Once again, winegeeks from across the Eastern US (and beyond) gathered in lovely Rossford, OH at the behest of Larry Meehan for the Midwest Wine and Food Symposium. When I arrived at 8 pm, events were already in full swing, with Larry, Geo and Kim from Gang of Pour in attendance, along with Disorderists John Bwoo , Mark Criden, Dave Nelson, Bob Graeter, Mike Lawton and, arriving after me, Steve Guattery and his wife Teri. On the sideboard awaiting me were no less than 35 bottles of wine and dinner was in full swing. What's a beleaguered winegeek to do? Drop my luggage under the nearest table, grab a glass and get tasting, of course!
My night started with the 2002 Luneau-Papin L D'Or Muscadet SeM SL, an old friend that was a tad too warm when I got to it. Still going strong, though, with a nice minerally citrus tang, but seeming a bit soft as warm as it was. Next to it was its sibling the '02 Luneau-Papin "Semper Excelsior" Muscadet, at once richer and more precise than the L D'Or with plenty of Muscadet character. Moving on to the wealth of Rieslings on the sideboard, I began with the beguiling '99 Hirtzberger Hochrain Riesling Smaragd, which hit me with a powerful petrolly nose, which was replicated on the palate overlaying precise green apple fruit. Next up was the 2001 JJ Prm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese, which presented itself with a nose of limes and flowers and just a hint of petrol. Off-dry in character, with plenty of acidity, it tasted young and vibrant. For a change of pace, I next tried the '75 Dr. Loosen Erdener Prlat Sptlese, which looked golden yellow and smelled distinctly of botrytis, all apricot and bergamot. Nicely acidic, it still had plenty of peachy fruit alongside the obvious botrytis character.
From there, it was time to sample the plentiful array of hipster wines, so on to the '97 i Clivi Galea Corno di Rosazzo Colli Orientali del Friuli. Interesting nose of spices, consistent with the spicy flavors that accompanied the petillance and off-dry feel to this wine. It had that sense of viscosity that I often get with wines that see prolonged skin contact. The next wine, though, went one step further in that direction, having an orange color. This was the ballyhooed '05 Zidarich Vitovska, with a wacky nose of herbs, bitter orange and rocks, and fairly full in the mouth. I won't generalize, as this was my first Vitovska, but it didn't really excite me. From orange to pink, I now moved on to the Arbois. First up was the '03 Puffeney Arbois Vieilles Vignes, which smelled slightly of Band-Aids atop floral strawberry, yet tasted more of cherries with lovely acid balance. A brilliant effort for an '03 red! Going back in time, I next tried the '00 Puffeney Poulsard. An interesting nose hinting of caramel and butterscotch-tinged strawberry fruit, it had a characteristic crispness to its fruity flavors. Next to it was the '04 Puffeney Trousseau Les Berangres, which had a very different nose of minerally cherries and seemed almost like a lithe Grenache in flavor. Perhaps that's why Mike Lawton proclaims his dislike for it. I, on the other hand, like it a lot. My final stop in the Jura is the '07 Overnoy Pupillin, smelling of strawberry jam and stones, with a rich, acidic fruity flavor profile. Way too young, but appealing nonetheless.
At the urging of Geo, I now move into the reds with a magnum of '99 Charles Joguet Chinon 'La Dioterie', delightfully funky with mild leafy character and rich, leathery fruit. This one's still got a long way to go, but is pretty tasty right now. Then on to the '99 Gros Frere et Soeur Vosne-Romane, the token Burgundy of the night and another nod to '99 for this year's event. Obviously Pinot in the nose, with that smoky character to the red fruit, low-level Brett and a silky mouthfeel that belies the deep sense of fruit on the palate. Still quite primary, this wine still was immensely appealing but could be too Bretty for some. I'd give it another 5 years before opening based on this tasting. From there, it was time for the '94 La Rioja Alta 904, which smelled mostly of pine needles and dill, overlaying a light, redfruity wine. Perhaps it was the company it was in this night, but I couldn't really appreciate this wine.
