A "Whistling " Selection!
I could have written an "impressive" selection, but I preferred using the word "whistling" instead, as an adjective, referring to the sound we sometimes make when we are really impressed. 😁👍🍷😙🎵🎵
I recently selected and served these wines at a private dinner, and they were absolutely delicious. 😋😋😋
Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne Brut 2015
A blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, Cristal 2015 is beautifully crafted, fresh, elegant, mineral, and highly refined. The blend is a subtle combination of the three emblematic vineyards of the house: one-third from the vineyards of "la Rivière," one-third from "la Montagne," and one-third from "la Côte." The crus used to make this exceptional champagne are Verzenay, Verzy, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Ay, Avize, Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Cramant. Vinification takes place in wood for 25%. There is no malolactic fermentation. The dosage of this Brut Champagne is 7 grams per liter.
A beautiful, radiant, pale golden yellow color. It features lively bubbles and displays great finesse. The nose reveals vibrant, concentrated aromas of yellow fruits (white peach and mirabelle plum), with hints of hazelnut and roasted almonds. The palate is fresh, generous, and rich, with a silky texture that unveils notes of preserved citrus fruit and hints of spices. The palate emphasizes freshness and precision, culminating in a finish that features subtle woody and saline notes, resulting in a lovely blend of finesse and concentration. Love it!
Fontaine-Gagnard Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2020
Fontaine-Gagnard represents a genuine Burgundian romance. The tale began in the 1980s when Richard Fontaine married Laurence Gagnard. Since 2007, Celine Fontaine has increasingly taken charge of winemaking from her father, leading to a remarkable rise in the quality of the wines in recent years.
Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard has experienced an incredible rise in quality and reputation over the past decade. The wines exhibit fantastic purity and minerality, combined with a delightful weight and richness of fruit. This is a very sophisticated and stylish Domaine producing some of the most coveted wines from Chassagne-Montrachet, showcasing a remarkable intensity of fruit that beautifully conveys their outstanding terroir.
The Batard-Montrachet 2020 is an outstanding wine that combines elegance, refinement, and generosity with complexity and richness. It showcases a captivating pale golden color in the glass. The nose is exuberant and enticing, featuring aromas of white and yellow fruits mingling with buttery and toasted nuances, all enhanced by great minerality. The palate is gorgeous, generous, and creamy, extremely well-balanced and focused, with no harshness whatsoever. It is complemented by that unmistakable waxy mineral sensation that coats the palate from the attack and gently expands through to the seamless, lingering finish. What a wine! Superb!
Benjamin Leroux Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru 2018 (Mag)
Often referred to as the natural heir of Henri Jayer, Benjamin Leroux is one of the discreet rising stars crafting outstanding wines from village to Grand Cru levels, demonstrating a profoundly classic Burgundian style with a delightful, refreshing twist. His wines are classic in that they are not huge powerhouses, overly oaked, or excessively extracted. On the contrary, they blend freshness, elegance, silky texture, focus, and refinement in a soft, precise, and delicate manner.
At the age of 24, Benjamin Leroux assumed winemaking duties at Domaine Comte Armand, stepping in for his mentor, Pascal Marchand. This was a significant challenge for a young winemaker. Nevertheless, his inaugural wines in 1999 were hailed as the highlights of the vintage. Following his tenure at Comte Armand, he shifted his focus to his own winery in Beaune, where he runs a small négociant operation.
To produce his wines, Benjamin Leroux sources grapes (never juice or wine) from his vineyards and those of others, always selecting vineyards that practice over 50% organic viticulture and adhere to specific viticultural and environmental standards. Not one to shy away from challenging traditions, Benjamin Leroux also uses screw caps on some of his entry-level wines, ensuring that those intended for early consumption remain fresh and lively.
As a Negociant rather than a vineyard owner, Benjamin Leroux's wines are highly sought-after by connoisseurs and sommeliers due to their limited quantities. His balanced, fresh, and versatile wines perfectly pair with all kinds of dishes.
Benjamin Leroux's Griotte-Chambertin production is quite limited, with only one 450-liter barrel produced in some years (approximately 600 regular 750ml bottles, though often less since he also produces some magnums). This Grand Cru vineyard is among the smallest in Gevrey-Chambertin, with Leroux's vines located in the upper southern section. Leroux's contract for this vineyard concluded with the 2022 vintage, marking it as the last vintage of this wine under his winemaking.
In 2022, I was fortunate enough to purchase two cases of six magnums of the 2018 vintage. I bought them more by instinct rather than knowledge, as I had heard of him but was not really familiar with his wines at the time, as I had never had the chance to taste them before. I opened two of these magnums for a private dinner back then, and they were the highlights of the night, with guests praising the wine's quality.
A few days ago, at another private dinner where I opened the wines mentioned in this post, I had the opportunity to open another one of these magnums, and the wine had improved even more over the last three years since I acquired it.
Leroux's Griotte-Chambertin 2018 in magnum is a masterpiece of elegance and silkiness. In the glass, it shows a discreet, medium-intensity garnet color. The nose is quite charming and unassuming, almost shy yet delivering very "à propos" fresh aromas of "griottes" (wild red cherries) and other red berries, mingling with fresh mineral, hearty, and floral notes. The palate is light and fresh, soft and silky, enhanced by excellent acidity, with an implied elegant complexity and delicate texture, even if not exuberant, inherent to most of Leroux's wines. This Griotte-Chambertin, like most of Leroux's wines, is sharp, precise, focused, and sophisticated. It was even more expressive after 45 minutes of being opened. Loved it!
Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 1998
No introduction is needed for this illustrious Chateau, which, as I have expressed so many times on this blog, is my favorite Bordeaux wine. The nose is fragrant, filled with intoxicating aromas of dark fruits and berries, including plum, as well as notes of forest floor and mushroom, mingling with those of oak, cigar, liquorice, and spices, alongside characteristic hints of tar and smoke. The palate reflects the nose’s flavors with greater intensity. It offers a medium to deep, layered, and complex character with a chewy texture, remaining lively and youthful due to its great acidity. It is well-structured with present yet integrated tannins. The lingering finish is earthy and presents tremendous potential for further ageing. This 1998 vintage is one of my favorites from the 90s, which has evolved beautifully over the past decade and promises to stand the test of time for many years to come. After about an hour, it became even more delightful, with additional secondary and tertiary notes, and a lot more licorice. What a beauty!
Cheers! Santé!
Dom
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