Recently had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. This was the first Thanksgiving I have experienced without my parents. They are in Florida and I had to be at Crush so it was a bit of a change for me but nonetheless it was a great time. My parents are not that big drinkers so it was nice to have more than three glasses of wine. :)
Started of with some 1996 Pierre Moncuit Blanc de Blancs and this is just another data point that '96 is the most thrilling vintage in Champagne in who knows how long. This is a small grower based in the Grand Cru village of Mesnil and this cuvee is made entirely from Chardonnay. Beautiful crisp aromas of yeast, lemon curd, bread, minerals, kosher salt and tart berry fruit. Amazing entry with beautiful well-integrated acids and an intriguing salinity. Much less sharp and austere than it was last year with beautiful elegance and harmony. Poor man's Krug. It went fantastic with the fresh oysters.
Next we moved onto the 2000 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru "Les Cras." I am convinced Boillot makes the best Cras. This had a gorgeous nose of minerals, yellow fruits, wet earth and some spicey oak. Big and rich with classic Meursault nuttines and dazzling acidity. Creamy yet balanced by crisp acids along with great purity. Kind of like the Moncuit without bubbles.
Next up was the 2001 Roumier Morey-St-Denis 1er Cru "Clos de la Bussiere." 2001 is quickly becoming my favorite Burgundy vintage of recent for its transparency of terroir. It just shines through in the wines. This just exploded out of the glass with exotic Indian spices, red berry fruit and some earth. Supple and lacey on the palate with the classic Roumier crunch on the finish. Gorgeous and has many years to go.
Then we moved onto the 2002 Abiouness Pinot Noir "Pommard Clone." Any other night this would have been great but it's tough when you are following Roumier. Big and rich with some sweetness and nice structure but did not wow me like the Roumier. Good but not great.
With the cheese we moved onto to 1998 Roc de Cambes which is the shining star of the Cotes de Bourg and made by the same winemaker who makes the exotic and sexy Terte-Roteboeuf. Pefectly mature wine with great nose of cocoa, coffee, chocolate, raspberry fruitcake and some earth. Big and rich with wonderful finesse and sweet, ripe tannin. Drinking gloriously but in no danger of going downhill.