Looking wistfully at the empty bottle of '90 Giacomo Conterno Barolo, I turned my attention to the array of Syrahs on display, just as with last year's event. Mike Lawton proclaims the hipster status of two bottles he brought, the '06 Gripa St. Joseph, which -- despite being painfully young -- offered an appealing mix of pine resin and juicy berryish fruit in the nose. On the palate, it was moderately acidic and slightly tarry alongside the fresh, fruity flavors. Next to it, the '06 Otheguy St. Joseph smelled of smoke and licorice and was appreciably more tannic than the Gripa, albeit fairly chalky tannins. Beneath the tannins lay a wealth of acids and fruit, proclaiming a bright future ahead for this wine. Alas, the '92 Chave Hermitage is gone, though the near-empty bottle smells appealingly of funky, animale fruit, so I content myself with the '04 Marc Sorrel Hermitage, which smells of pine needles and berries, and comes across on the palate as tart and juicy, with some meaty complexity. Onward in the Rhone, I next sampled the '89 Ch. des Tours Vacqueyras, which had an appealing nose of meaty cherries (or is that cherryish meat?), plenty of acidity and a lively core of fruit still showing. I espy several CdPs, such as the '98 La Nerthe, but take a detour through Italy instead as the hour is growing late.
First up is the '97 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Vigneto Brich Ronca, a tarry beast of a wine with some Band-Aid present in the nose, but not enough to be offputting. On the palate, it's got surprisingly good acidity for its year, and is still fairly primary with plenty of fruit. There was another '97 from Italy, a '97 S. Molettieri Taurasi Vigna Cinque Querce, which alas proved to be corked. To console myself, I turn to yet another hipster wine, '06 Herve Souhaut St. Joseph St. Epine, which smells mostly of grapefruit, but tastes appealingly juicy with bright, red fruit character. To wind things up, I turn to the rapidly diasppearing bottle of '99 Ridge Geyserville, an old friend of a wine, but damn this bottle is tasting good! Meaty, tarry, deeply redfruited, with even a mineral streak running through it, it's good enough to make me lament my too-early consumption of this wine. Whoda guessed that amidst all the riches present tonight that a Geezer would vie for WOTN? And what better way to finish off the night than with the '89 Huet Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Molleux? Waxy, bergamoty Chenin fruit, sweet without coming close to cloying. At this point, I decide that it's best to check into my room and so toddle off into wee hours of the morning with a carton of Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip as my companion.
And, just to think, Saturday is the main event! I slipped into a contented slumber with that comforting thought.
To be continued,
Mark Lipton
(your intrepid reporter)
My night started with the 2002 Luneau-Papin L D'Or Muscadet SeM SL, an old friend that was a tad too warm when I got to it. Still going strong, though, with a nice minerally citrus tang, but seeming a bit soft as warm as it was. Next to it was its sibling the '02 Luneau-Papin "Semper Excelsior" Muscadet, at once richer and more precise than the L D'Or with plenty of Muscadet character. Moving on to the wealth of Rieslings on the sideboard, I began with the beguiling '99 Hirtzberger Hochrain Riesling Smaragd, which hit me with a powerful petrolly nose, which was replicated on the palate overlaying precise green apple fruit. Next up was the 2001 JJ Prm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese, which presented itself with a nose of limes and flowers and just a hint of petrol. Off-dry in character, with plenty of acidity, it tasted young and vibrant. For a change of pace, I next tried the '75 Dr. Loosen Erdener Prlat Sptlese, which looked golden yellow and smelled distinctly of botrytis, all apricot and bergamot. Nicely acidic, it still had plenty of peachy fruit alongside the obvious botrytis character.
