Bruschetta, Pepronata, Pizza, Caprese, Pomodori ripieni, Insalata di Fagioli, Melanzana alla Napoletana, Aspargi in umido
1988 Volnay 'Santenots', Comtes Lafon
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Pasta alla Frutti di mare
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Ossobuco con Risotto primavera
1988 Musigny "VV", Comte de Vogue
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Gelato con Espresso
We took some four hours to do justice to this incredible dinner and fantastic wines. I won't detail here next day's BBQ lunch as this kind of eating crosses the border of immorality...
Volnay 'Santenots' 1988 Comtes Lafon
4/99. Acquired at auction Feb-98 for $60 (imported for $80 net).
Dominique Lafon is one of the very top producers for white (B). His stunning Meursault 1er Cru are hard to come by and extremely expensive. This Volnay is the first red wine I taste from his exalted domaine.
COLOR: Very fine full ruby color with little clearing around the rim.
NOSE: Hi-powered, complex and enticing nose. Fresh red fruits, dump forest floor and raw meat in the front with (good!) barnyard-intensive 'Bourgogne Nose' as backdrop.
TASTE: Rich, tasty and mouthfilling with the sense of a big wine. Full of winyness with fantastic grip. A taste-buds grabbing wine that is very smooth (as befits a great Volnay) on one hand but with enough zest and presence to extract cries of pleasure of us all.
LENGTH: Exceptionally long and flavorful aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-full bodied wine in a blockbuster costume. In a blind tasting I would have easily mistaken it for a Cote de Nuits Grand Cru. Smooth and velvety but with high extraction, complex fruit, measured acidity and soft tannins for structure. A perfectly balanced nectar.
OVERALL: Superb-plus! The best Volnay I remember tasting. Fantastic now but will hold.
| MARK: 18.5/20. | BUY MORE? Yes. |
Musigny "VV" 1988 Comte de Vogue
4/99. Acquired from Beaune Sep-93 for $84 (imported for $112 net).
For many people (including myself) Musigny by Vogue represents the epitome of red Burgundy. The Domaine of Comte de Vogue went through a slack period during the 70s and early 80s. From 1985-6 onwards however it had regained its former glory and reputation. A current-vintage of Vogue Musigny costs upwards of $200 per bottle in the auction market.
COLOR: A touch lighter in color than the Volnay. Slight clearing around the rim. Huge 'legs' leave their mark on the glass.
NOSE: Beautifully rounded and elegant aromas though a bit less bursting out of the glass than the Volnay. Sweetish plums together with red fruits and a 'cleaner' version of the 'Bourgogne Nose'. Majestically elegant if somewhat restraint.
TASTE: Again, 'majestic' is the term one would associate with the way this wine interacts with the palate. Multi-layered and multi-flavored. Superb fruit with wonderful attack and finish. Tannins still discernible with just a little dryness on the mid-palate.
LENGTH: Very long and vibrating aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied wine that lacks nothing in the breed department. Giving a lot yet not yielding completely. Perhaps still somewhat short of full maturity, though this dry element on the palate makes me doubt if it will ever become a truly great wine.
OVERALL: Superb! Only the high expectations made me a tiny bit disappointed by this rendition. I'll let our second bottle wait a few more years and then we'll see.
| MARK: 18/20. | BUY MORE? Yes. |
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