Wine board vixen, Sharon Bowman, had a plan. I want to cook for you, Brad. Sounds great, I replied. When should I come over? Well, no, she responded. My place is really too small for a jeebus. Alright. How about we have it at my place and you do all the cooking? Perfect! Shall I ask the usual suspects, I inquired? Yes, indeed.
With plans set, out went the call to Joe Dougherty and the Coads who arrived last night, bottles in hands, to enjoy the feast of braised leeks, stewed pork with apricots and prunes and a fine selection of cheeses.
2002 Huet- Vouvray Petillant
What the? Supposed Chenin Blanc hater Sharon brought this? I guess her reasoning was its dry and has bubbles, something Ms. Bowman is particularly keen on. Yet, the wine Gods are keenly aware of her deepest feelings about Chenin and sent the dark angel of cork to lay waste to the bottle. NR.
NV Philipponnat- Champagne, Brut Royale Rserve
Sharon had to have her bubbles, so we opened this. Fresh and round with a delicate mousse. The citrus fruit and apple are ripe and ebullient and theres just a touch of yeastiness. Lovely. Solid B+.
2005 Domaine de Bellivire- Coteaux du Loire, Vieilles Vignes parses
Sharon had put this in my fridge at an earlier dinner in February and it somehow went unopened. I always find this wine oddly intriguing. Made from 50-80 year old Chenin vines, for some reason the minerality of this wine always manifests itself to me in a bizarre moldy cheese rind-like way. I find it oddly attractive, but with certain fish/shellfish dishes, I find it repulsive. Since there is no fish tonight, Im enjoying it. Quite rich and maybe a touch hot on the finish, with quince and stone fruit flavors, I guess the sweetness level is in the upper range of demi-sec to moelleux, which kicks off a bet between Sharon and Joe about rs level. Sharon guesses 17 and Joe 12. I dont see an answer on the Bellivire website, but Eric Nicholas is here today with the Dressner wine assault, so I will ask him later. A-/B+.
1946 Huet- Vouvray Demi-Sec, Le Haut-Lieu
When Dougherty e-mails me that hes bringing this, my initial reaction is ha ha, hes being a jokester again. Having once said to him that I hadnt had a Huet older than 47, knowing full well I dont really like Secs, he bought a 46 sec to a dinner. Well, the word demi makes a big difference and while from a poor vintage, this wine is beautiful. Aromatically it starts with an orange creamsicle character that I know Coad and I usually get in the Mark Angeli- La Lune. There are some earl grey notes, tuffeaux and quince, with the quince getting more pronounced with air. Really vivid and fresh and shows none of the peaty/malty charcter the 46 sec shows. It just kept getting brighter with air. In fact, despite being 43 years older than the 89 that followed, the fruit was yellower. Mostly dry at this stage, and maybe showing its age a little on the back end, where its not as complete as upfront. Just beautiful. A-.
1989 Huet- Vouvray Demi-Sec, Le Haut-Lieu
Dougherty has never had this bottling before and my first attempt to rectify that was foiled by tca a couple of months ago. This bottle was as it should be. I just love this wine and consider it one of the best demi-secs the estate has made. Quite ripe with more of everything than the 46. Certainly sweeter than the older wine, with much more of an apricot character. Youthful, and still fairly unevolved, though just starting to take on earl grey notes. Joe finds it fairly atypical for a demi given its sweetness and what he describes as a furry character. Theres a huge frame to this wine that should see it last longer than most of us here. Sharon prefers the drier 46 to this given the additional complexity and drier character, but she can no longer say with a straight face that she doesnt like Chenin Blanc. Solid A.
Btw, it should be mentioned that the two Huets were stellar matches with Sharons pork dish.
1970 Bodegas Riojanas- Rioja Reserva, Monte Real
I noticed this bottle leaking in my wine cellar the other day and, upon closer inspection, I discovered the cork had actually fallen into the bottle. Decided to give it a try, but no luck. Shot. NR.
1971 Palmer- Margaux
One of the best wines Ive ever had is the 61 Palmer, but too often I find this estate underperforms. It takes a stellar vintage for them to really shine and in my mind, thats not the mark of greatness. Theres not a lot to like in this wine, unless youre a fan of green vegetables, death and structure. Its extremely lean and devoid of fruit, just offering up sage, earth and green pepper flavors and aromas. Tannins have softened, but the acidity has a mean streak. Sell em if you got em. C+.
1998 Montevertine- Montevertine Riserva
Love the nose. Very pretty with black cherry, bark/underbrush and light tobacco aromas. It unfortunately shows the leanness of the vintage on the palate. Similar flavors as aromas, the wine really could use more stuffing to help round out the structure as its a bit chunky and hard. B.
1997 Domaine du Closel- Savennires Moelleux, Cuve Isa
Nice to catch up with this again as its been a few years. Really pillowy and charming on opening. Lots of botrytis, honey, quince and fragrant yellow flowers, with just a hint of an oxidative note. Like many Loire 97s these days, its shed the layer of baby fat that kept the structure hidden from view on release. That said, we seem to be catching it at an awkward phase as its a bit like Swiss cheese with noticeable holes here and there and with air the wine took on a very strong bitter almond note that was actually a little too bitter for me. Id keep this in the cellar some more as it seems a little cranky. Solid B+ with potential.
The lineup minus the '97 Closel Cuvee Isa.
Lisa is all smiles while Joe grins and bears it.
'46 and '89 Huet Le Haut-Lieu Demi-Sec.
Sharon, Chris and a '46.
Sharon is such a poser.