From there, it was time to sample the plentiful array of hipster wines, so on to the '97 i Clivi Galea Corno di Rosazzo Colli Orientali del Friuli. Interesting nose of spices, consistent with the spicy flavors that accompanied the petillance and off-dry feel to this wine. It had that sense of viscosity that I often get with wines that see prolonged skin contact. The next wine, though, went one step further in that direction, having an orange color. This was the ballyhooed '05 Zidarich Vitovska, with a wacky nose of herbs, bitter orange and rocks, and fairly full in the mouth. I won't generalize, as this was my first Vitovska, but it didn't really excite me. From orange to pink, I now moved on to the Arbois. First up was the '03 Puffeney Arbois Vieilles Vignes, which smelled slightly of Band-Aids atop floral strawberry, yet tasted more of cherries with lovely acid balance. A brilliant effort for an '03 red! Going back in time, I next tried the '00 Puffeney Poulsard. An interesting nose hinting of caramel and butterscotch-tinged strawberry fruit, it had a characteristic crispness to its fruity flavors. Next to it was the '04 Puffeney Trousseau Les Berangres, which had a very different nose of minerally cherries and seemed almost like a lithe Grenache in flavor. Perhaps that's why Mike Lawton proclaims his dislike for it. I, on the other hand, like it a lot. My final stop in the Jura is the '07 Overnoy Pupillin, smelling of strawberry jam and stones, with a rich, acidic fruity flavor profile. Way too young, but appealing nonetheless.
At the urging of Geo, I now move into the reds with a magnum of '99 Charles Joguet Chinon 'La Dioterie', delightfully funky with mild leafy character and rich, leathery fruit. This one's still got a long way to go, but is pretty tasty right now. Then on to the '99 Gros Frere et Soeur Vosne-Romane, the token Burgundy of the night and another nod to '99 for this year's event. Obviously Pinot in the nose, with that smoky character to the red fruit, low-level Brett and a silky mouthfeel that belies the deep sense of fruit on the palate. Still quite primary, this wine still was immensely appealing but could be too Bretty for some. I'd give it another 5 years before opening based on this tasting. From there, it was time for the '94 La Rioja Alta 904, which smelled mostly of pine needles and dill, overlaying a light, redfruity wine. Perhaps it was the company it was in this night, but I couldn't really appreciate this wine.
Looking wistfully at the empty bottle of '90 Giacomo Conterno Barolo, I turned my attention to the array of Syrahs on display, just as with last year's event. Mike Lawton proclaims the hipster status of two bottles he brought, the '06 Gripa St. Joseph, which -- despite being painfully young -- offered an appealing mix of pine resin and juicy berryish fruit in the nose. On the palate, it was moderately acidic and slightly tarry alongside the fresh, fruity flavors. Next to it, the '06 Otheguy St. Joseph smelled of smoke and licorice and was appreciably more tannic than the Gripa, albeit fairly chalky tannins. Beneath the tannins lay a wealth of acids and fruit, proclaiming a bright future ahead for this wine. Alas, the '92 Chave Hermitage is gone, though the near-empty bottle smells appealingly of funky, animale fruit, so I content myself with the '04 Marc Sorrel Hermitage, which smells of pine needles and berries, and comes across on the palate as tart and juicy, with some meaty complexity. Onward in the Rhone, I next sampled the '89 Ch. des Tours Vacqueyras, which had an appealing nose of meaty cherries (or is that cherryish meat?), plenty of acidity and a lively core of fruit still showing. I espy several CdPs, such as the '98 La Nerthe, but take a detour through Italy instead as the hour is growing late.
First up is the '97 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Vigneto Brich Ronca, a tarry beast of a wine with some Band-Aid present in the nose, but not enough to be offputting. On the palate, it's got surprisingly good acidity for its year, and is still fairly primary with plenty of fruit. There was another '97 from Italy, a '97 S. Molettieri Taurasi Vigna Cinque Querce, which alas proved to be corked. To console myself, I turn to yet another hipster wine, '06 Herve Souhaut St. Joseph St. Epine, which smells mostly of grapefruit, but tastes appealingly juicy with bright, red fruit character. To wind things up, I turn to the rapidly diasppearing bottle of '99 Ridge Geyserville, an old friend of a wine, but damn this bottle is tasting good! Meaty, tarry, deeply redfruited, with even a mineral streak running through it, it's good enough to make me lament my too-early consumption of this wine. Whoda guessed that amidst all the riches present tonight that a Geezer would vie for WOTN? And what better way to finish off the night than with the '89 Huet Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Molleux? Waxy, bergamoty Chenin fruit, sweet without coming close to cloying. At this point, I decide that it's best to check into my room and so toddle off into wee hours of the morning with a carton of Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip as my companion.
And, just to think, Saturday is the main event! I slipped into a contented slumber with that comforting thought.
To be continued,
Mark Lipton
(your intrepid reporter)
