Excellent wines for my post-birthday dinner

[Nicklasss]

Last night, nice dinner at my friend Jean-Frédéric. Superb meal composed of sea scallops for appetizer and osso buco as main.

We started the night with the Egly-Ouriet Tradition Grands Crus Champagne. Great no vintage Champagne, with lot of character. Light gold with a droplet of pink as color. Creamy nose, yeasty but with some shells, flowers, lemon, and sparkling ginger. Nice nose. In mouth, great bubbles, tasty, balanced, mixture of mineral, ginger, green lemon, with a strong pinot noir structure and fruit on the mid-palate. Red berries and a very very long saline final. Wow! Tn: 93.

With the sea scallops, the 2009 Albert Grivault Meursault 1er Cru Clos des Perrières was excellent. Not very rich for a Meursault, but full of limestone, honey, light wood and vanilla aromas. In mouth, same type of flavors than on the nose, medium body, with a medium long grilled oak and honey final. Excellent. Tn: 91.

With the osso buco, the light tomato sauce requested some italian wines. First was the 2001 Silvio Nardi Manachiara Brunello di Montalcino. A wine to learn about Brunello. Dark red color, still looking young, the nose was a nice mixture of plums, noble wood, balsamic tones, old leather, blackberries, and later in the night a strong beef broth aromas. In mouth, structured, tanin from the noble oak, spicy, cinnamon, darkberries flavors. Big mouth, long, very abundant tanins, perfumed woody smoky plums on the final. Was excellent. Tn: 92. Second wine was the 2007 Tignanello from Antinori. Dark red color, with a superb complex nose of darkberries, smoke, spices, red berries, light vegetal like green pepper, wood. In mouth, thick, balanced, good acidity and ripe tanins, with the fleshy blackberry flavors, blackcherries, leaf. Great texture, good core, some light smoky wood too, but finish is fruity. Is Tignanello the best wine at that price, among all other wines of that price? Seems always great, never shutdown, a fleshy complex concentrated Sangiovese. Tn: 94.

With dessert, the 2009 Royal Tokay 5 Puytonos was also great in his way. Light gold color, complex nose of apricots, orange skin, white flowers, honey, and a very strong, unusual for me, earl grey tea aromas. Like dry tea with bergamot! In mouth, complex, rich sugar, but stay aerial with only 11% alcohol. Flavors of apricots, grilled vanilla, light roasted botritys. Good sweet white flowers flavors too, long and cozy. A real joy to drink. Tn: 92.

All in all, a superb night even if no french red wines... We need that sometime as this is very instructive, and eye opening.

Nic

[JimHow]

Nice.