Soave and Haut-Brion

B

Bill Bounds

Bill Bounds
SueSue and I drove down to Houston for our 33rd with Sam Governale at Flemings Steakhouse & Wine Bar. We had previously sent down a 1982 Haut-Brion that Sam decanted for 4 hours before our meal. The wine had a slightly vegetal
Bordeaux nose, but the mouth was extremely austere very disappointing with no improvement over the evening. We had a sister bottle last year, and it was excellent. Both wines bought on release and consistently cellared.

The night was salvaged by our first wine. Sam brought out a 2006 Inama Soave Classico Superiore Vigneto du Lot. The wine was initially very closed and tight. After half an hour of decanting, the wine became very viscous with a very complex range of flavors. A beautiful wine.
 
originally posted by Bill Bounds:
a slightly vegetal
Bordeaux nose, but the mouth was extremely austere very disappointing with no improvement over the evening.
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That's a shame.

Comrade Levi's recent podcast with the viticulturist and winemaker from Turley has an interesting bit where he describes a cabernet rootstock formerly in use in Napa that gave ripe CS at 23 brix, with a bit of pyrazine. Apparently it has mostly been ripped out and replaced with rootstock that gives innocent fruity flavors that are ripe at 28 brix.

Not to console you on your loss or anything, it just reminded me of the question of desired flavors of cabernet.
 
Can we please shush about Soave? Next thing you know the hipsters will have driven the price up to Cuvee Buster levels.
 
Not to change the subject but is Turley still so . . . Turley? Was kind of surprised to see a bottle on a retail shelf priced in the low 20s. Isn't this back room only, secret password wine, or have those days passed?

I did notice they still use the ego friendly, heavy duty glass.
 
originally posted by Kay Bixler:
Not to change the subject but is Turley still so . . . Turley?
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I can see that you haven't had a chance to try their bright, fresh, 12.5% rose.
 
Though I confess it's the only wine of theirs I've tried in years, so don't look to me for the comprehensive understanding.
 
originally posted by Bill Bounds: Soave and Haut-Brion 1982 Haut-Brion that Sam decanted for 4 hours before our meal. The wine had a slightly vegetal Bordeaux nose, but the mouth was extremely austere very disappointing with no improvement over the evening. We had a sister bottle last year, and it was excellent. Both wines bought on release and consistently cellared.
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Bill, Too bad you were unable to taste it before the 4 hours in the decanter.

If the sister bottle was drunk sooner after opening, this could be suggestive of what happened to the disappointing bottle.

. . . . . . Pete
 
originally posted by Bill Bounds:


The night was salvaged by our first wine. Sam brought out a 2006 Inama Soave Classico Superiore Vigneto du Lot. The wine was initially very closed and tight. After half an hour of decanting, the wine became very viscous with a very complex range of flavors. A beautiful wine.
Click to expand...

I have good memories of this wine from an earlier vintage.
They are not shy about using new oak, but it works well here.
Garganega with the new oak may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I liked the few I tried.
 
Pete, just my usual imprecise text. We tasted it the first time after about 2 hours of being decanted; this was before first courses and the Soave. By the end of the meal it had been opened for about 4 1/2 hours. There was no progression in those 2 1/2 hours. Sam Governale, a great sommelier, tasted it when it was decanted with a similar observation. Last year the sister wine was double decanted about 1 hour before arriving at the restaurant. It showed fruit from the beginning and was beautifully opened up about 2 hours after double decanting. I have to attribute the difference to bottle variation. Also, I am pretty sensitive to TCA,and the wine wasn't corked.

I now have 8 remaining 1982 first growths (4 Mouton, 2 Lafite, and 2 Margaux). We really don't drink much cab anymore and have been drinking through the 1982s with our anniversaries. The question is which to drink next year. I think probably the Margaux. Any other opinions?

BTW, we also had almost a case each of Pichon Lalande and Cheval Blanc, again all bought soon after release and consistently cellared. The Pichon Lalande and Cheval Blanc drank beautifully from the first bottle to the last. To me that is the mark of a great wine, just as a great work of art resonates with sophisticates and the masses.
 
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