SteveTimko
Steve Timko
Louis/Dressner made a journey to the heart of Rombauer country and had a tasting of six wines at Craft Wine and Beer in Reno. Craft is a great outpost for wine geeks with Reno’s best selection of wines from Louis/Dressner, Kermit Lynch, Neal Rosenthal and De Maison. Louis/Dressner National Sales Manager Josefa Concannon planted the flag of natural wine squarely in the territory of buttery, oaky chardonnay and ripe, sexy cabernet sauvignon. It was a good tasting with Foucault being a revelation to me. Sadly, it’s co-fermented with unobtanium. Craft hosted a great tasting, giving a plate with tasty cheese and even some good ribs. Devlon Moore, owner of Cepage Selections that distributes Louis/Dressner in Nevada, was also on hand to help out.
2009 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny (2/20/2014)
This was excellent although given my penchant for not liking Bordeaux varietals that might be an indictment of this wine rather than praise. Probably the best Cabernet Franc I’ve ever had, although numbers 2 and 3 would probably elicit eye rolls from wine geeks.
We were served from a bottle freshly uncorked at at Louis/Dressner tasting. It was tight as a drum. I kept swirling and took baby sips. Each taste was better than the last. If I had this in my cellar I wouldn’t touch it before 2018. It will probably be singing around 2025.
As it got air it seemed to get lighter. On the nose and palate, dark fruits dominated. There was a little bit of meatiness. And the damnedest things were the delicate flowery notes that showed up on the nose near the end. I usually get those in white wine, not red wine. Exquisitely balanced from attack through the long finish.
I’m sensitive to pyrazines so frequently Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon have too much green pepper on the palate and potato water or wet newspaper on the nose. I’ve shrugged as others at the table oohed and aahhed over a 1989 Bordeaux or a trophy Napa cab. I didn’t pick up any of those with the Foucault. I have to wonder if this is such an atypical Cabernet Franc how it is accepted by the hard core Bordeaux lovers.
In reading about pyrazines I’ve learned about the only way to minimize them is through canopy management and getting them exposed to sun early. I’m guessing that’s what the Foucaults do. It isn’t just ripeness alone. One of the people at the tasting, distributor Devlon Moore, threw all kinds of 2003 Chinon and Bourgueil at me trying to find one I liked when he was affiliated with another Reno wine store. None tasted good to me.
It’s my luck I find a cab franc I like and it’s almost impossible to get.
2010 Donati Camillo Lambrusco dell'Emilia IGT Emilia IGT - Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Emilia IGT (2/20/2014)
Eh. It is what it is. Slightly sweet and slightly sparkling. When I’ve liked Lambruscos they’ve had a nice nose. This was just okay. Not offensive but not hitting many pleasure points. It paired the best of any wine of the night with the excellent ribs served at the tasting. But in my mind I was rolling through a dozen roses that would work just as well that taste better. A Louis/Dressner import.
2011 Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Nero d'Avola Frappato Sicilia IGT - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT (2/20/2014)
A good bottle of wine, but I’ve had better from Occhipinti. A nice acidity makes it friendly to pair with a wider range of foods. Seems light. Red fruit on the nose and palate. Balanced. Good finish. Tastes Eyetalian. A Louis/Dressner import.
2012 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais Cuvée l'Ancien Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais (2/20/2014)
Seems slightly riper than other vintages of Brun’s wines I’ve tried, but this is still delicious. The red fruits seem especially pronounced. This bottle seemed closer to sweet red cherry. I still got some tea and some forest floor. There’s enough tartness to balance the fruit flavors. Nicely balanced and a good finish. This is a tremendous value for wine. A Louis/Dressner import.
2012 La Biancara di Angiolino Maule I Masieri Bianco Veneto IGT - Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT (2/20/2014)
I liked this. There’s a little bit of skin contact that shows with a hint of oxidation, but it’s not much. White Rioja has more. It’s a bright wine suggesting its stainless steel fermentation. More nutty than fruity, although there’s a slight citrus flavor element. Nice balance. Decent finish. A Louis/Dressner import.
