TN: Apres-Midi du Coq au Vin (Oct 16, 2011)

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
attendees: Jay, Chris & Lisa, Brad, Don, Keith, Suzanne & Kenny, Rahsaan, Salil, Jeff

An autumn afternoon meal at Jay's abode. We nibble gougeres, saucisson, 70-hour oxtail, a green salad dressed with bacon and avocado, and bread and butter on the wind-swept plateau. We lost only a few lettuce leaves and plates, but Rahsaan nimbly caught the Zalto before it was blown to bits. We moved inside for the Old Winey Bird, potatoes, cheeses, and a few sweet desserts.

As usual for this group, conversation ranged widely and brilliantly... theater, medicine, history, and, oh, yes, wine.

Les Chais du Vieux Bourg 2007 Cremant du Jura "Delire des Lyres" extra-brut - earthy, good acidity, not very fruity (yellow fruit, what there is of it), very fine bubbles, pretty much everyone's favorite fizz until the ringer was poured

Pinon NV Vouvray Brut Non-Dose - seemed mild to me but others liked it more

Vve. Fourny NV Champagne Brut "Vertus" Grande Reserve Premier Cru - so many names, so little to say about it, eh

Huet 1995 Vouvray Brut Petillant - chalky, apricot fruity, wow, good weight, "more apple-y than I remember":Brad

Muller 2010 Scharzhofberger Kabinett - 02 11, pretty!, clean and fruity and zippy, definitely on the riper side, nice wine but the QPR is dubious (someone said this is around $60)

Bornard 2006 Cotes du Jura "Les Chassagnes" Ouille - waxy, comfy, only very slightly oxi, I like it

Roblet-Monnot 2008 Volnay "Taillepieds" - wow, brilliant, crisp, sharp, red cherry fruit, "that dried herb note is very 2008":Jay, this just about steals the show

Les Chais du Vieux Bourg 2008 Cotes du Jura, Pinot Noir - slightly spirity, Burgundy profile but with a sour tang at the end, ooh

Descombes 2007 Morgon VV - the wax capsule, right; clean and bright but I find no depth in the mid-palate today

d'Angerville 2002 Volnay "Champans" - red cherry (must be my language for "from near Beaune"), slight lactic note, a bit dense, not as vigorous as the over-performing RobLowe-monnaie

O. Raffault 1995 Chinon "Les Picasses" - how much of this was bottled? am I going to see this at jeebi for the rest of my life? this one tastes like schoolpaste and brett, feh

Drouhin 2007 Vosne-Romanee "Les Petits Monts" 1er - powdery, frangipani red fruit, really good if somehow not really exciting

Drouhin 2002 Beaune "Clos des Mouches" - strangely, the label does not say that this is 1er Cru, I had to ask... Jay; fairly substantial wine, between the Champans and the Taillepieds in intensity and focus

Roumier 2001 Chambolle-Musigny - wow, wow, very forward and tasty

Calabretta 2000 Etna Rosso - great nose, a bit tannic, a bit bretty but still drinkable

Clos Rougeard 2007 Saumur-Champigny - the so-called "Clos" bottling, suave and weightier than all these Burgundies, maybe a bit of brett?

Huet 1995 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Clos du Bourg" - good but not great, lacks zip; this had a bumptious ride while decanting but not the best bottle

Faustino 1973 Rioja GR - intensely grrr!, earthy and musty and berried, fascinating bottle

Ridge 1999 "Montebello" - big, powerful flavors, a bit of coconut but mostly just brooding, young-ish cab, oh hold

DeLoach 1998 Port "Hook and Ladder" "OFS" - hot, sweet, "this is not that good":Chris, though we all admit we've had worse

Rene Renou 1996 Bonnezeaux "Cuvee Zenith" - lots of sugar, no botrytis, apple-y rather than honeyed, very easy to drink this

Huet 1985 Vouvray Moelleux "Le Mont" - sulfury, but once that's done, yum

Lemorton 1970 Calvados - this is a Domfrontais spirit and it shows: the pear juice mellows out any bite that the alcohol might try, lingering in the orchard as the last light of day fades

Always fun. Thank you to everyone and, especially, to our gracious host.
 
