Wine Impressions 4-8-19

Florida Jim

Florida Jim
Wine Impressions - April 8, 2019

Rose:
2017 Domaines Ott, Clos Mireille - very brisk stuff; peppery, lovely aromatics, light and clear fruit but this is acidic - not so much that I didn’t enjoy it but zowie!

Whites:
2017 Holger Koch, Grauburgunder - (Pinot Gris) brilliant acidity, the richness of the fruit is almost masked by the acidity but the wine comes in balance with food; fresh, lightly petrol, good texture, exceptional sustain. Perhaps, a year or two in bottle will mellow this out but even now, it is more interesting than the vast majority of Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio available today.
2017 Luckert, Silvaner trocken - maybe a hint of petrol but mostly white stone fruit and a touch of allspice, mid-weight, with a broad spectrum of flavors framed nicely by bright acids, balanced and finishes long. Gives me hope for a grape I often dismiss.
2014 de Villaine, Cote Challonais, Les Clos Aime - initially quite closed, after an hour or two, an absolutely captivating wine. Great juice!
2015 Comtes Lafon, Meursault, Clos de la Barrone - very easy to drink; soft, round and great flavors but the structure is minimal and there doesn’t seem to be enough acid.
2011 Kistler, Chardonnay, Hudson Vnyd.. - better tan most from this producer but, if you have no taste for oak, skip it.
1997 Trimbach, Riesling Cuvée Frederic Emile - terrific wine; structured and deep with amazing length. And it seems to “fit” with whatever food one has with it.
1990 Nikolaihof, Riesling Vinothek - another beauty but in a less assertive style than the Trimbach. The longer it’s open the more complete it becomes.
2010 Puffeney, Arbois Cuvée Sacha - Savagnin and Chardonnay made sous voile. A bit too oxidized for me but certainly an interesting and unusual wine. Several tasters loved it.
2016 Kongsgaard, Chardonnay Napa - sawdust milkshake; way too much oak, cloyingly sweet fruit and flabby. No.
1990 Lopez de Heredia, Vina Tondonia Blanco - nuanced, complex, ethereal wine with finesse and character. A delight to the senses and the intellect. A masterpiece - oh my!
2002 Grosset, Riesling Polish Hill - I get a whiff of shellfish on the nose but others call it saline; full and etched in the mouth with a mile-long finish. An impressive wine even if not my favorite.
2005 Tahbilk, Marsanne - 10.5% abv; bracingly acidic and not much fruit but in a good way (yes, I know); there is something here that grabs me and makes me think that long term aging (30+) would make this magnificent. Actually, I like it now but can easily understand the “sour beer” face I see from another taster.
2006 Brokenwood, Semillon Oakley Creek - like no other Semillon I’ve tasted - none of the waxiness. But beautifully flavored, light and agile, with a bright delivery; a charmer.
1994 Selbach-Oster, Riesling Auslese Zeltinger Sonnenuhr - light mahogany color, not as sweet as expected and really pretty on the palate. At 25, a complete and distinctive Riesling.
