Dinner with friends

[Rahsaan]

Spiced nuts and olives
2002 Huet Vouvray Brut Ptillant
I don't know what version/release this was but it was pretty darn tasty. It got better richer and more precise over the course of the meal but it was still pretty darn tasty rich and precise from the beginning. No problems at all. I wish I had more!

Artichoke, leek, and red pepper pizza and roasted asparagus
2007 Chteau Tour Grise Saumur Blanc Les Fontenelles
It was tough following the Huet but this put up a valiant effort. There is some stern chalky firmness and minerality to the wine that makes me happy but there is also the slightly-brown slightly-oxidative character that does not convince me to get excited. Plus it seems to lack the extra dimension of a top wine. But I've heard good things about this so perhaps it was the wrong setting/expectations.

Gnocchi with chanterelles and black trumpets and carrot-fennel salad
2003 Vincent Gasse Saint Joseph
This is a pretty wine. For 2003 or any year. Nice stuff. Beautiful florals on the nose and of course the palate is solid/ripe, but it also has plenty of lift and velvety elegance. A success for any vintage and a brilliant interpretation of 2003.

Vanilla panna cotta and fruit
The remains of everything...

 

[Ignacio Villalgordo]

Vincent Gasse does a very light and flavourful st joseph. His 1999 is drinking wonderfully right now. 11,5

 

[Rahsaan]

This 2003 was more than 11.5%, but still not bad at 13%, at least according to the label.

Which makes me wonder if this is a function not only of winemaking style but also vines/location? Which might also explain why 2003 came out better and less roasted here?

 

[Steven Spielmann]

2003 is a weird beast. I have had several wines from sort of mid-tier producers that were actually reasonably nice from that year (offhand Chateau Aney Haut-Medoc and Colognole Chianti Rufina come to mind, as well as Luigi Einaudi Barolo Costa Grimaldi, though I wouldn't call that mid-tier, but there were others). Whereas some of the more prestigious wines, as well as all burgundies, I've had from '03 are not so good. But anyway I think there are red '03s from competent winemakers who normally get lower alcohol levels that are actually quite nice to drink, just so long as they're not made from pinot noir.