04 Briords VV, 02 Tete Julienas

F

Frank Deis

Frank Deis
Back at the "other place" (late and lamented) I talked about my adventures in buying very good Beaujolais and Muscadet. The Beaujolais impressed me at once but the Muscadet didn't exactly hit me right. I think the real problem was a lack of bottle age.

My neighbor Susan loves to experiment with "ethnic" cooking, and probably has more than 100 cookbooks from Morocco to Indonesia to Peru. Tonight she focused on Vietnamese and Thai, starting with shrimp and scallions in a kind of Vietnamese pancake made from rice soaked in a turmeric solution, and then a lime and coconut chicken soup and lovely pot-stickers. Then on to Peking Duck and an orange flavored beef with noodles.

Figuring out what wines to match was something of a challenge but for the light earlier courses I came up with the 2004 Clos des Briords VV Muscadet sur Lie. I have to say that the people at the table were basically blown away, this was among the best white wines I have had (outside of Burgundy). Beautiful stuff, and if you have some in the cellar, give it a try. And if you normally drink this stuff younger, stop it and keep some for four years. Wonderful!!

Then we had the duck and the beef, and I opened the 2002 Michel Tete, Domaine Clos du Fief Julienas. This wine had a similar aspect, it was way outside the realm of "mere" normal Beaujolais, the kind of wine that most Cabernet lovers sniff at without tasting and will never know and understand. Just beautiful rich balanced stuff, and everyone agreed.

A couple of weeks ago I took a Diochon to a dinner party with a very similar result.

I bought batches of this stuff but now that I am discovering how good it is, I think it won't last long, and perhaps I had better do some prospecting around Chambers Street and find some more.

BTW to mention a painful fact, given how my investments have been doing (I don't think I am alone here) it is a lovely thing to contemplate that neither of these wines cost more than $20 IIRC.

Frank
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
Amen, Brother Deis.
Click to expand...

My world view is shattered. If you can't count on SFJoe to point out that 4 years from vintage date is young for Briords and it will be better with another 15-20 what can you count on?

But this does tempt me to pull one of mine.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
originally posted by SFJoe:
Amen, Brother Deis.
Click to expand...

My world view is shattered. If you can't count on SFJoe to point out that 4 years from vintage date is young for Briords and it will be better with another 15-20 what can you count on?

But this does tempt me to pull one of mine.
Click to expand...
To quote Brother Connell, "Drink and Hold."

Thus it is written.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Jay Miller:
originally posted by SFJoe:
Amen, Brother Deis.
Click to expand...

My world view is shattered. If you can't count on SFJoe to point out that 4 years from vintage date is young for Briords and it will be better with another 15-20 what can you count on?

But this does tempt me to pull one of mine.
Click to expand...
To quote Brother Connell, "Drink and Hold."

Thus it is written.
Click to expand...
That's fair.
 
the kind of wine that most Cabernet lovers sniff at without tasting and will never know and understand
Click to expand...

I think I speak for most cabernet lovers when I say: why the hate?

A '97 Croix Boissee last week confirms my cabernet love, yet does not lead me to anti-gamay bigotry. Can we not embrace our differences?
 
Not all cabernet lovers have the same prejudices.

I have TRIED to talk about cru Beaujolais on BWE.

I really like that place but they are deaf to such suggestions.

I haven't even tried on, um, that place you never heard of...

F
 
Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts.

Surprised you have forgotten, you've made mocking comments about the term "bouquet" in the past.

Remember?

F
 
"Bouquet" as used in winespeak is certainly worthy of mockery (almost petrolworthy), but I was unaware it was associated with a group or magazine or particular cabal.
 
But I bet you couldn't pick out bouquet or petrol varietals in a double-blind tasting.

(God, that even hurt me.)
 
The petrol note ("shower curtain") is evident in old Riesling and it's hard to believe anyone who has tasted old Riesling wouldn't acknowledge that it's there. The structure is even known, it's a Dihydronaphthalene (DHN). I can see "bouquet" as being controversial, in the same way that Global Warming is controversial.

F
 
FYI, Coad's objection is to "petrol" in lieu of "gasoline," but as a well-known America Firster, we'd expect that from him.

Colon dash capital p.
 
Frank, I'd agree that the '02 Tete and '04 Briords are both sublime.

I've always leaned towards "diesel" over either "petrol" or "gasoline" although come to think of it I'm not sure I could really distinguish between the nose on 87 grade gas and diesel. I think my preference comes from the old canard about how drinking some old rieslings can be like trying to eat a 3-star meal while sitting outside next to the pumps at a truckstop. That gas/petrol/diesel thing can be distracting; it's like VA in some sangiovese-based wines, a little goes a long way.
 
I don't know, if I ever had a Riesling that I thought smelled like diesel, I'd be really scared. Diesel fuel really stinks, in an oily way. I don't find the smell of gasoline to be all that offensive - but I guess that's because I'm a gearhead. I actually think the really high test stuff (110 leaded/100 unleaded) smells good. Maybe that's why I like old Riesling so much.
 
originally posted by mlawton:
I don't know, if I ever had a Riesling that I thought smelled like diesel, I'd be really scared. Diesel fuel really stinks, in an oily way. I don't find the smell of gasoline to be all that offensive - but I guess that's because I'm a gearhead. I actually think the really high test stuff (110 leaded/100 unleaded) smells good. Maybe that's why I like old Riesling so much.
Click to expand...

I think I'll drive over to the Shell station this morning to help clarify my thinking on this issue.
 
My first "job" was mowing lawns for various neighbors with a power mower. I would have to take a gallon can down to the gas station and fill it up, and then splash it into the small tank of the mower, and of course it got onto my hands and the smell would linger. I rather like the smell. In fact Donna Karan had a perfume called "Fuel" which made use of that note.

In wine I think it is a little like the resiny odor of Retsina, which is another thing that I don't really mind. I don't buy Retsina or seek it out but when we go to the Greek Festival at a local church and I find a glass sitting next to my Pastitsio, it's fine with me.

And I actually enjoy that note in German Riesling. The Germans consider it an embarrassing flaw, but I don't see it that way, it's evidence of the natural development of the wine and a part of the picture of old Rieslings.

And I wouldn't enjoy the smell of Diesel. Actually that's what the most extreme single malt Scotches make me think of. Lagavulin etc. Getting stuck in traffic behind a city bus...

F
 
originally posted by mlawton:
Aren't the local stations still empty? My brother reported a serious supply issue.
Click to expand...

Fortunately the gas shortage here has ended here, which has certainly reduced the number of fender-benders and fights at gas stations to their pre-gas shortage levels.

So, Frank, Lagavulin has a diesel component on the nose? I am just beginning to learn about single-malts. Thus far favorites have been from Oban, Cragganmore and Glenmorangie.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top