Xmas 2018

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:10 pm

Xmas 2018.

This year Lucie and I will spend both Xmas and New Year's at stefanJr's, but we spent a few days with T, Judd, and Rye in Berkeley before flying up to Eugene. We drank some good wines in Berkeley, the most interesting for BWE being 1978 and 1996 Clerc-Milon at a meal of sous vide elk and venison tenderloins. The 1978 is "too old", according to T, but displays some of the 1978 fragrancy. It is pretty solid in the mouth with tobacco overtones but less fruit than I would like. The 1996 is very good. The tannins are firm but resolved and the cassis is pronounced. It stood up to the elk and venison. This bottle, stored at mid 60s since release, was fully mature.

Xmas 2018, Day 1.

Before dinner stefanJr and I started with

1997 Jadot Fixin. Right, a 21 year old village wine from a minor Burgundy appellation. It has a lovely fragrance, as Fixin can, but it is also amazingly tasty, with fruity, peppery charcoal. Within half an hour some of the fruit turns into hay. Lucie comes in try a glass after her nap and says, "this is yummy; I like it a lot". I take another small pour--the nose is as good as it was upon opening. stefaJr says, "I thought about going into the 90s, but I'll stick with 89. It is a bit tart." IMO, this is one of my bargains of the years. stefan 91. Lucie 92. stefanJr 89. Irena 89.

1998 Jadot Theurons. Corked!

1998 Jadot Theurons. Pleasant nose. Well balanced and flavorful, but lighter in every way than the '97 Fixin. Flavors hold well. "The nose is amazing," exclaims stefanJr. s 89. sJr 91. I 90.

1970 Coutet. Very dark amber color. It tastes old but not oxidized. The taste is of bitter-sweet caramel seasoned with thyme and sage. It is an interesting wine. It tastes particularly good with goat milk caramel candy--the sugar and salt in the candy accentuates the honey in the wine. I upgraded my score because the wine was interesting. s 89. sJr 90. I 90.

Claret · Post by **Claret** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:30 pm

Happy holidays.

Jadot nailed it in 97.

A 2002 Clerc Milon last week was very disjointed. May improve in a few years but will never be great.

The tenderloins sound good.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 7:00 pm

Jadot generally nailed it in 1998 too. Thanks for the notes stefan, keep em coming.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Dec 21, 2018 1:00 am

Holiday season is suddenly here!
It has been a brutal year workwise but tomorrow is my last day of court stuff for the year, we have Monday and Tuesday off and then on Wednesday I'm on vacation until January 9th. Can't wait.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Fri Dec 21, 2018 2:07 am

Yeah, that Jadot did well in '98 and '97 is why I was so happy about winning that auction.

Tonight we'll have a drink off between 2001 and 2003 Leoville-Poyferre.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:39 am

Day 2.

Lucie cooked a dinner of beef & pork meatloaf, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. This is a very American dinner, so we drank

2002 Leoville-Poyferre
2003 Leoville-Poyferre.

The American part of the wine was that we drank the wines from Oregon Pinot Noir glasses with the '02 glasses monogrammed by St. Innocent and the '03 glasses by Arbor Brook. (I should have bought stefanJr Bdx glasses for Xmas.) I tasted both before dinner. The '03 has an inviting nose of roasted grapes with a taste that is consistent with the bouquet. The '02 has a classic Medoc profile. The difference between the wines is less with the food. "My preference is the 2003," opines Lucie. The '02 has more leather in it," interjects stefanJr, "and I was surprised the it has an awesome nose". "Also a tight structure and strong tannins", I think to myself. 2002 is, as we all know, a JHow kind of vintage. The L-P '02 is fine with beef now, but it will be different and excellent for those who Blanquito it 2 or 3 times. The usually loquacious Irena says, "I like them". IMO, the '03 is in a good place for drinking now, while the '02 is better wine and is certainly more classic. It will improve. stefan: '02 91++, '03 91. stefanJr '02 91-92, '03 90-91. Lucie '02 90, '03 90. Irena '02 88, '03 89. (Recall that I add +'s to say that the wine should get better with further storage.)