2002 Christoffel, Riesling Auslese*** Urziger Wurzgarten - more weight and volume that the Selbach but not as balanced. Even so, a pleasure to drink.
2014 Bevan Cellars, Sauvignon Blanc Drystack Vineyard - past prime
2004 Francois Cotat, Sancerre Les Culs de Beaujolais - tight upon opening and never really opened up over 6 hours; not worth the price of admission
1999 Domaine aux Moines, Savennieres Roche aux Moines - really enticing and strong, opened over the evening and grew gradually from good to great. Chenin at its best.
2017 Chateau Pesquie, Quintessence - pleasant, fresh, quaffable.
2015 Coteau de Vernon, Condrieu - balanced, lovely, fresh viognier that deserves a place in your cellar. One of the two or three best Condrieu of my life.
2010 Guigal, Condrieu La Dorian - quite earthy and not something I want more of.
1999 Dom. Georges Vernay, Condrieu Les Terrasses del Empire - solid, coiled, well made but without inspiration
2016 Vieux Telegraph, Blanc (magnum) - structured, savory and long; a nice wine in its infancy.
2016 Xavier Gerard, Condrieu Côte de Chatillon - correct, maybe a touch fizzy on opening and worth laying down for a few years; not ready yet.
1999 Chave, Hermitage Blanc - lovely, balanced, strong wine with a future but also ready now. The real deal.
2003 Chave, Hermitage Blanc - similar to the ‘99 but fuller.
1996 Chave, Hermitage Blanc - god wine, just spectacular!
2015 Francois Vuillard, Les Contours de Deponcines - too young to drink but promising
2014 Clusel-Roch, Condrieu Verchery - good but not great and better left to age
1992 Chapoutier, Hermitage Blanc Chante Allouette - something is wrong here; tastes like a nice wine with an overlay of barnyard
1999 Chapoutier, Hermitage Blanc La Meal - again, the barnyard that fouls an otherwise adequate wine.
2016 Sine Qua Non, Deux Grenouiles - not unpleasant but hot on the finish
2014 Domaine Pegau, CdP Blanc Cuvée A Tempo - delicious; fresh, deep, wonderful balance, good length; a complete wine.
2016 La Roquete, CdP Blanc - another fresh, deep Blanc; this had more weight than the Pegau but less finesse.
2015 Clos des Papes, CdP Blanc - and again, fresh, mid-weight without undue viscosity; charming
2010 Chateau la Nerthe, CdP Blanc Clos de Beauvenir - here’s where you lose me; it’s not a bad wine and clearly well made but it’s thick and almost smoky; not for me.
2004 Chateau Beaucastel, CdP Blanc Vieilles Vigne - viscous and rich but in balance with its acids; a pleasure to drink
2000 Chateau Beaucastel, CdP Blanc - a slimmed down version of the preceding wine and several tasters preferred it but I’ll take the VV
2013 Texier, St. Julien en St. Auban, Vieille Masanne - skin-contact and amphorae for elevage; lovely bright fruit, good grip, and, as expected, the texture is of note. Skin-contact can sometimes obscure variety but not here
2005 Valentini, Trebbiano - complex, earthy, saline, sauvage and one of a kind. Showing well but has years to go.
2009 Texier, CdP Blanc - crystalline, balanced and plenty of verve; gives the impression the cellar will be its friend.

