Rose City Jeeb

M

Matt Latuchie

Matt Latuchie
big thanks to mark for organizing this last minute gathering.

Venue: Cafe Castagna - Portland, OR
Attendees: Mark Davis, Peter Gibson, Eric Pottmeyer, Paul Willenberg, me

N.V. Equipo Navazos Jerez-Xérès-Sherry I Think Manzanilla - zippy and zesty. great lemon fruit, truffle and fresh melon. great way to start the evening

2009 Michel Gahier Chardonnay Arbois Les Follasses - bright, good density, nice lemon, pear and apple. had great acidity on the palate. really nice.

2008 Emmanuel Houillon (Maison Pierre Overnoy) Chardonnay Arbois Pupillin - peter made a great comment, "this is chablis, the gahier is puligny". well put. had great minerality, sea water and lemon on the palate. incredible grip.

2007 Weingut Meinhard Forstreiter Grüner Veltliner Tabor - one of the odd balls of the night. i thought it showed well. dense and agressive nose of pepper, herbs, and pears. thought the palate had nice balance and layers.

1998 Domaine Truchot-Martin Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes - one of the finer pinots i've had this year. nose was earthy, red fruited and floral. palate was delicate and profound. layers of fruit, earth, and florals. spectacular.

1998 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Perrières - overall an impressive wine. incredibly dense and exotic aromatics. loads of florals, cherries and mushroom. palate had grip, perfect density and length.

1995 Huët Vouvray Sec Le Mont - off bottle most thought. nose was inviting at first...with time cork emerged.

2006 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux - liked this a lot. usual purity of fruit with nice tobacco, earth and cranberry. palate was lithe, but had a proper density. VERY nice.

2007 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie La Chavaroche - Burgundy lovers Cote Rotie. Nose was meaty, and floral. Loved the palate - great black fruit, herbs, meat and truffle. Hard to resist.

1994 Louis Magnin Vin de Savoie Arbin - 18 year old Mondeuse? fuck yeah! loved the soft florals, dried meats and spices. hadn't tried a mondeuse this old before...

2004 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Romanée St. Vivant - beautiful aromatics, just what i'm looking for. lots of beef broth, mushroom, spice, red cherry, and earth. what a combo. so so so good.

1998 Nigl Riesling Privat - lots of botrytis influence. fat and dense. not really my style, but it tasted good.
 
Matt-

It was great to meet you.

Thank you for carrying an extra suitcase of wine with you...the dedication!

We had a really enjoyable evening. Great groups of folks.

Looks like you captured things very well.

A few comments from my increasingly unreliable memory:

The La Bota was the April 2012 bottling -- never seen that bottling before - Peter can chime in with details, if needed. This wine was refreshing, very refreshing, but it wasn't something to contemplate or over analyze. A perfect start to the evening, for sure! Well done Peter.

Houillon: Liked the precision of the wine. So mineral. So delicate. This was actually my favorite wine of the night, which is not what I would have expected as much as I love the producer.

Gahier: Really well made wine in a fuller bodied, riper style. I think there was a little bit of 2009 here, but I'd drink this over a lot of wine from the Cote d'Or. I thought I got some tropical notes on the wine, but I really can't remember.

Forstreiter: Cool wine -- never experienced this producer before. I liked the cut in the wine. Anyone have more information about this producer -- sparked my curiosity, for sure. One to investigate.

Truchot: Cloudy. Dirty and reeking of earth (which I loved, thank you). Taken as a whole, it was good for me, but not profound...Peter made another good comment (you know, we keep him around for a reason) about the aromas -- reminded him of Houillon Poulsard -- and I totally agree...it really was so shockingly similar to the '02 that we recently had. I liked the way the palate changed over the course of the evening and to me this is the sign of a complex and interesting wine...but there was a growing amount of VA that started to get irritating with time. Pronounced secondary. Tiny bit of ketchup and stewyness on the palate that made me wonder about bottle condition. Cool, but not..for me...profound.

Hudelot: Zero impact from the ladybugs. Probably the single best 2004 I've had and (sadly) I've had more than you might think...Really young - no sign of secondary, yet the tannins were fine and mostly resolved. Spicy, somewhat subtle aromas - I thought it was slightly closed on the nose. Great purity of fruit on the palate, great balance, so clean...In contrast to the Truchot, it was cleaner, more about the fruit and less about the Earth, IMO...but it was also had a lot more development ahead of it.

Chevillon: It was well structured, balanced, and somewhat big and concentrated to me...I didn't get the minerality one might get with more age and development from Perrieres. Typical of what I expect from traditional, classic NSG...but I think it needed 15 more years :)...The tannins...however fine...were distracting and the astringency caused a bit of an abrupt finish for me. Chevy is always nice to drink and it was great to get a peek at this one.

The Clos Rougeard was clean and pure. Hedonistic.

The Magnin was really well made, actually...it was thick and chewy compared to many of the other wines, but had nice balance and fine tannins, with PLENTY of fruit left. Nothing out of place. It wasn't the most intellectual wine I've ever had. Would have stumped the chump, for sure.

The Levet: I really loved the aromatics - spectacular -- they seemed so classic and typical of Cote Rotie...good Cote Rotie...but I thought there was something missing on the palate. Young. Again, a super cool producer to try and I'm very thankful to have tasted it. I still have a thing for Verset Cornas that I just can't seem to get satisfied outside Cornas...I'm ruined.

-mark
 
originally posted by Mark Davis:

The La Bota was the April 2012 bottling -- never seen that bottling before - Peter can chime in with details, if needed.
Click to expand...

If it's Manzanilla, it should be #38, right?

Nope, I Think Manzanilla.