After dinner stefanJr and I drank from a 375

1989 Climens. Loose cork. Fairly dark, but little oxidation. Less sweet and less complex than I expected. Honeyed minerals. Despite its age, it calls for food, maybe an apricot tart, but Lucie refuses to whip one up on such short notice. Both stefanJr and I think that this bottle is slightly corked, but the infection is so low that we cannot be sure.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 10:57 pm

Day 3

For lunch I ate leftovers from the dinner the previous night and drank

1999 Vincent Girardin Volnay Clos des Chenes (375). Tart strawberry nose with a touch of asphalt and more strawberries in the mouth, Well balanced. Mature, but likely will improve. stefan 89+.

After watching Ju-Ju play in a soccer game we had take away pizza for dinner and drank

2006 Damilano Liste Barolo. Funny smell. Brett or heat damage? I think heat, and the taste confirms my opinion. Irena says, "it has a creamy, nutty, Marsala quality". stefanJr adds, "it is beginning to taste like Kalamata olives".

So we turned to

1997 Ridge Geyserville. stefanJr thinks that he might have Blanquitoed this one too many times, but it is in a good spot for me. The fruit is mature, the tannins are mellow, and the balance is good. 'I like it," Irena says loquaciously. Lucie one ups her with, "I like it a lot". stefanJr observes, "it went fast". s 90. sUr 89. L 89. I 89.

1970 Coutet (revisited). Two days of air have improved this Barsac. The orange, pineapple, and persimmon flavors are more pronounced and the botrytis is more mineral. Moreover, the finish is longer. s 91.

1989 Climens (revisited). The tangerine taste is more noticeable and now there is some spice. I am pretty sure that this bottle is not corked.

1970 Guiraud. Dark, like the 1970 Coutet. No oxidation. The flavors are primary. Mineral soaked in honey are attractive. Less interesting than the Coutet. Maybe it needs a couple of days of air. s 88.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 11:33 pm

I like my Ridge with lots of age. The 87 Geyserville is fully tertiary to be sure, but still a delight. Burgundian, dare I say, at this stage.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 11:43 pm

I like my Ridge young.
I drank through a whole case of 2016 Geyserville this past year.
Absolutely delicious. There's not much left in New Hampshire liquor stores.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sun Dec 23, 2018 1:25 am

Young Ridge is delicious as well, at least that Zinfandel based cuvees. Win-win with Ridge.

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Sun Dec 23, 2018 3:09 am

I had a bottle of the 13 Geyserville recently but didn't really love it.

That's a lot of Sauternes there stefan

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sun Dec 23, 2018 5:32 pm

Day 4.

With popcorn stefanJr and I revisit
the 1970 Guiraud. It is more precise than yesterday and is steely in front. Then with more popcorn and boiled shrimp we toasted our new lake house with a long time family favorite from a case of mixed sparklers that stefanJr recently purchased.

2008 Pol Roger. "Fresh, crispy green apples; delicious," stefanJr remarks approvingly. Everyone loves this, but I think it should be Blanquitoed once or twice to bring out its quality. stefanJr 92. stefan 91+. Lucie 94. Irena 93.

We continued with

2009 Baron-Fuente Brut. This fizzy is grapey and tastes like an old Champagne. It is not as refined as the Pol Roger, but at 1/3 the price it is a great bargain. "Good acid; long finish", stefanJr says approvingly. sJr 91. L 91. I 90. s 90.

With Sockeye and Steelhead we drank

1992 Hospices de Beaune Volnay 1er Cru Cuvée Général Muteau by Louis Jadot. This old Volnay has an amazing nose of rose petals accented with asphalt. "This wine is crazy--brown incense," exclaims Irena. s 92. L 90. I 92. sJr 92.

We then had another bottle of

1998 Jadot Beaune Theurons. "This has the Chehalem Ridgecrest briar in it," says stefanJr, "it is much better than the first bottle of this that we drank". Irena chips in with, "this wine is great. It has that wonderful brown earthiness". "Lovely long finish", swoons Lucie. s 91. sJr 92. I 92. L 90.

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 2:06 am

Hi Stefan, I always enjoy reading through your holiday posts along with the various family member comments and rankings. Wishing you and your family a happy holidays and am honestly anxiously waiting for a La Lagune to make an appearance!

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 3:23 am

Thanks, jckba. La Lagune will certainly appear. Tonight we ate Mexican food, so no wine.

Ognik · Post by **Ognik** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 6:04 pm

Will open a 82 La Lagune on yours.
Merry x mas stefan.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 7:25 pm

Gotta go down into the cellar and pull out some wines for the How family Christmas '19 feast...
Happy holidays Stefan and to all BWEers far and wide!

