Wine Musings Vol#108

Something Old. Something New...

Following are the somewhat sparse tasting notes from the annual wine event we host at Stately Grossman Manor last week. Most wines are directly from my cellar. A few were brought by folks who can equally attest to provenance. Where there is an exception, it is noted. This year our theme was to taste mini verticals of 3 of the same wines over fairly long periods of time (i.e. 60s to the first decade of this millennium), along with a mystery wine of the same varietal. The idea was to track aging curves and changes in style where applicable. To whit:

The first flight consisted of wines from Les Clos, a Gran Cru vineyard in Chablis for those not familiar.

Wine 1 was wonderful. Bright, crisp, citrus zest, marzipan, brine...classic Chablis. Great mouthfeel long finish. The power of the wine made me think 2007, instead it was the 1970 Les Clos (Bolter bottling) ***++.
Wine 2 was a bit oxidized showing some butterscotch. Under that however more flint, citrus and white flowers. I guessed the 1996 Brocard Le Clos *** and that was what it was. I have had 96 recently and it was not as much evolved. Might be a storage issue as I had to buy this retail to fit the tasting. YMMV.

Wine 3 was the table favorite. Lovely, filled-out, essence of orange blossom honey really stood out. Mineral and stone fruit palate. An amazing rendition of chardonnay. It was the 2007 Kongsgaard The Judge ****+ and I knew it.

Wine 4 was very much like wine 1, very tight with more tropical fruit. A prominent pineapple and coconut element! I thought wine one a bit more crisp, thus my preference. Delicious and with lots of time ahead of it. It was the 2007 Brocard Les Clos***++.

The 2nd flight was Delas Les Bessards. kinda. My bottle of 1969 St. Christophe was over the hill. So we had 2 Delas Hermitage and 2 other. Turned out to be a great flight:

Wine 1 was elegance in a glass. It was the most evolved and had nuances of herbs, grilled meats, white pepper and black and red fruit. Silky mouth feel, resolving finish but with no holes. Lovely. It was the 90 Chave Hermitage**** and I would say that it is in it's prime right now.

Wine 2 was clearly very young and made in a much more modern style. Black fruits, lavender, caramel/coffee. Big wine. I was surprised that it was the Delas 2009 Les Bessards***+. I would have pegged it for new world. Parker 100 points? Not tonight.

Wine 3 was gorgeous. Perfumed and nuanced. A super alluring note of sandalwood, red fruit, pink peppercorn, herbs. I loved this wine and thought it was the Chave. Instead it was the 1996 Les Bessards****

Wine 4 was a show stopper. Powerful, vibrant, this wine has verve. Spearmint, iodine, bell pepper. Huge, palate staining with pronounced structure. Dave called it a La Tour like wine and I agree. Amazingly, it was the 1995 Thackery Orion ****+. Wow.

The next flight was Chateau Gruaud Larose.

Wine 1 showed tell tale GL Nicoise olive, black fruit, licorice, leather and a bit of funk. I love these wines. I thought it was the 1990 Gruaud Larose ***++ and it was.

Wine 2 was similar I thought. More bell pepper and a racy red fruit driven palate. I thought it was the 78. Instead it was a 1994 Mount Mary Quintet, from Lillydale **++. Very controversial. I liked this wine very much, Dave did not at all, as did others. In any case, it was a perfect fit for this flight as it was very Bordeaux like.

Wine 3 was dusty and somewhat muted. Still showing some black fruit and green olive, it was for the most part pleasant but not of particular note. Surprisingly dark color. I have had better luck with the 1978 Gruaud Larose **+ in the past, but this bottle was tired.

Wine 4 was fantastic. Still a baby, it was initially closed, but with some coaxing showed excellent black fruit, shoe polish, licorice and minerals. Wonderful depth and super long. It was the 2000 Gruaud Larose****. A wine with a long future in front of it.

The next flight was Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

Wine 1 was everything I love about Mouton. Sexy, red fruit, cedar, menthol, cassis...really alluring. Full on the palate. Velvety. It was the 1998 Mouton****+ and one of my favorites of that decade for drinking right now.

Wine 2 was in one word DEEP. Black fruit, cassis, mineral laden classic big boned Bordeaux. Not a wine for tonight but I appreciate the depth, structure and promise for the future. it was the 1986 Mouton****+.

Wine 3 was maybe my wine of the flight. beautiful, nuanced, great depth. Red and black fruit, lead pencil, little bit of cigar box...heavenly. Solid on the palate and a fury finish. Could have knocked me over when I saw that it was the 1967 Mouton****+. Fabulous wine. Go figure.

Wine 4 was tired and a bit flabby. Some red fruit, soy, mint chocolate covered raisins. Very surprised that it was the 1991 Phelps Insignia**+. perfect provenance and in my cellar since issue. perfect fill, perfect cork. Underwhelmed.

last flight. Baumard Quarts de Chaume.
Wine 1 was lithe and sublime. Pretty stone fruit, a touch of petrol and wild flowers. it was the 1971 QdC***++. Loved it.

Wine 2 was clearly not QdC. A bit less generous, not to say thin, more obvious notes of honey and citrus, it was the 2001 Lafaurie Peyraguey, sauternes***. Not bad, but outclassed in this field.

Wine 3 had more weight than the first wine, but a very similar profile. Perhaps a more pronounced nectarine and quince element. Again, I liked it very much. Still built for the longer haul. It was the 1990 QdC***++.

Wine 4 was my WOTN. Wow. Amazing. The 2007 QdC****+ has a vibrancy and verve that almost knocked me over. Powerful orange blossom, nectarine, mango, peach, lavender honey notes. great acids, full mouth feel with a precise line front to back, spicy finish that lasts minutes. Lots of baby fat but clearly a wine that will be among the best QdCs I have ever had. Superlative.

