LeDomduVin: Stunning Wines

Stunning Wines 

Served this weekend, some of my favorite producers.

Champagne @eglyouriet Millesime Grand Cru 2013

Sophisticated, refined, rich, and opulent without being heavy, vibrant, and lively due to great acidity, perfect balance, and yellow fruits mingling with mineral and oaky nuances. The palate is ample and generous, with a long finish. Loved it. Stunning!

@domaine_jeannoel_gagnard Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2018

The enticing nose combines white flowers, white and yellow fruits, and minerals with delicate, integrated buttery, oaky notes. The palate is gorgeous, generously expanding from the beginning to the seamless finish, with that glycerine sensation coating the palate that makes you want more. It is so well-crafted, balanced, generous, expressive, and charming that it is impossible not to love it. The type of wine that is so good, it makes you melt on sight and love Burgundy white wine at first taste. Loooooved it. Delicious!

@domaine.robert.groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Amoureuses" 2018

I have opened several bottles of this incredible wine in the last 8 months, and each time was as pleasurable as the next. Refined, delicate, and almost shy at the opening, it displays inviting fresh aromas of red and dark cherries mixed with floral and earthy notes. It does need to be decanted, but it needs to breathe. It started to develop after about 1 hour of opening: rounder, more affluent, elegant, refined, lively, gentle, and so long. Offering all the elegance and sophistication that the great Burgundian Pinot Noir is known for. 

Loved it. Another stunner!

@domaine.robert.groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Sentiers" 2018

For those of you who may not know, "Les Sentiers" lies south of the Grand Cru "Les Bonnes Mares" (eastern part of Chambolle-Musigny, touching Morey-Saint-Denis), while "Les Amoureuses" lies south of "Musigny" Grand Cru (western part of Chambolle-Musigny, touching "Les Petits-Vougeots"). Although they are both "1er Cru", "Les Amoureuses" (Euros 758) sells for about 3 times the average price of "Les Sentiers" (Euros 262). Lighter and earthier, with higher acidity, pepper, and spices. It's not as grand, yet very nice too.

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Trio de Choc

Trio de choc (again)

Billecart-Salmon 'Le Clos Saint Hilaire' Blanc de Noirs Champagne 1996

François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru “Forêt” Burgundy 2018

Robert Groffier Chambolle Musigny “Les Sentiers” Burgundy 2018

Mise en place

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #vin #wine #vino #wein @champagne_billecart_salmon @domaineraveneau @domaine.robert.groffier #billecartsalmon #domaineraveneau #robertgroffier #champagne #burgundy

Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2023, 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).

LeDomduVin: A great lineup (again)

A great lineup (again)

I love my job, for many reasons, yet, more especially as it gives me access to rare and unique wine gems (that I cannot afford and would not have access to otherwise).

I always feel very privileged and humble when I open such great wines, and luckily for me, in my 31 years career as a Sommelier/Wine Buyer, I have been working in great places (restaurants, clubs, casinos, hotels...) with wealthy patrons drinking great wines.

And, a few days ago, I had the chance to taste and serve some great wines (again), at a private party, for about 10 people, in our Japanese restaurant.

They gave me a budget per bottle and I made my selection, sourced them, and bought them for the night. It was only supposed to include Sake, Champagne, and a red Burgundy.

So, I decided to go with Juyondai, reputed for the high quality and excellent taste of their Sake, and chose JUYONDAI JUNMAI DAIGINJO TATSUNO OTOSHIGO 十四代純米大吟釀龍之落子. A bold and distinctive Sake, rich and generous, without being too heavy or too sweet, delivering a lot of peachy, melon, and lychee flavors with mineral nuances. Love it.

For the Champagne, in their price range, Krug 2008 seemed like the perfect choice and it did not disappoint, on the contrary, it exploded with richness and complexity, freshness and ampleness. Stunning.

For the red Burgundy, my initial and only choice was the Mongeard Mugneret Grands Echezeaux 2015. Yet, as some guests were asking for some red immediately, I knew that 2 bottles of Mongeard will not be enough.

So, I decided to open 2 bottles of Robert Groffier Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru "Les Amoureuses" 2018 from my hidden stash, a beautifully crafted, youthful, friendly, juicy wine offering plenty of red fruits, great acidity, superb balance and freshness, and a zesty mouthfeel. Way too young, but still, what a treat! Loooooved it.

Then, I served the Mongeard, a much more mature, masculine, and cerebral wine, complex, layered, and rich. Beautiful.

As they were drinking more, I had to return to my stash and bring my secret weapon of late, Perrot Minot La Richemone 2018, another one of my favorite wines. Amazing! (see my previous post for the full description, here) 

A good Sommelier is always prepared!

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #wine #vin #vino #wein #krug #robertgroffier #mongeardmugneret #perrotminnot #champagne #burgundy #france #frenchwines #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #winebuyer #greatlineup #greatwines

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: Friday at Yakumo

Friday at Yakumo 

Over these past 2 months, Fridays have become the Japanese restaurant night for me. 

I select the wines based on the requested budget and the menu of the day, then serve them to the host and his guests. 

These private dinners usually happen at our Japanese restaurant, Yakumo. 

A small, dark, and fancy place comprising only an L-shaped counter and high stools for about 10 to 12 people maximum, surrounding an open kitchen, where our talented Chef and his team cautiously and meticulously prepare each dish with a precision only known to Master Japanese Chef. 

This past Friday, I served what has become a staple of these Friday night private dinners, the sake from Juyondai Cho Tokusen Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo. 

Juyondai Cho Tokusen Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo. 

It is bold and flavorful, without being too heavy or too sweet, nice balance overall, and has a punchy finish (for my taste, and yet, I like it, but I prefer lighter and softer Sake). 

It usually pairs really well with the flavors of most dishes, unfortunately, it is never easy to please everyone by pairing one Sake with a 10+ dishes menu. So, I also select some champagne, and white and red wines, just in case, and play it by ear. 

This past Friday, besides the Sake, no champagne, nor wine, just a very pleasant red. 

Robert Groffier Père et fils Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Amoureuses" 2018

Really attractive, fruity, friendly nose, ripe, bright red cherry fruits, and floral aromas mingling with earthy and mineral notes. The palate is fresh and zesty, sour, but a good sourness, not the puckering one. After 2 hours of opening, it was really delightful, showing elegance, freshness, and zesty characteristics, a gentle concentration of ripe red wild cherries in a bottle. Loved it. 

Santé! Cheers! 

Dom

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #wine #vin #vino #wein #sake #juyondai @domainerobertgroffier #robertgroffier #burgundy #redwine #tastingnotes #pinotnoir #frenchwine #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: Mise en place...

Mise en place 

I have been buying a lot of Burgundy lately, for various dinners. And, although I am a Bordeaux native, I'm a traitor to my region, as I think that I buy and drink more Burgundy than Bordeaux. 

😅😁👍🍷🍷🍷

Here is a little selection that I will use for up and coming dinners: 

Dugat-Py Mazis Chambertin Grand Cru 2016

Robert Groffier Père et fils Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Amoureusrs" 2018 

Clos de Tart Grand Cru Monopole 2016

Description soon in the following posts. 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom 

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #wine #vin #vino #wein  #burgundy #redwine #frenchwine @dugatpy #dugatpy @domaine.robert.groffier #robertgroffier @closdetart #closdetart

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).