pierre gonon

scottreiner

scott reiner
having the 2006 st joseph white and red tonight for the first time. any ideas on decanting or breathing time?

will post tomorrow my report.

many thanks.
 
Scott,

I look forward to seeing your notes. Didn't Lyle give this stuff some props on his blog? I didn't buy any but probably should.
 
No experience with the white, but I personally would definitely decant the red. I have only tasted it from 375ml though.
 
I've only had the '05 white from Gonon, and oak was a pretty dominant feature. Not likely that decanting will help much in that department.
 
let both bottles breathe for about 5 hours. did not decant.

the white was delicious to start out, if a bit closed, but kept getting better. the wine was at its richest after about 3 hours, but got more interesting as it went on. the most interesting aspect was a salinity that really became enjoyable after the wine began to settle down, after about 4 hours. paired very well with a salad of heirloom tomatoes, baked potatoes, tuna and capers.

the red started out with a great purity of fruit. then, from hours 1 through 4, the wine seemed to lose its way. there was no focus, no center. but, by hour 5, the wine had figured itself out. absolutely delicious fruit in the front, backed up by subtle but present earthy notes. perfect acidity, the wine was almost weightless. paired nicely with a lamb stew with orzo. however, next time i would use another starch to replace the orzo, perhaps rice...

both wines were wonderfully balanced, old-school beauties. highly recommended. thank you david!
 
I tried the white Gonon 2001 yesterday and loved it - none of the oak Steve mentions, but rather a great purity and precision for a white Rhone. Must find the red now.
 
I had a nice glass of the '89 red last night. A bit of brett and VA, but in awfully good shape for 20 y.o. St. Joe.
 
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