Storage is getting a little tight at the Kane wine warehouse.
Who says crackberries aren't masturbatory?
Lisa does her best .sasha imitation.
Wine girl becomes dishes girl.
With plans set, out went the call to Joe Dougherty and the Coads who arrived last night, bottles in hands, to enjoy the feast of braised leeks, stewed pork with apricots and prunes and a fine selection of cheeses.
2002 Huet- Vouvray Petillant
What the? Supposed Chenin Blanc hater Sharon brought this? I guess her reasoning was its dry and has bubbles, something Ms. Bowman is particularly keen on. Yet, the wine Gods are keenly aware of her deepest feelings about Chenin and sent the dark angel of cork to lay waste to the bottle. NR.
NV Philipponnat- Champagne, Brut Royale Rserve
Sharon had to have her bubbles, so we opened this. Fresh and round with a delicate mousse. The citrus fruit and apple are ripe and ebullient and theres just a touch of yeastiness. Lovely. Solid B+.
2005 Domaine de Bellivire- Coteaux du Loire, Vieilles Vignes parses
Sharon had put this in my fridge at an earlier dinner in February and it somehow went unopened. I always find this wine oddly intriguing. Made from 50-80 year old Chenin vines, for some reason the minerality of this wine always manifests itself to me in a bizarre moldy cheese rind-like way. I find it oddly attractive, but with certain fish/shellfish dishes, I find it repulsive. Since there is no fish tonight, Im enjoying it. Quite rich and maybe a touch hot on the finish, with quince and stone fruit flavors, I guess the sweetness level is in the upper range of demi-sec to moelleux, which kicks off a bet between Sharon and Joe about rs level. Sharon guesses 17 and Joe 12. I dont see an answer on the Bellivire website, but Eric Nicholas is here today with the Dressner wine assault, so I will ask him later. A-/B+.
1946 Huet- Vouvray Demi-Sec, Le Haut-Lieu
When Dougherty e-mails me that hes bringing this, my initial reaction is ha ha, hes being a jokester again. Having once said to him that I hadnt had a Huet older than 47, knowing full well I dont really like Secs, he bought a 46 sec to a dinner. Well, the word demi makes a big difference and while from a poor vintage, this wine is beautiful. Aromatically it starts with an orange creamsicle character that I know Coad and I usually get in the Mark Angeli- La Lune. There are some earl grey notes, tuffeaux and quince, with the quince getting more pronounced with air. Really vivid and fresh and shows none of the peaty/malty charcter the 46 sec shows. It just kept getting brighter with air. In fact, despite being 43 years older than the 89 that followed, the fruit was yellower. Mostly dry at this stage, and maybe showing its age a little on the back end, where its not as complete as upfront. Just beautiful. A-.
1989 Huet- Vouvray Demi-Sec, Le Haut-Lieu
Dougherty has never had this bottling before and my first attempt to rectify that was foiled by tca a couple of months ago. This bottle was as it should be. I just love this wine and consider it one of the best demi-secs the estate has made. Quite ripe with more of everything than the 46. Certainly sweeter than the older wine, with much more of an apricot character. Youthful, and still fairly unevolved, though just starting to take on earl grey notes. Joe finds it fairly atypical for a demi given its sweetness and what he describes as a furry character. Theres a huge frame to this wine that should see it last longer than most of us here. Sharon prefers the drier 46 to this given the additional complexity and drier character, but she can no longer say with a straight face that she doesnt like Chenin Blanc. Solid A.
Btw, it should be mentioned that the two Huets were stellar matches with Sharons pork dish.
1970 Bodegas Riojanas- Rioja Reserva, Monte Real
I noticed this bottle leaking in my wine cellar the other day and, upon closer inspection, I discovered the cork had actually fallen into the bottle. Decided to give it a try, but no luck. Shot. NR.
1971 Palmer- Margaux
One of the best wines Ive ever had is the 61 Palmer, but too often I find this estate underperforms. It takes a stellar vintage for them to really shine and in my mind, thats not the mark of greatness. Theres not a lot to like in this wine, unless youre a fan of green vegetables, death and structure. Its extremely lean and devoid of fruit, just offering up sage, earth and green pepper flavors and aromas. Tannins have softened, but the acidity has a mean streak. Sell em if you got em. C+.
1998 Montevertine- Montevertine Riserva
Love the nose. Very pretty with black cherry, bark/underbrush and light tobacco aromas. It unfortunately shows the leanness of the vintage on the palate. Similar flavors as aromas, the wine really could use more stuffing to help round out the structure as its a bit chunky and hard. B.
1997 Domaine du Closel- Savennires Moelleux, Cuve Isa
Nice to catch up with this again as its been a few years. Really pillowy and charming on opening. Lots of botrytis, honey, quince and fragrant yellow flowers, with just a hint of an oxidative note. Like many Loire 97s these days, its shed the layer of baby fat that kept the structure hidden from view on release. That said, we seem to be catching it at an awkward phase as its a bit like Swiss cheese with noticeable holes here and there and with air the wine took on a very strong bitter almond note that was actually a little too bitter for me. Id keep this in the cellar some more as it seems a little cranky. Solid B+ with potential.
The lineup minus the '97 Closel Cuvee Isa.
Lisa is all smiles while Joe grins and bears it.
'46 and '89 Huet Le Haut-Lieu Demi-Sec.
Sharon, Chris and a '46.
Sharon is such a poser.
Storage is getting a little tight at the Kane wine warehouse.
Who says crackberries aren't masturbatory?
Lisa does her best .sasha imitation.
Wine girl becomes dishes girl.