I've been drinking well lately but have mostly been chatting and not paying super close attention.
2015 Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett trocken
2015 Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese feinherb
I was late to the party with Falkenstein and had corked bottles of the 2014s when I attempted to try them. These wines have been revelatory for me and have become staples at our table. The trocken is like Briords from riesling and just a fascinating, intense wine. The Spätlese feinherb is ethereal and easy to drink, but quite serious if you take a moment and pay attention.
I've given myself over to my love of M“connais whites and luckily for me, my wife loves them too. Especially Bongran whhich is like no other wine I know.
2011 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Viré-Clessé Cuvée E.J.Thévenet
Thi sis open and flamboyant. Rich, layered and silky. Seems to carry some rs but it has so much heft. Fantastic with cheese and worked with some homemade Sichuan ma la chicken.
2010 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Viré-Clessé Cuvée E.J.Thévenet
This is more reticent than the 2011 whle also showing richness. A little bit of cellar tiime should smooth out the roguh edges.
2008 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Viré-Clessé Cuvée E.J.Thévenet
This vintage is much more defined than the previous two. Lighter on it's feet and less obviously marked by botrytis. Should age really well so the last 2 bottles I have are in the do not touch zone for a few years.
2013 Eric Texier Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban Blanc Domaine de Pergaud
All marsanne from old vines raised in tajanes (sp?) if I am not mistaken. Golden color and rich pitted fruit on the nose but on the palate that richness is allayed by a real mineral spine. The kind of oxidative style is evident (at least I think that's where it is from) but it reatins real freshness and length. I don't consider myself a marsanne guy, but this was excellent. I've been enjoying Northern Rhône white more and more lately. Who knew?
1995 Ch“teau Pradeaux Bandol
Yikes! This is a leathery, horsey, somewhat scary rendition of this wine. I don't mean to imply brett, just sullenness and anger. Not anywhere near maturity but maybe this is what it is? Serve with some hearty stew or hold.
2001 Eric Texier Côte-Rôtie Vieilles Vignes
Same meal as the Pradeaux and a bottle direct from Eric's cellar. He was correct that this was on point. Tannins are resolved and the nose has added mature notes to overlay the fruit (of the red shade). The palate is graceful and elegant. Ready to go now but should hold here for a while.
2011 Mugneret-Gibourg Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots
Delicious and light on its feet. Has some spicey, woodsy notes to the crunchy red fruits. Not particularly tannic, at least doesn't seem so with food. Shapely and graceful. I really liked this a lot. No overt CO2.
2011 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette Griffe du Marquis
Same dinner as the above and a nice comparison. Really silky, velvety mouthfeel. The fruit is round and of the blue shade with nice floral notes to match. Less obvious structure than the 2010 but also longer and better shaped. Really delicious now but should age gracefully for a while.
2009 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette Cuvée Tardive
Holy cow! This is a fruit bomb and really delicious right out of the gate. We needed more wine and I quickly decanted it so I was worried that the Coudert structure would override the vintage generosity. I didn't buy many 2009s and most others have been disappointments, but not this. It's nice to have a Tardive that doesn't take forever to come around (2005). Driving fruit corraled by the classic mineral spine. The fruit overwhelmed any tannic presence I could detect.
2008 Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanée
For my palate, this is ready to go. The tannin may not be fully resolved, but the structure has given way a bit and the wine is gentle on the palate. The nose still conveys fruit but has also added sous bois complexity. No overt CO2.
2008 Louis Boillot et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles
Seemed more clenched than previous bottles but maybe that is due to the proximity of the above. Still, this is a really lovely bottle even if it will be better in a few years. The depth of the fruit nicely offsets the structure of the year. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I really do see a familial sensibility with the Barthod wines if a bit less finely etched. The fruit tends towards the blue and the other notes are solidly Gevrey. No overt CO2.
2010 Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Ghemme Collis Carellae
I've been drinking through a bunch of Alto Piedmont wines lately. First, we love them and they are a staple of our table. Second, I took advantage of a great sale from Max at Wine Connection to load up on multiple vintages of multiple producers. This 2010 is much more tightly wound than the 2007 or 2009 of the same wine that I've had recently. Still, it delivers the taught, mouthwatering nebbiolo fruit that is more tart and juicy than its southerly brethren. I'm going to sit on this vintage for a couple of years before trying another one, but it isn't backwards in the way of Barolo, it's more that it isn't as aromatic as the 2007 and 2009.
2012 Eric Texier Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban Vieille Serine Domaine de Pergaud
From magnum. At a BBQ where lamb done in a NC style was the main attraction and consumed out of plastic cups. All that said, it was a mouthful of syrah deliciousness on a cool evening outside. Probably not the fairest way to showcase it, but I needed good wine with the lamb damn it.
