Mole Fete For SFJoe

[lars makie]

It was a grand meeting of Chicago wine geeks this past Saturday night as we all gathered at Josefa and Mark's backyard under the pretense of toasting a one Mr. SFJoe, who happened to be in town for a conference, as well as tucking into some of the best mole you're going to find north of the Rio Grande.

I had already been planning on getting together Saturday night to hang out and drink some wine with fellow Disorderlies Fillay and Nathan Odem (long time lurker, recent poster) as we do every now and again. But, this time I thought it would be nice to open the invitation to another Chicago poster Arno Tronche. As it would happen, just after hearing back from Arno that he'd be down for geeking out with us, Josefa posted on Facebook that she would be making mole and having a get together for SFJoe that Sat night. Somehow I had to get Josefa to agree to letting four dudes she barely knew converge our party with theirs and make it one super affengeil par-tay. Thankfully, she agreed and after letting my 'crew' in on the change we just had figure out which wines to bring. And bring wines we did.

First, though, the food. Josefa and her trusty sous-chef (husband) Mark made her famous chicken mole poblano. Good god this was so so good. I wish I could tell you everything that went into it, but what was incredible was the complex subtlety of it. Hints of spice, hints of sweet, hints of bitter... Throw along some amazing green (cilantro) rice, beans and corn tortillas. Forget about it. Oh, and the wine...

The wines. Well, there were a few. For the most part, everything showed pretty well. Out of all the wines only one was corked. Some resonated more with me than others, but they all had something to say. I did my best at trying to remember all the bottles there were. I couldn't recall some of the specifics for a couple so hopefully someone will chime in to fill in the blanks. Also, since I wasn't taking notes, I'm just going to mention what I can remember or general recollections/feelings on particular wines.

Vouette et Sorbée Blanc d'Argile '07 fruit. Disgorged late 2009 (I think). Chardonnay. Joe suggested going with this one before the Fidele because of it's leanness comparatively. And he was right. It was pure chalky minerality and acid. I believe Arno thought it could use some decanting. It did calm down later in the evening. The brasher of the two Vouettes.
Vouette et Sorbée Fidèle Pinot. Noir. The particulars weren't on the label for this one. Much more full and rounder (not saying much) compared to the Argile. Lovely stuff. Aromatically captivating.
2002 Domaine de la Bongran Viré-Clessé This was the first wine I had. Don't recall too much, other than it was nice.
1998 Francois Jobard Meursault 1er Genevrières Can't remember the details. Don't think it was 1er cru, though [ETA I guess it was]. Screamed CHARDONNAY! But in a pretty good way. Decent acidity. Just don't drink much white burgundies.
2009 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Clos des Allees Only had a sip, but was nice. Seemed well put together if not a tad on the bigger side of muscadet.
2009 De Moor Chablis Bel Air et Clardy Again, just a sip. And again was big (relatively speaking). I wish I could say I've liked the '09 De Moor Chablis' I've had, but they haven't done it for me; just not enough nervosité.
2009 Tue-Boeuf le P'tit Blanc Didn't have this one.
1990 Kalin Cellars Chardonnay Cuvée LD The one thing that struck me was that the nose didn't match the palate on this one. Nose belied the age whereas on the palate it was quite lively and full of stuffing.
NV Le Grand-Clere (Francois Blanchard) Blanc "Green Wax" This one was a bit of a head scratcher. Brought by Nathan and purchased from Garagiste. We had to go back to the profusely verbose offer to figure out what the fuck it was all about. Evidently its "100% Sauvignon Blanc... is majority blend of 2007 and 2008 with 2002 and 2006 added for a touch of oxidation". It was fun reciting the ridiculous prose of the offer out loud. The wine itself definitely had an oxidized quality to it. I didn't spend too long with it; just didn't really care for it much this evening.
1999 Chateau Musar Blanc My first Musar blanc. It was pretty tasty. Unfortunately, it was later in the evening, so I wasn't really paying too much attention to it. Tried it with the mole and worked ok, not the best paring in the world, but not the worst.
1988 Charles Joguet Chinon Clos de la Dioterie VV Brought by Arno. Was worried when the cork came out fully soaked and a bit moldy on top, but this didn't miss a beat. Lovely, lovely stuff. Earth and tobacco and dark red berries. Not going anywhere.
1989 Domaine les Roches Chinon Unfortunately, corked.
1999 Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges Not bad. Started out nicely when I decanted it at home for sediment, but gradually became more and more closed down as the night progressed.
2008 Dard et Ribo Crozes-Hermitage Had a little glass of this early on. Nice. Not the best Crozes from them I've had, but still decently put together. Red fruit, some minerality, med/light body. Yeah. Later on Joe blows my mind by telling me that the bottle had been open for over a day (maybe even two). I couldn't believe it. The other bottles I've done that to have all gone to oxidized shit by the morning. Interesting.
2009 Dard et Ribo Hermitage Brought by Nathan who's boss from work went to Paris and brought this back for him from Caves Auge. One of my favorites of the evening. Full of life and depth. Dark red fruits, minerals, spice, full but not heavy. Obviously young. Unfortunately it's under fake cork. But even under fake cork I believe it'll be able to go at least five years if stored well. Maybe Joe or Jules Dressner or Kevin McKenna can get them to bottle a bunch under real cork (a la CRB). Would be a nice choice to have. That's even if some make it here to the states, which I hope they will. I'd be in.
1992 Edmunds St John Grand Heritage Syrah Was ok. First glass was nice, but by the end of the evening it seemed shrill and out of balance.
1996 Movia Veliko Rosso Hey, a Movia red that wasn't completely whacked out on wood. Nice.
2008 Charvin Chateauneuf du Pape Not for me. Grenache and I aren't exactly getting along these days.
2003 Huet Moelleux Le Haut Lieu Also not for me on this night. Just too sweet; too much.