Thanks Jeff.

I "found" my lone bottle of the '01 Roumier C-M a few weeks ago. Now you've got me thinking of drinking it.

As for the QPR on the Egon Muller, I am almost to the point of believing that the whole QPR equation goes out the window for some wines...almost.
 
No half-measures for you guys - 23 bottles! And good stuff! Not omitting the elusive Rougeard.

Sorry to read about the Fourny; I've read praise elsewhere here and planned to try a bottle for a local celebration this weekend. Pinon non-dose has also garnered plaudits.

Roblet-Monnot: 2008 strikes again.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Muller 2010 Scharzhofberger Kabinett - 02 11, pretty!, clean and fruity and zippy, definitely on the riper side, nice wine but the QPR is dubious (someone said this is around $60)
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I don't know if I'd go as far as David to say that QPR (almost) goes out the window. I would think that anyone who's bought red Burgundy would have to acknowledge that the quality is certainly there. And I love red Burgundy but I was less enthralled by the Roblet-Monnot than some of you folks. It was delicious and expressive on the nose but it was more expensive than the Muller and at this stage I thought the Muller had more textural pleasure.

That said, whether or not the Muller meets personal purchasing thresholds for Pleasure Price Ratio is another story!

Speaking of price, according to wine-searcher $60 is about the average, it ranges from $50-$70. Luckily for me, it's $50 down the block from my apartment - PJs - so it quickly gravitated into my hand on Sunday morning.
 
Descombes 2007 Morgon VV - the wax capsule, right; clean and bright but I find no depth in the mid-palate today
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I debated not bringing this because I knew it would probably get lost in the shuffle. But I've really liked it and thought folks might find it interesting. It may not have jumped out with the same mid-palate depth at the dinner, but it was pretty confident, integrated, and showing more depth than just 'brightness' later that night at home. (Or was that just me who was deeply pickled).
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
I debated not bringing this because I knew it would probably get lost in the shuffle. But I've really liked it and thought folks might find it interesting. It may not have jumped out with the same mid-palate depth at the dinner, but it was pretty confident, integrated, and showing more depth than just 'brightness' later that night at home.
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That often happens at these multi-multi-bottle dinners. Not every wine is so privileged as the Huet: its own decanter, Jay warding it, Brad checking in periodically.
 
A very fun afternoon. Thanks again Jay for hosting.

The Roblet-Monnot was quite lovely, really must find some of that for myself.

Didn't find the Rougeard particularly bretty, then again I did taste it after the Raffault which would have probably made an old Beaucastel look tame.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:

I don't know if I'd go as far as David to say that QPR (almost) goes out the window. I would think that anyone who's bought red Burgundy would have to acknowledge that the quality is certainly there. And I love red Burgundy but I was less enthralled by the Roblet-Monnot than some of you folks. It was delicious and expressive on the nose but it was more expensive than the Muller and at this stage I thought the Muller had more textural pleasure.

That said, whether or not the Muller meets personal purchasing thresholds for Pleasure Price Ratio is another story!

Speaking of price, according to wine-searcher $60 is about the average, it ranges from $50-$70. Luckily for me, it's $50 down the block from my apartment - PJs - so it quickly gravitated into my hand on Sunday morning.
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Personally I'd say that the 2009 EM SK hit my personal mark for being easily worth the cost but the 2010 just misses. Though $50 is certainly a good price for it.
 
Many good wines that day, my favorites were certainly the 1995 Huet Petillant (rich layers of flavor - a strong argument for not touching anymore of my 2002s for 5 years) and the 2008 Roblet-Monnot 'Tallepieds' which was was all dried flowers and herbs and red fruit and demonstrated everything I like about that vintage.

