Our monthly wine tasting group experienced one of the finest evenings in the storied history of its existence since 1988. We were more than graciously hosted by one of our member`s son in his magnificent residence offering stellar views of the nearby mountains and ocean. We were treated to an unbelievable starter wine [see 1976 below], quality appetizers including meats, cheeses, fruit, olives and more which was way beyond our more often cheese and crackers palate cleansers. The completeness of the night was enhanced by our wine theme of Grand Cru red Burgundy and capped off by our host`s magnum of Champagne and a dessert wine afterwards. Here we go:

1976 DOMAINE GUY ROULOT MEURSAULT CHARMES- 1.5L; the gold color was to be expected for a 36 year old wine; what followed was not anticipated; this was simply superb; pleasing in every way, it was creamy rich and oily carrying wonderful honeysuckled pear, apple and apricot fruit from the nose through the long finish; it was seamless, beautifully evolved, complex and balanced perfectly; 12 of us did not leave a drop and this is the pre wine; I wondered how this would compare to the 1973 of this wine that was entered in the Judgment of Paris?

1997 DAUVISSOT LES CLOS CHABLIS- a nice thought on the part of the one who brought it, unfortunately it was oxidized.

We now have 2 flights of 6 GC red Burgs in brown bags, scored and rated for flight placement.

1st flight:

1989 HOSPICES DE BEAUNE CORTON CUVEE CHARLOTTE DUMAY [producer unknown]- corked

1996 HOSPICES DE BEAUNE CORTON CUVEE DOCTEUR PESTE by DOMINQUE LAURENT- laden with Brett, so much so I could not get beyond it.

2002 BOUCHARD BONNES MARES- we deserved this after the last 2; I loved it out of the gate; it had a wonderful spicy, inviting nose suggesting big time pleasure is forthcoming and it was; fresh ripe strawberry/ raspberry flavors dominate as the smooth silky texture carries it over the palate and continues to deliver though the long finish; nice balance, good complexity and amazingly delicious; my and the consensus #2 wine of the flight= WOTF.

2001 HUBERT LIGNIER CLOS DE LA ROCHE- decanted for 2 hours, this wine is still searching for its identity; it`s got all the stuff, it`s just not yet integrated and needs a few years to do so; there`s serious amount of red and black fruit, some wild; a touch of talc and great acidity and depth to carry this forward for many years to come; if I had this in my cellar, I`d revisit in 10+ years; my #3 WOTF as well as the others.

2007 MONGEARD MUGNERET GRANDS ECHEZEAUX- the WOW factor exploded with this one as I brought the glass up for a nose which upon further investigation was redolent with spicy strawberry and raspberry notes and a hint of black pepper, all of which moved on into the mid palate and way beyond; soft and smooth, it pleases no end and on that note, the finish goes on forever; I`m so happy I bought some of this without having any knowledge of the quality it possess; my #1 WOTF as well as the others and for me, #2 WOTN; I`ll seek more and lay some down and open a few to enjoy what it is offering now.

1993 BERTRAND AMBROISE CORTON LE ROGNET- this is big and bold and intense; there`s a lot of good red/ black fruit, a touch of talc, and great complexity; certainly tasty, until it nears the end and finishes very dry and tannic which prevents it from being in the top 3 of the flight.

2nd flight:

2003 JADOT BONNES MARES- this was decent, not outstanding; there`s some nice minty wild red fruit in a medium body; it`s pleasant on the palate and has good length; I`ve had a few others of this and this bottle was not representative of the best of them.

2005 DOMAINE MOILLARD CLOS DE VOUGEOT- this seemed a little on the green side of things; there`s some minty character amidst some sweet, wild good red fruit, all of which finishes very tannic; even at that, it was my #3 in the flight and the groups 4th.

2010 FREDERIC ESMONIN MAZIS CHAMBERTIN- decanted for 8 hours, this youngster showed some real pazazz; major oakiness in the nose and at the outset which included some spicy red cherry, it moved on into a delightful expression of strawberry, raspberry and a hint of chocolate; it`s big and robust and looking for some semblance of balance and order which it will achieve in a few years, if not decades; I liked this more for what it will become and what it has to suggest for such and rated in #2 WOTF, as did the consensus.

2001 JACQUES FREDERIC MUGNIER MUSIGNY- an amazing wine; it just kept getting better and better in the glass offering rich black cherry and berry fruit with great depth and complexity, all delivered in a smooth, silky texture and thankfully, long finish; this is one of the best GC red Burgs I`ve had in the past few months and should be a top notch wine for a long time; my #1 in this flight which was echoed by all; also, my #1 WOTN [for red Burgundy; the Roulot may be tied for the night`s winner].

2007 LATOUR CORTON- with a tough act to follow, this started off real slow and did not have a lot to offer, the nose was muted at first and then when the wine did open up, the fruit reminded of jujubes as I think back into early youth days and going to the Saturday afternoon matinees; although it was fruit good, it was very tannic at the end; I got it as #5 WOTF as did the others.

2004 FAIVELEY EXHEZEAUX- here`s another case where this wine might shine on its own, but with so many stellar wines already on the palate, this one falls short of making the grade; there`s some nice complex black currant/ cherry/ berry notes with depth, but the tannins overwhelm the palate from the midway on; it needs time to evolve and integrate and even then, I`m not sure what we`ll have; all got this as #6 WOTF.

After 2 pre tasting wines and 12 GC red Burgs, our host pulls out a:

NV DE MERIC CATHERINE LE MEDICIS- 1.5L; MEDICIS CUVEE PRESTIGE- from Ay, this is a blend of 50% chardonnay, 50% pinot noir mostly, if not all from 1995-1996 vintages; this is my 2nd experience of this bubbly and thankfully so; it is simply wonderful and charming with elegance and class; amidst its fine acidity, it gives up some mild spicy, salt and pepper which is blended into the citrusy notes; pleasing from the nose throughout the nice finish and begs for more pours for which I obliged.

1983 RIEUSSEC SAUTERNES- certainly a treat to end a stellar evening; it was think and oily, creamy rich with layers of apricot, pear and pineapple to send us home with something to remember a great night with the group as it
coated the palate for hours.

As I`ve said many times, I could do this once a week.

Cheers