2012 Thomas-Labaille Sancerre L'Authentique - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre (2/20/2014)
I am not usually a fan of sauvignon blanc but I liked this and I would order it off a restaurant menu if I saw nothing else I liked. A little like muscadet with sea spray on the nose. There’s a nice core of acidity to match with food. Good balance and a decent finish. Sauvignon blanc just doesn’t make my taste buds dance. A Louis/Dressner import.
He's holding a bottle of Brun, so that rules out Devlon Moore being a Mormon. He must be a hipster.
2009 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny (2/20/2014)
This was excellent although given my penchant for not liking Bordeaux varietals that might be an indictment of this wine rather than praise. Probably the best Cabernet Franc I’ve ever had, although numbers 2 and 3 would probably elicit eye rolls from wine geeks.
We were served from a bottle freshly uncorked at at Louis/Dressner tasting. It was tight as a drum. I kept swirling and took baby sips. Each taste was better than the last. If I had this in my cellar I wouldn’t touch it before 2018. It will probably be singing around 2025.
As it got air it seemed to get lighter. On the nose and palate, dark fruits dominated. There was a little bit of meatiness. And the damnedest things were the delicate flowery notes that showed up on the nose near the end. I usually get those in white wine, not red wine. Exquisitely balanced from attack through the long finish.
I’m sensitive to pyrazines so frequently Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon have too much green pepper on the palate and potato water or wet newspaper on the nose. I’ve shrugged as others at the table oohed and aahhed over a 1989 Bordeaux or a trophy Napa cab. I didn’t pick up any of those with the Foucault. I have to wonder if this is such an atypical Cabernet Franc how it is accepted by the hard core Bordeaux lovers.
In reading about pyrazines I’ve learned about the only way to minimize them is through canopy management and getting them exposed to sun early. I’m guessing that’s what the Foucaults do. It isn’t just ripeness alone. One of the people at the tasting, distributor Devlon Moore, threw all kinds of 2003 Chinon and Bourgueil at me trying to find one I liked when he was affiliated with another Reno wine store. None tasted good to me.
It’s my luck I find a cab franc I like and it’s almost impossible to get.
2010 Donati Camillo Lambrusco dell'Emilia IGT Emilia IGT - Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Emilia IGT (2/20/2014)
Eh. It is what it is. Slightly sweet and slightly sparkling. When I’ve liked Lambruscos they’ve had a nice nose. This was just okay. Not offensive but not hitting many pleasure points. It paired the best of any wine of the night with the excellent ribs served at the tasting. But in my mind I was rolling through a dozen roses that would work just as well that taste better. A Louis/Dressner import.
2011 Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Nero d'Avola Frappato Sicilia IGT - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT (2/20/2014)
A good bottle of wine, but I’ve had better from Occhipinti. A nice acidity makes it friendly to pair with a wider range of foods. Seems light. Red fruit on the nose and palate. Balanced. Good finish. Tastes Eyetalian. A Louis/Dressner import.
2012 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais Cuvée l'Ancien Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais (2/20/2014)
Seems slightly riper than other vintages of Brun’s wines I’ve tried, but this is still delicious. The red fruits seem especially pronounced. This bottle seemed closer to sweet red cherry. I still got some tea and some forest floor. There’s enough tartness to balance the fruit flavors. Nicely balanced and a good finish. This is a tremendous value for wine. A Louis/Dressner import.
2012 La Biancara di Angiolino Maule I Masieri Bianco Veneto IGT - Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT (2/20/2014)
I liked this. There’s a little bit of skin contact that shows with a hint of oxidation, but it’s not much. White Rioja has more. It’s a bright wine suggesting its stainless steel fermentation. More nutty than fruity, although there’s a slight citrus flavor element. Nice balance. Decent finish. A Louis/Dressner import.
2012 Thomas-Labaille Sancerre L'Authentique - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre (2/20/2014)
I am not usually a fan of sauvignon blanc but I liked this and I would order it off a restaurant menu if I saw nothing else I liked. A little like muscadet with sea spray on the nose. There’s a nice core of acidity to match with food. Good balance and a decent finish. Sauvignon blanc just doesn’t make my taste buds dance. A Louis/Dressner import.
He's holding a bottle of Brun, so that rules out Devlon Moore being a Mormon. He must be a hipster.
