LeDomduVin: Bouchard Père et fils dégustation

Bouchard Père et fils dégustation 

A few days ago, a "degustation" (*) of old and rare ladies (as I like to call them), in mythical vintages, took place somewhere (I can't tell you where). 

I was just passing by and therefore was not a part of it. Yet, the Head Sommelier of the restaurant showed me the bottles and even offered me to taste one of them, which I felt very privileged. 

I must admit that the people who tasted them, that night, were very lucky, as it is not every day one can taste such old and rare bottles, needless to say, have access to them in such great conditions. All from the estate I was told. 

The degustation included the following wines: 

Bouchard Pere & Fils Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Combettes 1966

Hospices de Beaune Meursault-Charmes Premier Cru Cuvée Albert Grivault 1964 

by Maison Bouchard Pere et Fils

Domaines du Chateau de Beaune Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru 1983 

by Maison Bouchard Pere et Fils

Domaines du Chateau de Beaune Beaune Clos de la Mousse Premier Cru Monopole 1959

This is the one I tried and it was absolutely stunning! In a mindblowing condition, perfect! Soft, silky, and beautifully balanced, displaying delicate red cherry fruit flavors, superb freshness for a wine of that age, and a seamless finish. I was very impressed with how good it was. Looooved it. 

Bouchard Pere et Fils Volnay Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot Premier cru 1995

Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune-Greves Vigne de l'Enfant Jesus 1964 (magnum)

What a great lineup! 

I can only imagine how good the other wines must have been. And, whether they were as good (or not), just being part of this unique experience must have been a truly exceptional moment. 

I must say, I envy them. Yet, I'm glad I had the chance to taste one of them. Thank you. 

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

(*) (I prefer this french word to the simple word "tasting", as it sounds better and more sophisticated 😃👍🍷)

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #vin #wine #vino #wein @bouchardpereetfils #bouchardpereetfils #burgundy #oldandrarewines #oldandrareladies #oldandrarevintages

Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2023, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, 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).

Ledomduvin: The usual suspects...

The usual suspects...

... as, once again, I had the chance to serve them, again, last night.

Krug Grande Cuvée 170ème Édition Champagne Brut NV 

Bright, crisp, fresh, gentle, extremely approachable and exquisitely refreshing. Love it. Fresher and lighter than the 169ème Édition in my opinion. Crafted out of 195 wines from 12 different years, of which the youngest is 2014... amazing, isn't it? And that's just Krug's entry level champagne!!! Mind-boggling if you ask me.

Bouchard Père et fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Champ Gain" 2018

Clean, pale yellow colour. Light, fresh and delicate nose with lemon and yellow fruits and floral notes mingling with chalky stones and mineral nuances. Harmonious and integrated, very balanced, good structure and texture, yet light and gracious on its feet like a  ballerina. I just opened it about 30 minutes prior to serving it, left it in the bottle, no decanting, and it showed wonderfully.

Maison Louis Latour Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2008

Tasted a few months ago, I was left perplexed as it was not as good as expected. Last night was a good opportunity to revisit it. Intense golden yellow colour, (âge or oxidation ?). Muted nose at the opening, with oxidative and reductive notes, slightly "sherry-esk", nutty notes. I decanted it to aerate it. The nose opened up, the oxidative notes gave way to melon and peach aromas mingling with dry yellow apple and hay notes, slight buttery and woody nuances. After about 1 hour, despite slightly oxidative notes, it was quite good: rich, ample, coating, layered, long-lasting and overall fairly complex and refined.

Chateau La Conseillante Pomerol 2004

I was a bit sceptical at first due to the vintage, as 2004 was not a great vintage in Bordeaux, overall, rather light, tight and tannic. Yet, some Châteaux did well, more especially on the right bank, where the early ripening Merlot and Cabernet Franc did much better than the Cabernet Sauvignon of the left bank. La Conseillante is one of them. On the light side, yet, showing elegance and character, with dark fruits, cassis, earth, floral, spice, sandalwood and graphite notes, expanding through the light-weight, yet consistent and balanced palate.

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

@ledomduvin  #lesphotosadom, #krug, #bouchardpereetfils, #maisonlouislatour, #ledomduvin,  #wine, #vin, #champagne, #burgundy, #wein, #vino, #bordeaux, #chateaulaconseillante, #tastingnotes

Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2022 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, 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).