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 9:17 pm

Thanks, guys. Happy Holidays to BWEers everywhere.

Tonight we'll have our traditional Xmas Eve dinner of sushi, crab, and shrimp. We'll drink Champagne and white Burgundy. Tomorrow we have rib roast with Pessac-Leognan.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 10:09 pm

Merry Christmas stefan and Lucie.

What a marathon you're having, you're better than JeanFred.

Nic

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Tue Dec 25, 2018 5:48 pm

Day 6.

On Xmas Eve the children open a couple of presents while the adults chomped on pistachios and drank

NV Pol Roger. Formerly the stefan house Champagne, stefanJr included a bottle in his Xmas Champagne purchase for old times sake. The entry is flat, but the apples and lemon are flavorful. Irena says, "I really like this; it is right up my alley". "Brighter than it used to be", stefanJr comments, recalling why we switched house Champagnes a couple of years ago.

stefan 88.Lucie 92. Irena 92.

While drinking the Pol Roger, we started on our traditional meal of sushi & trimmings. We continued with

NV Charles Ellner Qualite Extra. This is an upper end Ellner. "Better than the Pol Roger", opines stefanJr, who refuses to rate NV Champagne, "the Pol Roger is too tart." To me the two Champagnes are comparable and have similar tastes. The P-R is thinner and smoother than the Ellner and the Ellner has some dirt up front. s 99. I 91.

2009 Fontaine-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltoie. Golden. Premoxed. Drinkable, but no one is willing to continue with this today. I'll revisit it tomorrow.

2010 Jean Marc Morey Chassagne-Montrachet les Champs-Gains. Clean, fresh, minerally steel taste. This Champs-Gains resembles an unoaked Chablis. It is different from any other Chassagne I have drunk, but I like it. My guess is that it will age well for another 5-10 years. s 89. sJr 89.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Wed Dec 26, 2018 5:09 am

Day 7.

On Xmas day with pumpkin pear soup we drank

2008 Pol Roger Rose. This Champagne tastes as good as it looks. It is as smooth as the NV P-R but has much more flavor while being delicate. IMO, this is the best wine we have drunk this Xmas. stefan 94. stefanJr 94. Lucie 94. Irena 95

For rib roast I opened

1998 Haut Bailly. This is a concentrated wine with good texture and a long finish. However, this bottle, like the first bottle we opened from this case months ago, is funky with brett or too late picking. I put it aside and decanted a long time family favorite

1996 La Lagune. This wine is full of cassis. The wine is Grave-like but contains a hint of Margauxberries. Juju says, and I agree, that the fruit is black. The balance is just right. "The nose on this is phenomenal", offers Lucie. "Leather, pencil lead, cranberries, strawberries", swoons stefanJr; "with air it turns into cigar". Irena adds, " the herbal character accents the dark fruit flavors". s 93. sJr 93. L 94. I 93. Juju 90.

2002 Haut Brion. I opened this 8 hours before serving. stefanJr tries to steal the bottle with "I think it is corked", but no one buys that. Getting more serious he says, "this reminds me of walking through a limestone forest". "Yum", is all Lucie can say. "F***, this is good", expands stefanJr, "now that I am done eating, the tannins come out". "A little tannic for me", comments Lucie. s 93+++. sJr 95. L 91-92. I 93.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Thu Dec 27, 2018 6:09 pm

Day 8.

After lunch we drank with St. Andre on chips

1999 Vincent Girardin Volnay 1er Cru les Santenots. This has a lovely Volnay fragrance of flowers and asphalt. The taste matches the nose well. Very good now and it will continue to improve. s 91+. L 90.

With beef Stroganoff we drank

1997 Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Ursules. Lighter than the Volnay, as expected. Cranberry and small raspberry flavors. Fully mature. "I like this more than the Volnay", says Lucie, and stefanJr agrees. I do not. s 89. I 90. L 91. sJr 90.

2007 Jadot Charmes-Chambertin. I bought a bottle of this at auction after Jacques said that the 2007 Burgundies are in a good place now. Then I bought five more in another auction at 20% less. Jacques has a great taste for Burgundy and Jadot is very reliable, but of course this was something of a gamble. "Tastes sweeter, but not as fruity, as the Clos des Ursules", Ju-Ju says, "cigarette-ty". Her parents challenge her by asking how she knows what "cigarette-ty" is, and she responds, "by walking down the street". Lucie comments on the "lovely finish". Ether in the nose puts me off, but it mostly blows off."Good, but one dimensional", notes stefanJr, who also expresses concern about the wine's future. s 90. sJr 89. L 90. I 90.

