Last night, we jumped the gun on "open that bottle night" by opening a good bottle with a dinner of salmis de cuisses de canard (duck
legs slow cooked in a red wine sauce). The wine was:
1988 R. Groffier Chambertin Clos de Beze
color: pale ruby going orange at the rim
nose: initially, a big whack of barnyard with classic Pinot fruit beneath; as time wore on, the fruit became deeper and more intense with a smoky element and minerality
palate: medium body, good acidity, soft Pinot fruit, smoke, minerals
This bottle was a leaker: the cork was saturated and moldy but the fill was high, leading me to worry about heat damage. The nose, however, was fresh and lively with no sign of overt cooking. All in all, this was probably the second most memorable Burgundy of my life, second only to an '88 Dujac Clos de la Roche. A great match with the salmis, and one can only wonder if a pristine bottle would be even better.