I've known Tom Reddick virtually since about 1997 or 1998 via various wine boards, but had never actually met him until last week when his travels took him to the Big Apple. A dinner was organized at Peking Duck House in his honor and Suzanne Camhi, Leo Frokic and Ian McFadden and I came out to welcome him and pop a few corks. Perhaps the wines could've shown a little better, that they certainly didn't diminish the revelry of the evening and it was a pleasure to finally put a face to the name after all these years.
2004 Louis Jadot- Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
A bit of a controversial bottle as some at the table thought it showed premoxed, while others, including myself, were a bit on the fence. It shows strong minerality on the nose, with fresh citrus and apple fruit and hints of nuts. On the palate the mineral theme continues and is quite pleasant, though there's definitely more oak than I prefer. The fruit is a bit more in the background and a strong nutty character is the wine’s most obvious trait. However, to my tastes, there's not a strong oxidized taste to it, the color really isn't advanced and the wine still had freshness to it. Whether it is or isn't premoxed, I just found it pleasant enough, but nothing to get too excited over. B.
2007 Weingut Keller- Westhofener Kirchspiel Riesling trocken - Germany, Rheinhessen
Another controversial bottle with Ian, Suzanne and Leo liking it much more than Tom and I did. It shows plenty of minerality on the nose and palate with a bit of petrol. The stone and citrus fruit is ripe, but dry and overall the structure is a bit big-boned. Lime flavors tend to dominate at first, but grapefruit flavors and aromas really blossom with air. However, my knock against this wine is the same problem I have with most trockens. That is, the back end just always seems stripped and incomplete to me. B/B+.
2000 Egon Müller- Scharzhofberger Riesling Spatlese Auction #6 - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
I'm a big fan of the producer, but this wine reflected the difficult vintage conditions. It's light weight, starting to show its age, is unfocused and dilute. It shows mineral, passion and stone fruit with just a bit of sweetness, but there's just no spark here. It's pleasant enough, but is completely overpriced for what it delivers. B.
1999 Louis Jadot- Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Barre - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
I believe I was in the minority on this one as I wasn't a big fan of it. Others believed it was young, but I found problems with it that lead me to believe that the future really isn't so bright for it. Aromatically, it was quite pleasant with sweet cherries, spice and sous bois aromas. On the palate, though, the wine initially showed a lean character, before some cherry fruit started to emerge with air. However I find the oak entirely too omnipresent and the acidity a bit screechy. The fruit drops off on the finish where the wine becomes unpleasantly lean and dry. I just don't find enough here for it to evolve into much and I know someone was agreeing with me about the oak by the end of the evening. B.
2000 Domaine Dujac- Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
A real fun wine. Overloaded with sweet, ripe cherries and a touch of chocolate, there's still some spicy oak that could use some integration, but there's enough fruit present to handle it. Not a lot of development or complexity, but the wine has depth and is just a joy to drink. If you're looking for crunchy minerality and lithe structure, this really won't do it for you. My WOTN. A-.
2001 Domaine Michel Lafarge- Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Would you believe another controversial wine? This was a bruiser, filled with piss and vinegar from the start. It's a masculine wine with burly, unyielding structure. Austere, with some meat notes, but with not a lot of fruit showing, most in the group believe it's just young and is a correct profile for the domaine, but with air I got a sense of a beef broth note that, when combined with how austere and devoid of fruit the wine was, lead me to believe that the wine may have seen elevated temperatures at some point and was not as it should be, so my judgment is reserved. NR.
1970 Bodegas Riojanas- Rioja Monte Real Gran Reserva - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Perhaps not as vibrant as some of the other bottles I've had, but a nice showing nonetheless. This bottle showed a bit more of a coconut character from the American oak than others have, with the cherry fruit a touch less rich and silky. Other than that, the usual citrus, worn wood, earth and leather notes were there. Nicely softened, but with the acidity still keeping things fresh. A-/B+.
2004 Louis Jadot- Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
A bit of a controversial bottle as some at the table thought it showed premoxed, while others, including myself, were a bit on the fence. It shows strong minerality on the nose, with fresh citrus and apple fruit and hints of nuts. On the palate the mineral theme continues and is quite pleasant, though there's definitely more oak than I prefer. The fruit is a bit more in the background and a strong nutty character is the wine’s most obvious trait. However, to my tastes, there's not a strong oxidized taste to it, the color really isn't advanced and the wine still had freshness to it. Whether it is or isn't premoxed, I just found it pleasant enough, but nothing to get too excited over. B.
2007 Weingut Keller- Westhofener Kirchspiel Riesling trocken - Germany, Rheinhessen
Another controversial bottle with Ian, Suzanne and Leo liking it much more than Tom and I did. It shows plenty of minerality on the nose and palate with a bit of petrol. The stone and citrus fruit is ripe, but dry and overall the structure is a bit big-boned. Lime flavors tend to dominate at first, but grapefruit flavors and aromas really blossom with air. However, my knock against this wine is the same problem I have with most trockens. That is, the back end just always seems stripped and incomplete to me. B/B+.
2000 Egon Müller- Scharzhofberger Riesling Spatlese Auction #6 - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
I'm a big fan of the producer, but this wine reflected the difficult vintage conditions. It's light weight, starting to show its age, is unfocused and dilute. It shows mineral, passion and stone fruit with just a bit of sweetness, but there's just no spark here. It's pleasant enough, but is completely overpriced for what it delivers. B.
1999 Louis Jadot- Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Barre - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
I believe I was in the minority on this one as I wasn't a big fan of it. Others believed it was young, but I found problems with it that lead me to believe that the future really isn't so bright for it. Aromatically, it was quite pleasant with sweet cherries, spice and sous bois aromas. On the palate, though, the wine initially showed a lean character, before some cherry fruit started to emerge with air. However I find the oak entirely too omnipresent and the acidity a bit screechy. The fruit drops off on the finish where the wine becomes unpleasantly lean and dry. I just don't find enough here for it to evolve into much and I know someone was agreeing with me about the oak by the end of the evening. B.
2000 Domaine Dujac- Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
A real fun wine. Overloaded with sweet, ripe cherries and a touch of chocolate, there's still some spicy oak that could use some integration, but there's enough fruit present to handle it. Not a lot of development or complexity, but the wine has depth and is just a joy to drink. If you're looking for crunchy minerality and lithe structure, this really won't do it for you. My WOTN. A-.
2001 Domaine Michel Lafarge- Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Would you believe another controversial wine? This was a bruiser, filled with piss and vinegar from the start. It's a masculine wine with burly, unyielding structure. Austere, with some meat notes, but with not a lot of fruit showing, most in the group believe it's just young and is a correct profile for the domaine, but with air I got a sense of a beef broth note that, when combined with how austere and devoid of fruit the wine was, lead me to believe that the wine may have seen elevated temperatures at some point and was not as it should be, so my judgment is reserved. NR.
1970 Bodegas Riojanas- Rioja Monte Real Gran Reserva - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Perhaps not as vibrant as some of the other bottles I've had, but a nice showing nonetheless. This bottle showed a bit more of a coconut character from the American oak than others have, with the cherry fruit a touch less rich and silky. Other than that, the usual citrus, worn wood, earth and leather notes were there. Nicely softened, but with the acidity still keeping things fresh. A-/B+.