The 2002 Burgundies at Eleven Madison Park<a target="_blank" href="http://elevenmadisonpark.com/">Eleven Madison Park</a>11 Madison AveNew York, NY 10010 Tel + 1 (212) 889-0905This past spring I enjoyed a number of fabulous
dinners at Eleven Madison Park, including this 2002 Burgundy retrospective,
which I hosted for the Wine Workshop. On this night Chef Daniel Humm and his
team prepared a fabulous menu, culminating with the lavender honey-roasted
duck, one of Humm’s signatures as well as one of the very best dishes in New
York City today. As I have noted in previous articles, since this dinner Eleven
Madison Park has moved exclusively to an elaborate tasting menu concept,
although I am told the offerings in the private dining rooms remain unchanged.
Although the food was stellar, on this night our focus tilted more towards the
wines. Still, the level of execution from the kitchen and the wine service,
headed by Wine Director Dustin Wilson, was unparalleled. Very few restaurants
get all the details right, but here, at Eleven Madison Park, such excellence is
simply the point of departure.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1378331133647-2002BurgatEMPCover+-+Vinous.jpg"> It is pretty courageous to serve ten year-old white
Burgundies, especially at a high-profile event like this one, but the wines
came through in spades. The most interesting of the wines in our first flight
was the 2002 Domaine Leflaive
Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet, which remained bright, layered and beautifully
focused throughout the course of the evening. The Leflaive was even better when
I came back to it at the end of the evening. Although still young, it embodied
all of the qualities Burgundy lovers seek in age worthy whites. I loved it. The
2002 Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de
Laguiche was almost as impressive, although stylistically it was quite a
bit more honeyed, voluptuous and creamy. Roulot’s
2002 Meursault Perrières was good, but slightly forward, not unusual for
this particular wine and vintage. The Ramonet
Bâtard-Montrachet was also tasty, if not quite up to the level of this
storied domaine’s finest bottles.Our second flight was utterly brilliant. All three
wines were dazzling. It was tough to pick a favorite, but if forced, I tended
to favor the Faiveley because it seemed to have so much remaining upside. The 2002 Marquis d’Angerville Volnay
Taillepieds was deep, rich, resonant and beautifully balanced. Exotic notes
dominated the 2002 Lafarge Volnay Clos
des Ducs, especially in the bouquet. Both Volnays were open for business
and drinking beautifully. The same can’t be said about the Faiveley’s 2002 Corton Clos des Cortons, which was tight and
imposing from the very first taste. Still, it was impossible to miss the wine’s
huge center of fruit, phenomenal balance and massive potential for the future.
What a gorgeous wine!The third flight was very interesting, as it generated
quite a bit of discussion. People either loved or hated the 2002 Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles
Vignes. A gamey, animalistic note gave the Roty considerable wildness, a
quality that some tasters appreciated more than others. I very much liked the
wine’s decisive personality. Drouhin’s
2002 Griotte-Chambertin was quite pretty, subtle and understated.
Unfortunately we had a very good – but not great – bottle of Rousseau’s 2002 Chambertin. If any
doubts persisted about the level of this particular bottle, they were erased
when we tasted the Clos St. Jacques later in the evening.The 2002 Clos
St. Denis from Dujac was in
great shape. It was also one of the best and most distinctive wines of the night.
Layers of sublime, finely knit fruit flowed from this understated, classy
beauty. Ponsot’s 2002 Clos de la Roche
was exotic and intriguing, but also rough around the edges. Another highlight, Mugnier’s 2002 Musigny soared from the
glass with gorgeous aromatics, beautifully delineated fruit and striking
overall balance. It was a beautiful and highly representative bottle of this
great icon Burgundy.Our last four wines paired beautifully with Daniel
Humm’s lavender honey-roasted duck. Domaine
de la Romanée-Conti’s 2002 Echézeaux came across as quite powerful, rich
and deep, with sweet tannins and layers of round, generous fruit. The 2002 Grands-Echézeaux was more
aromatic, higher-toned and feminine in its personality. It, too, was quite
pretty. Sadly, the 2002 Romanée St.Vivant from Domaine Leroy was corked, but a bottle of the Vosne-Romanée Beaux-Monts quickly appeared in its place. The dark,
voluptuous and powerful side of Vosne came through in this deeply spiced,
expressive Burgundy. A last minute addition, Rousseau’s 2002 Clos St. Jacques nearly stole the show (actually it
did!), proving why it is revered among Burgundy lovers. Arguably one of the
youngest and most vibrant wines of the evening, the Clos St. Jacques impressed
for its intense fruit and phenomenal balance. It was the perfect ending to a
fabulous night of food, wine and conversation.Food:Scallop; Cauliflower, Capers and Lemon Lobster; Mushrooms, Mushroom SabayonMorel; Quinoa and TripeChicken; Lettuce, Ramps and AmaranthDuck; Roasted with Lavender Honey, Puntarella, Lady
Apples and Vadouvan Duck CrumbleWine:<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Roulot Meursault Perrières
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Maison Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Marquis D’Angerville Volnay Taillepieds
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay Clos des Ducs
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Faiveley Corton Clos des Cortons
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Maison Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles
 Vignes
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echézeaux
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echézeaux
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Leroy Romanée St.Vivant
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée Beaux-Monts
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Armand Rousseau Clos St. Jacques
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>&nbsp;-- Antonio Galloni

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