Ian Fitzsimmons
Ian Fitzsimmons
1999 Maximin Gruenhauser Abtsberg Auslese: balance, moderately piercing acidity, sweetness pleasantly in the background. Not well reviewed in the press, not life-altering, but a good-very good quality MSR Spaetlese, versatile with food.
2005 Jean-Claude Bessin Chablis: mowed through several bottles of this in the past couple of months worried about the plastic corks. Consistently a bit four-square on day one and too big for an AOC, good components but not in harmony. Day 2, always better, well-integrated, deliciously minerally-shelly. Really good at this level; must try his 1ers and Valmur.
2006 Simon Bize Savigny-les-Beaune 1er cru aux Vergelesses: robbed this cradle and was rewarded. Pretty, pretty nose with coffee and mocha day one, berries and plums day two. Light on the palate with good balance, minerals, acids, and delightfully rubby tannins. Some youthful dirt. A wonderful glass now; how will this wine develop?
2005 Marc Olivier Granite de Clisson: bullied again by Jim Cowans remorseless enthusiasm, I opened a magnum for Memorial Day for the in-law family. Initially, lemony aromas with a kind of richness. Got better with air as the richness dissipated hinting at a foundation of acidity and some minerals, beginning to show some precision. I think that, by the time we finished it, we were still pretty far from the wines real substance.
I suspect the weird richness of this wine, like that of Luneau-Papins Excelsior bottlings, comes from long aging on lees. Like the early sweetness in good MSR Riesling, this richness is kind of gross to me and, like MSR sweetness, it seems to recede with time in the bottle, leaving stony, gorgeous substance behind. I dont plan to drink this wine again for five-six years, at least.
2002 Fevre Chablis Fourchaume de Valourant: so tight I thought it was slightly corked at first. Eventually, fine and elegant, in the Fevre mold, penetrating minerals and acids, just enough swampy-lemony aroma and glycerol substance to upholster the bones.
2007 Clos de Roche Blanche Gamay: weve been drinking a bottle of this about every other week for a couple of months (plastic corks). Sometimes it is rich and red, with a peppery attack and a stony heart of granite; other tiems it is diaphanous and wan. Bottle variation?
1999 Pohl-Boetz Graacher Himmelreich Auslese: likeable aged MSR Riesling Auslese, modestly sweet, everything in balance at low volume a fine quartet performance rather than an orchestra. Most impressive was how well its flavors melded with the simple grilled salmon marinated in olive oil, tamari, and shallots. A pairing to take note of.
2005 Edmunds St. John Syrah Wylie-Fenaughty: corked. Finally, I imagined, like Michelangelos Adam, I would stretch forth a finger and touch the divine ...
2003 J.J. Christoffel UW Kabinett: another one weve been drinking repeatedly. Used to think of this as a candidate for Coads crap column, but its earned my esteem as a respectable, even good low-level praedikat Riesling. Usually better the second night, but then again, plastic corks, so we are drinking them without much reflection.
2006 Arlaud Bourgogne Roncevie: a Bourgogne sourced from a single vineyard surrounded by village Gevrey-Chambertin lieu-dits. Sappy the first day, four-square and unbalanced the second, comes together on night three into a nourishing whole. No visions, but very fine for red Burgundy at $20/bottle.
2001 Pavelot Savigny-les-Beaune 1er cru aux Guettes: stony and rustic, missing the wonderful aromatic development and initial fruit I recall from the last bottle, about a year ago. Bottle variation? Poor storage? Not actually bad, but its hard to find the fruit. Still a sense of quality and versatile with food.
2005 Coudert Fleurie Roilette: stony and ungiving. Not positively bad, but Id guess shut down hard.
2005 Alice et Olivier De Moor Chablis Rosette: over two evenings, at first, tight, thin, and stingy, gradually opening by the end of the evening to show a sparkly plume of mineral dusting, though little more. Like sucking mineral dust through a straw. Night two, the rest of the wine attended, upholstering the constant minerals with a classic Chablis nose and perfectly proportioned juicy-swampy flavor. A beautiful wine, in minor key.
