1988 Veuve Clicquot
La Grande Dame Rose (from Magnum)
(38% Chardonnay, 62% Pinot Noir with an
addition of Bouzy red wine)
Lots of dry red berries and red tinged pears on the nose. The palate is quite
dry with lots of elegant red stained minerals. With some time in the glass,
blood orange and caramel flavors come out. While this is not quite as big in
flavors as it was a few years ago from 750 mL bottles, it shows amazing
freshness and potential. Grade of A- (90-92 pts) with a
shot at a Grade of A (93-95 pts) over time. Find this wine
Flight One
1969 Mumm Rene Lalou
(50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir)
Our host professed his love for this long forgotten cuvee and who is to blame
him? This showed hints of sherry and wheat bread, yet had tons of acidity left.
The rich orange and chocolate finish really brought this wine home.
Grade of A- (90-92 pts). Find this wine
1969 Jacquesson DT
(100% Chardonnay; Disgorged 1985)
According to Jacquesson this is the greatest wine they have produced. And, to
make the story more interesting they never “officially” released it. When it
came time to originally release the 1969 Blanc de Blancs, Jacquesson tasted and
hated the wine. This resulted in a large amount being used for the liqueur de
triage of other cuvees. They tasted the
few remaining bottles again in the
mid-1980s and were astonished by how good it was. The end result was a limited
late disgorged release.
One sip of this wine and now we are talking. This is “lumber” as it shows
incredible depth of flavor with young acidity and seductive mocha, white
chocolate, and pastry. I’m not sure how Jacquesson dosed this, but it is one
heck of an aged late disgorged wine. Grade of High A-
(91-93 pts).
Find this wine
1961 Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle
(A mix of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; I’m not
sure as to the percentages)
I didn’t even know they made a vintage Grand Siecle back in the day, but indeed
they did and I am one happy fella to discover this. Hints of sweet nuts on the
nose and big, rich tropical flavors on the palate lead this rare bottle into a
finish of sweet milk chocolate. It continued to get better and better with each
glass. Grade of Low A (92-94 pts). Find this wine
Flight Two
1964 Veuve Clicquot
(33% Chardonnay, 67% Pinot Noir)
Holy #$%@&*! This is one heck of an amazing wine. Rich, big, bold and haunting
flavors of honey, pineapple, and deep dark chewy chocolate laced biscuit fill
your mouth. I can still taste the finish on this wine. Ladies and Gentleman we
have a winner. Grade of Very High A and maybe even an
A+ (96-98 pts). Find this wine
1964 Charles Heidsieck
(25% Chardonnay, 75% Pinot Noir)
Think of sugar cookies and dab on some marzipan and you have this wine. It
doesn’t knock you out, but it brings a smile to your face and has you reaching
for another glass. Grade of Low A (92-94 pts).
Find this wine
1962 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame
(38% Chardonnay, 62% Pinot Noir)
Here is another very rare wine (even Veuve Clicquot doesn’t have any left). This
was never released publicly and, just like the idea for Dom Perignon and many
other top end cuvees, it was originally made as a special one-time release. It
wasn’t until 1969 that the first Grande Dame hit the open market (the 1966
Grande Dame was also never officially released to the public). Find this wine
Wow, this has acidity out the Wazoo. This cannot possibly be from 1962, but it
is! It’s full of flavor led by loads of citrus and biscuit with an incredibly
long and tart finish. I wonder if the acidity will still be alive long after the
fruit is gone. For now, who cares as I love drinking this amazingly young 45
year old concoction. In fact, this wine is in need of a little bit more age in
my opinion. Grade of A- (90-92 pts).
Flight Three
1964 A.R. Lenoble (from Magnum) – served twice in different glasses to keep
us honest
(Approximately 40% Chardonnay, 60% Pinot Noir)
This one was served to us twice in different glasses a few minutes apart and I
have to admit that I couldn’t tell it was the same wine. I had a slight
preference for the first glass, but maybe that is because it was tasted before
and not after the Taittinger’s below. Regardless, this is a nice wine from a
value-oriented producer. The nose was very rich with notes of caramel and spiced
sherry. Unfortunately, the palate dropped off a bit with dry citrus and acidity
summing up the flavors. I was disappointed for a bit, but then the finish came
roaring back with spicy citrus and graham cracker flavors that straightened me
back up. This wine is a little uneven, but it is still a good ride.
