TN: The Billionaire's Wine
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:31 pm
No, I'm not a billionaire and not likely to become one, but just once I wanted to pretend to drink like one. The all-white theme was selected by my guests as a match for the sublime food at Nobu. We also had some sake which I was surprised I liked, but that is available to the masses.
- 1996 Krug Champagne Clos d'Ambonnay - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne (11/23/2010)
Once in a very long time - or more likely, never - you get a chance to taste a wine that is already a legend despite it's youth and priced as such. You yearn to have even a tiny sip, or even a sniff, from someone else's bottle because short of selling all your worldly goods and then some, you cannot imagine acquiring a whole pristine bottle all to yourself. But if you are very lucky, the opportunity comes to barter a substantial part of your carefully assembled wine collection in return for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the dream come true. So just how good is the '96 Krug Clos d'Ambonnay? It's very, very good, nay, great indeed. Bass notes of polished wood, toast, honey form the background of this ambrosia. Deep, dark, rich yet perfectly poised. Amazingly elegant. Power to burn yet seemingly weightless. Mind bending. The only nit to pick would be that it was all over you right from the start, so what you had at hour one is what you had at hour three. Obviously thrilling to drink, and yet, and yet - I would never consider purchasing it with real money, so once in a lifetime will have to suffice. (97 pts.) - 1996 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil - France, Champagne, Le Mesnil Sur Oger, Champagne (11/23/2010)
You think you know what a wine might taste like because you've had many similar examples in the past, at least judging by the label. Then once in a great while, along comes a bottle that changes your perception of the genre. This is one of those wines. Of course it looks like any fine young champagne, light yellow, infinite spray of pinpoint bubbles. But what is this fragrance wafting up from the flute? I can pick out a few familiar scents - wheat, chalk, citrus. But there is much more. Is that white rice? Lilac? It hardly matters because even if you think you nailed it, a few minutes later it is different. Always subtle, always intriguing, even mesmerizing. With this much on display at age 14, I can hardly imagine what the next decade or two will bring. I just hope I am around to find out. (97 pts.) - 2002 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (11/23/2010)
Side-by-side with the arguably oxidized '02 Meursault Perrieres, it was obvious this was indubitably the superior wine. Fabulous combination of the hyper-rich exuberant Coche signature imprinted on the steely elegance of the best parts of the hill of Corton. Compulsively drinkable, delicious in a way only white Burgundy seems to achieve. A fine finish to a spectacular night at Nobu. (95 pts.) - 2002 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru (11/23/2010)
Greg thought this bottle was hopelessly oxidized but I cannot agree. True, it was meek on the nose, but rich and luscious on the palate in that Cocw way. Brown butter and lightly toasted nuts. Thick and rich. Enjoyable, at least to me, but a single, not a home run in Coche terms. (90 pts.)