By the way, is there a simple way to bold the wine names in these posts?
Thanks.
2005 Jean-Claude Bessin Chablis: mowed through several bottles of this in the past couple of months worried about the plastic corks. Consistently a bit four-square on day one and too big for an AOC, good components but not in harmony. Day 2, always better, well-integrated, deliciously minerally-shelly. Really good at this level; must try his 1ers and Valmur.
2006 Simon Bize Savigny-les-Beaune 1er cru aux Vergelesses: robbed this cradle and was rewarded. Pretty, pretty nose with coffee and mocha day one, berries and plums day two. Light on the palate with good balance, minerals, acids, and delightfully rubby tannins. Some youthful dirt. A wonderful glass now; how will this wine develop?
2005 Marc Olivier Granite de Clisson: bullied again by Jim Cowans remorseless enthusiasm, I opened a magnum for Memorial Day for the in-law family. Initially, lemony aromas with a kind of richness. Got better with air as the richness dissipated hinting at a foundation of acidity and some minerals, beginning to show some precision. I think that, by the time we finished it, we were still pretty far from the wines real substance.
I suspect the weird richness of this wine, like that of Luneau-Papins Excelsior bottlings, comes from long aging on lees. Like the early sweetness in good MSR Riesling, this richness is kind of gross to me and, like MSR sweetness, it seems to recede with time in the bottle, leaving stony, gorgeous substance behind. I dont plan to drink this wine again for five-six years, at least.
2002 Fevre Chablis Fourchaume de Valourant: so tight I thought it was slightly corked at first. Eventually, fine and elegant, in the Fevre mold, penetrating minerals and acids, just enough swampy-lemony aroma and glycerol substance to upholster the bones.
2007 Clos de Roche Blanche Gamay: weve been drinking a bottle of this about every other week for a couple of months (plastic corks). Sometimes it is rich and red, with a peppery attack and a stony heart of granite; other tiems it is diaphanous and wan. Bottle variation?
1999 Pohl-Boetz Graacher Himmelreich Auslese: likeable aged MSR Riesling Auslese, modestly sweet, everything in balance at low volume a fine quartet performance rather than an orchestra. Most impressive was how well its flavors melded with the simple grilled salmon marinated in olive oil, tamari, and shallots. A pairing to take note of.
2005 Edmunds St. John Syrah Wylie-Fenaughty: corked. Finally, I imagined, like Michelangelos Adam, I would stretch forth a finger and touch the divine ...
2003 J.J. Christoffel UW Kabinett: another one weve been drinking repeatedly. Used to think of this as a candidate for Coads crap column, but its earned my esteem as a respectable, even good low-level praedikat Riesling. Usually better the second night, but then again, plastic corks, so we are drinking them without much reflection.
2006 Arlaud Bourgogne Roncevie: a Bourgogne sourced from a single vineyard surrounded by village Gevrey-Chambertin lieu-dits. Sappy the first day, four-square and unbalanced the second, comes together on night three into a nourishing whole. No visions, but very fine for red Burgundy at $20/bottle.
2001 Pavelot Savigny-les-Beaune 1er cru aux Guettes: stony and rustic, missing the wonderful aromatic development and initial fruit I recall from the last bottle, about a year ago. Bottle variation? Poor storage? Not actually bad, but its hard to find the fruit. Still a sense of quality and versatile with food.
2005 Coudert Fleurie Roilette: stony and ungiving. Not positively bad, but Id guess shut down hard.
2005 Alice et Olivier De Moor Chablis Rosette: over two evenings, at first, tight, thin, and stingy, gradually opening by the end of the evening to show a sparkly plume of mineral dusting, though little more. Like sucking mineral dust through a straw. Night two, the rest of the wine attended, upholstering the constant minerals with a classic Chablis nose and perfectly proportioned juicy-swampy flavor. A beautiful wine, in minor key.
By the way, is there a simple way to bold the wine names in these posts?
Thanks.
