VLM comes to town

L

Lee Short

Lee Short
VLM was in town this last week. He and Brad and Leslie Liljequist joined Melissa and I for dinner and some vino.

We started with a bottle of 2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Semper Excelsior Clos des Noelles. I was hoping for some more zip on this wine. Nice flavors, though. Opened that morning.

We had some tasty food to accompany the muscadet:

DSCF1240.jpg
Then we moved outside for some grilled broccolini (seen in the prep tupperware in the foreground)

DSCF1238.jpg
With the 1992 Coulee de Serrant, thanks to Brad. A decent match, oddly enough, and a strong showing for the wine.

After the

DSCF1235.jpg
DSCF1237.jpg
, we headed inside for fresh tagliatelle with scallops, crab, and a splash of Saviennieres. Pretty good with both the Serrant and a bottle of 1996 Dauvissat Vaillons. No sign of premox here. A victim of Thunderbird Syndrome, really -- all drunk up before it finished opening. Not bad out of the shoot, though.

To top off the night, we had slices of rare beef undertopped with balsamico, mozzerella, and reggiano. A nice match with the 06 Burlotto Verduno Pelaverga and the 88 Verset. Both nice wines (at the least). Nathan also made the mistake of trying to drink local wine -- namely, the 06 Betz "Clos du Betz" Merlot blend. Had some interesting character for about 30 seconds after first pour, then the blueberry milkshake took over. Even on the third day, it didn't get better. Fat and Blubbery wine.
 

Attachments

  • DSCF1235.jpg
    DSCF1235.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 0
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Ole monkey boy gets around.
Looks like he be gettin' "properous."
Or is that not is best profile.
Best, Jim
Click to expand...

Definitely not the best profile. For sure, gotta be that.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Ole monkey boy gets around.
Looks like he be gettin' "properous."
Or is that not is best profile.
Best, Jim
Click to expand...

Definitely not the best profile. For sure, gotta be that.
Click to expand...

'Might want to try shirts with vertical stripes.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Lee Short:
We started with a bottle of 2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Semper Excelsior Clos des Noelles. I was hoping for some more zip on this wine. Nice flavors, though. Opened that morning.
Click to expand...

Maybe it had more zip when first opened?
 
Nathan, it was nice to see you again. Let us know next time we're in town. Remember the Magnum Madness!

Wide angle lenses always do weird things around the margins - just look at me!

Lee and Melissa, thanks for a great dinner and effort, it was great.

I liked all the wines, they all were great.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Lee Short:
We started with a bottle of 2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Semper Excelsior Clos des Noelles. I was hoping for some more zip on this wine. Nice flavors, though. Opened that morning.
Click to expand...

Maybe it had more zip when first opened?
Click to expand...

Not immediately. But there was plenty of time for unmonitored development.
 
originally posted by Lee Short:
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Lee Short:
We started with a bottle of 2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Semper Excelsior Clos des Noelles. I was hoping for some more zip on this wine. Nice flavors, though. Opened that morning.
Click to expand...

Maybe it had more zip when first opened?
Click to expand...

Not immediately. But there was plenty of time for unmonitored development.
Click to expand...

Guillaume, young Luneau and I had a rousing and ranging discussion about these (extended lees) wines. Trying to figure out where they would go and how the roundness, as opposed to incisiveness, would manifest itself. I think the only true conclusion we reached was "we don't really know". Personally, I'm not sure these will age with the the same interesting results that Briords or L dOr do.
 
originally posted by VLM:
Guillaume, young Luneau and I had a rousing and ranging discussion about these (extended lees) wines. Trying to figure out where they would go and how the roundness, as opposed to incisiveness, would manifest itself. I think the only true conclusion we reached was "we don't really know". Personally, I'm not sure these will age with the the same interesting results that Briords or L dOr do.
Click to expand...

FWIW, the 2002 L-P, Excelsior Clos de Poyet we had last night has become more precise since release - its not as full or round but every bit as intense.
Certainly, not long term, but for 7 years, not bad.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Lee Short:
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Lee Short:
We started with a bottle of 2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Semper Excelsior Clos des Noelles. I was hoping for some more zip on this wine. Nice flavors, though. Opened that morning.
Click to expand...