Wine Musings Vol#84

Wine of Merit: ****++Chateau D’Yquem, Sauternes, Bordeaux, 1996: Ethereal. I have had this wine before and it has never performed so well. A great example of a superlative d’yquem. Honey comb, tobacco, minerals, a floral mélange of vetiver, verbena, lavender and Lilly of the Valley scent, candied citrus zest, a touch of white pepper lithe and yet serious. Wonderful depth on the palate with more orange zest and minerals. Endless finish. Just outstanding.

****+Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, Hermitage, 1996: A masterpiece. Powerful red fruit, cinnamon, white pepper, tar and briar. Amazing depth, cut and delineation. Firm palate but perfectly balanced and integrated front to back. Ridiculously long finish of pepper, soy and mineral. Great the next day and the day after that as well.

****Bodegas Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero, 1996: A giant. Still very primal. Surprisingly new world in its signature. Essence of blueberry, tagine spices, briar, floral acacia, vanilla bean, café au lait. Beautiful, coating, juicy palate. Good focus and length. Very fresh. Charmingly puerile, still growing into its frame.

***++Domaine des Baumard, Quarts de Chaume, Loire, 1996: Hedonism exemplified. Baked apricots covered in honey, clove, cinnamon, candied ginger, lemon custard. Deep, deep unctuous aromas. A real come hither wine. I loved it. Thick, viscous palate, medium long ripe crème anglais finish. A romp. Wonderful.

***Domaine Huet, Clos du Bourg, Moelleux, Vouvray, 1996: Somewhere in between. Not the elegance of the D’Yquem or the sensuality of the Baumard. Fresh, ripe cantaloupe aromas, a touch of watermelon, quince. Delicious and light on the palate. Lovely and refreshing.

*+Querciabella, Chianti Classico Riserva, Tuscany, 1996: Seriously maderized. Fun to taste for its volatile, creamy blackberry and cherry sherry-like qualities. But not worth drinking more than a glass. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

Wine Musings Vol#68: Cru Dinner (IV)

Wine of Merit: ****Alois Kracher, TBA #12, Weinlaubenhof, Burgenland, Austria, scheurebe, 1998: Ok…I cannot resist…it is the last flight of the night and given the wine’s considerable heft…this fat lady sings! Wow. If the Huet is light hearted, this wine really is the Viking helmeted, big bosomed diva, powerfully belting out the final aria in full voice. Huge, thick, orange blossom, honeyed tobacco, minerals, canned peaches…so good, so lush, so concentrated – so balanced! - …it is sensory overload and I just love it. I cannot discern any real grape varietal nuances to this…it is simply heavily botrytised dessert wine. And I am glad for it. Dare I say it? What the heck: Schweet.

***+Huet, Le Haut Lieu, Moelleux, Vouvray, chenin blanc, 1947: Much fanfare and anticipation accompanies this wine. I know some who have said it is the best white wine they have ever had the opportunity to taste. In that context I am left second guessing. The wine was in fact lovely. Amber in color, I was particularly impressed by how light hearted this wine was. I mean given the heavy residual sugar (by the way…what makes this wine “sec”? makes no sense to me) I would think this wine would easily tend to the overtly romantic, perhaps even the cloyingly heavy handed. Instead the wine dances and sings, maybe even skates, gliding effortlessly across the palate, while perhaps even humming a tune. But the aromatics were well beyond mature. Burnt sugar, dried white/yellow stone fruit, a slight herbaceous quality…none of this beyond what might have been hoped for. Very nice but lacking the sophistication and elegance one might have presumed a wine of this pedigree should possess. Middling finish. I have a feeling provenance of wines like these is especially important and would expect significant bottle variation. I can imagine this, if perhaps a bit more lively up front, to be an important wine. I should point out that others had this wine in their top 3 wines of the evening, so perhaps I was just fatigued at this point.

***Huet, Le Haut Lieu, Moelleux, Vouvray, chenin blanc, 1921: As serendipity would have it, Roy had a bottle of the 1921 Le Haut Lieu hanging out in the cellar, awaiting just such an occasion! Lucky us! Caramel toffee in color, my notes reflect the 1947…just less so. Perhaps a more pronounced minerality and an interesting smoky, toasted marshmallow and graham cracker sandwich, toasted on a campfire in the outdoors element. A $1000 s’more (without the chocolate)?! A fun experiment and experience…when else will I be able to duplicate this kind of vertical tasting? I think this is where a long evening with 20 bottles is probably paying a disservice to my ability to describe these wines. Still…this wine did not stand out in the flight for reasons other than its age and maturity.

**++Domaine des Baumard, Quarts de Chaume, chenin blanc, Loire Valley, 1971: I admit to being a big Quarts de Chaume fan. I enjoy how the folks at Baumard typically balance the sweet, unctuous nature of this wine with the vibrant fruited elements and lively mouth feel. That said, I was a bit let down by this wine. It didn’t really speak to me, or I should say that if it did speak to me I couldn’t make out very much of what it was saying. Typically focused elements of apricot, honeyed peach and petrol were at best a bit fuzzy; I found the wine a bit astringent on the palate and muted on the finish. I am not sure if this just wasn’t a great bottle, if the wine was a bit upstaged by the others in the flight or if 30 some odd years are just too many for a Quarts de Chaume. Pleasant and enjoyable for what it is (an old dessert wine) but not up to the standards other vintages have set.

In the end, I would say that the Jayer burg, the Trimach rieseling and the chablis were my top 3 wines of the evening. Those were followed in a second peleton made up of the Sine Qua Non, the Chinon, the Kracher TBA and the Margaux. What an experience. Thanks to one and all (espcially Roy and the Cru Crew) for making this an event not soon if ever forgotten. FIN.