These notes for two very special wines are from late this past fall, and separated by two months, but I put them together because they both came from the cellar of a dear friend.
Pierre de Champvigne, Les Folatieres 1er Cru, Puligny-Montrachet 1993
Medium golden yellow, very youthful. Excellent, rich nose, subtle but with depth: pinapple, stone fruit, lovely white flower notes, nice hazelnut notes, and stone. On the palate, pinapple, stone fruit, a hint of flowers, butterscotch/hazelnut, prominent orange rind, and stone/mineral; very citrusy. Intense body but lightfooted, ripe but very well structured. Wonderful, aromatic personality. As it opens further, wonderful hazelnut notes emerge, and its intensity and grip are fully revealed. Elegance and power! An exceptional Burg, in fact the finest white Burg I've ever had, and probably the best Chardonnay I've ever had as well. 5 years or more ahead, perhaps up to 10. **** [10/22/11]
Also should add that before the Puligny, we opened a bottle of Chateau de Meursault, Clos du Chateau, Bourgogne 1988, which sadly was corked, but it seemed there was an otherwise sound and possibly very nice wine hiding there, and my friend has another bottle, so we shall see.
Chateau de Beaucastel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1983
My first Beaucastel! Medium-light ruby, ith some browning, going to rose at the rim with hints of orange; very good color, actually. Excellent nose, rather lovely in fact, with rich, dark, somewhat tarry fruit, nicely toned red fruit; excellent aromatics: pleasant amount of bretty earth, fire embers, rose, game, stone/mineral, black olive, and cloves. A great nose, with good density, and wonderful gamey notes. Similar notes on the palate, with rich, sweet, succulent, lovely fruit. Gamey blackberry and dark currant, a bit of kirsch and pleasantly tart red fruit; nicely accentuated fruit. Some orange rind; lovely spice and cloves; and cocoa powder. Almost like a Cotes-de-Nuits red. Still strong and reasonably dense. Excellent, full body, with just a bit of tannic bite left. Holds up perfectly with air. This is in a wonderful place right now, and should hold at this level for a few more years. One of my favorite wines of an extraordinary year. **** [12/28/11]