Notes on the bonus wines from last night at The Wine Museum.
Champagne Henriot Rose Brut NV - Attractive pale salmon color. Full, strawberry and raspberry. Fresh and rather fruity on the finish. Very good.
Champagne Henriot Blanc de Blancs NV - Medium-bodied. Baking spices. Very dry, refreshing, lemon rind on the impressively long finish. Excellent.
We also had two wines "inherited" by Philippine Wine Merchants when they took over the wine retail operations of a major supermarket chain. Our expectations were tempered by the less than stellar cellaring conditions of these wine (they were just stored in one of the offices) but 2 of them proved to be rather resilient.
Schramsberg J Schram 1996 - Sweetish, deep flavor. Coffee and a little caramel. A little short, though. Certainly not in top condition and really should be drunk up but still rather interesting.
Laboure-Roi Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaumes 2002 - Color like Sauternes. Strong corn aroma. Zero fruit and very heavy. Oxidized. Too bad.
Laboure-Roi Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 1999 - Ronnie detected some bottle stink from the initial pour but it had blown off by the time it was poured into the other glasses. Leather, a bit of prune. Quite ripe fruit. Just a touch of oxidation. Earth. Arnie got mushrooms as well. Got more complex after 30 minutes in the glass. Mint leaf. Good complexity. Generally soft and easy on the palate but develops a firm finish. Very well balanced. Could actually even age a bit more I think although it's a great drink now. Maybe not Grand Cru quality but it's certainly an excellent example of Burgundy. There are maybe 6 more bottles left and they will be stored properly. Excellent.