Reds:
2009 J.B. Becker, Spatburgunder Spatlese trocken, Wallufer Wallenberg - (Pinot Noir from the Rheingau); glass closure; quiet nose that while pleasant gave little indication of the variety; on the palate it was rich, texturally intense, perfect Pinot flavors with some nuance and considerable length. Even at ten, this shows youthful. And the textures of this wine were world class - think Richeboug or similar. But I will also say, that there is little here that gives me any indication that this is not French or domestic or . . . Lovely wine, good accompaniment to meat loaf with Mac and cheese but nothing that makes me think of its place. AP 37030 014 11.
2015 Dolde, Spatburgunder Linsenhofer - an earthy note on the nose but again nothing that says Pinot; not as textural as the preceding wine but clearly Pinot in the mouth, quite bright and much better with food than without; gradually gains volume over the evening. And the earthy note persists throughout the experience.
2017 Harrington, Syrah McEvoy Ranch - baby Cornas - more in the Noel Verset style and still quite young but every bit the signature of Cornas. Nice.
2013 Wageck, Spatburgunder Bissersheim - from the Pfalz; this is loose, dark fruited, with the earthy note I seem to be finding in most Spatburgunder. An interesting wine that needs food to compete with its acidity but gives the impression that heavy food might overwhelm it. A curiosity more than a keeper - or so it appears today. And actually, this softens over the evening to become quite pleasant - so much for first impressions.
2013 Holger Koch, Pinot Noir *** - again the earthy note on the nose and in the mouth with significant acidity (enough to clip the finish) and stays more in the treble register than bass. Clearly Pinot, gains volume with time open and the acidity integrates some, although it’s still pretty brisk. But like all the other German Pinots, the characteristic earthy note never leaves.
Maybe that’s their place identifier . . .
2005 Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie - simple and straight-forward with a note of ladies face powder on the nose. One hopes this has better days.
2011 Ceras, Pinot Noir - nothing of interest to me; others liked it more.
2000 Clos Rougeard, Samur Champigny Le Bourg - I must admit that I have yet to have a Rougeard that impresses and this does not change that.
2002 d’Angerville, Volnay Clos des Ducs - way young, great potential. Nice.
1974 Giordano, Dolcetto - what a surprise; wonderful complexity, ethereal texture, good grip all in balance - like a very mature Nebbiolo in delivery but with the subtle, almost feminine fruit of aged Beaujolais. Super wine!
1994 Jaboulet, Hermitage La Chapelle - clear, precise Hermitage with a bit of age; the kind of wine that deserves your full attention. Quite good.
1997 Jaboulet, Hermitage La Chapelle (magnum) - young, precise, true to its place and grand vin!
1999 Jaboulet, Hermitage La Chapelle - a bit past its best but still of its place and more in common with the preceding wines than not.
1999 Rostaing, Côte Rotie Côte Blonde - If your expectations were influenced by scores, underwhelming. If not, a good example of the AOC and pleasant wine with food.
1996 Cuchet-Beliando, Cornas - tight, tight, tight. There’s potential here but it’s hard to find much to like today.
2000 Cuchet-Belando, Cornas - more generous than the ‘96 but still firm; of its place, well made and good with food.
2001 Voge, Cornas Cuvée Vieilles Vigne - solid, straight-forward but without the depth and nuance I expect from Voge.
2005 Allemand, Cornas Chaillot - polished, complex, gorgeous stuff that I would be happy to drink anytime. Yum.
2011 Alain Verset, Cornas - great wine; open, generous, of its place, glorious Cornas for a fraction of the price of Allemand or the other players. Do not miss this wine!
2013 Juge, Cornas - screeching acidity; fair wine but way to acidic to drink now.
2008 Jean-Luc Colombo, Cornas La Louvee - poor; no AOC character and barely passable as generic Syrah - what a waste.
2015 Vincent Paris, Cornas Granit 30 - adequate but no more
2016 Balthazar, Cornas Chaillot - one notch above the Paris but really not of much interest.
2009 Gaillard, Cornas - correct, fleshy and certainly well made but sort of quiet
2013 Gripa, St. Joseph La Berceau - very tight; after several hours in the decanter there is some evidence that this could be good but not today. Hold.
2014 Durand, Cornas Confidence - forgettable
2000 Guigal, Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis - better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick but not by much
1985 Graham’s, Vintage Port (magnum) - ridiculously young. Hold.
2014 Arnot-Roberts, Syrah Clary Ranch - quite good in it’s cool climate Syrah nature
2009 Sine Qua Non, Syrah The Thrill of Stamp Collecting - awful
2007 Guigal, St. Joseph - fair to middling
2015 Sine Qua Non, Grenache Le Chemin vers l’Herisie - god awful
2001 Chevillon, NSG Les Vaucrains - monolithic, closed and a mite funky; obviously angry about being awakened.
2015 LaRue, Pinot Noir Thorn Ridge Vineyard - a feminine Sonoma Coast Pinot at the beginning of its life; good promise
2016 Dom. du Haut les Terres Blanches, CdP - juicy and pleasant
2007 Vieux Telegraphe, CdP - quite good; breadth and depth with structure and balance
2010 Columella, Liberatus in Castro Bonae Spei - a curiosity from South Africa and presumably a CdP type blend. Nice.
2016 Dom. du Marcoux, CdP VV - softer than expected but tasty; others liked it a lot
1998 Bonneau, CdP Reserve des Celestines - funky and odd but not without interest
2009 Usseglio, CdP Cuvée de mon Aieul - an odd looseness to this wine; not unpleasant, just odd
2011 Sine Qua Non, Dark Blossom - Syrah, it says but there is nothing here for me
2009 Sine Qua Non, Upside Down - Grenache candy

