LeDomduVin: Nice Combo!

Nice Combo! 

That night was a lucky night! I had planned only on a Champagne (Cristal 2012) and a red (Pichon Lalande 2015), as requested by the host.

Yet, one of the guests brought more bottles of wine, amongst which I chose the Armand Rousseau Charmes 2012 and Gruaud Larose 1982.

Never miss an opportunity to indulge in and taste rare and expensive wines when it presents itself, right? And they were terrific. It was really a lucky night. 

Louis Roederer Cristal 2012

A blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, first vintage produced from 100% organically farmed fruit, vinified without malolactic fermentation and disgorged with 7.5 grams per liter dosage, Cristal 2012 is a masterpiece! It displays enticing aromas of stone fruit, peach, lemon, and honey, mingling with floral, mineral, and toasted nuances. The refined palate is rich, full, concentrated, structured, and textured, nicely expanding from the attack to the long finish. Loved it.

Armand Rousseau Charmes Chambertin 2012

This is a stellar wine! Combining freshness, richness, and complexity with elegance and sophistication, refined structure, superb acidity, seamless texture, and outstanding balance. It is a perfect example of luxury, refinement, and elegance all in one bottle. Very impressed!

Pichon Lalande 2015

Served after the stunningly expressive Rousseau, it, unfortunately, appeared shy and tight, almost faded and lacking. Fortunately, 2 hours of decanting helped it to open up and show its potential. Nice, even if a bit young. Give it a few more years.

Gruaud Larose 1982

This was the cherry on the cake! Some 82s I tasted in recent years showed signs of weakness and decline. But, despite its old and cloudy appearance and advanced tertiary aromas and flavors, it was in perfect condition, alive and kicking, amazingly youthful, and still with plenty of balance, texture & structure. Wow!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Weekend Quintet

Weekend Quintet

Over the weekend, I had the chance to open, taste and serve these beautiful ladies: 

Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St Jacques 2015 (x 3)

Armand Rousseau Mazy Chambertin Grand Cru 2015

Château La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2016

Although they were all very young, fresh, and aromatic, and showed great potential for aging, the Burgundy drank wonderfully. Yet, La Mission Haut-Brion took the longest to open up and was only starting to emerge after 3 hours of decanting. LMHB is definitely too young for now. 

Full descriptions soon on my blog at www.ledomduvin.com 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

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@chateaulamissionhautbrion 

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LeDomduVin: Twins - Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques 2008

Twins:  Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques 2008

It is not every day that I can open and taste some bottles from Armand Rousseau.

This particular producer is so in demand that it is difficult to find some bottles, and when you find some, they are so expensive, nowadays, that nobody drinks them anymore.

Instead, they use them as products of speculation, by putting them in their cellars, prior to reselling them a few years later via auction houses or private sales. 

Yet, on some rare occasions, like today, some of these bottles end up being served, rather than being stored. 

The first bottle was delicate, silky and elegant, not to say light, faded and thin. The nose timidly offered aromas of red, almost slightly underriped cherry and griottes, herbs, minerals and earthy notes. The palate was light bodied, a bit thin in my opinion, delivering nice and gentle cherry fruit, backed up by a great acidity, but not really substantial, lacking of texture and structure. It was good and overall balanced and harmonious, but lacked the layers, complexity and wow factor somewhat expected at HKD 14,500 (€1800) a bottle. Good, not great. 

The 2nd bottle showed much better features and quality: more expressive on the nose and on the palate, it seemed fresher, more opulent, ample and generous, and had a more persistent finish. Ever the color seemed darker and younger than the previous bottle. Loved it . 

Which made me ponder and ask myself why? This is a great example of bottle variations which, once again, proved the importance of being aware of the provenance and storage conditions, as well as anthenticy and genuineness of the bottles. Both real? One fake? Or one that already traveled the world over many times in auctions? Who knows... All I can say is that the difference was obvious... yet, so many factors might come to play to explain this difference. Hard to say. 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom 

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