Mike Evans
Mike Evans
Le Caveau in Chamblee hosted a tasting of wines from Louis/Dressner Selections last night with honored guest Josefa Concannon, LDM's charming chief schnook. I continued my tradition of pulling some older LDM wines from my cellar, both to provide some examples of how some of the LDM wines can age and for the joy of sharing them with an appreciative audience. My notes are kind of cursory, as it was more fun to enjoy the wines and the company than to sit and dissect them, and I didn't get notes on a couple of the younger wines being featured, but I hope the notes are at least somewhat worthwhile.
Current Releases: The current releases were a tasty selection of wines from producers who are both brilliant and well-established in the LDM portfolio.
NV Maison Brulees Altérité - If Mosse Moussamoussettes and Renardat-Fache Cerdon de Bugey had a baby, it would be a lot like this. That's a compliment, if there was any question.
2013 Domaine des Maisons Brulées R2LO - Pinot, Gamay and Pineau d'Aunis, mouth-watering crunchy plummy fruit, white pepper, a hint of celery, very hard to put down.
2014 Puzelat-Bonhomme Sauvignon Touraine - Pleasantly tropical fruit and flowers, it's a Caribbean beach trip in a glass.
2007 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Viré-Clessé Cuvée E.J.Thévenet - Deep nuanced fruit, a little botrytis, rocks, and crisp acid, other Chardonnays dream of being this good.
Classics: For the older wines, I generally tried to select bottles for which there were younger vintages on the shelves or that were particularly special to me and, I think, to other long-time fans of LDM wines, and they didn't disappoint. We paused the festivities briefly for a somber moment as Josefa offered a touching toast in memory of the original "average American wine consumer," whose passing a year ago left the world a more average and less interesting place. I regret that I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but I think he would have approved of our selection as we raised our glasses of 1997 Clos Roche Blanche Côt in his honor.
2000 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie - A little on the oxidized side, but not too much, as it adds a little nutty roundness to the crisp saline mineral goodness. The oxidation became more muted and the fruit more vibrant with air. Good stuff.
1997 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Cuvée Buster Vieilles Vignes - Flinty, floral, and lemony, with a hint of peppermint, it is still strikingly youthful in its crispy saline tartness. Air brings out a hint of nuttiness that rounds it out and adds a pleasant weight. After a couple of hours it really starts to sing.
1996 Domaine du Closel-Ch“teau des Vaults Savennières Cuvée Spéciale Clos du Papillon - Floral, honeyed rocks with a hint of butterscotch and refreshing tartness. This seems fresher than a couple of other bottles I've had in recent years.
1999 Michel Tête Juliénas Domaine du Clos du Fief "Cuvee Prestige" - Crisp cherry fruit with a little mulling spices and a dash of fresh herbs, it is drinking extremely well.
1995 Mas des Chimères Coteaux du Languedoc - Herbs and minerals complement brambly fruit with just a hint of barnyard and leather, it is still pleasantly fresh and has plenty of life left. I'm sorry this is probably my last bottle, but it's hard to feel bad when a $15 bottle offers 18 years of pleasure.
1997 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Cuvée Cot - Lavender and violets and pure purple fruit, it is still incredibly young and the tannin is a little grainy. It really comes together with air, picking up a little more herbal character, while the tannin integrates and more nuance starts to show itself, an entrancing elixir that connects to my soul.
Current Releases: The current releases were a tasty selection of wines from producers who are both brilliant and well-established in the LDM portfolio.
NV Maison Brulees Altérité - If Mosse Moussamoussettes and Renardat-Fache Cerdon de Bugey had a baby, it would be a lot like this. That's a compliment, if there was any question.
2013 Domaine des Maisons Brulées R2LO - Pinot, Gamay and Pineau d'Aunis, mouth-watering crunchy plummy fruit, white pepper, a hint of celery, very hard to put down.
2014 Puzelat-Bonhomme Sauvignon Touraine - Pleasantly tropical fruit and flowers, it's a Caribbean beach trip in a glass.
2007 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Viré-Clessé Cuvée E.J.Thévenet - Deep nuanced fruit, a little botrytis, rocks, and crisp acid, other Chardonnays dream of being this good.
Classics: For the older wines, I generally tried to select bottles for which there were younger vintages on the shelves or that were particularly special to me and, I think, to other long-time fans of LDM wines, and they didn't disappoint. We paused the festivities briefly for a somber moment as Josefa offered a touching toast in memory of the original "average American wine consumer," whose passing a year ago left the world a more average and less interesting place. I regret that I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but I think he would have approved of our selection as we raised our glasses of 1997 Clos Roche Blanche Côt in his honor.
2000 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie - A little on the oxidized side, but not too much, as it adds a little nutty roundness to the crisp saline mineral goodness. The oxidation became more muted and the fruit more vibrant with air. Good stuff.
1997 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Cuvée Buster Vieilles Vignes - Flinty, floral, and lemony, with a hint of peppermint, it is still strikingly youthful in its crispy saline tartness. Air brings out a hint of nuttiness that rounds it out and adds a pleasant weight. After a couple of hours it really starts to sing.
1996 Domaine du Closel-Ch“teau des Vaults Savennières Cuvée Spéciale Clos du Papillon - Floral, honeyed rocks with a hint of butterscotch and refreshing tartness. This seems fresher than a couple of other bottles I've had in recent years.
1999 Michel Tête Juliénas Domaine du Clos du Fief "Cuvee Prestige" - Crisp cherry fruit with a little mulling spices and a dash of fresh herbs, it is drinking extremely well.
1995 Mas des Chimères Coteaux du Languedoc - Herbs and minerals complement brambly fruit with just a hint of barnyard and leather, it is still pleasantly fresh and has plenty of life left. I'm sorry this is probably my last bottle, but it's hard to feel bad when a $15 bottle offers 18 years of pleasure.
1997 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Cuvée Cot - Lavender and violets and pure purple fruit, it is still incredibly young and the tannin is a little grainy. It really comes together with air, picking up a little more herbal character, while the tannin integrates and more nuance starts to show itself, an entrancing elixir that connects to my soul.