Goodness I must be dying to post this, shoddy as it is; it hardly constitutes a tasting and my note-taking was less-than-assiduous. Nevertheless, here are half-notes about three wines, none tasted at opening, all sampled after at least 8 hours' exposure to air.
Domaine de Montille 2006 Pommard 1er Cru "Les Pezerolles"
Scored this partial bottle off a pennyless wine rep in exchange for a ham sandwich. The bottle'd been open for about 16 hours prior to tasting. Limpid, pale red color. Reticent nose of strawberry tart and freshly snapped dry twigs. Fine-grained tannins unobtrusive on palate, kirsch, rainwater, and oolong tea notes flesh out to an intriguing, pronounced blood and raw red meat component. Tightens up markedly on finish, tannins finally kick in as meatiness subsides, beautifully balanced and very persistent. If this is infanticide, then I'm a baby-killer and unrepentant.
Nalle 2005 Pinot Noir, Dry Creek Valley
Much more aromatically assertive than the de Montille. Smells of rose petal and crushed geranium. As pale but more purple than the Pommard. Light and lithe on the palate, boisterous acidity and then a wash of purple fruit, boysenberry and blackberry. Rose water and delicate berry mid-palate, finely etched and effortless, no sweetness or oakiness anywhere to be found. More primary than the Burgundy, without the umami dimension, still a lovely American pinot. Big ups to Doug Nalle. Opened probably 8 hours before I got to it.
J.K. Carriere 2005 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
Much darker and more opaque than previous two wines. Dark garnet red tending towards purple. Dark, brooding fruit and bosky notes on nose. Palate more rigid and shows a touch of herbaceousness along with black fruits. Whispered "Cabernet" for a moment, it did. Also, think tar dusted with dark potting soil. Never goes over the edge, though, alcohol's low and acidity's almost off the charts. Hits both the low A and the high C all at once. A bigger mouthful than either of the other wines. Softer on second pass, and far prettier. Too different from the Nalle to make a direct comparison; takes second billing to the Pommard. Opened at same time as the Nalle.
Wouldn't kick any of these three out of bed. Moral of the story: open your 06 1er Cru Pommards the day beforehand! Oh, and next time try to get to the wines before they've been open all day long, for crying out loud.
Domaine de Montille 2006 Pommard 1er Cru "Les Pezerolles"
Scored this partial bottle off a pennyless wine rep in exchange for a ham sandwich. The bottle'd been open for about 16 hours prior to tasting. Limpid, pale red color. Reticent nose of strawberry tart and freshly snapped dry twigs. Fine-grained tannins unobtrusive on palate, kirsch, rainwater, and oolong tea notes flesh out to an intriguing, pronounced blood and raw red meat component. Tightens up markedly on finish, tannins finally kick in as meatiness subsides, beautifully balanced and very persistent. If this is infanticide, then I'm a baby-killer and unrepentant.
Nalle 2005 Pinot Noir, Dry Creek Valley
Much more aromatically assertive than the de Montille. Smells of rose petal and crushed geranium. As pale but more purple than the Pommard. Light and lithe on the palate, boisterous acidity and then a wash of purple fruit, boysenberry and blackberry. Rose water and delicate berry mid-palate, finely etched and effortless, no sweetness or oakiness anywhere to be found. More primary than the Burgundy, without the umami dimension, still a lovely American pinot. Big ups to Doug Nalle. Opened probably 8 hours before I got to it.
J.K. Carriere 2005 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
Much darker and more opaque than previous two wines. Dark garnet red tending towards purple. Dark, brooding fruit and bosky notes on nose. Palate more rigid and shows a touch of herbaceousness along with black fruits. Whispered "Cabernet" for a moment, it did. Also, think tar dusted with dark potting soil. Never goes over the edge, though, alcohol's low and acidity's almost off the charts. Hits both the low A and the high C all at once. A bigger mouthful than either of the other wines. Softer on second pass, and far prettier. Too different from the Nalle to make a direct comparison; takes second billing to the Pommard. Opened at same time as the Nalle.
Wouldn't kick any of these three out of bed. Moral of the story: open your 06 1er Cru Pommards the day beforehand! Oh, and next time try to get to the wines before they've been open all day long, for crying out loud.