IN THE LAIR OF DIONYSUS.

Generosity is defined as unselfish giving, a readiness or liberality in sharing. This is what I experienced first hand when I was invited to the lair of Dionysus. Not just generous, but generous to the tenth power! Just dwell on this line-up of wines for a moment and you will begin to understand what I am saying…

1982 Krug Champagne
1986 Krug Clos Du Mesnil Blanc de Blanc Champagne
2002 Roederer Cristal Rose Champagne
1989 Haut-Brion Grand Cru
1982 Grand Vin De Chateau Latour
1947 Petrus
1997 Gaja Sperss Langhe
1998 Beaucastel Hommage A Jacques Perrin Chateauneuf du Pape
1967 Chateau d’Yquem

No, I am not kidding, those are the wines that were lined up for our tasting enjoyment by Dionysus himself. I have to say that I was at first stunned, then absolutely giddy to be part of such a feast of Bordeaux and more. I studiously brought my moleskin along to take notes knowing that my palate was in for a fantastic ride. Who was I kidding? I was so caught up in the whole moment that many of the times I simply wrote down the names on the labels.

When we first arrived, Dionysus had laid out the two bottles of Krug mentioned earlier, the ’89 Haut-Brion, ’97 Gaja Sperss and the ’98 Hommage A Jacques Perrin. I had been a recipient of the 2000 Haut-Brion about two months earlier and was very excited to see how the older version stood up to it’s famous sibling. I had tasted a Gaja Barbaresco years earlier and have never introduced my lips to a Beaucastel Hommage A Jacques Perrin. I think all you wine geeks out there can understand the energy that was running through my body as I prepared my palate for these gems.

We dove into the Champagne first and they were amazing, what else can I say? As Dionysus pointed out, Krug is the pillar of consistency with it’s coconut, bread dough and pineapple flavors backed by a core of apple. Fragrant on the nose and deliciously dry the 1982 Krug is a muscular Champagne that makes you pause and think with each sip that you take. It reminds me of a body builder that can perform ballet.

The 1986 Krug Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blanc is of course made from 100% chardonnay grapes. Amazingly this Champagne reflected many of the same characteristics of it’s sibling although slightly drier on the palate. Complex with a finesse that made it dance across the palate with hits of citrus on the long finish… And I mean long! I have had a vintage Krug and the cuvee but it has been a long time ago. I had never tasted the Clos du Mesnil before and it is special. As we are drinking the bubbles and talking about the virtues of Champagne, and the pure consistency of Krug, Cristal came up in the conversation. Roederer Cristal is a highly marketed Champagne that gets way more attention then Krug in the general public. I have had Cristal a couple of times recently and I agree with Dionysus on the virtues of Krug over it’s famous cousin. However, this does not take away the fact the Cristal is delicious, and has an amazing bouquet. As we talked, I mentioned for no reason in particular (I wasn’t fishing) that I had never tasted the Cristal rose’.Guess.

Yes, from out of nowhere comes a 2002 Roederer Cristal Rose… Talk about sensory overload! Like the brut, the nose is amazing on this Champagne with notes of strawberries and cherries filling the olfactory senses. I think I could of stood there and smelled this wine all night. Actually I could of stood there and smelled all three of the offerings all night! Not as complex as either of the Krugs it was still a “10” in the delicious factor with the strawberry and cherry notes backed by hints of grapefruit filling the palate into a dry long finish. Not easy to get your hands on, I felt privileged to be drinking it. However, in the lair of Dionysus, nothing surprises me…. Maybe.

As we were talking amongst ourselves about the wonderful spread of food, including the oysters baked with a layer of fresh Parmesan that matched perfectly with the bubbles, I noticed Dionysus working on something. As I walked over his way I noticed a weathered bottle sitting in front of him. As I peered closer,I just about passed out when I saw what he was up to. In front of me was an open bottle of 1947 Petrus! Bordeaux lover’s know that Petrus is the D.R.C. of Bordeaux, the creme de le Creme. ’47 is an iconic vintage and there are very few Bordeaux left out there that can stretch their power for this long. Having never put my lips to any Petrus in my lifetime you can only imagine the thoughts that were going through my mind.

