Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Don + Melissa, Jay, Jayson, Jeff, Lisa, Seth, Victor, and Arnold on the phone
Hell's bells. Twenty-five of these! Y'know, they're kinda fun because you can do a deep-dive on a group of wines rather than just passing bottles around the table. Worth the trouble. There's educational value in getting sloshed in a focused way.
Jeff and Victor pouring.
Here's my flight of three whites:
Pink Tape - Dom. Pepiere 2005 Muscadet "Granite de Clisson", 12.5%
This was more expressive right when opened, stone fruit and velveteen and a whiff of resin way at the end;
Now it's tight, very tight;
Lemony on entry, still plenty of texture, a strong fruity aroma ("Jackfruit!" -Don) but kinda quiet.
Day 2: back to its pop'n'pour state, lots of phenolic material, peaches and pebbles (yes!), very long
Green Tape - Dom. Pepiere 2007 Muscadet "Granite de Clisson", 12%
This was the chameleon of the group: it also begins tonight rather quiet but with better acids than Pink Tape;
It opens in the glass after a few minutes, the acids fading back as the fruit comes forward;
Not quite ripe enough to be apricot but something like that.
Day 2: much lighter, brighter, tangier, nowhere-near-ripe fruit, works well at the table
Orange Tape - Dom. Pepiere 2010 Muscadet Clisson, 13%
This one "screams Muscadet" -Jay, and is just generally much more vivid than the first two;
In fact, this shows so well that folks are guessing recent vintages for it, reaching as far back as 2017, even!
Day 2: pow, bam, biff, ripe fruit, leaps out of the glass, jumps on my face, wow
Note: I also pulled a bottle of the 2012, to make a flight of four wines, but it was corked. Kept that bottle for years and harrumph, I say, harrumph.
There is definitely a sibling relationship among the three but this crowd of Loire-heads didn't do a great job recognizing old Muscadet. I think this shows that its vivacious acidity (when young) is a critical key for recognition, just like recent food experiments in which recognition of vanilla was linked to volatile alcohol (because we all know vanilla extract much better than we know vanilla bean). As they get older, they lose some of those acids but reveal the granite influences on flavor and texture.
Victor has two flights of two wines each:
Note One - Ch. Belair 1989 St.-Emilion
This is the purer and the simpler of these two; enticing if not much exciting;
Several of us first guess Graves... Jay's guesses eventually exclude the entire Left Bank so now we know we're in St-Emilion!
Note Two - Ch. Magdelaine 1989 St.-Emilion
This is the fuller of the two; pork and herbs complicate the palate;
In short order, Jayson names this one.
Victor poured these two as representatives of their respective houses because these estates have been joined "...and nothing good has come of it." (JP Moueix bought Ch. Magdelaine in 1952 and his son, Christian, bought Ch. Belair in 2007. Christian renamed the latter to Ch. Belair-Monange for the 2008 vintage and merged the two adjacent properties under the B-M label for the 2012 vintage. However, although both are/were Premier grand cru classé B only Ch. Magdelaine is beloved by wine geeks.)
Note Three - Vieux Chateau Certan 1989 Pomerol
This is wonderful, complex, red-fruited, silky, OMG wine;
Our guesses are totally unfocused; Victor reveals 'Right Bank' so now we know we're in Pomerol! (Jayson's guess)
Note Four - Ch. l'Evangile 1989 Pomerol
This shows more tannins (at least, at first) while Note Three is more resolved;
Very long, lots of black fruit, a singer with a beautiful voice and impressive range.
Day 2: totally black-fruited, a (nearly) ineffable blend of citrus, charcoal, and basil; beautiful
Victor poured these because he likes them.
Finally, one sweetie:
Yellow Tape - Maximin Grunhauser 1999 Abtsberg Riesling Spatlese, 7%
This is delicate wine with gentle or buffered acidity (...which folks pegged to the so-so vintage);
Two tasters compared the integration and beauty to wines by Egon Muller;
First guess of pradikat was auslese (...was that more a reflex than a considered try?)
A bottle bought from SFJoe's estate this has wine been reported on many moons ago so nice to try it again.
Day 2: yeah, soft and old but still tangy and just sweet enough to ring the dessert bell, yum
Another terrific evening of wines and conversation and company. Thank you to everyone, and Happy 25th Virtual Tasting!
