Yesterday was warm but not as humid as the previous days, so I felt better heading to the city for a Drouhin tasting. A great group met at Amali at the Midtown/UES border for Mouches and more. Amali was packed, so it was a bit tight, but it worked out in the end.
2005 Drouhin “Folatieres”Puligny-Montrachet 1er
Some disagreement on this one, it struck me as ripe and full, others thought it lean. Though it was ripe to me, I thought there were nice balancing acids and a good long minerally finish. A-/B+
2011 Drouhin “Clos des Mouches” Beaune 1er blanc
Beautiful, crisp and stony, with just a whisper of oak. A bit coiled, but I enjoy now, and would expect to get even better. A-
2009 Drouhin “Clos des Mouches” Beaune 1er blanc
A bit rounder, more fruit (pear) driven, with some hazelnut. B/B+
1983 Drouhin “Clos des Mouches” Beaune 1er blanc
Ok, so color was a bit dark, and nose was quite oxidized, but I found this interesting on the palate. Pear, dried fruits, and nuts, with lingering acids and a chalky note. Josh says more tired than other bottles. A C on the nose and a B on the palate, let’s say C+
My main was grilled half chicken with persillade (or maybe it was a parsley salad., or tabbouleh sans bulgur, who knows)
1976 Drouhin “Clos des Mouches” Beaune 1er
Roasted and caramelly, better on palate that nose. Quite round and soft, red fruit is a bit tired. B-/C+
1987 Drouhin “Greves” Beaune 1er
Pretty, fragrant, elegant. Maybe more feminine than the Mouches. Black cherry, citrus zest. A-
1985 Drouhin “Clos des Mouches” Beaune 1er
Soft, warm red fruits, fully mature, good but at least this bottle is drink up. B+/A-
1986 Drouhin “Clos des Mouches” Beaune 1er
Quite divisive, with tangy/sharp acids. But I felt there was a good core of dark cherry fruit and interesting earthy notes. My expectations for ‘86 Burg were quite low (though had a lovely Mugneret Ruchottles a couple years ago), so this performed well above my expectations. B
2008 Drouhin “Clos des Mouches” Beaune 1er
This was a bit coiled, but a pretty wine. Black cherry, citrus zest, spicy with a bright acidic base. Think this will get better. B+ for now
2010 Drouhin “Clos des Mouches” Beaune 1er
Tannic, ripe, closed. B for drinking now, but A- for potential.
We got some cheese (an American cow and an Italian cow/sheep) to finish.
2002 Drouhin “Clos des Mouches” Beaune 1er
Beautiful black cherry and raspberry fruit, balanced tannins and acids, some herbal notes. Full and powerful but with elegance. A-
2002 Drouhin Clos Vougeot
Also ripe and full, but at moment not as open as the Mouches. In glass develops some smoky notes, I like this a lot. B +/A-
Really fun night. I was a fan of the wines. Nice group, and the beefy boys handled the “we’re out of ribeye, how about flank steak” with humor. Amali staff was trying hard, and the bill was very reasonable.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. 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.