I have to admit that I haven’t made it to midnight on December 31st in quite some time. I’m always doing something that day and am exhausted by the time the evening comes around and it’s normally couch time followed by falling asleep, waking up at 10 (good old mountain time) to watch the ball drop and then off to bed… We had a plan this night though… Dinner at Rick Thompson’s (that would be Rico for any regular readers) didn’t start until close to 9 PM and we were armed with enough serious juice to keep even my 4:30AM rising wife awake.

Just to ensure we were in the proper mood, the night got started off with a fantastic domestic sparkler. The 2000 Roederer Estate L’Ermitage Brut is easily one of the best sparklers out there and at the price point, I don’t know of Champagne that comes close. This was followed up with a stunning 2002 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese that was as seamless as they come. Simply packed with lycee, white flowers minerals and sugary citrus notes, this is pure silk on the palate. I haven’t had a mature example of these to know where the aromatics go but I’d hang onto any additional bottle to see if this gains more complexity.

The reds started off with a pretty 1998 Domaine Robert Arnoux Vosne-Romanée Les Hautes-Maizières. This opened up in the glass and was filled with spicy black cherry fruit. A 1998 Château de la Gardine Châteauneuf-du-Pape was still young and fairly unevolved with an earthy, licorice and smoky bouquet. Medium bodied and rich on the palate, this has nice underlying structure and plenty of length.

Two barolo’s followed and Clerico’s single vineyard, flagship bottling, 1989 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra was stunning. Despite it modern, barrique elevage, this was classic nebbilo with gorgeous, perfumed aromatic of flowers, toasted spice, potpourri and sweet nebbilo fruit. Approachable on the palate, this is in a good spot with sweet fruit and ripe tannins on the backend. The 1989 Gaja Barolo Sperss couldn’t have been more different and was stacked with dark fruit, tar and earth notes. Concentrated and rich, this is still a pup and on the palate, is a lesson in austerity. Beautifully pure and precise, the packs a serious wallop of tannin on the finish. Bury this in the cellar.

To cap the evening, we jumped back to sweet fruit with a staggering 2005 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Deus-Ex Machina. This showcases amazingly pure fruit, massive concentration and a perfect palate. Not quite as exotic or heavy as the 2003, this is as polished and smooth as Chateauneuf can be.

The ball dropped and a quick gulp of the 1983 Graham Porto Vintage ended the evening.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 1st, 2009 at 6:57 am and is filed under tasting notes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.