After dinner we returned to

1986 Climens. The minerals come out on this second day. Also syrup, but the Climens retains its Barsac character. sJr 90. s 90.

stefanJr remarks that we have drunk a lot of good Sauternes but none have blown him away. I agree.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Thu Dec 27, 2018 9:09 pm

Enjoying your notes Stefan.

I agree it’s unlikely your 89 Climens was corked if it was showing more fruit the next day. I had an 88 Climens with a good fill but darker than its stablemates. The cork was loose, the wine was muffled and a bit musty, not classic wet cardboard but I was wondering if it might be low level TCA. The mustiness was gone and the wine came to life after a day in the fridge, but was still only giving 80-90% of what the lighter colored bottles were showing. With a bit of nuttiness in the mix I figured it must have been suffering a bit of oxidation but I never figured out the mustiness.

What’s your new house Champagne?

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:16 pm

Charles Heidsieck, David. Usually less expensive than Pol Roger and toastier with more flavor.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 12:17 am

I like toastier. Haven’t had a Charles Heidsieck in a while, will have to try one.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 1:12 am

You did a good job this holiday season, Stefan, what was your wine of the season?
Looks like you drank a lot of pinot, champagne, and Sauternes.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 1:43 am

There’s a spectrum of anticipation I go through these days when thinking about what wine to open. At one end, there’s off-dry German Riesling, which can cause a little dread (they can be work to get through); and at the other end is champagne, I am always happy about opening some bubbly. ‘House champagne’ has such a civilized ring to it.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 1:48 am

I guess my ‘house champagne’ these days is K&L direct-import grower bubbly writ large: Launois, Brison, Jean Josselin, Frank Bonville, all $20-$40, NV mostly but some of it vintage even. To be sure, I really enjoy the top wines from champagne, but well-selected cheap ones give me nearly as much joy.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 6:21 pm

Patrick, when we spent 40 days and 40 nights in Beverly Hills last spring we enjoyed those Champagnes from K&L

Jim, I hope the best is yet to come. At the top of my list is Haut-Brion 2002, but not for current drinking. 2008 Pol Roger Rose is a strong contender.

On the downside we have had four corked bottles and several others that were badly flawed.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:06 pm

Day 9.

A corked bottle of 1997 Jadot Beaune-Bressandes goes down the drain. With baked chicken, broccoli, edamame, and potato pancakes we drank.

1997 St. Innocent Temperance Hill. The tannins in this pure Pinot Noir are almost gone. I consider it sound but not exciting. stefanJr detects some tobacco early on, but not as we drink the bottom part of the bottle. "Tastes like a normal wine; simple, good, and it goes well with chicken", says Ju-Ju Shea, and Lucie agrees that it is great with Irena's perfectly baked chicken. Lucie continues, "the finish is amazing". It is much better at the bottom of the bottle, "it put on weight", is what stefanJr says. Irena 93. stefan 90. Lucie 93. stefanJr 91-92. Shea 95.

1996 Vincent Girardin Volnay Clos des Chenes. "Way different", observes Shea, "bright and very powerful". "I don't get Volnay yet, but I want to after this", says stefanJr. "Barnyard", Irena complains, "but I think it tastes really good". stefanJr chips in, "now the nose is more interesting and it tastes good". I don't like the nose. I call it ether, but chemist stefanJr says it is ethyl acetate. There is no Volnay character to the wine. The taste is quite good, though, once you fight through the smell. Lucie thinks that the taste is all up front while I find flavor in the back.s 86. L 85. I 87. sJr 87.

This Volnay is flawed IMO. Everyone agrees that with no food the wine is poorer than our ratings suggest. Sound bottles, if they exist, should be very good.

1988 Climens (375). Corked and down the drain.

stefanJr and I drank the last few ounces of the leftover 1986 Climens. Wow! The minerals are much stronger and the finish is much longer. Have I been mistreating Sauternes all these years by not opening them two days in advance? I rerate the 1986 Climes 93.

