Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Last night I went to a classy dinner/tasting in the office of Geoffroy de la Croix, a French importer from the family that owns Comte Armand. The wines he brings tend towards the artisanal or natural end of the spectrum. While we waited for everyone to arrive, we sipped:
2005 Domaine Delmas Crémant de Limoux 12.5%
Blend of Mauzac, Chardonnay, Chenin and Pinot Noir. Mildly attractive floral aromas but I found this a bit dull.
We then gathered around a large table and were served, in relatively quick succession, five wines with bread and excellent charcuterie. There were no spittoons, so restraint reared its dismal head:
2007 Domaine Bott-Geyl Pinot d’Alsace Métiss 12.5%
35% Pinot Blanc, 35% Pinot Auxerrois, 15% Pinot Gris, 15% Pinot Noir. Blast of SO2 upfront dissipates to show honey, apple and shiitake. Somewhat unctuous mouth feel, which does not harmonize with the mildly bitter finish. Texturally a bit shallow. Has acidity but would benefit from more.
2010 Domaine Rimbert Travers de Marceau Languedoc (St. Chinian) 12.5%
30% Carignan, 55% Syrah, 15% Cinsault. Cherry and dishrag. Attractive acidity and tannins, good balance, but I find the flavor unattractive. My least favorite of the reds.
2007 Domaine C&C Maréchal Chorey les Beaune 13.0%
Lovely aromas of violets and tar. Good acidity, sufficient tannin, but a bit thin. Good balance, pretty and pure, but lacks carnality.
2009 Domaine de l'Hortus Grande Cuvée Languedoc (Pic St. Loup) 14.0%
55% Mourvédre, 35% Syrah, 10% Grenache. Intriguing aromas, dense, saline. Tastes sweet, kirschy, verging on jammy. Though the heat is no more than Languedocian, it’s a bit too hot for me. Turns out to be the table’s favorite, possibly because closest to the Argentine paradigm. Pic St. Loup is not on the coast, so I cannot help being reminded of the old sawhorse that "Mourvédre likes to see the sea."
2005 Iris du Gayon Pauillac 13.0%
70% CS, 20% PV, 10% Merlot. From the little vineyard that could in the middle of Mouton Rothschild that appears in Mondovino, the series. Nose is closed, as one might expect, with some hesitant cherry. Attractive balance, good texture, no overt woodiness, civilized alcohol, but does little for me, at least at this point. Late at night, shows lots of rosemary. Give it another five, at least.
Then, over dinner of good pork and couscous made by Geoffroy himself, a wine closer to my palate:
2008 Domaine Tissot Trousseau Singulier 12.0%
Attractive bitter cherry, sweat and forest floor. Lively fruit, good acidity, correct equipoise. Almost delicious and my favorite on the night, though perhaps 08 is not the ideal vintage for this (09 and 10 should be better).
2005 Domaine Delmas Crémant de Limoux 12.5%
Blend of Mauzac, Chardonnay, Chenin and Pinot Noir. Mildly attractive floral aromas but I found this a bit dull.
We then gathered around a large table and were served, in relatively quick succession, five wines with bread and excellent charcuterie. There were no spittoons, so restraint reared its dismal head:
2007 Domaine Bott-Geyl Pinot d’Alsace Métiss 12.5%
35% Pinot Blanc, 35% Pinot Auxerrois, 15% Pinot Gris, 15% Pinot Noir. Blast of SO2 upfront dissipates to show honey, apple and shiitake. Somewhat unctuous mouth feel, which does not harmonize with the mildly bitter finish. Texturally a bit shallow. Has acidity but would benefit from more.
2010 Domaine Rimbert Travers de Marceau Languedoc (St. Chinian) 12.5%
30% Carignan, 55% Syrah, 15% Cinsault. Cherry and dishrag. Attractive acidity and tannins, good balance, but I find the flavor unattractive. My least favorite of the reds.
2007 Domaine C&C Maréchal Chorey les Beaune 13.0%
Lovely aromas of violets and tar. Good acidity, sufficient tannin, but a bit thin. Good balance, pretty and pure, but lacks carnality.
2009 Domaine de l'Hortus Grande Cuvée Languedoc (Pic St. Loup) 14.0%
55% Mourvédre, 35% Syrah, 10% Grenache. Intriguing aromas, dense, saline. Tastes sweet, kirschy, verging on jammy. Though the heat is no more than Languedocian, it’s a bit too hot for me. Turns out to be the table’s favorite, possibly because closest to the Argentine paradigm. Pic St. Loup is not on the coast, so I cannot help being reminded of the old sawhorse that "Mourvédre likes to see the sea."
2005 Iris du Gayon Pauillac 13.0%
70% CS, 20% PV, 10% Merlot. From the little vineyard that could in the middle of Mouton Rothschild that appears in Mondovino, the series. Nose is closed, as one might expect, with some hesitant cherry. Attractive balance, good texture, no overt woodiness, civilized alcohol, but does little for me, at least at this point. Late at night, shows lots of rosemary. Give it another five, at least.
Then, over dinner of good pork and couscous made by Geoffroy himself, a wine closer to my palate:
2008 Domaine Tissot Trousseau Singulier 12.0%
Attractive bitter cherry, sweat and forest floor. Lively fruit, good acidity, correct equipoise. Almost delicious and my favorite on the night, though perhaps 08 is not the ideal vintage for this (09 and 10 should be better).