Chicago Disorderlies Lars Makie, Nathan Odem and Fillay gathered with me at Fillay's gorgeous East Garfield Park apartment to welcome the itinerant Matt Latuchie to the Windy City on a blustery Saturday afternoon. Fillay had prepared a marvelous spread of a delicious beet salad, a lovely trout salad, a great loaf of home-baked bread and some fine charcuterie to accompany the orgy of fine wine that presented itself:
After braving Chicago traffic on a Saturday afternoon, I was greeted in the kitchen with a glass of the 2006 Marie-Noelle Ledru Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée du Goulté which was a rich and fruity Champagne, but which I also found to be too marked by yeast autolysis for me to appreciate the finer nuances. I have come to realize that I far more sensitive to those "toasty" aromas than many, so no doubt this accounts in large part for my differing perception of the wines. I chalk it up to bad breeding on my part. I found the 2002 Marie-Noelle Ledru Champagne Grand Cru Millésimé to be leaner and more focused than the other and less toasty, but still overall too toasty for me to fully appreciate.
Moving on, I next tried the 2009 Jean-Yves Péron Vin de Table Français Cotillon des Dames which was very crisp and citrusy with enough phenolic extract to keep it from seeming in any way thin. Light yet flavorful. Next up was the 2010 Emmanuel Houillon (Maison Pierre Overnoy) Chardonnay Arbois Pupillin. I hope that I didn't offend anyone at the soirée when I commented "it's just another Chardonnay" but that was really my impression. In essence, it suffers only from my previous experiences with Overnoy's reds, as this was a perfectly acceptable, varietally correct example of Chardonnay in a high acidity vein. At this stage in its development, I'd take Brun's Beaujolais Blanc or even a top Macon over it, but I defer to the wisdom of those who've had aged examples of this wine that it'll develop with time into something profound.
Next, I retrieved from the freezer the 2010 Cowan Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Isa that I'd schlepped up from my cellar. I had followed Florida Jim's advice on this wine and given it a double decant 2-3 hours prior to serving it and tried, to the extent possible, to serve it at cellar temperature. The nose on this wine was truly beguiling, but very hard to pin down. At times, I got grapefruit; at other times, more tropical fruit and even some melon. There was also an herbal quality to the wine that was quite distinct from the usual grassy character of SB. Jim or someone has described Isa as a "baby orange" wine and I think that that's an excellent description for an utterly fascinating wine. NB: Jim tells me that's he's got a line on some Ribolla Gialla that he plans to treat similarly -- that should make for another fascinating Cowan Cellars wine.
From there, I moved on to the red wines. The first was a 2002(?) Alain et Jérome Lenoir 'Les Roches' Chinon which was, sadly, corked. Moving on, I next tried the 2009 Domaine des Cavarodes (Etienne Thiebaud) Arbois Poulsard des Gruyères. An example of Poulsard from a producer that was new to me, it was very recognizably Poulsard for the savory strawberry character of the fruit overlaid with meaty overtones and its lack of weight on the palate. It won't displace Overnoy's Pupillin from my affections, but this was a great example of Poulsard in its own right and was outstanding with the salmon dish that Phil had prepared.
I was next treated to the 2002 Domaine Truchot-Martin Bourgogne,
my first encounter with Truchot's wines which did not disappoint. For something with a generic Bourgogne designation, this was as fine a wine as I could imagine, soft and lush, with a silky texture, lovely red fruit and a sous-bois character that added a touch of complexity as well as a savory element. Matt had mentioned that Truchot's wines will never bowl you over with their power, but rather with their delicate beauty, and that was quite evident with this wine. I can only imagine what to expect from his more exalted vineyards, but I'd never be upset to have this wine in my glass, either. Many thanks for this, Matt! This was followed by the 2010 Arnot-Roberts Trousseau Luchsinger Vineyard. I love the wines of Arnot-Roberts and this was no exception. A great spicy and perfumed -- almost floral -- nose, followed by lush, dense dark fruit. Still very young, but showing lots of promise.
