On Jul 1, 1:34*pm, DaleW > wrote:
> Craig was celebrating his 39.96th birthday (as he will be away on his 40th), a nice crowd gathered at Sarah’s spacious midtown west apartment to celebrate. Lovely apartment, cool cat, good group. Food was a barbecue smorgasbord - brisket, beef ribs, pulled pork, and pork ribs- plus baked beans, potato salad, broccoli, and more. I was not taking extemporaneous notes, and probably missed quite a few wines (and maybe some designations). There were still quite a few dessert wines to be opened when Mark, Nancy, and I exited a bit before midnight.
>
> More impressions than notes:
>
> Bubbles
> 1979 Lanson (mag)- fresh, complex, though with a little cheesy note that put off some. I quite liked. A-
>
> 1990 Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle
> This was perfectly correct, but didn’t really grab me. B
>
> Bordeaux (blanc and rouge)
> 1985 Domaine de Chevalier blanc (mag)
> One of my wines of the night, and a reminder of how good white Bordeaux can be. Wax, lemon, fig - deep and complex. A-
>
> 1970 Pichon Lalande (3L)
> Lovely wine- and plenty of it! Cassis fruit and cigarbox, this is elegant and long. A-/A
>
> 1970 Magdelaine
> Two bottles of this, the first excellent, the second very very good. Deep, full, and long. A-
>
> 1982 Magdelaine
> Double-decanted before I left home. Full, pretty, but a tad more mature than I think a perfect bottle should be, and without the depth and elegance of the ‘70. B+/B
>
> Rioja (red)
> 1970 Marques de Murrieta “Ygay” Gran Reserva (mag)
> a bit of VA on first pouring, but calmed down nicely. Cherries and earth, pretty high acids.. Others liked less than I did. B+/B
>
> 1976 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia
> As good a bottle as I’ve had of this classic, showing quite nicely, smoky and spicy. A-
>
> There was a good not great 1989 Rioja, missed label.
>
> Burgundy (blanc and rouge)
> 1972 Roumier “Les Amoureuses” Chambolle-Musigny 1er
> Sadly this was quite decrepit imho. C+
> 1988 Faiveley “Close de la Marechal” Nuits St. George 1er
>
> Others seemed to like more than me. The combination of vintage, appellation, and producer combined to a sum of clunky and a little funky to me. B-
>
> 1998 Lafon Volnay-Santenots du Milieu 1er
> Pretty, fresh, a little sandalwood note, but overall oak is quite integrated. A-/B+
>
> 2005 H. Boillot “Clos de la Mouchere” Puligny-Montrachet 1er (mag)
> Young, rich, exotic. Barring premox should age, but I quite enjoyed it young. B+/A-
>
> Other Reds
> 1962 BV “Beaumont” Pinot Noir
> A bit of a longshot, I just carried this to average out to 1972 for Craig’s *birthday. PnP, this still has some fruit but it’s more “generic old wine” than anything interesting. C+
>
> 1972 Ch. Musar
> VA, a touch of barnyard, and fruit a bit reticent, but I actually liked more than others. B/B-
>
> 1988 Ch. Musar
> This seems a bit mute, the dominant aroma is polish, others like more. B-
>
> 1994 Ch. Rayas
> I’ve liked this better before, it seemed more overtly Grenachey than most Rayas, everyone else loved. B
>
> Other Whites
> 1978 Trefethen Chardonnay (mag)
> This is actually shockingly lively, though I didn’t find the complexity that others found. B
>
> 1982 Trimbach “Clos Ste. Hune” Riesling
> Ginger and grapefruit, a little softer than some CSH vintage, but nice length. There was also a 89 CSH (VT I assume) which I recall liking my tiny pour, but I was apparently distracted.
>
> There was a lovely bottle of one of the Lambruschi Vermentinos, but never got chance to check vintage and bottling, but quite a nice wine. The only dessert wine I tried was a 1971 Burklin-Wolf BA (I think, and didn’t get vineyard) that was dark, deep, and delicious.
>
> Fun night, glad to be there to help Craig celebrate, very generous of Sarah to offer her apartment, and for the group for bringing interesting wines and conversation.
>
> 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.

You know I'm a sucker for Domaine de Chevalier Blanc so I envy you! I
have a couple bottles of 2005 Boillot whites that I overlooked but
need to drink as I fear premox in every bottle of white Burgundy these
days so I'm glad this one was OK. Nice notes thanks