Grade of Low A- (89-91 pts). Find this wine
1964 Taittinger
(40% Chardonnay, 60% Pinot Noir)
Rich, creamy, and full of white biscuits. A good dose of sweet cream and honey
comes through on the back of the palate and finish. Tasty stuff and almost as
good as its big brother below.
Grade of High A- (91-93
pts). Find this wine
1964 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs
(100% Chardonnay)
At dinner, we all discussed how this is still a bit of an overlooked tete de
cuvee. I’m not sure why as it drinks great young and gets even better with age
as it sometimes turns wild and tropical. We were all in agreement that it is
undervalued and a definite buy.
Tons of zesty and spicy citrus notes lead into toasty white bread and a creamy,
zesty, tropical citrus spiked finish. I really like this wine and quickly
drained my glass. Grade of Low A (92-94 pts). Find this wine
Flight Four
1964 Cristal
(40% Chardonnay, 60% Pinot Noir)
I’ve never been a big fan of old Cristal so for those of you that are, take my
note with a grain of salt. Still, even blind this one stuck out like a bit of a
sore thumb. A good dose of smoky sweetness and acidity led the charge, but the
drive stopped short as the wine never went anywhere else. It just seemed that
its better days had passed. It was in no way a bad wine, but it just didn’t
measure up to its peers.
Grade of Low B (82-84 pts). Find this wine
1964 Dom Perignon
(50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir)
I’ve had shining examples of this bottle in the past and unfortunately this one
was not in top condition. The luxurious slightly sweet, nutty, mocha, and rich
fruit filled palate and long mouth coating finish weren’t in effect with this
bottle. The fruit was there, but it seemed a little blunted and the finish
started off sweet and mouth-coating, but then it just dropped off a cliff. There
were some good notes of sweet peach and coffee in the wine, but overall this was
a disappointment compared to what it could have been. When you are playing with
older wines that is the hand you are sometimes dealt.
Grade of High B (86-88 pts). Find this wine
1964 Krug
(27% Chardonnay, 53% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot
Meunier)
This wine was bringing its “A” game to the competition as dark biscuits,
chocolate, orange led citrus, and a wonderful acidic streak all meshed. It
resulted in a quickly drained glass. Grade of A (93-95
pts). Find this wine
1964 Pol Roger
British Cuvee
(40% Chardonnay, 60% Pinot Noir)
This one started off a bit strange as oxidation and an attractive juicy, aged
peach, apricot, and citrus fruit flavor really stood out. With some time in the
glass a smooth, creamy, and nutty sweet dough flavor came out and this began to
shine. A perfect example of what aged Champagne can be – wonderful new and
sometimes strange flavors. Grade of Low A- (89-91 pts). Find this wine
For the reds below, I can’t recall exactly where one flight ended and the next
began so I may have misplaced a few bottles (and possibly missed a few). What
you see is how I can best remember it.
Flight Five
1952 Chateau Mouton Rothschild (1/2 bottle)
Quite rich and full of baking spice and hints of pipe tobacco. The fruit seems
to have faded, but in its place is a plethora of complex tertiary flavors that
make me go ga-ga for this. Grade of Lower A (93-95
pts).
Find this wine
1952 Chateau Margaux
Light in body and flavor, but I do enjoy the floral cherry notes and hints of
tartness. This appears to be a little past its prime, but I would still gladly
drink it. Grade of B (83-86 pts). Find this wine
1952 Chateau Latour
This wine had seen its better days, but I’m sure those days were glorious ones.
Not Rated. Find this wine
1958 Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon
Oh man! An unbelievably deep nose of cherry tobacco, cedar, and sweet cinnamon
leads into a luxurious mouth feel and flavors galore. Bake a cherry pie with
dark cherries, spread some brown sugar on the counter, find some very old pencil
shavings to sprinkle on the floor, and smoke a pipe. That is this wine.
Unbelievable. This was my red of the night just edging out the 1964 Vega Sicilia
below. Grade of High A (96-97 pts). Find this wine
Flight Six
1950 l'Evangile
Big and rich in the mouth with a good amount of tannins. This was quite youthful
and full of life… maybe too much life. I enjoyed it, but it was deemed an
imposter by those far more knowledgeable than myself.