Moving on to the lamb shoulder, I tried the 1998 Thunder Mountain Star Ruby Bates Ranch. Alas, I found this wine very slightly corked, but still quite appealing. It had the black plum character of Cabernet and Merlot with some greener elements thrown in. I thought that there was probably quite a bit of Merlot in the blend, but who knows? That was followed by the 2008 Domaine du Cros (Philippe Teulier) Marcillac Vieilles Vignes. I threw this wine in because Lars and I share an unhealthy fondness for the Fer Servadou grape. This was my first taste of the Dom. du Cros, which had been suggested as an even better example of the grape than my heartthrob, the Marcillac of Causse Marines. Owing to my suspicion that this wine was still very young, I gave it a decant 2-3 hours prior to the event and it certainly didn't suffer at all. It was bigger scaled than my previous Fer Servadou encounters, but still had the black pepper spiciness to the nose with some lactic notes thrown in. Big and brawny at this early stage, it didn't resemble Cab Franc as much as the Causse Marines wines do, but came across more like Malbec/Côt. It was very good with the lamb shoulder, but I'll give my other bottle another 5-10 years in the cellar to see how it develops.
I was next steered to a decanter containing the ]1986 Kalin Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, which was easily the surprise of the evening. At 26 years of age, it's still vibrant and primary but the rough edges have all been smoothed out and it's got the typical Sonoma County suaveness to the Cabernet fruit. It had a certain sweetness (fruit ester kind) to the red fruit in the nose, but it was pure and rich on the palate. Quite wonderful, but one has to wonder whether it will ever take on tertiary characteristics or just quietly fade into eternity. That was followed by yet another of Matt's wines, the 1997 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. I think that this may have suffered a tad in comparison to the Kalin, but it showed classic Napa Cabernet fruit, very dark with a hint of chocolate to it, a bit of minty character, too and just enough acidity to keep me happy (from what was admittedly a ripe year in Napa). I recall having this wine at the winery ca. 2001 and preferring at that time the '98. I'll have to open up a '98 and see whether it's aged as well as this wine has. Again, though, it's totally primary with a few secondary elements to it. Will it develop tertiary notes with age? We'll see...
There was also a 2000 Domaine du Viking Vouvray Tendre that I didn't get around to trying, so I'll have to leave it to others to describe. Many thanks to Phil and Sara for hosting such a great event, and to Matt for his generosity in bringing such interesting wines as well as to Lars and Nathan for making it such a great event. I strongly felt that, apart from the corked bottle, there was not a wine at this event that I wouldn't happily drink and the outstanding food and company only added to the event.
Mark Lipton
After braving Chicago traffic on a Saturday afternoon, I was greeted in the kitchen with a glass of the 2006 Marie-Noelle Ledru Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée du Goulté which was a rich and fruity Champagne, but which I also found to be too marked by yeast autolysis for me to appreciate the finer nuances. I have come to realize that I far more sensitive to those "toasty" aromas than many, so no doubt this accounts in large part for my differing perception of the wines. I chalk it up to bad breeding on my part. I found the 2002 Marie-Noelle Ledru Champagne Grand Cru Millésimé to be leaner and more focused than the other and less toasty, but still overall too toasty for me to fully appreciate.
Moving on, I next tried the 2009 Jean-Yves Péron Vin de Table Français Cotillon des Dames which was very crisp and citrusy with enough phenolic extract to keep it from seeming in any way thin. Light yet flavorful. Next up was the 2010 Emmanuel Houillon (Maison Pierre Overnoy) Chardonnay Arbois Pupillin. I hope that I didn't offend anyone at the soirée when I commented "it's just another Chardonnay" but that was really my impression. In essence, it suffers only from my previous experiences with Overnoy's reds, as this was a perfectly acceptable, varietally correct example of Chardonnay in a high acidity vein. At this stage in its development, I'd take Brun's Beaujolais Blanc or even a top Macon over it, but I defer to the wisdom of those who've had aged examples of this wine that it'll develop with time into something profound.
Next, I retrieved from the freezer the 2010 Cowan Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Isa that I'd schlepped up from my cellar. I had followed Florida Jim's advice on this wine and given it a double decant 2-3 hours prior to serving it and tried, to the extent possible, to serve it at cellar temperature. The nose on this wine was truly beguiling, but very hard to pin down. At times, I got grapefruit; at other times, more tropical fruit and even some melon. There was also an herbal quality to the wine that was quite distinct from the usual grassy character of SB. Jim or someone has described Isa as a "baby orange" wine and I think that that's an excellent description for an utterly fascinating wine. NB: Jim tells me that's he's got a line on some Ribolla Gialla that he plans to treat similarly -- that should make for another fascinating Cowan Cellars wine.
