Spring weekend in Paris

[Comte Flaneur]

I was in Paris on business on Friday which provided the perfect excuse to hook up with Tim that evening, with Maureen taking the afternoon train to join us. Tim arranged a reservation at Le Gaigne, a splendid restaurant in the eighth arrondissement. He only said he might bring a 1976 a Clos De Beze and a 1975 Pauillac, among options. As it turned out he most generously brought a long a 1975 Ch. Mouton Rothschild and a 1976 Mommessin Grand Cru. 

With the tasting menu we had five wines (it was Friday after all...)

Flight one:

Mommessin Chambertin Clos De Beze 1976

It had a low ullage on the shoulder and the cork crumbled. However the colour was a bright, healthy deep garnet. It started off a bit flat and acidic (balsamic?) but then it started to put on weight and become more interesting and expressive. It had some saline notes, earthiness and suggestion of forest floor...or something like that. The fruit had fled the scene some while ago but this was still very much alive and open for business. Given that few of 1976s made old bones, its condition was impressive. However it was a wine that I frankly struggled with and perhaps failed to grasp. Tim and Maureen got more enjoyment out of this than I did. 

Ponsot Clos De La Roche Vieille Vignes 1997

A noticeably younger more fruit driven style, this also continued to improve over the evening. In five years from now this will be quite splendid, as it moves more decisively into its secondary/tertiary phase. It could have benefitted from being served a little cooler, but this is a very good CdlR from an under-appreciated vintage. 

Flight two:

Pichon Lalande 1989

Surprisingly reticent on the nose, this wine did not really sing for some reason. Full-bodied and somewhat monolithic it had a powerful core of fruit and a dense gravelly middle palate, so the ingredients are there. It was a bit broody and probably needs more time. Given recent rave reviews elsewhere I suspect this was an off bottle, but it wasn't obviously flawed. 

Chateau Palmer1985

This, in contrast to its flight mates, was singing straight out of blocks. It had an absolutely gorgeous truffle-infused nose, which was absolutely to die for. You won't encounter a better nose anywhere. The pleasure carried on to the palate, where it was medium-full bodied, refined and poised. An absolutely cracking bottle of Palmer, comfortably the wine of the flight, and indeed wine if the night. But was it wine of the weekend? Read on....

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1975

This Mouton was more Benedictine than exuberant, more Rodin than Warhol (who's artwork adorns the label). The entry and palate are hushed and dignified, as if entering a monastery. Or, as you enter a drawing room in a country manor with a lone figure sat looking out of the window contemplating the rich tapestry of life, and the next one to come. As we paid homage to this venerable first growth, memories of the previous two encounters came flooding back: one a maestro-like rendition on a balmy English Solstice evening in 2006, and the other a more challenging experience with BWE in NYC in 2010 when it suffered some kind of cardiac arrest. This august treasure was in better shape than the one carried out by the pallbearers in 2010, but didn't quite scale the heights of the one in 2006. 

On Saturday night we ate Le Bon George in the ninth arrondissement. We brought along two wines.

Etienne Sauzet, Puligny Montrachet, 1er Cru Les Referts 2011

We brought this from Ambassade De Bourgogne in the sixth arrondissement (Odeon). Light, bright, precise and vibrant, this is a thrilling, steely Puligny, overlaid with minerals, stones and bright citrus fruits. Drinking superbly well already, it went down a treat with gently warmed oysters and shallots...hand carpaccio of beef with Parmesan infused with olive oil. This Sauzet epitomised what is special about Puligny Montrachet.

Chateau Leoville Lascases 1988

A svelte, medium-bodied Leoville Lascases with the accent on refinement rather than power. This is in a perfect place right now. It has impeccable poise and breeding with notes of tobacco and freshly tilled earth. This is a Lascases that you can pop and pour with enormous pleasure. The fruit is there but it just takes a back seat to the secondary/tertiary flavour profile. This was Maureen's favourite wine of the weekend, just ahead of the 1985 Palmer. I had the Palmer a nose ahead of the Lascases. 

[Comte Flaneur]

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[tim]

Thanks, Comte, for the enjoyable dinner and excellent wines.

My notes are in no way as elegant as Comte's...

For the Burgundy flight, I had a slight preference for the Chambertin Clos de Beze. For me, the Ponsot was just too tight, it wasn't opening up even though you knew there is something special there. The Clos de Beze came out relatively strong, but improved over the course of the hour or so that we were tasting it. I picked up some green on the Ponsot as well. I have a couple bottles of the 95, and I'm curious how they are doing, but I wasn't overwhelmed by the 97.

For the Bordeaux flight, the weakest of the bunch was the 89 Pichon Comtesse by a long mile. The 85 Palmer was stunning, but I would put it neck and neck with the 75 Mouton. I thought the Mouton was more expressive out of the gate, but the Palmer just kept getting better and better. In the end, my WOTN preference was the 75 Mouton by a hair, followed by the Palmer then the Chambertin.