I think that covers all the wines. I may have missed one or two. Hopefully the others can supply any missing info. Thanks to Josefa and Mark for hosting our thirsty band of disorderlies and suppling the amazing mole. It was great to see SFJoe again and meet Arno and hang out with Fillay and Nathan Odem once again.

And as Mark called it, here's the Brad Kane wine money shot (taken from Mark's Facebook page):

 

[Marc D]

Lars, what is the clear bottle on the far left?
I don't recognize the label.

 

[lars makie]

originally posted by Marc D:
Lars, what is the clear bottle on the far left?
I don't recognize the label.

That's the Francois Blanchard Le Grand-Clere. And as you can see by the fill, I wasn't the only one that wasn't picking up what it was laying down.

 

[Brad Kane]

Nice. I was wondering if we were going to see notes based on Mark's pic.

Funny how Kalin frequently manages to get tossed into geek affairs. Joe always used to whip out the '91 Semillon back in the day. Can't say I was ever a fan of their wines, though.

 

[fillay]

Definite props to Josefa and Mark for amazing food and allowing us to crash!

The Joguet and the Dard Hermitage were special treats and played very well with the mole.

The Viré was from Domaine de Bongran. I also thought it was quite nice, although as Joe noted it seemed to get some lift from a little residual sugar.

That's a good description of the Kalin. I thought it smelled subtly like sewage, but felt I might hurt its feelings were I to malign it publicly. Pretty complicated juice otherwise, although I too tend to prefer their semillon.

 

[Arno Tronche]

Great notes Lars.
It was indeed a very nice evening. Josefa's mole was awesome.
The 2002 Vire Clesse was from Domaine de la Bongran. I'm a sucker for their wines. I think this '02 is ready to live another 20 years.
The 2 Vouette were drinking really well but I'm pretty sure they will also age well.
I agree on pretty much all of your notes. The Hermitage was surprisingly open and showed a great freshness.
After having bad experiences with old Joguet (bad storage) I was really happy with the way this one showed. Classic mature Chinon. I wish their wines were style made the same way....
I liked the Charvin much more than you. I love Charvin's style.
I totally agree with you on the De Moor. It lacked acid and was flabby but I think it's been opened for 2 days so maybe it showed better upon opening?
With shame, I'll admit it was my 1st St John. I liked its austerity and structure but it may simply needs more time.
All in all, a great time with great people and nice to see SFJoe in town. Thanks again !

 

[Sharon Bowman]

originally posted by lars makie:
Vouette et Sorbée Blanc d'Argile '07 fruit. Disgorged 2009 (I think). Chardonnay. Joe suggested going with this one before the Fidele because of it's leanness comparatively. And he was right. It was pure chalky minerality and acid. I believe Arno thought it could use some decanting. It did calm down later in the evening. The brasher of the two Vouettes.
Vouette et Sorbée Fidèle Pinot. Noir. The particulars weren't on the label for this one. Much more full and rounder (not saying much) compared to the Argile. Lovely stuff. Aromatically captivating.

Reading the suggestion, I was going to respond, "Joe must have been jetlagged"—but it sounds as though you agree. Curious notes. Blanc d'Argile is generally the fuller wine of the two, plumper, &c., whereas Fidèle plays hard ball.

