Lawyer's Christmas Party featuring France, Italy, Australia.

[JimHow]

The annual lawyer's Christmas Party and I get to bring the wine:

2010 Two Hands Bella's Garden: A crowd favorite, of course. I have to admit I liked it too. 15.5% Number 3 on the WS Top 100 list this year. First sip was a punch in the nose. Like a boulder crashing down. It quickly smoothed out, though, heavily concentrated, inky black, tar. Yummy. I have a bottle that I have laid down.

2007 Brunello Castelgiacondo. Gross. Brunello sucks. A last place finish for me. Acidic, thin.

2009 Jadot 1er Cru. This was the 150th Anniversary bottling. Very forward and accessible, no sharp edges at all, going to pick up some more.

2010 Jadot Merseault. Seems to hit a very nice sweet spot. Kind of like the 2009 red 1er Cru, except white. No hard edges, smooth, I will pick up another bottle or two.

2000 d'Armailhac. Solid on this night. A good drink.

2000 Gruaud Larose. A little tight on the nose at first but everyone loved it. This is a beautiful, classic St. Julien. I don't think it will rise to the level of the 82 or 86 Gruauds, but it has those same layers of complexity in it that characterize those older vintages. This is drinking well now and will continue on for another thirty years.

Later at home, uncorked a 2010 Jadot Clos des Ursules, in the name of science. I knew the 2005 Jadot Clos des Ursules. The 2005 Jadot Clos des Ursules was a friend of mine. You, sir, are no 2005 Jadot Clos des Ursules. I have three bottles left, won't buy any more.

[Chasse-Spleen]

The Burgundy Devils strike again...

[DavidG]

Nice diverse selection of excellent wines for the party.

I don't know much about Burgs, but is there a chance that the '10 Ursules needs some cellar time to show its stuff? Maybe you should put the remaining 3 bottles in a wood case and nail the top shut, Jim.

[JimHow]

Yes the Close des Ursules is a 50 year wine. I drank it ITNOS, as I did with the '05 upon release. The '05 has much better fruit.

[Tom In DC]

(...trying out my BD decoder ring...) "50 year wine" == "completely useless to someone my age"?

Jadot makes a bunch of different Beaune 1er Cru's - back in the 1990 vintage I picked up a wooden 6-pack of different wines, several of which I had never seen before. ( We called a couple of them the Walrus cuvees -- Les Chouacheux and Clos de Couchereaux...) Probably should have done a tasting to try to discern the differences, but they were all consumed one at a time, all very good, and probably all drunk way too young.

Clos des Ursules always seems to be the toughest early on. I have one bottle left of the 1990 -- hopefully it doesn't need another 28 years!

Haven't tried any Jadot yet in 2009 or 2010, but I expect the 09'ers to provide a lot better drinking for the next 20 years or so. Along the lines of 1989 v. 1990 in Bordeaux, perhaps.

[Tom In DC]

Oh yeah, by the way -- Brunello does not suck. Five year old Brunello may be a different story. And it needs food to make any sense at all, preferably pork or fowl off the grill...

[stefan]

>>
Les Chouacheux and Clos de Couchereaux...) Probably should have done a tasting to try to discern the differences, but they were all consumed one at a time, all very good, and probably all drunk way too young.
>>


Jadot Domaine Beaunes are good year in and year out. I never could tell the difference between Les Chouacheux and Clos de Couchereaux, so I sometimes just mixed them together and served a magnum of Jadot Coucheaux to the potatoes watching football.

[Tom In DC]

Too funny, stefan.

[Jay Winton]

I agree with Tom that Brunello does not suck. I'm finding the few 2007s I've tried quite approachable with aeration. 2006 is a hold vintage with great promise, IMO. I credit mrs vino with getting me into these wines.

[JimHow]

I find Italian wines acidic.
Nothing like the balance of Bordeaux, or even Spain.
At the $60 price I paid for this Italian wine, I'd rather have two Meyneys at $30 each, three Charmails at $20 each, or four Cap de Faugeres or Lanessans at $15 each.

[Jay Winton]

Plenty of good Brunellos $40 and under.

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

The 07 Campogiovanni was not acidic and not thin. Neither was it a "fruit bomb" but it was rich. But I'm sure it would receive fire from the traditionalist side of the line.

I had a 97 or 98 Castelgiocondo. It was pretty good but no better than a fine CCR - which is not to damn with faint praise. For me Brunello does suffer somewhat from a very large and perhaps overwhelming mystique. Of course I find that to be the case with a lot of wines people may be gaga over, when I'm like, "yeah, this isn't bad." I hasten to add I realize this mystique may emanate from the very top Brunello or Brunellos and may in fact be warranted as it applies to it/them.