1988 Coutet. I like this so much that it will be hard to save some for two days hence. Minerals, oranges, apricots, pears, all in a nicely wrapped package. s 93+. sJr 93.

1989 Climens (375). Richer but less minerals and less interesting than the 1988 Coutet. Lucie says, "it is amazing with pears, and would be great with a pear tart". sJr 92. s 91. I 93.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:07 pm

I have 6 bottles of the 2008 Pol Roger Rose, picked up on close-out not long ago. I haven’t tried yet, but it sounds like a score!

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:13 pm

Indeed it is, Patrick. I wish I had bought some when K&L had a sale on it.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:03 pm

Sounds like 2008 is supposed to be a good vintage for Champagne?

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:13 pm

I think 08-10 and now 12 are all highly regarded in champagne. Some folks like 09 the best. I’ve had good experiences with all of them, especially the 08 and 09.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:10 pm

stefan wrote: 1996 La Lagune. This wine is full of cassis. The wine is Grave-like but contains a hint of Margauxberries. Juju says, and I agree, that the fruit is black. The balance is just right. "The nose on this is phenomenal", offers Lucie. "Leather, pencil lead, cranberries, strawberries", swoons stefanJr; "with air it turns into cigar". Irena adds, " the herbal character accents the dark fruit flavors". s 93. sJr 93. L 94. I 93. Juju 93.

Is this an $80 bottle of wine? Sounds like it is. That’s what I see it going for.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:32 pm

Patrick, I bought three cases long ago at $25-$35 per bottle and still have a handful of them, so I have not thought to buy more. But the '96 La Lagune It is as good as many Bordeaux I purchased more recently for around $80. No bottle from the cases I bought has had any defects. Come to think of it, I cannot think of any 1996 Bordeaux that is as good as La Lagune whose current price is around $80, so maybe I should buy some more.

Claret · Post by **Claret** » Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:54 pm

stefan, I opened a 1996 Vincent Girardin Volnay Clos des Chenes earlier this year and it was very good. In fact it is my NYE selection. I will report back.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:59 pm

Glad to hear that, Glenn. The core of ours was very good. I think we just had an off bottle.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sun Dec 30, 2018 6:28 pm

Day 11.

For lunch we ate grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and drank

2015 Drouhin Roserock Zephirine Pinot Noir. I like the fresh fruit in this wine, which I think is vented for early drinking. It has a pleasant aroma, is well balanced, and the finish is good. Probably I will drink all but one we have early and same the Drouhin Dundee bottles for later. stefan 90. Irena 91. stefanJr 90. Irena 91.

While watching football before dinner we sipped on

2017 Antiquuum Passiflora Pinot Noir. stefanJr told me that Antiquuum produces the best PN from grapes grown near Eugene. The Passiflora is their entry level PN. It is made in a heavier style than the Drouhin Zephirine and lacks that wine's finesse, but is well balanced and has pure pinot flavors. s 88. I 90. sJr 89. L 89.

With Irena's mushroom risotto we drank

2007 Jadot Charmes-Chambertin. "The dirtiness of the mushrooms makes the wine less dirty", says stefanJr, "it is much better than the first bottle of it we drank; it explodes in the mouth". In particular, there is no ether or ethyl acetate in the bouquet, which is rather shy. sJr 91. I 89. s 91. L 92.

2002 Joseph Drouhin Chambertin. Light but intense. Blackberries. Intensity increases with the second pour and the taste goes crazy while the wine holds its balance. Great wine. Best wine of this Xmas, in fact. s 95. sJr 94. I 93. L 93.

Jay Winton · Post by **Jay Winton** » Mon Dec 31, 2018 2:57 pm

This is good reading. The Vinos are suffering through holiday illness and thus not inspired to drink anything at the level of Stefan and family.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:16 pm

Day 12.

With flat iron steak we drank

1975 Ducru-Beaucaillou. The sweet red cherries are quite tasty. Lucie likes the delicate nose. Olfactory challenged with a nasty cold, I get an aroma of stewed cherries. "I really like that Ducru nose", says stefanJr. sJr 92. s 91. I 93. L 93.

1996 Pichon Baron. This is a great Pauillac. Cassis, cedar, soft leather. The smell is strong enough to penetrate my stuffed up nose."Lavender", says Lucie. "Blackberries and black cassis", adds stefanJr. s 95. sJr 94. L 94. I 93.