Stickie:
1997 Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes - a bit sweet for me but well made

Chateau Beaucastel, CdP Rouge vertical:
1978 - poopy and funky but the fruit and structure are resolved and lively, and the texture is remarkable
1989 Hommage - a clear step up in intensity and a wine to savor
1990 - good but not showing it’s best, a little tired maybe
1994 - much the same as the ‘90
1998 - brooding but open enough to impress with potential
2000 - something is wrong here, I’m guessing cooked but who knows
2000 Hommage - welcome to the NFL - certainly the wine of the tasting and about as good a CdP as I can remember. Amplitudes better than all the rest. Whoa!
2001, 2007 and 2010 - these are all quite similar in that they are showing minimal development but good fruit and balance that bodes well for their futures
(Aside: this tasting was notable for the absence of Brett, which surprised.)

Best, Jim
 
Jim, Jim, Jim.

I mean,

Florida, Florida, Florida, you are too funny... "better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick but not by much". I feel exactly the same about those wines.

I'm a little surprised to hear that the Bevan SB was kaput. That's usually a grape that has a long life in bottle.

Oh, yes, and thanks for all the Cornas notes. Juge and Voge, and a house I never heard of!
 
Oswaldo,
Several nights

Steve,
Brokenwood was from Oz and a “sample” bottle sent to a professional taster

Jeff,
While I get Steve’s reference, the real shit eating grin was for the Cornas, an AOC I love

Best, Jim
 
I'll chime in on the wines that I tried since I was only there on Sunday. In all the years, this is the first time I've made it down to Greensboro for this event. This could have been a WLDG offline from 1998.

originally posted by Florida Jim:
2016 Vieux Telegraph, Blanc (magnum) - structured, savory and long; a nice wine in its infancy.
2014 Domaine Pegau, CdP Blanc Cuvée A Tempo - delicious; fresh, deep, wonderful balance, good length; a complete wine.
2016 La Roquete, CdP Blanc - another fresh, deep Blanc; this had more weight than the Pegau but less finesse.
2015 Clos des Papes, CdP Blanc - and again, fresh, mid-weight without undue viscosity; charming
2010 Chateau la Nerthe, CdP Blanc Clos de Beauvenir - here’s where you lose me; it’s not a bad wine and clearly well made but it’s thick and almost smoky; not for me.
2004 Chateau Beaucastel, CdP Blanc Vieilles Vigne - viscous and rich but in balance with its acids; a pleasure to drink
2000 Chateau Beaucastel, CdP Blanc - a slimmed down version of the preceding wine and several tasters preferred it but I’ll take the VV
2013 Texier, St. Julien en St. Auban, Vieille Masanne - skin-contact and amphorae for elevage; lovely bright fruit, good grip, and, as expected, the texture is of note. Skin-contact can sometimes obscure variety but not here
2005 Valentini, Trebbiano - complex, earthy, saline, sauvage and one of a kind. Showing well but has years to go.
2009 Texier, CdP Blanc - crystalline, balanced and plenty of verve; gives the impression the cellar will be its friend.

My favorites were the Valentini and the Texier Chateauneuf Blanc. I brought the Valentini and have a weakness for Eric's wines and the Chateauneuf Blanc in particular. I've posted on Eric's StJStA Marsanne before, this was a good showing.

I didn't care for either of the Beaucastels or the la Nerthe at all.

The Vieux Telegraph was good and the Pegau was very good.

Neither the Roquete nor the Clos des Papes made much of an impression.

An interesting note that the best Chateauneuf whites were reported to be clairette heavy, which IIRC think Eric has been expounding for years.

originally posted by Florida Jim:
Reds:
2001 Chevillon, NSG Les Vaucrains - monolithic, closed and a mite funky; obviously angry about being awakened.
2016 Dom. du Haut les Terres Blanches, CdP - juicy and pleasant
2007 Vieux Telegraphe, CdP - quite good; breadth and depth with structure and balance
2010 Columella, Liberatus in Castro Bonae Spei - a curiosity from South Africa and presumably a CdP type blend. Nice.
2016 Dom. du Marcoux, CdP VV - softer than expected but tasty; others liked it a lot
1998 Bonneau, CdP Reserve des Celestines - funky and odd but not without interest
2009 Usseglio, CdP Cuvée de mon Aieul - an odd looseness to this wine; not unpleasant, just odd
2011 Sine Qua Non, Dark Blossom - Syrah, it says but there is nothing here for me

I liked the Chevillon more than Jim, but it kind of got lost in everything that was going on.

I brought the Sadie Family Columella. I had a white the night before that I really enjoyed. This one left me wanting. I suppose it's fine, maybe even good, but I would have liked more elegance. It was ~$130 so I'm not sure I'll be jumping in again any time soon.

All I can say about the Sine Qua Non Dark Blossom is nope.

I really liked the Marcoux VV, but it started closing down after a bit. I might even buy some if I can find it at a decent price. Texturally, reminded me of Gramenon Meme.

The Bonneau was a very good bottle. It is such a kinky and unique wine. It was like a compote of gibier and red pitted fruit.