Hell's bells. Twenty-five of these! Y'know, they're kinda fun because you can do a deep-dive on a group of wines rather than just passing bottles around the table. Worth the trouble. There's educational value in getting sloshed in a focused way.
Jeff and Victor pouring.
Here's my flight of three whites:
Pink Tape - Dom. Pepiere 2005 Muscadet "Granite de Clisson", 12.5%
This was more expressive right when opened, stone fruit and velveteen and a whiff of resin way at the end;
Now it's tight, very tight;
Lemony on entry, still plenty of texture, a strong fruity aroma ("Jackfruit!" -Don) but kinda quiet.
Day 2: back to its pop'n'pour state, lots of phenolic material, peaches and pebbles (yes!), very long
Green Tape - Dom. Pepiere 2007 Muscadet "Granite de Clisson", 12%
This was the chameleon of the group: it also begins tonight rather quiet but with better acids than Pink Tape;
It opens in the glass after a few minutes, the acids fading back as the fruit comes forward;
Not quite ripe enough to be apricot but something like that.
Day 2: much lighter, brighter, tangier, nowhere-near-ripe fruit, works well at the table
Orange Tape - Dom. Pepiere 2010 Muscadet Clisson, 13%
This one "screams Muscadet" -Jay, and is just generally much more vivid than the first two;
In fact, this shows so well that folks are guessing recent vintages for it, reaching as far back as 2017, even!
Day 2: pow, bam, biff, ripe fruit, leaps out of the glass, jumps on my face, wow
Note: I also pulled a bottle of the 2012, to make a flight of four wines, but it was corked. Kept that bottle for years and harrumph, I say, harrumph.
There is definitely a sibling relationship among the three but this crowd of Loire-heads didn't do a great job recognizing old Muscadet. I think this shows that its vivacious acidity (when young) is a critical key for recognition, just like recent food experiments in which recognition of vanilla was linked to volatile alcohol (because we all know vanilla extract much better than we know vanilla bean). As they get older, they lose some of those acids but reveal the granite influences on flavor and texture.
Victor has two flights of two wines each:
Note One - Ch. Belair 1989 St.-Emilion
This is the purer and the simpler of these two; enticing if not much exciting;
Several of us first guess Graves... Jay's guesses eventually exclude the entire Left Bank so now we know we're in St-Emilion!
Note Two - Ch. Magdelaine 1989 St.-Emilion
This is the fuller of the two; pork and herbs complicate the palate;
In short order, Jayson names this one.
Victor poured these two as representatives of their respective houses because these estates have been joined "...and nothing good has come of it." (JP Moueix bought Ch. Magdelaine in 1952 and his son, Christian, bought Ch. Belair in 2007. Christian renamed the latter to Ch. Belair-Monange for the 2008 vintage and merged the two adjacent properties under the B-M label for the 2012 vintage. However, although both are/were Premier grand cru classé B only Ch. Magdelaine is beloved by wine geeks.)
Note Three - Vieux Chateau Certan 1989 Pomerol
This is wonderful, complex, red-fruited, silky, OMG wine;
Our guesses are totally unfocused; Victor reveals 'Right Bank' so now we know we're in Pomerol! (Jayson's guess)
Note Four - Ch. l'Evangile 1989 Pomerol
This shows more tannins (at least, at first) while Note Three is more resolved;
Very long, lots of black fruit, a singer with a beautiful voice and impressive range.
Day 2: totally black-fruited, a (nearly) ineffable blend of citrus, charcoal, and basil; beautiful
Victor poured these because he likes them.
Finally, one sweetie:
Yellow Tape - Maximin Grunhauser 1999 Abtsberg Riesling Spatlese, 7%
This is delicate wine with gentle or buffered acidity (...which folks pegged to the so-so vintage);
Two tasters compared the integration and beauty to wines by Egon Muller;
First guess of pradikat was auslese (...was that more a reflex than a considered try?)
A bottle bought from SFJoe's estate this has wine been reported on many moons ago so nice to try it again.
Day 2: yeah, soft and old but still tangy and just sweet enough to ring the dessert bell, yum
Another terrific evening of wines and conversation and company. Thank you to everyone, and Happy 25th Virtual Tasting!