To get the two clunkers out of the way first, we had two very oxidized, undrinkable bottles, the Beaucastel 1999 Roussanne Vieilles Vignes and the Michel Niellon 1995 Chassagne Montrachet Champs Canet. The former wine was drinking great for about three or four years and then went to hell, whereas with the Niellon,  I have had very good luck with the 1995 vintage of this wine, but this bottle, which came from the same case where I have had very good ones, was terrible.

Among the Pinot Noir-based wines, the 2005 vintage in Burgundy shows off its great potential with a young, vibrant, dense ruby/purple-tinged Bouchard 2005 Le Corton. It is a good 5 to10 years away from full maturity, but it is quite a stunning bottle of red Burgundy. Fully mature and very seductive is the Louis Jadot 1990 Beaune Boucherottes. This was a great buy in this vintage, and it can hold on for another few years, but it is probably best drunk up. Ponsot’s 2001 Clos de la Roche was not at the level of the 2003, or some of his great vintages, such as 1990, 1985, and 1980, but it is a textbook, old-style Burgundy with lots of forest floor, porcini mushrooms, earth, herbs, and red and black fruits. It is young but quite approachable already, and should last for at least another decade or more. The only other Pinot Noir was a brilliant one that is no longer being made, unfortunately. Manfred Krankl’s Sine Qua Non 2003 Omega Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Shea Vineyard. was sensational. Wonderful forest floor, damp earth, black cherry, plum, and smoky, gamey elements made the aromatics sensational. In the mouth, it is medium to full-bodied, silky-textured, and best drunk over the next 3-4 years.

We also had some delicious whites. The Karthauserhof 2005 Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Riesling Spätlese was crisp, relatively dry, with lots of mineral and citrus. It is hard to guess the surprisingly rich, fresh, lively Raveneau 2003 Chablis Valmur came from such an early harvest and historic scalding temperatures, but it is what it is, with loads of minerals and honeyed citrus. Lastly, the Martinelli 2005 Chardonnay Woolsey Road Vineyard had nice bees wax, and leesy notes, seemed fully mature, and is best drunk up over the next several years.

As one can tell, the other red wines were a sort of “kitchen sink” collection. I’ll start with the light styles and move to what would be the more powerful wines. (Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t, but of course, this is a Hedonist Gazette, not a professional tasting.) There is no question that one of the great values in the market – although I suspect it is largely sold out now – is Domaine de la Janasse’s 2007 Côtes du Rhône Les Garrigues. This is a whopper of a Côtes du Rhône that will certainly evolve for 10-15 years, but it is so gloriously fruity, pure, and Provençal in character, it is hard to resist. Fully mature, the 1998 Gigondas Les Hauts de Montmirail from Brusset showed notes of earth and spice, and any evidence of the new oak that Brusset tends to use has long disappeared. With a mishmash of flavors and aromas, this is quite a classic Gigondas that is fully mature and not likely to get any better. The Clos St.-Jean 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is a killer wine. It is a sensational effort of dense ruby/purple, with lots of garrigue, lavender, kirsch and blacker fruits in a full-bodied, sumptuously textured style that should continue to drink well for 10-15+ years. In total contrast to the last bottle I took, which was badly corked, the Rayas 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape at this meal was a beautiful wine with the classic Rayas kirsch notes in abundance. Medium to full-bodied, with fabulous density,and a much darker color than most vintages of Rayas tend to possess, it still has a youthful, adolescent personality and hasn’t hit its peak. It should be one of the longest-lived Rasyas in the last 30-40 years. Fully mature and one of the all-time greats from my cellar, the Vieux Donjon 1990 Châteauneuf du Pape displayed notes of roasted Provençal herbs, new saddle leather, jus de viande, and lots of black currants and black cherries. Full-bodied, and still opulent and lusty, it’s a hedonistic and intellectual turn-on. Bordeaux rarely works with this food, but I have to say that I liked the 1975 Pichon Lalandebetter than I thought I would. The wine still has those tell-tale tannins that are part of this vintage’s character, but the wine exhibited plenty of cedar, earth, and spice. It is still relatively young, which is rather remarkable.