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A Few American Wines Feb 7 2010

There were also a few American wines at the same tasting (see post below), but you have to understand that it was still before midday on a Sunday, and I had been vigorously tasting the ancient Bordeaux beforehand, so if I approached these wines with anything less than intense enthusiasm, then you will have to forgive me. Sadly I did not make my way through all of these, but this is what I thought of the ones I liked:

1970 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon: Showing extremely well, still had a pretty intense nose of game, black fruit and earth, and a complex and evolving palate, rich yet refined, with fine tannins and clear acidity that balanced the other strong flavours very well. An excellent wine. The surprise of the tasting for me.

1987 Dominus: Had a dark ruby core with a red-brick rim, a very refined nose, floral, earthy, black cherry and currants, tobacco. Dark fruit, leather, cedar and lots of earthy minerality on the palate, with balanced tannins and acidity. Splendid indeed.

If only they still made Napa cabs in these styles..

The only other wine I thought would be worth sharing with you was the 1995 Fess Parker Syrah, which was a very well-balanced wine. It had a huge nose of sweet black fruit, a little game and marzipan(?), which was dense and rich on the palate, with excellent acidity and big tannins. A very good wine indeed if you like this style.

Right, I'm done now, you can put the knives away, and roll down your sleeves...

Very Old Bordeaux Tasting Feb 7 2010

Right then, after a great deal of lingering over those 3 great wines (yes, even the '62 HB was great despite the fact that it was not supposed to be long-lasting vintage) and repeated sampling, I moved onto the others in the line. There were 3 vintages of Chateau Margaux: '67, '73, and '81.

1967: A little over its peak, however there were still some good, soft fruit and floral aromas, the palate was very balanced and elegant, with a lightish body and very soft texture, a very pleasant wine overall.

1973: It still had a certain finesse, but I felt it had faded quite a bit. Very little fruit left, but there was some minerality. A light body and smooth texture. Tired.

1981: A more concentrated wine than the previous 2, the flavours hadn't faded at all. Bouquet of smoke, earth, tobacco and flowers, with a complex palate of fruit (blueberry and cassis), cedar, tobacco and earth. Soft, resolved tannins and balanced acidity. Very elegant.

There were a couple of other Mouton-Rothschild vintages worth mentioning too: '76 and '99.

1976: Still possessed a complex and pretty intense nose, smokey, tar, earth. The palate was a little faded however, there was still some acidity and soft tannins, but the fruit wasn't backing it up as it should. Drink now if you have it.

1999: A tight nose, still developing for sure, elements of smoke and gunflint minerality. Closed on the palate also, but possesses all the right characteristics (fruit, tannins, acidity) to become a very good wine indeed.

And just before you keel over, one last Bordeaux to mention, though not so old, is the 1990 Pichon Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande. This had excellent flavours, was quite rich and had a certain finesse. The tannins were almost resolved, and all the secondary aromas and flavours were present. At its peak now, extremely good.

Phew, I bet you're all glad that's over..

I Hate EasyJet

Just a quick note as Im trying to get back from my most splendid trip to the Jura et al - stuck at Geneva airport having missed my first ever international flight thanks to the cretins at QueasyJet - heavy snow meant late on the drive back from Champagnole (many thanks to Vincents awesome Father for all his help this weekend) and nobody told me they close the check-in 40minutes before the flight - I get there 5 mins after its closed and they refuse to check me in - my planes on the ground 35mins but they wont let me on - morons - paid an extra 45(damn no pound sign) for the privelage of getting on the next flight - anyway better run or ill miss the next one - hoepfully will get back to blighty soon and will regail you of my adventures - laters

Very Old Bordeaux Tasting Feb 7 2010

Right, I'm not going to talk about all the wines on the previous post for 2 reasons: firstly there were a whole load that were crap, past their best, or that I didn't like; and secondly, if I did, then you would all die from extreme, mind-numbing boredom. And because I'm a sensitive, new-age man, I won't put you through that ordeal.