In any case, sounds like a great dinner. Thanks for the writeup.

 

[Arno Tronche]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

originally posted by lars makie:
Vouette et Sorbée Blanc d'Argile '07 fruit. Disgorged 2009 (I think). Chardonnay. Joe suggested going with this one before the Fidele because of it's leanness comparatively. And he was right. It was pure chalky minerality and acid. I believe Arno thought it could use some decanting. It did calm down later in the evening. The brasher of the two Vouettes.
Vouette et Sorbée Fidèle Pinot. Noir. The particulars weren't on the label for this one. Much more full and rounder (not saying much) compared to the Argile. Lovely stuff. Aromatically captivating.

Reading the suggestion, I was going to respond, "Joe must have been jetlagged"—but it sounds as though you agree. Curious notes. Blanc d'Argile is generally the fuller wine of the two, plumper, &c., whereas Fidèle plays hard ball.

In any case, sounds like a great dinner. Thanks for the writeup.

Interesting point Sharon as the only Fidele I had before having it again last week was as you described. Intense but as the same time restrained. But this one clearly benefited from being drunk after the Argile. I believe those 2 bottles were 2006 based if I remember correctly (which is hard after all this wine).
In any case, 2 great bottles.

 

[Arno Tronche]

originally posted by fillay:
Definite props to Josefa and Mark for amazing food and allowing us to crash!

The Joguet and the Dard Hermitage were special treats and played very well with the mole.

The Viré was from Domaine de Bongran. I also thought it was quite nice, although as Joe noted it seemed to get some lift from a little residual sugar.

That's a good description of the Kalin. I thought it smelled subtly like sewage, but felt I might hurt its feelings were I to malign it publicly. Pretty complicated juice otherwise, although I too tend to prefer their semillon.

You and Joe are definitely right. There's some RS in the wine. I remember David Lillie telling me that they're making their Macon the way it used to be done in the past, keeping some RS if the vintage allowed it.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

originally posted by Arno Tronche:

originally posted by fillay:
Definite props to Josefa and Mark for amazing food and allowing us to crash!

The Joguet and the Dard Hermitage were special treats and played very well with the mole.

The Viré was from Domaine de Bongran. I also thought it was quite nice, although as Joe noted it seemed to get some lift from a little residual sugar.

That's a good description of the Kalin. I thought it smelled subtly like sewage, but felt I might hurt its feelings were I to malign it publicly. Pretty complicated juice otherwise, although I too tend to prefer their semillon.

You and Joe are definitely right. There's some RS in the wine. I remember David Lillie telling me that they're making their Macon the way it used to be done in the past, keeping some RS if the vintage allowed it.

Claude Marechal, who learned his craft with Jean Thevenet, said that as a matter of stylistic preference they like to pick their whites later than usual (as does he), with a bit of botrytis, hence the higher sugars.

 

[lars makie]

originally posted by Arno Tronche:

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

originally posted by lars makie:
Vouette et Sorbée Blanc d'Argile '07 fruit. Disgorged 2009 (I think). Chardonnay. Joe suggested going with this one before the Fidele because of it's leanness comparatively. And he was right. It was pure chalky minerality and acid. I believe Arno thought it could use some decanting. It did calm down later in the evening. The brasher of the two Vouettes.
Vouette et Sorbée Fidèle Pinot. Noir. The particulars weren't on the label for this one. Much more full and rounder (not saying much) compared to the Argile. Lovely stuff. Aromatically captivating.

Reading the suggestion, I was going to respond, "Joe must have been jetlagged"—but it sounds as though you agree. Curious notes. Blanc d'Argile is generally the fuller wine of the two, plumper, &c., whereas Fidèle plays hard ball.

In any case, sounds like a great dinner. Thanks for the writeup.

Interesting point Sharon as the only Fidele I had before having it again last week was as you described. Intense but as the same time restrained. But this one clearly benefited from being drunk after the Argile. I believe those 2 bottles were 2006 based if I remember correctly (which is hard after all this wine).
In any case, 2 great bottles.

It's funny, because I was going to open the Fidele first and then the Argile, but only because of the price difference between the two ('let's open the cheaper one first and then the more expensive one'); call it a momentary lapse in cognitive thought. I had never had the Argile before, so I guess I didn't know what to expect. But this particular bottle was all liquified rocks and shells and very linear to begin; quite bracing. I liked it a lot. And that evening, I think it was best suited before the Fidele.

Oh, and I've edited the Vire-Clesse above to include the Domaine name now. Thanks guys.