LeDomduVin: Ménage à trois...

Ménage à trois... 

A Sommelier's wine norm is to try to sell at least 1 bottle per table. If not possible, at least 1 or 2 glasses, for a table of 2. And, when it comes to a table of 4 (and above), at least 1 bottle or more. 

Yet, my personal norm (or target, if you prefer), for a table of 4, (as a Sommelier and Head Sommelier/Wine Buyer, with 30 years of experience working in high-end French restaurants), consists of upselling by suggesting a wine trio composed of: 

1 Champagne (vintage preferably), 

1 white Burgundy (or a white Loire, Rhone or Alsace), and either 

1 red Bordeaux or Burgundy or Rhone  

It does not work all the time, yet, it usually works when you know how to approach your patrons with convincing words, a charming attitude and witty remarks. 

😉 😁👍🍷

More especially, if they chose the tasting menu, usually consisting of at least 4 dishes or more. 

I selected and served this wine trio to a table of 4 last night. 

@maisonchampagnesalon Cuvée 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne 1999

Believe me or not, I did not get the chance to try it, last night. I opened it and smelled it, and a little bit remained in the bottle at the end, but some of my colleagues beat me to it. From memories of previous experiences, it is a delightful and sophisticated Champagne, that I would have loved to refresh my memory with. 😀 😄 😁👍🍾🥂

@bouchardpereetfils Montrachet Grand Cru Cote de Beaune 2002

I decanted it roughly about 40 minutes prior to serving it (I opened it right after I first served the Champagne). Found it a bit shy, light, delicate and restrained at first, yet, it developed into a charming, seductive, captivating wine showing elegance, character and class. 

@chevalblancofficial Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé A 1998

I decanted it about 1 hour and a half prior to serving it and it showed wonderfully well. That said, 1998 was a great vintage for Cheval Blanc and it exceeded my expectations. Delicious, racy, classy, powerful and plentiful, yet in an elegant, refined and focused way. 

Santé! Cheers! 

Dom 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #menageatrois #winetrio #trio #wine #vin #vino #wein #champagnesalon #bouchardpereetfils #chateauchevalblanc #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob

Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2022 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, 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).

LeDomduVin: 2004 Bouchard Pere et Fils Le Corton Grand Cru Cote de Beaune Burgundy France

2004 Bouchard Pere et Fils 

Le Corton Grand Cru 
Cote de Beaune Burgundy France

Clean, bright, clear cherry ruby color. Rich aromas of dark cherry and berries intermingle with floral, mineral, spicy, and peppery notes with a touch of earth. The palate is gorgeous, with rich flavors of ripe dark cherry and red berries framed by refreshing acidity. The finish is quite long, fresh, and mineral with slight herbal nuances and present, young, and slightly astringent tannins. Yet, nothing major or unexpected for the 2004 vintage, which was not as ripe as 2003 or even as complex as 2005.

Although some aspects of the 2004 vintage resemble more of 2001, it also seems to be a good compromise between 2002 and 2006, two vintages with great whites and some interesting reds for those who will make an effort to search, taste, and pick and choose the right producers and vineyards.

Overall, I think this wine was really well crafted. It has great texture and structure, and the finish still has plenty of fruit to overcome the tannins and green notes.

Yet, it is still too young and green, in my opinion, and deserves a bit more time to integrate. I hope that the green notes will diminish, too, but I'm not so sure about that. Green notes, astringency, and bitterness never really disappear, even with time; if they are not ripe enough to start with, they will remain.

I can already hear people making negative comments, but at the end of the day, and despite what I said above, I still think that one should give more credit to this wine and, to a certain extent, to the vintage. 

After all, compared to 2003 and 2005, 2004 remains a good bargain vintage, even if it was not highly rated in quality, some producers succeed to make some good and/or interesting wines. And this wine confirmed, once again, that exceptions can exist even in odd vintages. It is only a matter of being open-minded and adventurous enough to find them.

Enjoy,

Ledomduvin (a.k.a. Dominique Noel)

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #tasting #tastingnotes #bouchardpereetfils #wine #vine #vino #wein #burgundy #france #redwine #corton #cotedebeaune

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2012 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, 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).