So, after a quick shot of Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve to enliven the taste buds, I hit the whites, all of which were flabby, with the exception of the Chateau-Grillet (viognier), and that had no fruit. Enough about those, on to the Bordeaux.

First off:

1961 La Mission Haut Brion:

A dark ruby core going to a red-brick rim, with a big, aromatic, complex nose of bold, sweet fruit, tobacco, smoke, meat, spice and minerals, backed up by a full body and rich flavours, with soft tannins, a velvety texture and a very long finish. This is a big, rich and dense wine, it is extremely powerful, yet very elegant and refined (if that's possible), with all its elements in perfect harmony with one another. And given that it has such intensity of flavour it will certainly last for some time to come with good storage conditions. Absolutely Awesome!! This was my number 1 wine of the day.

And if you thought that was a big wine, then try this next one...



1959 Mouton-Rothschild:

This wine borders on the ridiculous. At 50 years of age it has a colour that almost defies belief, it is almost black with a purple rim, and it possesses very strong aromas of dark fruit (cassis, cherry), spice and mint/eucalyptus. This is a massively-extracted, syrupy wine, which seems to be pretty unevolved on the palate, has very big, dry tannins and high levels of acidity, extremely rich and opulent flavours, and will probably last for several more decades yet. Definitely a 'Wow!' wine.

2 bottles were opened at the tasting, with some variation, the first one was definitely a lot softer and less intense than the second. We were told that they double-decanted all the Bordeaux a couple of hours beforehand at around 9am, and by 12.30pm the second bottle was really starting to come into its own - it's definitely got some time ahead of it..

And finally, the last of the top 3:

1962 Haut Brion:

This had spicy, smokey, sweet and minerally aromas that were much softer and more elegant than the previous 2 wines, the core was also a deep garnet colour, moving to a red-brick rim again. On the palate there was much less sweetness than on the nose, there was much more of the earthy, minerally flavours, combined with some strong dark, and maybe a little stewed, fruit backing it up. The tannins were also fully integrated, there was some good acidity still, and a medium(+) body and soft texture, overall giving a most pleasurable mouthful of wine. Fully recommended if you can find, and indeed afford it.

One slight criticism I had of the tasting was that they poured these 3 wines together, but in the wrong order. They poured the '59, then the '61 then the '62, they should have done it in the reverse order in my opinion, moving up in body and concentration. Can't have it all though I suppose.

More to follow soon on some of the other wines...

Tasting Sheet 2/7/10

Here are the wines that were tasted this morning at the Edward Roberts pre-auction tasting:

N/V Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve
1975 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs
1976 Andre Vannier Chablis Mont de Milieu
1975 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts
1976 Louis Latour Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
1977 Neyret-Gachet Chateau Grillet Cuvee Renaissance Tirage Limite
1962 Cruse Pommard
1955 Chateau Cos D'Estournel
1959 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
1961 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion
1962 Chateau Haut-Brion
1967 Chateau Margaux
1970 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
1973 Chateau Margaux
1975 Chateau Talbot
1976 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
1981 Chateau Margaux
1982 Chateau Notton
1983 Chateau Leoville Las-Cases
1990 Chateau Pichon-Lalande
1999 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
2000 L'Esprit de Chevalier
2000 Chateau Yon-Figeac
1985 Vega Sicilia Valbuena
1970 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Unfiltered
1987 Dominus
1994 Calafia Cabernet Sauvingon Konrad Vineyard
1995 Leducq Merlot Sylviane
1995 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks
1997 Anderson Peninou Proprietary Red Wine
1998 Del Dotto Merlot
1998 Del Dotto Giovanni's Tuscan Reserve
1999 Branham Cabernet Sauvignon
2000 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon
2000 Don Vincenzo Proprietary Red Wine
2001 Anderson Peninou Cabernet Sauvignon
2002 Branham Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Venge Family Scout's Honor
2005 Jack Williams Cabernet Sauvignon The King
1970 Domaine Gerin Cote Rotie
1995 Fess Parker Syrah
2000 Fontodi Syrah Case Via
1988 Chateau St. Jean Muscat Canelli
1985 Fonseca Port

I will attempt to dissect, and dismiss, some of them in the next post

Mature Bordeaux Tasting Tomorrow

Very excited, I am going to a pre-auction tasting today (Edward Roberts International, http://eriwine.com/flash.html) where the highlights will be a '59 Mouton-Rothschild and a '61 La Mission Haut-Brion, supposedly 2 of the best wines from Bordeaux from the last century. It's not often I get to taste wines like these, in fact it's not ever that I get to try them, so watch this space...