Maybe it had more zip when first opened?
Click to expand...

Not immediately. But there was plenty of time for unmonitored development.
Click to expand...

Guillaume, young Luneau and I had a rousing and ranging discussion about these (extended lees) wines. Trying to figure out where they would go and how the roundness, as opposed to incisiveness, would manifest itself. I think the only true conclusion we reached was "we don't really know". Personally, I'm not sure these will age with the the same interesting results that Briords or L dOr do.
Click to expand...
I hope he threw a glass of the '76 L d'Or in your face to settle the discussion. Is that example not persuasive enough?
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Lee Short:
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Lee Short:
We started with a bottle of 2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Semper Excelsior Clos des Noelles. I was hoping for some more zip on this wine. Nice flavors, though. Opened that morning.
Click to expand...

Maybe it had more zip when first opened?
Click to expand...

Not immediately. But there was plenty of time for unmonitored development.
Click to expand...

Guillaume, young Luneau and I had a rousing and ranging discussion about these (extended lees) wines. Trying to figure out where they would go and how the roundness, as opposed to incisiveness, would manifest itself. I think the only true conclusion we reached was "we don't really know". Personally, I'm not sure these will age with the the same interesting results that Briords or L dOr do.
Click to expand...
I hope he threw a glass of the '76 L d'Or in your face to settle the discussion. Is that example not persuasive enough?
Click to expand...

We discussed that wine as well, one that I have had on 3 or 4 occasions. It is unclear to me whether this was on lees for the full time or whether it was more like Nikolaihof Vinotek.

Like I said, this was a theoretical discussion for which there will eventually be an empirical answer, but that doesn't make it any less fun to argue and speculate with a couple of French guys at 2AM.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Florida Jim:

Certainly, not long term, but for 7 years, not bad.
Click to expand...
You're certain? I'm pretty confident on the other side of the bet.
Click to expand...

Joe,
I'm sorry, I don't understand. Are you saying that you do not think this wine will last much longer? That it hasn't lasted well 'til now?
And, of course, I am certain of nothing - other than it showed very nicely last night.
BEst, Jim
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Florida Jim:

Certainly, not long term, but for 7 years, not bad.
Click to expand...
You're certain? I'm pretty confident on the other side of the bet.
Click to expand...

Joe,
I'm sorry, I don't understand. Are you saying that you do not think this wine will last much longer? That it hasn't lasted well 'til now?
Click to expand...

I parse it differently, knowing as you do the predilections of our SFJoe. I'd say that he is asserting that the wine will be longer lived than you've given it credit for. Let's all settle this by agreeing to a jeebus at Chateauneuf-du-Joe in, say, 2020, for a sample of the wine.

Ever the diplomat,
Mark Lipton
(posting in the warm afterglow of a surprisingly tasty '07 Giesen Marlborough SB)
 
can i help muddy the waters? i am guessing that Jim was originally saying that his recent review of a 7 yr old wine was "certainly" not to be taken as a review of the wine at old age.....but that at least at 7, it performed well, with noted developments.

but then again, that's just my guess. certainly, i am not sure.
 
Come on everybody. Jim said "Certainly not long term, but for 7 years not bad." This does not mean that his current view is certainly not a review of what it will be when it's old, but that he doesn't think it will last a long time ("certainly" here being a common idiom for "my best guess," I would guess, in the way people say "in fact," when they mean "I really, really believe," as Jim's follow up denying certainty indicates).

Joe, reading him literally for the purposes of riposting, asked if he were certain, because he'd bet the opposite. As this riposte can only be a response to that part of the note and not the other side of the evaluation, Joe was claiming that he'd bet the wine would age.

Flat footed interpretation, I know, but valuable in the face of increasing obscurity. Since Jim isn't really disputing Joe's belief, though perhaps he is slightly doubtful, there is insufficient conflict here to warrant interpretive obfuscation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top