Montrachet & Musigny Dinner

19 August 2011:  Somehow came up with this theme....and it got stuck in my head that we needed to have it materialised! And so it did, in Burgundy's finest form......and we were left in a state of sheer awe and admiration for those unique terroirs and talented men and women of this region, and we felt very fortunate to have been initiated into the mysterious and sometimes elusive ways of Burgundy.

My rather hasty notes on the wines we had:

1985 Krug Collection in magnum: Our bottle number was 1579.  A ripe and beautifully complex nose of brioche, ripe pears, toasted hazelnuts and smoke. Tasted incredibly fresh on the palate, well-balanced, and creamy mousse, with extremely fine-textured bubbles.  A very stylish and impressive champagne.  I had it served in white wine glasses. I could easily drink this all night!  19/20

1985 Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles, Louis Jadot: Classy, sensational and full of vigour, much more youthful than expected. Even with half an hour of decanting (I would have preferred slightly longer), the wine continued to develop in the glass. Light golden in colour.  Acacia, honey, fig, guava, hazelnuts, layered with smoke and spicy gingerbread.  Very firmly structured still, even chewy on the palate.  Very long finish.  We were all so impressed by the freshness, intensity and depth of this wine.  With good cellaring, this wine should have a very long life ahead. Eric, thank you for sharing with us! 19/20

1995 Montrachet, Amiot:  A rather reductive nose initially. Slowly opened up in the glass to take on toast, nutty (almonds), mineral, perhaps less on fruit character, and also gained weight and built up a creamy texture in the glass.  Quite taut and unrelenting still, but a weighty and impressive wine, with nice balance and firm structure.  17/20



The 3 whites

2002 Chevalier-Montrachet, Leflaive: I interjected a course in between the seafood and meat, so that we could refresh our palate....and how decadent of Charles to bring us this refreshing interlude!  Very youthful, but already flaunting its richness, opulence and firm structure.  Mineral, honey, fig, melon and toasty/nutty bouquet.  Totally harmonious, so fresh and vibrant.  A wine with a very promising future!  18/20

1995 Musigny, Comte Georges de Vogüé: Black fruit, spicy, with plenty of undergrowth and mineral character. Still showing firm fine-grained tannin and much refreshing acidity.  Underneath the austere and monastic facade, there is plenty of power and concentration. Very enjoyable now, especially with food, which attenuates the tannic structure, this wine would be drinking for many years ahead.  Thank you so much, Patrick and Debra! 17.5/20

1990 Musigny, Joseph Drouhin: Seductive and sensual, richly complex and intensely deep.  This is Burgundy in charm offensive.  Simply irresistible.  A perfume of black fruit, mocha, hint of animal, and starting to reveal a caramelising middle-aged maturity.  Smooth, velvety on the palate, without loosening up its still firm structure.  A wine with poise and finesse, leaving the drinker in a state of complete bewitchment.  19/20

1990 Musigny, Georges Roumier: An epitome of the sheer class and sophistication of Burgundy's best!  A big and bold wine, with incredibly firm structure, phenomenal elegance!  Red fruit and floral, with nuances of earthy and leather. Silky and intense on the palate, showing much depth, concentration and a highly intellectual character.  Simply stunning and awesome! A wine to meditate over......Sadly the 2 bottles generously contributed by George disappeared rather quickly!  Enjoy this wine now,  and over the next 20+ years......it will age gracefully and effortlessly!  19+/20  (I put this just an edge over the Drouhin but I was equally impressed by both wines and admired them intensely!)

The Musignys

What a treat to enjoy these Musigny bottles!  Totally seductive, enticing, velvety and silky, embodying finesse, harmony, concentration and depth, all framed in firm and even bold structure! 

It was time for cheese - so we also opened a bottle of 1995 Corton-Charlemagne, Rollin for those who prefer their cheese with white wine.....I shall taste it again later....but initial impression, very youthful, quite austere, focus on minerality, and certainly would benefit from time in the glass.


This marvellous line-up was followed by the following dessert wines:

1921 Château Filhot: Bright copper-amber hue.  Bouquet of dried apricots, bitter orange marmalade, gingerbread, coffee and tobacco.  Unfortunately, the palate was very much drying out and the wine seemed rather over the hill for most, except me perhaps who found it quite a nice match with the pungent époisses or the savoury tomme de couserans, with a slightly tart finish - yummy!  15/20



21 Filhot & 76 Climens

 1976 Château Climens: Bright gold-amber hue.  Honey, passion fruit, dried apricots and marmalade.  Full-bodied, luscious, and very rich in texture and flavours, rather low in acidity for my liking (I find it somewhat cloying).  If you have a very sweet tooth, then this is a beautifully aged Barsac that is enjoyable now but will most definitely continue to develop into a glorious nectar with 20+ years of cellaring. Might work better with something savoury.....a piece of very aged Laguiole, Fourme d'Ambert or Roquefort to balance off the sweetness and bring out the savoury. 18.5/20

So there ended our rather indulgent evening......definitely a good sign that we already started planning our next vinous gathering!