Whew..

Ok, sorted now. Sweet.

D'oh

Ooops, sorry people, having a few problems figuring out some customisation stuff.. Hopefully all will be back to normal very soon..

New World, Cheap, Very Nice

In an attempt to veer from the one-track mindedness to which I referred yesterday, I opened a delectable bottle of a 2008 New World Viognier from the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in Washington, from a producer called McKinley Springs. This was everything a good Viognier should be: beautiful floral and stone fruit aromatics with lots and lots of wet rock minerality, and awesome peach and apricot fruit on the palate, with the same minerality also, and the textbook oily viognier texture, followed by a very crisp, and pretty long finish. And the price for this marvel of a wine that would rival a decent Condrieu? $15. Splendid. You know it's a good wine when you get upset when the bottle ends. Or is that just alcoholism? Who knows.. Anyway, I think this could become one of my go-to wines, it is that good and that good value.

Well, maybe there is a future for me in New World wine appreciation after all, I promise I am trying. Any suggestions for further wines to try are always welcome too. In fact I would receive bottles in the post if anyone is so inclined..

One-Track Mind

Hmmm, I just realised that almost all of the wines that I waffle on about are French. Why is it that I mostly seem to have French wines in stock? I must try to diversify a bit more..

A Good Grower Champagne

Yesterday we went over to our friends' house, and we took over a splendid bottle of champagne to congratulate them on the birth of their firstborn, and to view said offspring. The champagne was a non-vintage Grand Cru Brut Rose, from Varnier-Fanniere, a grower, made from a blend of GC Chardonnay grapes from the village of Avize (90%), and GC Pinot Noir grapes from Ay (10%). The wine looked to colourblind me like it was a striking pink/amber colour, and had good amounts of red fruit on the nose for a wine that is mainly Chardonnay. On the palate it was very fresh and racy, with good fruit, a little bread, and excellent minerality. It was very a very focused and precise wine, with smallish bubbles, overall extremely well-balanced, and it went very well with the tuna salad nicoise we consumed with it. The more I drink these grower champagnes, the more I realise that they have so much more character than most of the big negocient-produced wines. These are the ones to look out for people, look for a very small RM on the front label, and you know they are grower-produced.

I'm not sure that young Sadie appreciated that we were drinking fine champagne in her honour, but until she gets older, less is definitely very much more...

Urgh..

Ravenswood, Vintner's Blend Zinfandel 2007. Disgraceful. Nuff said. I wish people wouldn't bring them round. Please people, no more crappy Zins!! I have, however, had a couple of Primitivos form Puglia that have been more than palatable in the last 6 months or so, must be the Old World touch..

On another note of heightened joy, the thought of an anorak-laden post from you, Nahthern, about one of France's minor wine regions makes me shudder from head to toe in orgasm-inducing ecstasy (see comment on previous post). I can hardly contain myself. My wife is very excited too.

Blowtorch Rib of Beef by Thomas Keller

As the title would suggest, I had Thomas Keller round last night to cook rib of beef for me. Actually I did not. I recently received from my charming and very thoughtful wife a signed copy of his new cookbook, Ad Hoc At Home, based on recipes from his restaurant in Yountville, Ca. One of these is his recipe for Blowtorch Rib of Beef (bone-in), which involves browning the meat and fat with a blowtorch, and then cooking it slowly at a lower temperature to ensure that there is a much more even pinkness throughout the interior, rather that cooking it at higher heat and having decreasing pinkness from centre to edge, with the aim of the blowtorch being to get the yummy exterior crust as if it had been cooked at a higher heat. And may I say that a combination of this technique and my superlative cooking skills ensured that the meat turned out perfectly. And served with some roasted root vegetables (parsnips, carrots) and homemade horseradish, it made for an extremely pleasant way to pass a Sunday afternoon. I also preceded this course with the first soup (not a stew, or casserole) I have ever made, a sunchoke soup, the recipe for which I found on epicurious.com. Awesome.

