Mike Klein
Mike Klein
Had lunch on Saturday with a few friends at the Brasserie in San Diego. As always, the food was great and they put up with our need for an army of stemware like champs.
We started with the NV Bouchard Inflorescence (last year's release). Just like the last bottle, everyone loves this champagne. Very creamy and vinous due to the lower pressure at bottling. All red berries in the mouth and that real sweetness that comes from ripe fruit - not dosage. Interestingly, one of my friends who was visiting from Biarritz (and who is a huge wine guy) had never heard of this -but he liked it very much. I really need to try Bouchard's other champagnes.
With some tuna tartare appetizers we had a bottle of the '06 Arretxea Iroleguy Hegoxuri which is a white Gros Manseng blend (I think). My friend carried this over from France and we were glad he did. This is like bottled liquid sunshine. One of those wines you could drink gallons of. Melons and spring herbs on the nose and refreshing citrus on the palate. I don't have any experience with whites from Iroleguy so I can't say if it is typical or not - but I will say these should get broader exposure in the U.S. if this bottle was representative!
Next up was the '96 Joly Coulee de Serrant which I opened with a little trepidation. Like others, I've had mixed results with Joly's wines - but this one was superb. The nose was all over the place for a half hour or so but sorted itself out nicely with some air. Polish, flint and wool on the nose and the wine really drove across the palate with a ton of energy and lifted citrus acidity. A big, dramatic wine.
I was a little dissapointed with the '02 Gravner Anfora. My first time with this wine and I will give it props for the most unique nose I've ever encountered. Cardomom, cinnamon, tea and other "who knows what". But this wine lacked energy in the mouth. Sort of a wierd combination of exotic scents with uncompromising dryness and a lack of perceptible acidity. I can see why others might like this but it just didn't speak to anyone at the table and was the only bottle that came home half empty.
We then moved on to an interesting wine that was also brought over from France - the '07 Jean-Baptiste Senat Minervois Bois de Merveilles. I didn't catch the full explanation of this one but I think it is a blend of southern rhone grapes. Wildly fruity nose and it tasted like barrel sample. Very pure and had a fresh berry compote/confected quality to it. But the alcohol was literally undectable. Almost like drinking fruit juice. It wasn't my thing but I don't think I've ever had a wine that was so concentrated but had such undectable alcohol.
We finished with the '81 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Grand Reserva which, to keep it simple, absolutely rocked. The color on this bottle was almost completely bricked but this wine was loaded with broth, leather, tea and perfume on the nose. More of the same on the palate with beautiful fruit and a wonderful elegance. And no lack of density here. Went great with the meat course.
We started with the NV Bouchard Inflorescence (last year's release). Just like the last bottle, everyone loves this champagne. Very creamy and vinous due to the lower pressure at bottling. All red berries in the mouth and that real sweetness that comes from ripe fruit - not dosage. Interestingly, one of my friends who was visiting from Biarritz (and who is a huge wine guy) had never heard of this -but he liked it very much. I really need to try Bouchard's other champagnes.
With some tuna tartare appetizers we had a bottle of the '06 Arretxea Iroleguy Hegoxuri which is a white Gros Manseng blend (I think). My friend carried this over from France and we were glad he did. This is like bottled liquid sunshine. One of those wines you could drink gallons of. Melons and spring herbs on the nose and refreshing citrus on the palate. I don't have any experience with whites from Iroleguy so I can't say if it is typical or not - but I will say these should get broader exposure in the U.S. if this bottle was representative!
Next up was the '96 Joly Coulee de Serrant which I opened with a little trepidation. Like others, I've had mixed results with Joly's wines - but this one was superb. The nose was all over the place for a half hour or so but sorted itself out nicely with some air. Polish, flint and wool on the nose and the wine really drove across the palate with a ton of energy and lifted citrus acidity. A big, dramatic wine.
I was a little dissapointed with the '02 Gravner Anfora. My first time with this wine and I will give it props for the most unique nose I've ever encountered. Cardomom, cinnamon, tea and other "who knows what". But this wine lacked energy in the mouth. Sort of a wierd combination of exotic scents with uncompromising dryness and a lack of perceptible acidity. I can see why others might like this but it just didn't speak to anyone at the table and was the only bottle that came home half empty.
We then moved on to an interesting wine that was also brought over from France - the '07 Jean-Baptiste Senat Minervois Bois de Merveilles. I didn't catch the full explanation of this one but I think it is a blend of southern rhone grapes. Wildly fruity nose and it tasted like barrel sample. Very pure and had a fresh berry compote/confected quality to it. But the alcohol was literally undectable. Almost like drinking fruit juice. It wasn't my thing but I don't think I've ever had a wine that was so concentrated but had such undectable alcohol.
We finished with the '81 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Grand Reserva which, to keep it simple, absolutely rocked. The color on this bottle was almost completely bricked but this wine was loaded with broth, leather, tea and perfume on the nose. More of the same on the palate with beautiful fruit and a wonderful elegance. And no lack of density here. Went great with the meat course.