From there, I moved on to the red wines. The first was a 2002(?) Alain et Jérome Lenoir 'Les Roches' Chinon which was, sadly, corked. Moving on, I next tried the 2009 Domaine des Cavarodes (Etienne Thiebaud) Arbois Poulsard des Gruyères. An example of Poulsard from a producer that was new to me, it was very recognizably Poulsard for the savory strawberry character of the fruit overlaid with meaty overtones and its lack of weight on the palate. It won't displace Overnoy's Pupillin from my affections, but this was a great example of Poulsard in its own right and was outstanding with the salmon dish that Phil had prepared.
I was next treated to the 2002 Domaine Truchot-Martin Bourgogne,
my first encounter with Truchot's wines which did not disappoint. For something with a generic Bourgogne designation, this was as fine a wine as I could imagine, soft and lush, with a silky texture, lovely red fruit and a sous-bois character that added a touch of complexity as well as a savory element. Matt had mentioned that Truchot's wines will never bowl you over with their power, but rather with their delicate beauty, and that was quite evident with this wine. I can only imagine what to expect from his more exalted vineyards, but I'd never be upset to have this wine in my glass, either. Many thanks for this, Matt! This was followed by the 2010 Arnot-Roberts Trousseau Luchsinger Vineyard. I love the wines of Arnot-Roberts and this was no exception. A great spicy and perfumed -- almost floral -- nose, followed by lush, dense dark fruit. Still very young, but showing lots of promise.
Moving on to the lamb shoulder, I tried the 1998 Thunder Mountain Star Ruby Bates Ranch. Alas, I found this wine very slightly corked, but still quite appealing. It had the black plum character of Cabernet and Merlot with some greener elements thrown in. I thought that there was probably quite a bit of Merlot in the blend, but who knows? That was followed by the 2008 Domaine du Cros (Philippe Teulier) Marcillac Vieilles Vignes. I threw this wine in because Lars and I share an unhealthy fondness for the Fer Servadou grape. This was my first taste of the Dom. du Cros, which had been suggested as an even better example of the grape than my heartthrob, the Marcillac of Causse Marines. Owing to my suspicion that this wine was still very young, I gave it a decant 2-3 hours prior to the event and it certainly didn't suffer at all. It was bigger scaled than my previous Fer Servadou encounters, but still had the black pepper spiciness to the nose with some lactic notes thrown in. Big and brawny at this early stage, it didn't resemble Cab Franc as much as the Causse Marines wines do, but came across more like Malbec/Côt. It was very good with the lamb shoulder, but I'll give my other bottle another 5-10 years in the cellar to see how it develops.
I was next steered to a decanter containing the ]1986 Kalin Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, which was easily the surprise of the evening. At 26 years of age, it's still vibrant and primary but the rough edges have all been smoothed out and it's got the typical Sonoma County suaveness to the Cabernet fruit. It had a certain sweetness (fruit ester kind) to the red fruit in the nose, but it was pure and rich on the palate. Quite wonderful, but one has to wonder whether it will ever take on tertiary characteristics or just quietly fade into eternity. That was followed by yet another of Matt's wines, the 1997 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. I think that this may have suffered a tad in comparison to the Kalin, but it showed classic Napa Cabernet fruit, very dark with a hint of chocolate to it, a bit of minty character, too and just enough acidity to keep me happy (from what was admittedly a ripe year in Napa). I recall having this wine at the winery ca. 2001 and preferring at that time the '98. I'll have to open up a '98 and see whether it's aged as well as this wine has. Again, though, it's totally primary with a few secondary elements to it. Will it develop tertiary notes with age? We'll see...
There was also a 2000 Domaine du Viking Vouvray Tendre that I didn't get around to trying, so I'll have to leave it to others to describe. Many thanks to Phil and Sara for hosting such a great event, and to Matt for his generosity in bringing such interesting wines as well as to Lars and Nathan for making it such a great event. I strongly felt that, apart from the corked bottle, there was not a wine at this event that I wouldn't happily drink and the outstanding food and company only added to the event.
Mark Lipton
