Offline in Denver

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jal
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Offline in Denver

Post by jal »

Jill and I met yesterday with blanquito and two of his friends at a small Denver eatery. We all brought a bunch of wines very surreptitiously into the establishment and enjoyed a wonderful evening full of laughs, friendship, great food and delicious wines.

We started with a champagne off the list. A Pinot Noir extra brut from Ay that was great as an aperitif, I can't remember the name of the producer (help me out here, Patrick) but that was an excellent opening.

We then had with the appetizers a 2014 Michel Niellon Chassagne Montrachet 1er les Champgains, nose is a little subdued and doesn't have the typical tropical notes of the last Niellons I drank, but the wine is clean, focused and vibrant with a strong core of fruit.

We continued with a 2004 Weingut Knoll Riesling Smaragd Ried Loibenberg Loibner. Quite a mouthful both to pronounce and taste, and one of my rare forays into Austrian wines. Very nice, quite dry and fruity but I have very little experience with these and can't really judge it except to say that it was very enjoyable.

We then opened a 1989 Grattamacco along with a 1998 Figeac, the Italian wine was quite ready, and even advanced, I wouldn't wait too long on it, it had a good balance of fruit and acidity but ended with a strong metallic finish. The Figeac was excellent, still quite young, a but rustic, strong Cabernet element with very good core of fruit. Not surprising, it is quite restrained compared to other st emilions from that year, old school and delicious.

With entrées, we drank a 1995 Duhart Milon and a 1983 Lynch Bages.
The Duhart though much younger than the Lynch was a lot more advanced, tannins completely resolved, smooth texture, a good entry but finishes very abruptly, a little lighter weight than expected, I would drink them sooner rather than later.

The Lynch was textbook Pauillac with earth, cedar and tobacco notes, a great structure, excellent fruit, a long finish, it probably has years ahead, my favorite wine of the evening. Thanks Patrick for bringing it, it had been too long since I last drank one of these.

With dessert, we finished with a 1986 Rieussec, dark color, fully resolved, caramel and botrytis, very nice but we ended on a high with a 1990 Schoffit Pinot Gris Rangen Clos Saint-Theobald Selection de Grains Nobles, one of the better dessert wines I've had these last few months. With layers of flavors, impeccable balance and a fantastic finish.

Thanks to Patrick for organizing and bringing delicious wines, hope to see you again soon. We enjoyed meeting Steve and Tim and I can't say enough good things about the restaurant as well, we had a splendid meal and were very impressed by the Denver food scene.
Best

Jacques
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JimHow
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by JimHow »

It brings a tear to my eye that my friends are drinking Lynch Bages at BWE events around the globe.
BWE... Ah, BWE....
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AKR
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by AKR »

Cool spectrum of wines.
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stefan
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by stefan »

I love 1983 Lynch-Bages. It represents everything I like about 1983--great fragrance, balance, and finesse.
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Blanquito
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by Blanquito »

I started writing up some notes, but Jacques has fulfilled the mission. Well done... It was so much fun to see Jacques and Jill again, it felt like one of their famous pool parties had only been a few months earlier. The BWE time warp strikes again.

I thought the food was excellent as always and we caught up on each other's lives and reminisced about BWE offlines gone by. It really reminded me of how many people I've so thoroughly enjoyed getting to know on this site through the years.

Overall the wines showed quite well. I was quite taken by the Chassagne Montrachet, not a flashy wine but so classy and seamless and effortless. There was a top note of white flowers and vanilla that I found compelling. Great length and depth too. Young but fully in the zone at present. Thanks for bringing that one Jacques, I don't drink enough white burg.

The 89 Grattamacco was good but I agree with Jacques that it should be drunk soon for anyone holding. It's a Cabernet based super Tuscan that smelled a lot like a cool climate Cab but showed the acid and dry tannin of an older Italian wine that saw some wood. Quite nice but not much nuance.

The 98 Figeac was terrific, and though fairly primary, in a highly enjoyable phase. I got lots of Cabernet character on the bouquet with some mint, cedar and a hint of green, but nothing excessive. The palate had much better stuffing than a 2000 Figeac I had recently and I found the balance pretty much spot on. Very food friendly and with good upside I'd wager for 10-15 years of future enjoyment.

The 83 Lynch is a favorite of mine and it seems to have shown well for at least a decade. A very masculine, Pauillac style of wine with strong graphite, cedar, iodine, minerals and leather. The tannins are quite smooth now but assertive at the same time. Fully mature but seems like it will hold for a good long while still. We definitely thought of you Jim, enjoying a mature Lynch.

I didn't get much of an impression from the 95 Duhart. It seems soft and shy next to the Lynch. I had a bottle a few months earlier that was more impressive. Judgment reserved.

The dessert wines were good and went so well with the warm chocolate-filled beignets. This bottle of the 86 Rieussec was fully mature sporting a deep copper color. It as the essence of toffee and caramel, with terrific acidity and length but lacking some of the complexity and marine nuances that can make mature Sauternes so compelling. The Schoffit was the 1998 Tokay Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St.-Théobald SGN. Intense stuff, not for the faint of heart. Penetrating, sweet nose of apricot syrup, Lipton's ice tea, smoke, lemon zest. The attack is quite sweet and a touch thick, but it has tons of citrusy acids and a zesty bitterness to keep the sugar in balance. Shows better with the desserts. Long, long finish of honey and burnt orange. Pretty viscous stuff and lacking in nuance, but I love the power and profile here.

A memorable night to be sure. Let's do it again soon.
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dstgolf
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by dstgolf »

Thanks for the review and brings back great memories of sharing Patrick's hospitality along with fabulous wines/food with his friends in Denver a few years back. Always a pleasure to share with fellow BWE'ers!! Great notes as well and a nice way to spend some time while things settle down on Lido Key.
Danny
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Nicklasss
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by Nicklasss »

Nice report to read, just make me want to go to Denver one day.

I never seen Niellon's wines here, but liked the few white Bourgogne i had from him.

The 80's transformed Lynch Bages into a superstar, and the 1983 helped for that new status.

Figeac, with it special Cab character, is always interesting. Vieux Chateau Certan come to mind for the same reason.

Sad for the 1995 Duhart.

All in all, a nice BWE gathering.

Nic
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Comte Flaneur
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Thanks for the report Jacques and Patrick, hope to see you both before too long! Evenings like that remain forever etched in the memory...
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Blanquito
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by Blanquito »

Some pics.
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Blanquito
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by Blanquito »

Another:
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Blanquito
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by Blanquito »

Nice Riesling.
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AKR
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by AKR »

"Smaragd" sounds like a noise one of my pets makes
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AlohaArtakaHoundsong
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by AlohaArtakaHoundsong »

Was this the same place we went a couple of years ago, Patrick?
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Blanquito
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by Blanquito »

AlohaArtakaHoundsong wrote:Was this the same place we went a couple of years ago, Patrick?
Yes, the ole standby where you, Tom in-DC-now-Denver and a few locals gathered way back in 2010!

http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/ ... e+6#p12737
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Blanquito
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Re: Offline in Denver

Post by Blanquito »

The champagne we had was the Calsac Champagne Extra Brut L'échappée Belle.
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