Impressions December 2018

originally posted by VLM:


1996 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Mont - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (12/30/2018)
The best bottle of this I've ever had. Darker color than I remember and also touch bigger and sweeter but with really varnished, resonant flavor and intensity, although there is also an unexpected gentleness to it. Maturing moelleux chenin notes are all in place and dialed in. This is probably one of those Huets that if the cork is OK, then it may well be immortal. Makes me miss SFJoe. (94 points)

2005 François Pinon Vouvray Cuvée Botrytis Limited Release - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (12/21/2018)
Really big and dense with caramelized sugar notes surrounding baked apples and pears. Has some acidity to keep the shape together. Very nice and digestible was to finish a meal with some excellent Stilton. (92 points)
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Had the '96 Huet CDB 1ere on NYE. Just gorgeous and maybe showing a little more youthfully than your bottle of LM.

I've always liked the '05 Cuvee Botrytis, but, overall, the '05 vintage doesn't thrill me that much. Just a little too low acid. Wish the '09 Cuvee Botrytis had been brought in by LDM. Had it at the domaine and it was stellar, with far more cut than the '05. Wish the '15 Botrytis had also been brought in. You just don't see as many Loire Sweeties in this market as you did twenty years ago.
 
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:
I’ve always had to hunt for Geantet-Pansiot so I haven’t. If you take a regular allocation, that’s awesome.
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What was the Geantet-Pansiot you opened a year or two ago? I had a source for them in the late 1990s, but did not bite. When I tasted your bottle, I wish I had. I misread the whole wood thing.
 
originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:
I’ve always had to hunt for Geantet-Pansiot so I haven’t. If you take a regular allocation, that’s awesome.
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What was the Geantet-Pansiot you opened a year or two ago? I had a source for them in the late 1990s, but did not bite. When I tasted your bottle, I wish I had. I misread the whole wood thing.
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I’m fairly certain that was my last bottle of 1996 Charmes Chambertin. I think it was sometime in 2016 that I opened it.
 
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:


Not at all surprising on Vinothekfüllung. I have a hard enough time when it has 10 plus years of bottle age.
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I've never liked it much. SFJoe was effusive in his praise of this wine, but he generally preferred smaragd-level. I only buy two smaragds: Nikolaihof Steiner Hund and Prager Wachstum Bodenstein, and very little of the latter. However, a comparison of my consumption of, say, 11.5% Nigl GV to the big boys would be about 200 to 1. In the 90's Austrians gave undeserved praise to FX's M and other giants; fortunately the pendulum has swung back.

As an aside, this trophy hunting has backfired in Norway, where the market has been "ruined" for Austria by the monopoly's purchasing of such wines, which were rejected by the public for their lack of freshness and their scale (and I'm sure the prices). It is now quite difficult to find much of anything from Austria because of the general aversion to powerful Wachau wines; people just lump them all into the same category. On the other hand, it is a huge market for German wine.
 
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:


Not at all surprising on Vinothekfüllung. I have a hard enough time when it has 10 plus years of bottle age.
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As an aside, this trophy hunting has backfired in Norway, where the market has been "ruined" for Austria by the monopoly's purchasing of such wines, which were rejected by the public for their lack of freshness and their scale (and I'm sure the prices). It is now quite difficult to find much of anything from Austria because of the general aversion to powerful Wachau wines; people just lump them all into the same category. On the other hand, it is a huge market for German wine.
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Very interesting. A reminder that markets and tastes aren't internationalized to the extent that people complain. When I was in South Africa a few years ago, the hot varieties locally were Sauvignon Blanc and (wait for it) Merlot. Old Vine Chenin and hip Swartland blends were regarded with pride, but old news.
 
originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
originally posted by VLM:

2008 Sylvie Esmonin (Michel et Fille) Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru (12/30/2018)
Now this wine screams Gevrey, with that earthy, animal-mineral dark fruits. No evidence of the magic barrels and only the slightest bit of reduction to start. Still on the young side with tannin to shed, but not nearly as backwards as I had feared. A good showing for what will end up being an excellent wine. I'd give it another few years to really hit the first peak and it should go from there for a while. (92 points)
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so SFJoe opens a box in the cellar once, and pulls out the 07 and the 08 of this, giving me a choice. I go for the 08, to his surprise. I have to explain myself. Eventually we drink the 07 as well, and then it's all clear. Of course both have the magicbarrelitis. But the 08 has always had the acidity to bridge the wood to the fruit, and enough dirt to make the spice resonate as something meaty. The 07, at least at the time, was mostly fruit; that, plus the wood, and you get a dichotomy in the glass.
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Yeah, I see what you mean. Tasting out of barrel there requires some imagination. That being said, those are among the nicest barrels I've ever seen. The other being the Bourg barrels at Rougeard.

