I attended a tribute dinner to a friend and wine mentor of mine, Albert Givton, who has enhanced the tasting careers of many wine aficionados in this area. It was held at Bistro Pastis in Vancouver, and each of us brought a good bottle for our table. There was also quite a bit of swapping of tastes of this or that that went on.
First, our bottles:
2005 Dauvissat Chablis Les Clos – first, the good. Some nice lime notes in the nose, and clean and balanced in the mouth with a medium long finish. Then the bad. I find that lovers of white Burgundies have for the most part trained themselves to either ignore high levels of sulfur in these wines, or have even come to believe that it is a good thing, like a bit of oak in a red. I disagree. Sulfur is an adulterant and detracts (for me) from the impression that this sort of wine makes on me, so reduces the impact a wine like this would otherwise have on me.
1998 Dominique Laurent Clos de la Roche (magnum) – fairly dark colour without significant paling at the edges, a very nice strawberry nose with some oak and spice, a sweet entry, good fruit levels and soft tannin. Has time!
1987 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet – first bottle I’ve opened since I bought this on release. Still dark, and showing a nicely oaked nose with a bit of mint and blackberry. On palate, still a big wine, weighty in the mouth and with excellent fruit levels, and balance and a nice long finish. Good showing. Probably the only 80s vintage that is still holding and not at least in slight decline – this one may still be on the way up, in fact.
2000 Grand Puy Lacoste – very good fruit in this nose, cassis and smoke, and good initial acidity in the mouth, with medium length. Good drinking now.
1997 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard – lots of mint in this one, as would be expected, plus black cherry and cassis which carried through on palate. Good length with a nice coffee\mocha note at the end. Slightly low acidity, which may tend to shorten the window on this one compared to the old style vintages.
1986 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard – speaking of which, this one happened to cross my path….dark, but with garnet edges now. Lots of mint in the nose, along with eucalyptus, dark cherry and a little earthiness. Good fruit levels and better balance than the 97, with a commendably long finish. At peak.
1982 Figeac – this wine has always impressed me – a friend swapped a bottle of 82 Cheval for two bottles of this once and I applauded his move! Warm toasty nose with elements of forest floor and vanilla. Still exhibiting significant tannin, though now soft and superb balance. In amazing shape and has some years to go.
1982 Mouton Rothschild - much better bottle than a previous one I'd tasted - excellent cigar box and smoky mushroom nose, and superb fruit and length.
1990 Dom Perignon – too bad – no fizz, a mid yellow colour and a marmalade nose with slight oxidation. My have seen some heat at some point in its life.
1983 Pichon Lalande (magnum) – sweet red fruit nose with some earth, stone fruit and tobacco. Quite well balanced and with a pleasant sweet note at the end. Wonder how this would show out of single bottle….
1999 d’Yquem – medium yellow, with the usual sweet lemony botrytis nose, not a super sweet Yquem, but a nicely melded one that drinks very well now. Honey and melon notes came out with swirling. Perhaps not an epic Yquem, but nonetheless a very enjoyable bottle.
1845 Cossart Gordon Centenary Bual Solera Madeira (bottled 1945) – Madeiras are immortal wines that come oreoxidized so do not suffer the same development curve as table wines do. They also have a another quirk, being one of the few wines that show a green tinted edge! Slightly spirit and with an orange peel and almond nose, which segued into candy/toffee notes on palate. Medium length. Always a pleasure to taste these wines, although my preference is for a Sercial.