 heures d'ouverture. Finalement, il s’est révélé sur le tard, mais je continue de croire que cette bouteille a souffert et n’avait rien à voir avec celles goûtées précédemment en d’autres occasions. Les vins de Latour sont des vins solides et qui vieillissent très bien ; malheureusement, on n’est jamais a l’abri d’une bouteille qui a mal vieilli ou n’a pas pu évoluer dans des conditions de stockage satisfaisantes.

(DN-LDDV | 26.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 4,595 USD | 35,507 HKD | 4,133 Euros)



Egon Muller-Schwarzhof Schwarzhofberber Auslese 2003 | LeDomduVin ©

Egon Muller-Schwarzhof Schwarzhofberber Auslese 2003 GK
Ce vin était incroyablement bon ... doux mais pas trop sucré pour un Auslese ... et équilibré par une acidité incroyable, un vin onctueux, racé et d’une grande fraîcheur, il recouvre tout le palais sur son passage, très minéral, c’est un vin riche, complexe et sexy, sur le fruit et la douceur.
A tomber, j’ai adoré. Une Bombe a ce prix la..... comparé aux autres bien sur.  

(DN-LDDV | 26.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 293 USD |  2,442 HKD | 285 Euros)



The corks of the night | LeDomduVin ©

Mes favoris (rouge seulement comme je l'ai aimé les deux blancs), du meilleur au moins... comment dire… (difficile de dire au moins bon, car ils présentaient tous des caractéristiques précises et uniques qui font d’eux des vins d’exceptions….)

1. Petrus 1945
2. DRC Romanée Conti 1966
3. Haut-Brion 1945
4. Mouton Rothschild 1945
5. Latour 1945

Encore une fois, ce fut un rêve de Sommelier devenu réalité, surtout pour un Sommelier chevronné comme moi… une rare occasion qui ne se présente presque jamais due aux quantités minimales de ces vins sur le marché... et qui ne se représentera peut-être plus  …. 

Des vins superbes et inoubliables ....


Portrait with the bottles | LeDomduVin ©



Dominique Noel | LeDomduVin