Not Rated
Find this wine
1949 Chateau Pavie
This shows a lot of burned plastic on the nose. Some sweet cherry joins in, but
it is just hard for me to get past the plastic. This just doesn’t seem to have
it all together. Even with an underbody of sweet, fresh fruit, something seems
off to me here. Grade of C+ (77-79 pts). Find this wine
1964 Vega Sicilia Unico
Ripe and spicy cherries greet me and I can hear myself mutter, “Oh yeah!” The
smooth and spicy velvet mouth feel is unbelievable. I must have had quite a bit
by the time I tasted this wine because my last comment is, “Liquid Sex!”
Grade of High A (96-97 pts). Find this wine
Flight Seven
1964 Bouchard Clos de Beze
A rather boring nose had me wondering about this wine, but the palate removed
all doubts as it was alive with cinnamon, some gentle tannins, and wonderful red
berries. A very nice wine. Grade of A- (90-92 pts).
Find this wine
1964 Louis Latour Corton Grancey
Hmmmm… this wine is quite the oxymoron. One sip shows hints of delicately spiced
red berries and the next decaying and rotten berries. I’m not sure what to think
so I will write it off. Not Rated. Find this wine
1964 Leroy Grand Echezeaux
Rich flavors of sweet and spicy cherries mix with a good dose of acidity. I
think this may still have a long life ahead. A wonderful wine.
Grade of Low A (92-94 pts). Find this wine
1964 Louis Latour Romanee-Saint-Vivant
This is a full bodied Burgundy with more sweetness than spice and tons of
complex cherry and Christmas plum flavors. Amazingly, the acidity is still very
present. Grade of Low A (92-94 pts). Find this wine
1969 Muga Prada Enea
Cedar spices and dark ruby cherries with a big mouthfeel when compared to the
other reds. Viva Espana! Grade of A- (90-92 pts). Find this wine
Flight Eight
1962 Krug Collection
(36% Chardonnay, 36% Pinot Noir, 28% Pinot Meunier)
This appeared to be the consensus wine of the night and who I am to argue with
that? On the pour, it was still tightly bound tasting more like an 1982 than
1962, but with time it really kicked into gear. Nuts, sherry, rich citrus, and
vanilla crème brulée sum this superstar up. Grade of
Higher A (94-96 pts). Find this wine
1971 Krug Collection (from Magnum)
(39% Chardonnay, 47% Pinot Noir, 14% Pinot Meunier)
Rich and ready to go. If you have this wine, I would recommend popping it
because it is peaking. It has the signature Krug creamy, nutty, sherry and
citrus flavors along with a dollop of zestiness that has it jumping around on
your palate. Grade of A (93-95 pts). Find this wine
1979 Krug Collection (from Magnum)
(36% Chardonnay, 36% Pinot Noir, 28% Pinot Meunier)
Compared to every wine (except the 88 Grand Dame Rose), this wine showed
shocking acidity. Spicy vanilla orange led the way for this spunky and youthful
28 year old. While this may have lacked the depth and complexity that only age
can bring, of all the wines, this had the longest finish.
Grade of Low A (92-94 pts). Find this wine
As the party wore on and more and more wine was ingested, I missed
the 1976 Heitz Napa. I’m not sure how, but somehow I never got to it.
There was also a 1950 CVNE Vina Real which was taken away as flawed
before I ever had a chance to taste it.
My top 10 wines of the night
1. 1964 Veuve Clicquot
2. 1958 Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon
3. 1964 Vega Sicilia Unico
4. 1962 Krug Collection
5. 1964 Krug
6. 1952 Mouton Rothschild
7. 1971 Krug Collection (from Magnum)
8. 1964 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs
9. 1961 Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle
10. 1964 Charles Heidsieck
So there you have it; just another day in the life of an Angry Man, but maybe
the day of my life. Looking back on all of the wines, the most amazing thing to
me about this tasting was how well all the bubblies showed. While a few may not
have been in peak form, none were badly “off.” I guess these guys are angry
enough to scare any sellers of poor provenance bottles away. However, in
addition to the high quality of the wines, what I took most from this tasting
was that you can make a man angry and he will share his Champagne with you.
Words cannot express my gratitude; I can only hope to convey my thanks for being
invited into the lumberyard for a day and creating memories that will last long
after the Champagne has faded. I’m trying hard to be angry like these guys, but
so far I only qualify as being slightly annoyed.
Cheers!
Brad Baker
BACK TO THE TOP
BACK TO BRAD BAKER'S
INDEX PAGE
September, 2007 © Brad Baker