I served the beef with an outstanding bottle of 2004 Tardieu-Laurent Cotes-du-Rhone Cuvee Guy Louis (50% Grenache, 50% Syrah), which has to be one of the best CDR I have tasted in several years. It is a little tight straight out of the bottle, but after an hour or so of decanting it had opened right up. For $15 you get a nose of ripe red and black fruit, coffee, spice, and a little oak. The palate reflects the nose very well, but also gives you a full-bodied, velvet-textured mouth feel, some good acidity and some grippy tannins, with a pretty long finish, culminating in a very well-balanced wine, which could easily pass for a good Gigondas I would say. All for $15!! Bargain!! There aren't many of those around these days! All I can say is that I'm bloody glad I've got 4 more bottles of this left.

Anyway, maximum kudos to me for a splendid meal, and a great wine selection. Well done me..

A small Bollinger tasting

Had a small tasing of the Bollinger range tonight - quality all round was high but the most interesting aspect was tasting some of their reserve wines from magnum that they use to make up the NV and NV Rose - Bollinger being the only house to store and age a portion of their reserve wines like this rather than tank - 800,000 bottles at any one time for between 5 and 20 years which is quite mad logistically

Chardonnay Mesnil 2003 - Very forward Chardonnay nose toasty and buttery but very yeasty strong fresh bread dough on the pallette masking any fruit, dry but quite low acidity

Pinot Noir Vizennay (Blanc)2004 - Very slight pink hue, distinct pinot nose redcurrents and quite earthy but fresh light prickle and more acidity
Pinot Noir Ay ,La Cote Aux Enfants (Rouge)2004 - Extremely dense black with light purple rim very fragant black forest fruit, noticable oak nice velvety texture but acidity quite low - Point of interest this is used to blend with La Grande Annee Rose but is also bottled and sold in tiny quantities as a Coteaux Champenoise Pinot Noir

As for the wines themselves

Bollinger Special Cuvee NV
60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier
Rich full and yeasty nose buttery and generous - full bodied creamy textured mousse not overly complex and a bit clinical but very good NV style if you like richer more forward styles - which I do

Bollinger Grande Annee 2000
63% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay
Much more elegant nose more greengage, ripe apple and stony minerality, lovely creamy texture with some light peach notes but good structured minerality carry through but felt missing that zappy acidity I look for and definatly lacking somewhat on length

Bollinger RD 1997 (Disgorged Sept 08)
65% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay
Restrained nose on opening which opened up after 15 minutes, fresh and pure still that stony minerality but with much more citrus notes Lemon zest ripe and aromatic but subtle - very dry precise style good balance nice acidity but feels a bit disjointed, not quite complete - lovely wine but maybe needs more time and I do in general prefer the richer creamy 'house style' of the Grande Annee

Bollinger Rose NV
60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier
Very attractive pale salmon colour with almost a rusting brown hue - subtle nose quite pinot like with nice herbacious (thyme?) element - lovely creamy texture very savoury style and long drying finish - Very nice

Bollinger Grande Annee Rose 2002
73% Pinot Noir, 27% Chardonnay
Slightly deeper than the NV but same salmon pink with rusty hue - nose quite closed crushed redcurrant and freeze dried strawberries (if you have'nt smelt freeze dried strawberries just trust me on this) - pretty tight but very structured coiled spring type energy with lovely dry herbs - obviously needs more time but very very good length

Probably my favourite wine of the line up but not sure about the considerable price jump so for value my monies on the Rose NV