Dionysus and I each poured ourselves a glass of the ’47 Petrus. The bottle was ugly with sediment all over the neck and shoulder inside the bottle. As I smelled this sixty-four year old Bordeaux I was simply amazed at the wonderful aromas of cinnamon, leather, forest floor and dusty cherries. Dionysus agreed that the nose was amazing but cautioned that many times this can be deceiving with an older wine. We must taste. As I was getting ready to imbibe of this sweet liquid I heard an odd noise and noticed Dionysus heading to the back patio. He told me I had to give it a try. Phenomenal, ridunkulous, and incredible! Is it true that such and old wine can still express such sublime characteristics on the palate. Yes. Elegant and silky yet powerful. Notes of leather, cherry, nutmeg, and warm spices with an underlying earthiness. The flow across the palate was seamless and the finish was silky and persistent. Did it taste old? How would I know since it was such an amazing wine and I have never tasted a younger version of Petrus. I could not score the Champagne we drank since my notes were limited. However, I have no problem giving this ’47 Petrus a perfect 100 points. Beautifully built,I found no flaws in this wine. Robert Parker Jr. scored this wine 100 points on two different occasions. I do not always agree with his scores but on this one I concur. If this was the only wine Dionysus had shared with me I would have felt as deeply indebted as I do now.

I was eager now to try the ’89 Haut-Brion and again was amazed at the complexity and freshness of this wine even at this old age. In many ways, this was a toned down version of the 2000 vintage. Beautiful in it’s seamless flow across the palate, showing notes of tobacco, spice, cassis and red currants. Still showing some acidity on the mid-palate with some forest floor notes hitting on the finish. Dionysus and I agreed that this wine had another 5-8 years left in it. Although I disagree with the ridiculously high prices put on these wines, I now understand the fascination with Bordeaux and the amazing wine making skills passed on from generation to generation. They certainly demand a higher price then anything I have tasted from California or Washington. I only wish that they were more accessible to folks like myself.

Beef tenderloin was waiting for us at the table and Dionysus suggested that we should taste the rest of the reds to see what we would want to accompany the meal. Having already tasted the ’47 Petrus and the ’89 Haut-Brion I gave the ’97 Gaja Sperss a try and knew immediately that it needed more time to breath. It was restrained somewhat on the palate showing hits of blueberries and tobacco. I will come back to this one later. One taste of the ’98 Beaucastel Hommage A Jacques Perrin Chateauneuf-Du-Pape and I knew what I was going to drink with dinner. On the nose this wine was quite gamey backed by aromas of leather, spice, mud puddle and rusty iron. On the palate the wine was muscular with notes of old leather, sweet blackberries and black currants. The flavors penetrated the palate across the mid-palate with a core of balanced acidity that drove the flavors back by notes of forest floor, spice and black pepper. The finish on this lasted over a couple of minutes. Yes, I took notes on this baby and it was perfect with the beef. 97+ points.

As we ate a wonderfully prepared meal, and drank the wines that Dionysus had so generously opened, dessert came our way. Again Dionysus disappeared only to reappear with another gem to accompany the peach and cream tart. Unbelievable, a 1967 Chateau d’YQuem. I know it’s hard to read this without saying…”Stan, you are one lucky #@st*$.” I will not argue with you on that one, I know how lucky I was to be tasting all these wines. The d’YQuem lived up to all the expectations. The bouquet was fresh and clean with wonderful aromas of golden raisins and mandarin oranges. On the palate this wine had both intensity and finesse at the same time. Notes of golden currants, caramel, butterscotch and dried papaya penetrated the palate. The amazing thing is how this beautiful sauternes finished up with notes of earl grey tea and bright citrus notes on a clean finish. I wished I had saved an oyster to go with this wine because that would have been an excellent match. 99 points

This night is seared in my memory right up there with the loss of my virginity and the birth of my first child. (These two events are not connected by the way). Not only did Dionysus share these wines with us, he told us to take home whatever was left. Seriously? Yes he did. Bob and I amiacably agreed on who should take what and one of the bottles I took home was the Gaja Sperss since I wanted to see how it would open up. I went home that night in la la land and slept peacefully with visions of old Bordeaux dancing in my head. Thank you Dionysus… From the bottom of my wine glass. Cheers! Stan The Wine Man

P.S. Having allowed the ’97 Gaja Sperss to sit overnight I have just a few notes on what I tasted…
1997 Gaya Sperss Langhe (Nebbiolo)
Aromas of sweaty leather, game, mushroom and tobacco with whiffs on mint on the backside. Black currants, leather, tobacco and dried beef notes are bold on the front and mid-palate. Wonderful balance with a seemingly endless finish marked by some tannic grip. This is a youthful wine that took some time to open up. When it finally did, Wow! Give this wine another eight to ten years and you are in for a real treat. 98+ points.