The Descombes was a reminder of why I like the 2007 vintage so much in Beaujolais. The Bornard was delicious from the get go. The 2002 Burgundies were both good but I'm still hoping that 2002 will show better with time. As a gross generalization they're attractive and fruity but a bit simple these days. But one doesn't necessarily expect more than that at only 9 years of age.

Really liked the Les Chais du Vieux Bourg Pinot Noir, it just suffered by being followed immediately by the Volnay. My first 2007 Foucault wine was delicious and led to a conversation with Don about whether it makes sense to just buy the 'Clos' as it's the one that always seems to drink well reliably.

The Roumier gods are smiling on me and the third bottle of 2001 CM in as many months was just as gorgeous as the first two. No rush to open them but no crime to do so either.

The 1995 Huet Clos de Bourg Demi Sec grunted a bit, rolled over, buried itself under the covers and went right back to sleep.

The 1973 Faustino was a lovely old Rioja. The 1999 Montebello was a vigorous young Cabernet and a treat to taste.

The 1998 DeLoach port was an abomination, but as abominations go not a particularly horrifying one.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
We opened an appealing 07 Descombes Brouilly a few weeks ago, but you'd expect his Morgon VV to be pretty tough now, it seems.
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I don't know who this 'you' is, but I've had about 5 or 6 bottles of the 07 Morgon VV since the summer and would not call any of them 'tough'. For my tastes it is a delicious fresh bright yet deeply gentle and delicate Morgon. You might prefer it further evolved, but if you open a bottle now it won't rip your tongue apart.

Also, Jeff forgot to mention the Madeira!
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
We opened an appealing 07 Descombes Brouilly a few weeks ago, but you'd expect his Morgon VV to be pretty tough now, it seems.
Click to expand...

I don't know who this 'you' is, but I've had about 5 or 6 bottles of the 07 Morgon VV since the summer and would not call any of them 'tough'. For my tastes it is a delicious fresh bright yet deeply gentle and delicate Morgon. You might prefer it further evolved, but if you open a bottle now it won't rip your tongue apart.

Also, Jeff forgot to mention the Madeira!
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And he's the one I unloaded it on!

Don't know what people see in the stuff (with a few notable exceptions).
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
We opened an appealing 07 Descombes Brouilly a few weeks ago, but you'd expect his Morgon VV to be pretty tough now, it seems.
Click to expand...

I don't know who this 'you' is, but I've had about 5 or 6 bottles of the 07 Morgon VV since the summer and would not call any of them 'tough'. For my tastes it is a delicious fresh bright yet deeply gentle and delicate Morgon. You might prefer it further evolved, but if you open a bottle now it won't rip your tongue apart.

Also, Jeff forgot to mention the Madeira!
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No offense intended, Rahsaan. We had an 07 VV bottling in the Winter - don't think it was the Morgon - and it seemed not near ready. If you've (I mean you) had five or six bottles recently, naturally, you're better informed than I am.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
originally posted by Rahsaan:
Also, Jeff forgot to mention the Madeira!
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And he's the one I unloaded it on!
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There was more transaction than consumption of it on Sunday.

Anyway, it was Rare Wine Co. NV Madeira, Historic Series: Savannah Verdelho Special Reserve.
 
originally posted by Matt Latuchie:
Roblet-Monnot can be so meaty (overdose territory)...glad to read that yours was more focused!
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Is that still the case post-2003? I understand that's when Cecile Tremblay got involved with the estate (she's married to Pascal Roblet-Monnot).

This was the first wine of theirs I've tried and I was very impressed.
 
I took the Calabretta home. Drank it tonight with a very autumnal chicken and sweet potatoes in an apple cider sauce. It's still just a very little bit bretty but otherwise rather unchanged... still vigorously young with good acid, some nice fruit with a licorice and wet dirt undertone.
 
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