A newcomer in my top X list

[Nicklasss]

This weekend, it was the canadian thanksgiving. Two dinners planned, with friends and family, time to open some nice wines.

Saturday night, we were invited at my friend's place Jean-Frédéric, the same one who attend the 2014 BWE convention in DC with me. JF and his wife cooked a very nice meal, avocado and shrimps for starter and duck for main. We opened two marvellous wines to go with the meal.

First, I opened a bottle that Jal gave me, when I attended his first édition of his pool party, the 2001 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Combettes. 14 years after the vintage, that wine was just gorgeous, and very "Leflaive". Light told color, very complex nose of limestone, light lemongrass, hazelnuts, butter, flowers, and very light pears. In mouth, great attack, lots of character in that oily Chardonnay. Flavors of limestone, marzipan, honey, light vanilla, white peaches. Very tasty and long final on rocky minerals. A complex and complete experience. Thanks to Jal for that bottle. Tn: 94-95.

With the duck, JF opened a today and future légende wine, that after the fact of having taste it, i can just be amazed. The 2003 Chave Hermitage is just an amazing wine. Amazing on all facettes. Dark red color, nose is kaleidoscopic, with meat, spices, concentrated cherries, concentrated prunes, rock, dark red berries, something medicinal, creosote, black pepper. A super nose. Mouth is concentrated, complex, balanced, very long. All the best thing of a concentrated Syrah. Yes pruney, but with strong ripe currants jam, minerals. Strong tannins, with very ripe rasberries, blackcurrants, and meat. Long perfumed finish, with fruit and smoke. As much as I liked the 2001 Guigal La Mouline early this year, or the 2011 Stephan Coteau de Tupin, the Hermitage is even better. A Monster, and the best red I had this year, and probably enter my top 15 or top 10 list. Long life ahead. Tn: 96-97+.

We finished the dinner with the 2011 Duclaux La Germine Côte-Rotie. Started a bit simple on vanilla oak and Black pepper, but niçe evolution in the next 90 minutes. Nose became more complex, with sweet red berries, spices, black pepper, light violet flowers. In mouth, well done for a 2011, but if course suffered from following the Hermitage. Still, excellent mouth, with elegance, nice fruit, mineral, light vanilla, spices and creamy ripe red cherries. Decent length. Tn: 89-90.

A very great evening, with excellent friends and great wines encountered.

Nic

[AKR]

Holy smokes. An 03 Chave?!!

[AlexR]

Nic,

Thanks for sharing your notes.

I have one bottle of Chave in my cellar, from 1999.

I'm really surprised at the showing of the Duclaux.
Perhaps on its own another day it would have shone.

All the best,
Alex