Champagne Chardonnay
Kongsgaard
Napa Valley Chardonnay 2019
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
As part of my white wine flight theme, I wanted to compare Hyde and Hudson side by side, then finish with Kongsgaard, since it is a blend of both.
Similar to the Hudson before it, I normally like to drink Kongsgaard on the young side, and also similar to the Hudson, on this day…it didn’t seem to have the typical opulent/massive profile. White peach and apricot upfront as well as sweet cotton candy on the nose. Ripe yellow and tropical fruits dominate the palate with sea salt, ginger and lemon cream. Faint note of butterscotch, but not near the amount I’ve found previous vintages to show. What Kongsgaard does well is have a wine of this profile but somehow find a way to have elegant qualities about it. Decant or hold a few years. — 14 days ago
Domaine Coche-Dury (J.F. Coche Dury)
Meursault Chardonnay 2011
Beautiful and bright and punchy. Sulfur and bright lemon. So Coche… gorgeous — 9 days ago
Domaine François Raveneau
Montée de Tonnerre Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 2013
Not sure there are better 13 whites than Raveneau. Lafon also comes to mind. It’s an early drinking vintage (by Raveneau standards) while you wait for 12 and 14. Also, no Chapelot this year so it’s blended in here. A multi hour advance decant has it rocking, stunningly aromatic, soaring with layers of créme fraîche, baking spice, crushed stones and a whisper of botrytis influenced saffron. The palate shows immense power, concentration and depth of waxy yellow fruit chiseled with Chablisen minerality. Brilliant tension and racy lemony acids provide a seamless balance to its power and richness. MDT always hits 🫰🏻 — 2 hours ago
Domaine François Raveneau
Butteaux Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 2013
Bright fruit. Almost tropical with hints of mango and bright bold flavors. Minerality and purity with great poise. Delicious — 10 days ago
Louis Latour
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Chardonnay 1983
Served around 55°F. The cork looked all kinds of nasty underneath the capsule but I was able to extract it, intact, with the help of a Durand. I then poured the bottle into a decanter about 30min prior to service. At the ripe age of 41, the 1983 pours a deep gold with a transparent core; medium viscosity with some slight signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of baked stone fruits: peach, apricot, marmalade, hazelnuts, baked lemon, and those gummy peach rings. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and the texture is creamy, buttery. I thought this was a lovely, mature Corton Charlemagne and while it is very much alive, its life-force is fading. Drink now. — 21 hours ago
Jérôme Prévost
La Closerie Les Béguines Extra Brut Champagne Pinot Meunier 2013
Lovely bright tart mineral fruit. Great structure and balance — 10 days ago
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin
La Grande Dame Brut Champagne Blend 2004
Popped and poured to celebrate a pretty cool personal and professional achievement; enjoyed over a two hour period. This particular bottle has been stored in my cellar since release. The 2004 “La Grande Dame” pours a brilliant yellow color with medium+ viscosity and a persistent mousse of fine bubbles. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of golden raspberry, Meyer lemon, some apple, some brioche and nuts; just a touch oxidative. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. However, I feel compelled to share that this gave me the overall impression of a sort of liquid lemon-raspberry custard croissant with shaved almonds on top. It was awesome. The finish was long and there is some palpable density in this wine. So much so that I think these easily have another 10-15 years in them. That being said, this was yummy and I wouldn’t hesitate to enjoy now. — 24 days ago
Andrew Cullimore
Medium lemon yellow , persistent fine perlage . At first quite shy , needs a bit of time to get going . Then buttered pastry , confit lemon and roast nuts , quite bold and rich , just a hint of chalky minerality . On the palate the richer , deeper theme continues , those pastry and buttery notes , confit lemon and a creamy mouthfeel . Long balanced finish , the chalky acidity really helping to cut through richer , mouth filling profile . Coming back to this at the end of the meal , having sat 6 hours in the glass , this still shows remarkable freshness and life. This seems young to me still , certainly has everything for a long life ahead , better in 5 years perhaps and will show well a further 10-15 perhaps . — 7 days ago