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
2014 Domaine Pierre Guillemot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Serpentières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru (12/14/2018)
Um, this was a mistake to open, especially a magnum. I had read somewhere that Guillemot's 2014s were surprisingly open. Not this one. Everything you'd want but backward and sullen. Try again in 3-5 years from 750. (88 points)
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You probably know that the previous generation's wines are the real deal. These wines are nice, but if you spot anything prior to 2003, do not hesitate.
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I've seen you write that and something about machine harvesting. It's the old wines that turned me on to the domain and then they were in my market again, so I jumped in. Too early to tell what's up. They sell pretty well at the restaurant.

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
2015 Philippe Pacalet Gevrey-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin (12/2/2018)
Sappy cherry and berry fruit with notes of earth and some spice. No oak notes but there is a woodland scent to it, if that makes any sense. Too bad these are so expensive because having Burgundy that is so delicious and drinkable this young is such a gift. I think these will keep and spread out a bit, but who cares? (91 points)
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I just want to point out that we are complaining here about Fourrier's wines' not reflecting their sites. But perhaps it's about managing expectations.
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Yeah, there's the thing. Everyone has always known that Pacalet was the Lapierre of Burgundy (see what I did there) it's just that no one (well, I may have) has ever been forthright about Fourrier being the Foillard.
 
originally posted by Brad Kane:
originally posted by VLM:


1996 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Mont - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (12/30/2018)
The best bottle of this I've ever had. Darker color than I remember and also touch bigger and sweeter but with really varnished, resonant flavor and intensity, although there is also an unexpected gentleness to it. Maturing moelleux chenin notes are all in place and dialed in. This is probably one of those Huets that if the cork is OK, then it may well be immortal. Makes me miss SFJoe. (94 points)

2005 François Pinon Vouvray Cuvée Botrytis Limited Release - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (12/21/2018)
Really big and dense with caramelized sugar notes surrounding baked apples and pears. Has some acidity to keep the shape together. Very nice and digestible was to finish a meal with some excellent Stilton. (92 points)
Click to expand...

Had the '96 Huet CDB 1ere on NYE. Just gorgeous and maybe showing a little more youthfully than your bottle of LM.

I've always liked the '05 Cuvee Botrytis, but, overall, the '05 vintage doesn't thrill me that much. Just a little too low acid. Wish the '09 Cuvee Botrytis had been brought in by LDM. Had it at the domaine and it was stellar, with far more cut than the '05. Wish the '15 Botrytis had also been brought in. You just don't see as many Loire Sweeties in this market as you did twenty years ago.
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That's because no one drinks sweet wines. A bit more acid would be very welcome in the 2005 but I enjoyed it on its own terms.
 
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:

Not at all surprising on Vinothekfüllung. I have a hard enough time when it has 10 plus years of bottle age.
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I've never liked it much. SFJoe was effusive in his praise of this wine, but he generally preferred smaragd-level. I only buy two smaragds: Nikolaihof Steiner Hund and Prager Wachstum Bodenstein, and very little of the latter. However, a comparison of my consumption of, say, 11.5% Nigl GV to the big boys would be about 200 to 1. In the 90's Austrians gave undeserved praise to FX's M and other giants; fortunately the pendulum has swung back.

As an aside, this trophy hunting has backfired in Norway, where the market has been "ruined" for Austria by the monopoly's purchasing of such wines, which were rejected by the public for their lack of freshness and their scale (and I'm sure the prices). It is now quite difficult to find much of anything from Austria because of the general aversion to powerful Wachau wines; people just lump them all into the same category. On the other hand, it is a huge market for German wine.
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That doesn't surprise me. Your palate has been headed there or already there ever since I've known you. I still like a bruiser from time to time as evidenced by the notes above. I can't imagine you choosing to drink a Trotanoy...

I don't really find the Vinothekfüllung to be like the M. It seems an order of magnitude quieter. I hear your point, that being said, I have been surprised by some Pichler with some bottle age. I would have thought the balance was off.

Austrian wines don't seem to have the cachet that they had 10-15 years ago or at least not the buzz. I still very much like Knoll and Alzinger. With Knoll, I think the extended elevage really makes them sort of a different beast.
 
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:


Not at all surprising on Vinothekfüllung. I have a hard enough time when it has 10 plus years of bottle age.
Click to expand...

