Dinner with Pacalet & Abe

R

Robert Dentice

Robert Dentice
I was fortunate to attend an intimate dinner last night in LA with Philippe Pacalet organized by Jill from DomainLA (which by the way is well worth checking out and they are expanding their online presence).

It was very cool to have Abe Schoener at the dinner so we could really up the wine geek ante.

I will skip tasting notes other than to say the 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin Village is drinking beautiful and the 2011 Echezeaux is a wonderful wine and dare I say a value, in lieu of some interesting tidbits of information.

1.) Philippe is convinced that premox is caused by harsh pressing techniques. He has never had a problem and has one of the most gentle/slow techniques for whites in the region

2.) He makes all of his red wines in the exact same way from the village to the Grand Cru

3.) I get the impression he would rather be considered a classical winemaker than a "Natural" winemaker

4.) He definitely thinks his wine are made for long-term aging and they shut down after 3-4 years (a recent 2005 would support this)

5.) 2012 is better than 2005

6.) If I heard him correctly he exclusively uses whole cluster fermentation

7.) He chaptalized in 2004 and a little in 2008

8.) He uses 45 ppm SO2 in the whites and uses 25 ppm SO2 in the reds

9.) Other than what he sends to Japan he does not make Gamay because he does not want to compete with his family

10.) He is making two very old vine Aligotes

I would also add that Philippe and his wife could not have been nicer to hang with.
 
I've tasted a lot of Pacalet 06s and 07s over the past couple of years that were cloudy and bacterial. These were from both east and west coast US sources. Insufficient SO2?
 
That sounds like a wonderful place to have been a fly on the wall. That said, while I have loved, really l-o-v-e-d, some of Pacalet's reds, some have been disasters, so I'm not quite inclined to credit his theory on premox in whites when he hasn't managed to avoid premox in reds. I also don't know if I can give a wine the benefit of the doubt that a bad showing equates to a closed period until there is a track record of a wine exiting that closed period.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
I also don't know if I can give a wine the benefit of the doubt that a bad showing equates to a closed period until there is a track record of a wine exiting that closed period.
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which is why most burgundians now chaptalize even in hot years.

fb.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
That sounds like a wonderful place to have been a fly on the wall. That said, while I have loved, really l-o-v-e-d, some of Pacalet's reds, some have been disasters, so I'm not quite inclined to credit his theory on premox in whites when he hasn't managed to avoid premox in reds. I also don't know if I can give a wine the benefit of the doubt that a bad showing equates to a closed period until there is a track record of a wine exiting that closed period.
Click to expand...

Keith I generally agree with you. Have you had many of the Prieuré-Roch wines that he made. A couple of recent 1998s were awesome.
 
originally posted by fatboy:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
I also don't know if I can give a wine the benefit of the doubt that a bad showing equates to a closed period until there is a track record of a wine exiting that closed period.
Click to expand...

which is why most burgundians now chaptalize even in hot years.

fb.
Click to expand...

How would chaptalization ensure that?
 
originally posted by Robert Dentice:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
That sounds like a wonderful place to have been a fly on the wall. That said, while I have loved, really l-o-v-e-d, some of Pacalet's reds, some have been disasters, so I'm not quite inclined to credit his theory on premox in whites when he hasn't managed to avoid premox in reds. I also don't know if I can give a wine the benefit of the doubt that a bad showing equates to a closed period until there is a track record of a wine exiting that closed period.
Click to expand...

Keith I generally agree with you. Have you had many of the Prieuré-Roch wines that he made. A couple of recent 1998s were awesome.
Click to expand...
I didn't know he made the Prieure Roch wines. I had a stunning '99 Suchots from them.
 
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