 

[Jay Miller]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:


Reading the suggestion, I was going to respond, "Joe must have been jetlagged"—but it sounds as though you agree. Curious notes. Blanc d'Argile is generally the fuller wine of the two, plumper, &c., whereas Fidèle plays hard ball.

In any case, sounds like a great dinner. Thanks for the writeup.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who found that odd.

 

[Lou Kessler]

originally posted by Arno Tronche:

originally posted by fillay:
Definite props to Josefa and Mark for amazing food and allowing us to crash!

The Joguet and the Dard Hermitage were special treats and played very well with the mole.

The Viré was from Domaine de Bongran. I also thought it was quite nice, although as Joe noted it seemed to get some lift from a little residual sugar.

That's a good description of the Kalin. I thought it smelled subtly like sewage, but felt I might hurt its feelings were I to malign it publicly. Pretty complicated juice otherwise, although I too tend to prefer their semillon.

You and Joe are definitely right. There's some RS in the wine. I remember David Lillie telling me that they're making their Macon the way it used to be done in the past, keeping some RS if the vintage allowed it.

I've got a couple of 99 Bongrans left in the cellar, they contain rs.

 

[mlawton]

Are mole feet like chicken feet and duck feet only smaller?

 

[SFJoe]

originally posted by Jay Miller:

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:


Reading the suggestion, I was going to respond, "Joe must have been jetlagged"—but it sounds as though you agree. Curious notes. Blanc d'Argile is generally the fuller wine of the two, plumper, &c., whereas Fidèle plays hard ball.

In any case, sounds like a great dinner. Thanks for the writeup.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who found that odd.

Wow, all the authorities are against me.

I am quite chastened.

But I think of the Argile as being, oh, how to put it, the Muscadet of the house--rocky, crystalline, but leaner than the plusher, fruitier Fidèle.

Joe is mostly jet lagged these days.

 

[SFJoe]

First, All Hail Josefa and Mark!

What kind hospitality to many weary travelers. Not so much overlap with you guys, but it was most excellent to see Steven up and about, even if he didn't do his part with the too-many bottles.

What tasty chow. The late arrivers didn't see as much guacamole and salsa as some of us, but each was brilliant.

And a lovely evening, until the blood donations began.

Great to see again A and L, and to meet F and N for the first time. A most congenial crew, and most generous with too many bottles.

The V&S wines each showed well, I liked them a lot.

The Bongran was a very fine example, I liked it and respected its quality a lot, but at the end of the day they are not my thing and I don't buy them. Too rich, too chardonnay, too much botrytis. Great freaky stuff, but not my freaky stuff.

The Jobard was not my thing either, but more in the mainstream than the Bongran. This makes it actually less appealing than the Bongran to me.

I had a good slug of the Luneau before y'all arrived, and I was quite content with that cold wine on a warm afternoon.

I quite liked the Kalin, though I've had better bottles of the '90.

The Blanchard was quite odd. I didn't groove on it, but it was so outre that I wonder whether it needed more attention.

The Joguet was a real treat. The cork suggested trouble along the way somewhere, but the wine drank extremely well.

I think it would be fine to bottle D&R under real cork, and they could survive it, but I don't think they're intending their wines to keep. Enjoy them young, I think.

I have a notion that I had time for the Charvin, but I'm not at all sure. The wait for the cab was tough.

The Vouvray was a mysterious mis-send from the shop, I'd requested '96 Le Mont. I think the CdB 1er is a great wine in 2003, and a very young one. The LHL is not one that I bought on release, so it was interesting to try. It lacks the mineral structure of the Clos du Bourg, but it is a nice lens through which to experience the amazing sunshine and heat of the vintage. It should wear a Cancun T-shirt or something. You want to cut it a slice of lime, it such a wine from the tropical beach. I don't wish I had a case in the cellar, but it stirred reflection in me, which was remarkable coming after all the previous wines.

Thanks again to all Chicagoans for their extreme generosity to the weary SFJ.

 

[SFJoe]

Also, I didn't open my Corisons.

We obviously had way too much wine already. I thought slightly pyrazinic not-too-ripe cabernet might work with mole (much as the Joguet did), though the extra sweetness of zinfandel would probably be better.

Anyhow, a missed pairing.

Josefa gave me no idea what was up with the party.

 

[Levi Dalton]

Which Jobard are we talking about here?

Just wondering.

 

[Sharon Bowman]

originally posted by SFJoe:
it is a nice lens through which to experience the amazing sunshine and heat of the vintage.

I like this description—it takes the vintage for itself rather than castigating its excesses.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

The 2003 counter-offensive has begun.