1999 Shoot Out @ Salil's, 7/9/2024

1999 Shoot Out: Clos des Epeneaux vs Monprivato
@ Châteauneuf-du-Salil, Albany, NY, 7/9/2024

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Dinner
Salil made a fabulous meal which was well-matched to the wines.

Delicious Saffron Risotto:

Air-fryer French Fries:

Spatchcock Smoked Chicken on the grill:

The Wines

1999 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
[Opened around 2:30 PM. Decanted at 5 PM.] Garnet color with onion skin edge. Muted nose of smoke and dried red fruit. Plenty of red and black fruit with a big wall of tannin it still can't cover. A very Barolo-esque Burgundy!
One more hour in the decanter: The nose is opening up with some bright cherry and tar.
Another hour later: Now it is singing. A gorgeous perfume of flowers and spiced fruit. Just a gorgeous red Burgundy. Still needs time, or a long decant. (95 points)
1999 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double-decanted for 4 hours at 2pm.] Classic Barolo nose of black fruit, tar, and roses. Firm attack with a long finish of black fruit, tar, and tannin. Normally this wine has lots of red fruit, but no Ca d'Morissio Riserva was produced in 1999, so that Michet fruit is in this wine. Hence the greater black fruit here. This was delicious with Salil's fabulous saffron risotto and smoked chicken, but I don't think this was the best bottle of this wine. It was purchased (for $70) from a local shop that didn't have climate control. Still, a fun comparison with the Pommard tonight. (94 points)

Conclusion

This turned out to be a fascinating comparison as the wines evolved. I think this Pommard is one of the most Barolo-esque Burgundies. Even after being open for a few hours and decanted for 1.5 more, it was still tannic and tight. The Barolo opened up first, but by the end of the evening the Pommard was just singing. The tannin disappeared and the nose developed into a bright floral and fruit bouquet. In the mouth, it was pure silk. Gorgeous. Both excellent wines, but tonight the Pommard was the winner.

You can find Salil's notes from this evening here.

My tasting notes posted from CellarTracker.