As an aside, this trophy hunting has backfired in Norway, where the market has been "ruined" for Austria by the monopoly's purchasing of such wines, which were rejected by the public for their lack of freshness and their scale (and I'm sure the prices). It is now quite difficult to find much of anything from Austria because of the general aversion to powerful Wachau wines; people just lump them all into the same category. On the other hand, it is a huge market for German wine.
Click to expand...

Very interesting. A reminder that markets and tastes aren't internationalized to the extent that people complain. When I was in South Africa a few years ago, the hot varieties locally were Sauvignon Blanc and (wait for it) Merlot. Old Vine Chenin and hip Swartland blends were regarded with pride, but old news.
Click to expand...

I think Merlot is due a comeback (if it isn't already happening). Of the Bordeaux varieties, I think it is the second most capable of interesting wines when grown on the right spots.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:

Not at all surprising on Vinothekfüllung. I have a hard enough time when it has 10 plus years of bottle age.
Click to expand...

I've never liked it much. SFJoe was effusive in his praise of this wine, but he generally preferred smaragd-level. I only buy two smaragds: Nikolaihof Steiner Hund and Prager Wachstum Bodenstein, and very little of the latter. However, a comparison of my consumption of, say, 11.5% Nigl GV to the big boys would be about 200 to 1. In the 90's Austrians gave undeserved praise to FX's M and other giants; fortunately the pendulum has swung back.

As an aside, this trophy hunting has backfired in Norway, where the market has been "ruined" for Austria by the monopoly's purchasing of such wines, which were rejected by the public for their lack of freshness and their scale (and I'm sure the prices). It is now quite difficult to find much of anything from Austria because of the general aversion to powerful Wachau wines; people just lump them all into the same category. On the other hand, it is a huge market for German wine.
Click to expand...

That doesn't surprise me. Your palate has been headed there or already there ever since I've known you. I still like a bruiser from time to time as evidenced by the notes above. I can't imagine you choosing to drink a Trotanoy...

I don't really find the Vinothekfüllung to be like the M. It seems an order of magnitude quieter. I hear your point, that being said, I have been surprised by some Pichler with some bottle age. I would have thought the balance was off.

Austrian wines don't seem to have the cachet that they had 10-15 years ago or at least not the buzz. I still very much like Knoll and Alzinger. With Knoll, I think the extended elevage really makes them sort of a different beast.
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Actually, I agree with everything you say, from my palate shift to Knoll being on a rather different scale than FX (and Hirtzberger). I like Alzinger very much, too, but I have generally been drinking only the Federspiel wines.

I cannot deny that once aged (at least from what I have tried in situ), larger scale veltliners and rieslings - even from warm vintages - can be glorious, particuarly if decanted and not served too cold.
 
originally posted by VLM:
Everyone has always known that Pacalet was the Lapierre of Burgundy (see what I did there) it's just that no one (well, I may have) has ever been forthright about Fourrier being the Foillard.
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Can someone please add this to the FAQ. I don't have the right password.
 
Is anyone having good luck with tasting 2016 red Burgundies? This summer they were so tight that it seemed not worth wasting the bottle. (For mere mortals such as myself)
 
originally posted by VLM:
Yeah, there's the thing. Everyone has always known that Pacalet was the Lapierre of Burgundy (see what I did there) it's just that no one (well, I may have) has ever been forthright about Fourrier being the Foillard.
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I guess. But Foillard is so delicious.

As much as I like the clarity of the Descombes expression, invariably when I open up Descombes and Foillard the Foillard is more seductive and more enjoyable. Most recent example was this weekend where the 2014 Descombes Morgon VV was delicious but in a limited way, whereas the 2014 Foillard CdP had more depth and more seduction.

I never got into Lapierre but Foillard really delivers on the pleasure.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
Is anyone having good luck with tasting 2016 red Burgundies? This summer they were so tight that it seemed not worth wasting the bottle. (For mere mortals such as myself)
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Two so far, both tasted like barrel samples until the next day. No reason to rush into these when there are still so many '13s, '14s, and '15s to hit!
 
originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
originally posted by VLM:
On the plus side, I've now solved Barthod.
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Barthod is NP-complete.
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Not anymore. Have you ever met the son? He'll have one hell of a domain on his hands.
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Tasted with him in November.
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I feel like I really need to do that, but Burgundy doesn't hold the charm for me that it once did. I'll see if I can talk Eric into it on my next visit.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
Is anyone having good luck with tasting 2016 red Burgundies? This summer they were so tight that it seemed not worth wasting the bottle. (For mere mortals such as myself)
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I'm not sure that I've tried anything. I just bought and put away. I ended up with an odd bottle of M-G Chaignots. Maybe I'll make a sacrifice to the gods.
 
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