Celebration Wines

I

Ian Fitzsimmons

Ian Fitzsimmons
On a modest scale.

NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier Brut, disgorged 2016.I've been trying to age my Champagnes more than previously, but nothing says celebration quite like the classic Champagne.

This is very good, I like it appreciably more than the last bottle I opened - about two years ago - from the same batch. But I'm having trouble finding descriptors. Not yeasty at all. A bit biscuity at 30% Pinot/70% Chardonnay. Really satisfying breadth and tang on the mid-pallet. Very dry, nearly as though with tannins. But no flavor associations are springing to mind. Perhaps a soupcon of cumin. The balance is very nice. Better - smoother - the second day. A rebuy at about $40.

2002 Domaine Arlaud Clos de la Roche Cuvée Unique. Corked. I bought six of these at auction a long time ago and, when I opened that first bottle last year, it was an atrocious, brambly, garbagy mess. I couldn't tell if it was a bad bottle, in a weird stage, or just poorly-made. The new data from this bottle are no help at all.

2012 Henri Prudhon & Fils Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Sur Le Sentier Du Clou Vieilles Vignes. This is charming and very nice. Glassy appearance, nice Burgundy coloring. Substantial tannins. Mostly well-balanced, with perhaps a slight overemphasis on acidity. Black-ish fruits. A wine of somewhat stern character, not one to pander and flatter; it will meet you half-way, if you cede it some attention. May benefit from another 3-5 years. Possibly. The fruit contribution isn't overly generous. At $25/bottle, this is perfectly fair value; at today's $40+, not sure I'd buy again.
 
The Vilmart is still good on the third night, though beginning to flagging. I've liked some Champagnes as - essentially - still wines, even after they've become flat - Lallier Brut Nature is a case in point. But this one seems like it's just tuckering out.

The Prudhon's tannins have smoothed out nicely by the second night, but such fruit as was there initially has gone AWoL. The texture-body balance with acidity is pleasant enough, but not much is going on aromatically or taste-wise.

I probably could have picked more distinguished wines for the occasion. What I'm celebrating is the award Monday of a Ph.D. in environmental science by the University of Virginia.

Cheers all.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
The Vilmart is still good on the third night, though beginning to flagging. I've liked some Champagnes as - essentially - still wines, even after they've become flat - Lallier Brut Nature is a case in point. But this one seems like it's just tuckering out.

The Prudhon's tannins have smoothed out nicely by the second night, but such fruit as was there initially has gone AWoL. The texture-body balance with acidity is pleasant enough, but not much is going on aromatically or taste-wise.

I probably could have picked more distinguished wines for the occasion. What I'm celebrating is the award Monday of a Ph.D. in environmental science by the University of Virginia.

Cheers all.
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Congrats, Ian! I’m glad my answers to your questions didn’t totally derail your progress.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
What I'm celebrating is the award Monday of a Ph.D. in environmental science by the University of Virginia.
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Congrats. The content of the distinguished celebration matters most to the one doing the celebrating!
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:

I probably could have picked more distinguished wines for the occasion. What I'm celebrating is the award Monday of a Ph.D. in environmental science by the University of Virginia.

Cheers all.
Click to expand...

Congratulations! That's terrific.
 
It’s nice to close the chapter.

Merci beaucoup, Dr. Loesberg.

A ‘well done’ from Florida Jim is worth more than the degree itself (if I could only put it on my resume).

Thanks for not telling me to fuck off, Nathan.

Salil, you’re too gracious, especially after I mangled your name last year.

MarkS, I enjoyed our dinner on the Ridge a while back; where’s your daughter in her educational career now?

MLipton, despite your malevolent efforts, I somehow blundered through.

Maureen, I’m teaching an enormous class now, but hope to come out your way later in the fall.

Jay, you are still the gentleman of the board, though it seems like we hear less from you as the years pass.

Raahson, Jim, Daniel, Christian, Larry: thank you.

Pavel, or whoever you are, might have been $45 - gray market, with apologies to the many honest retailers attending. Is your name an allusion to the poet? The general? Someone else? None of the above? I do love guessing games.

Dissertation.jpg
 
The only Pavel Tchitchikov I've ever heard of was an admiral in the Russian army during the Napoleonic wars. As far as I remember, he doesn't show up in War and Peace, so I don't know where I've heard about him.
 
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