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Tasting Notes and Storyline by Bastardo
GUIDO & DEB
Guido and his wife Deb came calling recently, with one guitar and two beautiful Burgundies in hand. The plan was to record Guido’s The Second Coming of Bacchus, then enjoy a nice dinner featuring a big slab of Salmon grilled to perfection, along with various grilled veggies, a la Madame L’Pour. I’m happy to report that the plan came off without a hitch. (The recording wasn’t something that was just knocked off at Mo’Cool Saturday, as some have apparently assumed. No, this involved exhaustive preparation, during which we took great pains to get every level just right. It must have taken at least half an hour.) 1996 Domaine Louis Moreau Chablis 1st Cru "Les Fourneaux": This is a very good Chablis that I’d enjoyed on a few occasions throughout the summer. Madame hadn’t been that wild about it on past tastings, but this time she seemed to enjoy it more. Medium straw, with a slight greenish tinge, the nose exhibits notes of lime/green melon/wet stone that carry over onto the palate with a touch of honey and a slight hint of canned peas. This has rich flavors and the kind of acidity that you don’t find much in California Chardonnay. 1992 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet "Clavoillon": As good as the Chablis is, this one’s even better. It’s a medium straw with nice upfront lemon over soft pear on the nose. After a taste or two, Guido exclaimed, "Boy, does this expand on the palate, or what?" Indeed, the flavors show rich pear/spice prettied up with restrained toasty oak and the slightest hint of matchstick. Soft and beautimous, this has a finish that lingers for 45 seconds or more, underscoring what a lovely wine it is. 1990 Moillard Savigny-Les Beaune: I pulled this out of the cellar to see how it’s progressing, not having tasted it for a few years. A ruby garnet with a slight hint of brick, it has a deep rich plum/black cherry nose that follows through on the palate with a little chocolate and a toasty hint. A slightly sour element detracts slightly. Smooth and easy to drink, this is a nice village Burgundy, but nothing special, especially when compared to the next selection. 1990 Domaine Bachelet Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes: Upon tasting this ruby garnet, Guido exclaimed "My God, black cherries bigtime!" He had that right. This is silky and beautiful, with added notes of chocolate and a little cinnamon. These brief notes don’t do the wine justice, but then, we were having a great time on the back deck, enjoying a lovely late summer evening. Suffice it to say that there was none of this left at the end of the night. 1989 Calera Pinot Noir Harlan Mills: I was surprised to find two bottles of this available at a local merchant earlier in the day, and grabbed them both for about $35 each. I thought it would be fun to compare to the Burgs, so I opened one. It’s a dark garnet with a hint of brick showing pretty, spicy, toasty sweet oak/big black cherry/cinnamon flavors and aromas. As it opens, it gains hints of aquarium/eucalyptus/barnyard on the nose and chocolate/leather on the palate. It’s showing nice maturity, yet it can sit a while longer in the cellar, and if it doesn’t quite have the chutzpah of the Gevrey, it’s still easy to love. As always, we had a great time with Guido and Deb, and before they left that evening, made plans to join them on an epic mushroom hunt a few weeks later.
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