2015 Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett trocken
2015 Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese feinherb
I was late to the party with Falkenstein and had corked bottles of the 2014s when I attempted to try them. These wines have been revelatory for me and have become staples at our table. The trocken is like Briords from riesling and just a fascinating, intense wine. The Spätlese feinherb is ethereal and easy to drink, but quite serious if you take a moment and pay attention.
I've given myself over to my love of M“connais whites and luckily for me, my wife loves them too. Especially Bongran whhich is like no other wine I know.
2011 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Viré-Clessé Cuvée E.J.Thévenet
Thi sis open and flamboyant. Rich, layered and silky. Seems to carry some rs but it has so much heft. Fantastic with cheese and worked with some homemade Sichuan ma la chicken.
2010 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Viré-Clessé Cuvée E.J.Thévenet
This is more reticent than the 2011 whle also showing richness. A little bit of cellar tiime should smooth out the roguh edges.
2008 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Viré-Clessé Cuvée E.J.Thévenet
This vintage is much more defined than the previous two. Lighter on it's feet and less obviously marked by botrytis. Should age really well so the last 2 bottles I have are in the do not touch zone for a few years.
2013 Eric Texier Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban Blanc Domaine de Pergaud
All marsanne from old vines raised in tajanes (sp?) if I am not mistaken. Golden color and rich pitted fruit on the nose but on the palate that richness is allayed by a real mineral spine. The kind of oxidative style is evident (at least I think that's where it is from) but it reatins real freshness and length. I don't consider myself a marsanne guy, but this was excellent. I've been enjoying Northern Rhône white more and more lately. Who knew?
1995 Ch“teau Pradeaux Bandol
Yikes! This is a leathery, horsey, somewhat scary rendition of this wine. I don't mean to imply brett, just sullenness and anger. Not anywhere near maturity but maybe this is what it is? Serve with some hearty stew or hold.
2001 Eric Texier Côte-Rôtie Vieilles Vignes
Same meal as the Pradeaux and a bottle direct from Eric's cellar. He was correct that this was on point. Tannins are resolved and the nose has added mature notes to overlay the fruit (of the red shade). The palate is graceful and elegant. Ready to go now but should hold here for a while.
2011 Mugneret-Gibourg Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots
Delicious and light on its feet. Has some spicey, woodsy notes to the crunchy red fruits. Not particularly tannic, at least doesn't seem so with food. Shapely and graceful. I really liked this a lot. No overt CO2.
2011 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette Griffe du Marquis
Same dinner as the above and a nice comparison. Really silky, velvety mouthfeel. The fruit is round and of the blue shade with nice floral notes to match. Less obvious structure than the 2010 but also longer and better shaped. Really delicious now but should age gracefully for a while.
2009 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette Cuvée Tardive
Holy cow! This is a fruit bomb and really delicious right out of the gate. We needed more wine and I quickly decanted it so I was worried that the Coudert structure would override the vintage generosity. I didn't buy many 2009s and most others have been disappointments, but not this. It's nice to have a Tardive that doesn't take forever to come around (2005). Driving fruit corraled by the classic mineral spine. The fruit overwhelmed any tannic presence I could detect.
2008 Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanée
For my palate, this is ready to go. The tannin may not be fully resolved, but the structure has given way a bit and the wine is gentle on the palate. The nose still conveys fruit but has also added sous bois complexity. No overt CO2.
2008 Louis Boillot et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles
Seemed more clenched than previous bottles but maybe that is due to the proximity of the above. Still, this is a really lovely bottle even if it will be better in a few years. The depth of the fruit nicely offsets the structure of the year. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I really do see a familial sensibility with the Barthod wines if a bit less finely etched. The fruit tends towards the blue and the other notes are solidly Gevrey. No overt CO2.
2010 Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Ghemme Collis Carellae
I've been drinking through a bunch of Alto Piedmont wines lately. First, we love them and they are a staple of our table. Second, I took advantage of a great sale from Max at Wine Connection to load up on multiple vintages of multiple producers. This 2010 is much more tightly wound than the 2007 or 2009 of the same wine that I've had recently. Still, it delivers the taught, mouthwatering nebbiolo fruit that is more tart and juicy than its southerly brethren. I'm going to sit on this vintage for a couple of years before trying another one, but it isn't backwards in the way of Barolo, it's more that it isn't as aromatic as the 2007 and 2009.
2012 Eric Texier Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban Vieille Serine Domaine de Pergaud
From magnum. At a BBQ where lamb done in a NC style was the main attraction and consumed out of plastic cups. All that said, it was a mouthful of syrah deliciousness on a cool evening outside. Probably not the fairest way to showcase it, but I needed good wine with the lamb damn it.
