FoodBanter.com - TN: Bunch of Clos de Vougeot, with a pink port and 2nd? Sauternes

It was Drew's turn to host SOBER, but he did it at Mark's home due to
space/baby reasons. A lovely low-humidity evening, we gathered and
admired Nancy's gardening while sipping Prosecco. Once everyone was
there we sat down to a run through some wines from Clos de Vougeot.
Thanks to Drew and Mark for arranging an informative and fun tasting.

1985 Mongeard-Mugneret Clos Vougeot
Quite brown when poured, but color brightened with a little time. Very
sweet nose with caramel and herbs, a touch of sourness/gaminess on
palate. I'm not wild about this at first, but it picks up steam and
last sip before next flight is better. At end of the night much more
refined and complete. Good, not great. B

1985 Daniel Rion Clos Vougeot
Younger color, nose of spicy licorice, nice lively fresh fruit. I like
this better at first, but doesn't progress much through evening. B

(there was a very tasty chicken tortilla soup served about here)

1995 Gros Frere & Souer "Musigni" Clos de Vougeot
I admit to some prejudice here, not sure how much it affected my take.
I bought some mixed Gros Frere "Musigni" a few years ago, and have
been consistently disappointed. This kept my streak going. Very mature
for 13 year old Grand Cru, round, bland cherries, a little woody note.
A thought heavy and dull. Others liked more than I. C+

1991 Faiveley Clos de Vougeot -corked, massively corked.

1999 Roberty Arnoux Clos de Vougeot
Initially served quite cool, as a replacement for the corked bottle.
Good acids, spice and black cherry, young, structured. I held some for
a while, a little smoky as it warmed but not showing a huge amount. B/B
+

1990 Hudelot-Noellat Clos de Vougeot
Ah, this is more like it. Nose of earth, ferric minerals, blood and
smoke. On the palate a fleshy plate of warm (but not roasted) fruit-
plums and black cherries. Nice structure, enough acids to balance,
good length. Gets a chocolate edge at end, a bit exotic. Very nice and
my WOTN for now. A-

(along came some lamb chops and a potato/carrot/parsnip mash)
1996 Hudelot-Noellat Clos de Vougeot
Brisk acids, bright rapsberry and cherry. Well structured, clean,
tasty, but needs time. B+

1997 Hudelot-Noellat Clos de Vougeot
My immediate reaction is that it's rounder and less bright than the
'96. Mark gets some TCA, and once I notice it I can't get past it. A
bit of discussion about how much one can tell about a lightly corked
wine, personally once I get the taint it really distracts me from any
meaningful thoughts.

1999 Hudelot-Noellat Clos de Vougeot
Now this is a young beauty. Earthy, darker fruits, very balanced
acids. I really like those, though I don't get as much minerality as
the '90 & '96. Mark feels those elements will come out more with time.
Lovely, long, and evolves nicely with time. I'm guessing this will be
great in 10-20 years. A-

(some cheeses made an appearance, with a very ripe Camembert and some
tasty harder cheeses)

2000 Hudelot-Noellat Clos de Vougeot
Another 2000 that's drinking beautifully now. Midweight, not the depth
and concentration of the '90/'96/'99, but a forward balanced wine
with lovely red fruit and distinct soil notes. B+

1999 Girardin Clos de Vougeot
Ripe and modern, showing some vanillin oak. Not particularly big, but
I'm very surprised to hear someone else describe as thin. Balanced
acidity, very light tannic note. B

Some quite good wines here, though I'm not sure I have any clearer
idea of a CdV terroir signature. All in all, the lesson was again
producer, producer, producer. To me the Hudelot-Noellats all showed
that Clos de Vougeot can truly be GC wine, if not top-tier GC. Thanks
to Drew and Mark (who raided his cellar a couple of time for
replacements for the corked bottles)

There were a couple of late pours of sweeter stuff. My palate was
probably shot at this point even though I was spitting/dumping, but I
didn't care for either:

2000 Le Dauphin de Guiraud (Sauternes)
I'm assuming second wine of Guiraud. Sweet, canned peaches and
apricots, some botrytis, short. Others liked more than I did. B-/C+

Croft Pink Porto
Yep, rosé port. In an Ott-esque bottle. Reminds me of white Zinfandel
with a dollop of brandy. Sweet, empty, hot. Actually label says serve
cold or on ice, maybe better not at room temp. C

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
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