Another mixed bag

Dinner at Sup 1.

1988 Pol Roger Brut Chardonnay - nose of toasty oak, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon apple, and slight minerals on the finish. Pretty flat as there weren't many bubbles left, and the acidity was pretty mild for a Chardonnay.

1988 Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin Brut - I remember this wine well from another dinner earlier this year. This bottle was even better! Notes of apricot, minerals, toasty oak, caramel and that lovely oxidized nose coming from an old Champagne... A little more fizz than the Pol Roger with a hint of sweetness on the palate. This one won against the Pol Roger tonight.

1970 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Marquis - nose of stewed prunes, a little bit of smoke, brett and sharp alcohol. Smooth on the palate with reasonable length on the finish.

1985 Nicolas Potel Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes - I brought this bottle tonight because I remember drinking this wine last year with Nicolas Potel, and it blew me away. Not quite the same performance tonight, but it got better after being "released from prison" - when we poured the wine from the original small Sauvignon Blanc glasses into the large red Burgundy glasses. Slightly oxidized nose of sweet grass, corn, citrus, minerals, beeswax and green nashi pear (水晶梨). Good acidity balance.

2003 Nicolas Potel Charmes-Chambertin - a beautiful wine with a very sweet and fruity nose. Slightly alcoholic. Very smooth on the palate.

1996 Pascal Doquet Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil-sur-Oger - I carried this back from Reims earlier this year, and it was recommended to me by Fabrice, the owner of Les Caves du Forum. This was very, very nice. Nose of marshmallow, caramel, a little toasty oak, lots of yeast, citrus and a little oxidized. Coming from the great 1996 vintage, the wine was very vibrant and drank very well. Now why didn't I buy more bottles of this?!

2005 Marius - I was prejudiced against this wine as I've tried their first vintage (2004) and wasn't very impressed. The wine's pedigree is impeccable, however. This is the family winery of Frédéric Engerer, the Director and President of Château Latour who graciously hosted us this past April. The vine cuttings were from the Latour nursery, so one would expect this to be a pretty awesome Cab. The 2005 vintage is better than the 2004, with a sharp alcoholic nose, brett and smoke. The wine was sweet on the palate, and showed good concentration. I would expect this wine to improve with a little more age. But truth be told, I think there are better buys for the price...

2004 Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin - eucalyptus, sweet fruit, a little jammy, tangerine...really rich with very sharp alcohol in the nose.

2001 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli - smoky with good amount of sweet fruit. Sharp alcohol with good concentration.

2001 Pierre Usseglio Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul - very alcoholic and sweet nose.

2004 Musar Rosé - this was surprisingly good, with nose of caramel and ripe fruit, and a reasonably good acidity balance.

2002 Drappier Cuvée Charles de Gaulle - oxidized with a bit of toast, yeast and citrus.

2001 Clos des Papes - sweet, smoky with a bit of alcohol. Reasonably smooth. Contribution from the restaurant's owner...