A little mid-week dinner in Vermont:
Renardat-Fache Bugey Cerdon (Ain) After dabblings and dalliances with other similarly-constructed pink sparklers, its nice to come home to the best of the bunch. More strawberry and less grey minerality than I remember, perhaps, but the marriage of bursting fruit and delicate sweetness is justwell, its better here than elsewhere. Im not a huge fan of $22/per, which is why Im only an occasional imbiber these days, but that has nothing to do with the wines quality. (4/09)
Kreydenweiss 2006 Riesling Andlau Au dessus de la loi (Alsace) Fleshier than the basic Kreydenweiss riesling usually gets, but there are some incipient love handles as well; the wine slides right past perfect poise to a slightly slovenly slouch. Its a minor issue, though, and theres still time to regain form. The raw materials of stone and bone carry a little more heft as a result, with something that might charitably be called fruit (apple or pear; its unclear) draped from the limbs. A good entry-level riesling, better (or perhaps more accessible) than Kreydenweiss usual, but as a result needing a little more wary attention. (4/09)
Dei 1991 Rosso di Montepulciano (Tuscany) Dead, decomposing, and in no danger of reanimation. No, I didnt expect a different result. (4/09)
Landanger La Pousse dOr 1999 Volnay En Caillerets 1er Cru (Burgundy) Way too young for whatever it wants to be. It certainly doesnt lack muscularity, with a grainy tannin and strong, dark, almost leathery fruit that certainly doesnt immediately recall Burgundian pinot noirthough later, as acid and brighter notes come into play, some semblance of order is restored. Still, itswell, I dont know. This could go either way, it seems. Its not what one wants right now, for sure. (4/09)
Armenier Domaine de Marcoux 1999 Chteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes (Rhne) An explosion, but the shrapnels a quilt and it takes place inside the warm snuggles of a down comforter. Dark fruit, lush and supple, is just teetering over towards a meatier stage, and theres plenty of rich, fertile black earth underneath, with the occasional morel in evidence. However, a stylistic warning: theres also a soft, pillowy layer of vanilla and dusted chocolate, which soften and modernize the otherwise beautifully-supplied wine into something a little more anonymous than Id like. Its a fabulous wine, no doubt, but it would be better without the makeup. (4/09)
And the undercard:
Wolavers Ben Gleasons White Ale (Vermont) Bitter for no beneficial reason, more like an orange rind beer than a true white ale. The textures right, but the flavors are all wrong. Wolavers is usually a very solid label (more solid than the owner Otter Creek), so this result is a little surprising. (4/09)
Victory V Twelve Ale (Pennsylvania) Incredibly dense and heavy, but not out of balance in its powerful, alcoholic style. Almost tropical, almost sweetbut then again, neither of those things. Just a big, boozy, bruiser that tastes like some sort of Qubcois pastry, with bubbles. (4/09)
Renardat-Fache Bugey Cerdon (Ain) After dabblings and dalliances with other similarly-constructed pink sparklers, its nice to come home to the best of the bunch. More strawberry and less grey minerality than I remember, perhaps, but the marriage of bursting fruit and delicate sweetness is justwell, its better here than elsewhere. Im not a huge fan of $22/per, which is why Im only an occasional imbiber these days, but that has nothing to do with the wines quality. (4/09)
Kreydenweiss 2006 Riesling Andlau Au dessus de la loi (Alsace) Fleshier than the basic Kreydenweiss riesling usually gets, but there are some incipient love handles as well; the wine slides right past perfect poise to a slightly slovenly slouch. Its a minor issue, though, and theres still time to regain form. The raw materials of stone and bone carry a little more heft as a result, with something that might charitably be called fruit (apple or pear; its unclear) draped from the limbs. A good entry-level riesling, better (or perhaps more accessible) than Kreydenweiss usual, but as a result needing a little more wary attention. (4/09)
Dei 1991 Rosso di Montepulciano (Tuscany) Dead, decomposing, and in no danger of reanimation. No, I didnt expect a different result. (4/09)
Landanger La Pousse dOr 1999 Volnay En Caillerets 1er Cru (Burgundy) Way too young for whatever it wants to be. It certainly doesnt lack muscularity, with a grainy tannin and strong, dark, almost leathery fruit that certainly doesnt immediately recall Burgundian pinot noirthough later, as acid and brighter notes come into play, some semblance of order is restored. Still, itswell, I dont know. This could go either way, it seems. Its not what one wants right now, for sure. (4/09)
Armenier Domaine de Marcoux 1999 Chteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes (Rhne) An explosion, but the shrapnels a quilt and it takes place inside the warm snuggles of a down comforter. Dark fruit, lush and supple, is just teetering over towards a meatier stage, and theres plenty of rich, fertile black earth underneath, with the occasional morel in evidence. However, a stylistic warning: theres also a soft, pillowy layer of vanilla and dusted chocolate, which soften and modernize the otherwise beautifully-supplied wine into something a little more anonymous than Id like. Its a fabulous wine, no doubt, but it would be better without the makeup. (4/09)
And the undercard:
Wolavers Ben Gleasons White Ale (Vermont) Bitter for no beneficial reason, more like an orange rind beer than a true white ale. The textures right, but the flavors are all wrong. Wolavers is usually a very solid label (more solid than the owner Otter Creek), so this result is a little surprising. (4/09)
Victory V Twelve Ale (Pennsylvania) Incredibly dense and heavy, but not out of balance in its powerful, alcoholic style. Almost tropical, almost sweetbut then again, neither of those things. Just a big, boozy, bruiser that tastes like some sort of Qubcois pastry, with bubbles. (4/09)