Gahier: Really well made wine in a fuller bodied, riper style. I think there was a little bit of 2009 here, but I'd drink this over a lot of wine from the Cote d'Or. I thought I got some tropical notes on the wine, but I really can't remember.
Click to expand...

I think it is 2009. I like the Gahier wines a lot, from what I've tasted.

Chevillon: It was well structured, balanced, and somewhat big and concentrated to me...I didn't get the minerality one might get with more age and development from Perrieres. Typical of what I expect from traditional, classic NSG...but I think it needed 15 more years :)...The tannins...however fine...were distracting and the astringency caused a bit of an abrupt finish for me. Chevy is always nice to drink and it was great to get a peek at this one.
Click to expand...

I had very little luck with Chevillon 1998s. They were better as young wines, IMO.

The Levet: I really loved the aromatics - spectacular -- they seemed so classic and typical of Cote Rotie...good Cote Rotie...but I thought there was something missing on the palate. Young. Again, a super cool producer to try and I'm very thankful to have tasted it. I still have a thing for Verset Cornas that I just can't seem to get satisfied outside Cornas...I'm ruined.
Click to expand...

Well, as you know, you're SOL replacing Verset. There just isn't anything close, and probably never will be.

Levet, although a totally different terroir, is probably as close as you may get in terms of style. They are wild, sauvage wines and you have to be able to deal with a bit of VA (just like Verset), but the results can be singualr and spectacular.

I only bought Bourg and Brézé in 2006 from Rougeard. Oversight (or more likely lack of funds) on my part.
 
Agreed. Levet's wines are fucking amazing, and I don't own enough. Can't replace Verset, but right now I'm happy putting as much from Levet, Allemand, Texier and Gonon in the cellar as I possibly can.
 
Levet's the best.

The Mme and I made a nice visit to them in 08 and we very much enjoyed the 02 we took up to their vineyards and drank with a petit picnic.

I pretty much love everything Rosenthal imports.
 
What is the difference between Levet's "La Chavaroche" and "Les Journaries"? I assume the former is a single vineyard and the other isn't?
 
originally posted by Salil Benegal:
Agreed. Levet's wines are fucking amazing, and I don't own enough. Can't replace Verset, but right now I'm happy putting as much from Levet, Allemand, Texier and Gonon in the cellar as I possibly can.
Click to expand...

Allemand, Texier, and Gonon are really different than Levet, IMO.
 
The La Bota was the April 2012 bottling -- never seen that bottling before - Peter can chime in with details, if needed.
Click to expand...

If it's Manzanilla, it should be #38, right?

Nope, I Think Manzanilla.

Right. It was not a numbered bottling.

I think it is 2009. I like the Gahier wines a lot, from what I've tasted.
Click to expand...

I love the Trousseau and have liked many others as well, so I'd tend to agree. I think Gahier is also a really cool producer.

Well, as you know, you're SOL replacing Verset. There just isn't anything close, and probably never will be.

Levet, although a totally different terroir, is probably as close as you may get in terms of style. They are wild, sauvage wines and you have to be able to deal with a bit of VA (just like Verset), but the results can be singualr and spectacular.
Click to expand...

I bought some of the Levet '09s. It's probably the most interesting Cote Rotie I've had. I also like Gonon -- seem to miss the VV all the time though...and Allemand Reynard...but nothing approaches Verset for me....Luckily, I have enough to last for a while :) '86 out of magnum was spectacular a few months ago..

-mark
 
originally posted by VLM:

Allemand, Texier, and Gonon are really different than Levet, IMO.
Click to expand...
Different - absolutely. No disagreement there.

But I think they're all great, thrilling expressions of Syrah in styles that I love, and I'm happy just focusing my Northern Rhone purchases in that direction for the most part when space/funds permit.
 
originally posted by Mark Davis:
originally posted by Zachary Ross:
What is the difference between Levet's "La Chavaroche" and "Les Journaries"? I assume the former is a single vineyard and the other isn't?
Click to expand...

Loading…

www.madrose.com
Click to expand...

Thanks, I saw that, but it doesn't say anything about the two cuvees. There is the vineyard parcel "Chavaroche," which must be the source of "La Chavaroche," so I guess it is a safe assumption that the rest go into "Les Journaries." Was just hoping someone else had more info than that.
 
originally posted by Zachary Ross:
Thanks, I saw that, but it doesn't say anything about the two cuvees.
Click to expand...
It does for me... did you scroll down a bit?

For example: "... “Les Journaries”, a cuvée drawn from grapes harvested from old vines in the “La Landonne” lieu-dit."

ETA: Here is a Levet flyer. The domaine's site is not working, however.
 
originally posted by Zachary Ross:
originally posted by Mark Davis:
originally posted by Zachary Ross:
What is the difference between Levet's "La Chavaroche" and "Les Journaries"? I assume the former is a single vineyard and the other isn't?
Click to expand...

Loading…

www.madrose.com
Click to expand...

Thanks, I saw that, but it doesn't say anything about the two cuvees. There is the vineyard parcel "Chavaroche," which must be the source of "La Chavaroche," so I guess it is a safe assumption that the rest go into "Les Journaries." Was just hoping someone else had more info than that.
Click to expand...

From the provided link:

"Since the 2004 vintage, we have expanded our work with the Levet family to include a second bottling of Cote Rotie known as “Les Journaries”, a cuvée drawn from grapes harvested from old vines in the “La Landonne” lieu-dit."
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by Zachary Ross:
Thanks, I saw that, but it doesn't say anything about the two cuvees.
Click to expand...
It does for me... did you scroll down a bit?

For example: "... “Les Journaries”, a cuvée drawn from grapes harvested from old vines in the “La Landonne” lieu-dit."
Click to expand...

you win
 
One thing I found surprising at Levet was that they use barrels rather than demi-muids or foudres.

The other thing was just how tiny their production is. It really isn't much.
 
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