And of course, Le Gaigne performed fantastically. I am just disappointed that they are going to start closing on Saturdays so that we can't visit them during the Paris stopover of Bordeaux 2015. If anyone visits Paris, I highly recommend this restaurant!

[stefan]

Sounds like a great evening. Wish I had been there.

I have not had a '97 Ponsot, but Ponsot underperformed in both '95 and '96.

It is bad news that Le Gaigne has gotten so successful that they will close on Saturday. I hope they don't stop allowing you to bring in wine.

[tim]

Stefan, it isn't that they have gotten so successful, it is that Saturdays are still empty there. They do most of their business midweek.

But when we talked to them about BYOB, the Chef was absolutely enthusiastic about it. So I think it is all good! A rarity in Paris.

I think their location is great for business lunches and some dinners, but isn't a great location for seeking out gastronomique restaurants. Which is a shame because they really have done a splendid job, and improved since the last time we were there.

[stefan]

Hmm. Maybe they should advertise on oenophile boards that they allow corkage on Saturday. There are many wine geeks in Paris who are looking for places that have corkage.

[Comte Flaneur]

Its extraordinary how we can have such radically different takes on the same wines. I guess that contributes to the fun and intrigue of tasting older wines. I suppose it depends on how one approaches these things. Standard quantitative tasting metrics somehow don't seem appropriate when first you are trying to detect a pulse and then trying to uncover some quixotic qualities, real or imagined. I thought the Palmer was the most impressive wine in the Bordeaux flight, not by a whisker but by a country mile. I have tried it and the Mouton several times before and they are characterised by significant bottle variation. I must admit my expectation was that the Pichon Lalande , a wine I have had less exposure to, was going to run away with the flight in a canter, based on recent reviews I have read, but as they say there are only good bottles at such an age.

Regarding the Ponsot Bill, I sold my cases of 1995 and 1996 Clos De La Roche, something I regret doing, because my friends tell me they have metamorphosed from the lacklustre wines they were in their youth, as only red burgundy can. The 1997 Ponsots have always been good in my opinion and have continued to improve gradually. I would put the 1997s roughly on a par with the 2000s, a bit behind the 2001s and some distance behind the astonishingly good 1999s and 2002s - a group of us compared these vintages of Ponsot and Dujac three years ago. I don't ever remember encountering any green notes in the 1997 CdlR.

[stefan]

Don't feel bad about selling your '95 & '96 Ponsot CdlR, Ian. I have drunk both within the last couple of years. They are not bad but do not have much stuffing.

[AlexR]

I have a bottle of 88 LLC and was wondering if it was time to pop the cork or if it the wine was even past it.

You've convinced me that this is in a good place now.

Alex R.

[Comte Flaneur]

Alex: The great thing about 88 LLC is that it is in a perfect place right now. In my opinion a surprising number of 1988s need drinking soon or are past their best...there was a discussion about this on another forum you may have seen...this one should hang on for longer but there is no reason to delay gratification. But unless of dodgy provenance I wouldn't worry about it falling apart.

[AKR]

That is an awesome lineup, and great photos.

Corkage in Paris, also awesome.

Are the 1985 vintage wines more prevalent, available in Europe?

In the US they always seemed a touch harder to find.

[keith prothero]

Nice write up Ian and good to see that you posts notes on Burgundy,not just Bordeaux !! The Ponsot CDLR is one of those wines,that just seems to need years and years. I have tried the 90,93 and 95 but none were ready for my palate, and am sitting on two cases of 99 which I think I will need to sell ,as it will not be ready for 20 years !!
Love the 85 vintage with my favourite being Cheval Blanc . Must organise an 85 dinner when get back.

[dstgolf]

Alex,

We enjoyed the 88 LLC in Denver recently in the Fall with Blanquito and his posee. Lovely wine,classic St Julien and in a very good place at the moment. No issues with drinking up now and not saying that this is going to whither any time soom it certainly is extremely enjoyable now so why wait.

Danny

[Comte Flaneur]

Arv

In London you can buy almost anything...for example this is the 1985 selection at a large merchant:

http://www.farrvintners.com/winelist.ph ... ntage=1985

The prices look OK to me - good bottles of La Conseillante and LLC are to die for.

This Palmer was from a batch I bought from a friend in North London. We bought six 1985s and six 1986s...they are quite variable...Keith I had one of the 1985s with Nigel Platts in July and it was ponderous and a bit green...in contrast to this one which was magnificent...the 1986s have shown similar variation between ho hum and astonishing.

Yes Keith always up for a 1985 horizontal...

Re the Ponsot we did a Dujac Ponsot comparison at the Square in January 2012 and the 1999s were magnificent and surprisingly accessible. I have a mixed case of the 1999 too...I am going to try to wait 5-10 years...but they are approachable now.