Les Amis du Vin is an American organization based in Austin, Texas and translates as The Friends of Wine.  A customer of mine was the Michigan director of this group, but I have lost touch with him, and I am not sure if there is still a Michigan chapter or not.  This customer knew of my fledgling interest in wine and invited me to a special tasting to be held at The Dearborn Inn, which in itself is a famous location as it was the first hotel built adjacent to an airfield.  The airfield has long been gone, but The Dearborn Inn is still holding its own.

This special evening by the Les Amis du Vin had a guest speaker, the legendary Harry Waugh.  Harry Waugh who lived to be 97 was considered the “grand old man of the English wine trade.”  He was referred to as “the man with the million-dollar palate.”  He was also known for the famous wine quip as to whether he had ever confused claret with a Burgundy and answered “not since lunch.”  He was the author of several wine books plus a series of diaries on wines.

The evening started off with a talk by Harry Waugh and then progressed to a special tasting of 1973 Burgundy wines.  This was a chance for the members to try some classic wines while they were still young.  The wines were presented after an aperitif of “La Ina” a Fino Sherry from Pedro Domecq.

The wines we tried were:

Gevrey-Chambertin Domaine Armand Rousseau

Vosne-Romanee Louis Latour

Chateau Corton Grancey 1er Cru Domaine Louis Latour

Echezeaux Domain Dujac

Clos La Roche Domaine Dujac

Clos St. Jacques 1er Cru Domaine Armand Rousseau