Haut les Terres Blanches was new to me and quite pleasant. The Vieux Telegraphe was fine if not memorable. I didn't like the Usseglio.

originally posted by Florida Jim:
Chateau Beaucastel, CdP Rouge vertical:
1978 - poopy and funky but the fruit and structure are resolved and lively, and the texture is remarkable
1989 Hommage - a clear step up in intensity and a wine to savor
1990 - good but not showing it’s best, a little tired maybe
1994 - much the same as the ‘90
1998 - brooding but open enough to impress with potential
2000 - something is wrong here, I’m guessing cooked but who knows
2000 Hommage - welcome to the NFL - certainly the wine of the tasting and about as good a CdP as I can remember. Amplitudes better than all the rest. Whoa!
2001, 2007 and 2010 - these are all quite similar in that they are showing minimal development but good fruit and balance that bodes well for their futures
(Aside: this tasting was notable for the absence of Brett, which surprised.)

I thought the 1978 and 1994 both showed very well and in many ways were the most seamless wines. Everything was integrated.

I thought the 2001 was very good and I liked the 1990 more than Jim.

The 2000 was cooked. The Hommage was probably great in its idiom, but it was so mourvedre dominated that I felt like I'd rather have a Bandol. I get why people might be into this kind of thing, it just isn't for me.

The most interesting to me was the 1989 Hommage. It had a core of fruit that was utterly beguiling, but it sat withing a shell of alcohol and VA. It was really crazy, like there were two different experiences in the same wine.

Neither the 2007 nor the 2010 made much of an impression, but there was a lot of wine.

As for the brett, there wasn't not brett, but it was not overwhelming. All-in-all it was a privilege to taste so many Beaucastle and Southern Rhônes at one time, but I was mostly unmoved. I tend to like more pure grenache expressions, which is why I think I liked the Marcoux so much (I think it's all or mostly grenache).
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Wine Impressions 4-8-19Wine Impressions - April 8, 2019

2000 Clos Rougeard, Samur Champigny Le Bourg - I must admit that I have yet to have a Rougeard that impresses and this does not change that.

I can't say that I've had a ton of Clos Rougeard but I tend to agree. Not quite sure how this estate reached cult level.
 
I am impressed, always, that you folks can drink so much wine and be able to have interesting opinions. Chapeau.

The last two days I got to taste 5 / 6 wines each, Baudry and Huet. It is the THE way to learn things, the comparisons of young wines, different vineyards ~ chez lui même ~ was eye opening. But even so, I came away thinking that one more young wine and my teeth might start hurting.

I must be in the small percentage, but increasingly I'd prefer to enjoy the meal with one bottle, à pointe.
 
originally posted by Tristan Welles:


I must be in the small percentage, but increasingly I'd prefer to enjoy the meal with one bottle, à pointe.

Not at all - my preference, too.
But one makes do.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Tristan Welles: I'd prefer to enjoy the meal with one bottle, à pointe.

Totally concur with this. I just attended a high quality tasting of wonderful 1er and Grand Cru Burgundies.

I spit them (for which I was shamed by one person) so that I could then enjoy wine with dinner.

. . . . Pete
 
originally posted by Peter Creasey:

originally posted by Tristan Welles: I'd prefer to enjoy the meal with one bottle, à pointe.

Totally concur with this. I just attended a high quality tasting of wonderful 1er and Grand Cru Burgundies.

I spit them (for which I was shamed by one person) so that I could then enjoy wine with dinner.

. . . . Pete

Spat
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by Peter Creasey:

originally posted by Tristan Welles: I'd prefer to enjoy the meal with one bottle, à pointe.

Totally concur with this. I just attended a high quality tasting of wonderful 1er and Grand Cru Burgundies.

I spit them (for which I was shamed by one person) so that I could then enjoy wine with dinner.

. . . . Pete

Spat

Spit spat titter tot
 
originally posted by Tristan Welles:
I am impressed, always, that you folks can drink so much wine and be able to have interesting opinions. Chapeau.

The last two days I got to taste 5 / 6 wines each, Baudry and Huet. It is the THE way to learn things, the comparisons of young wines, different vineyards ~ chez lui même ~ was eye opening. But even so, I came away thinking that one more young wine and my teeth might start hurting.

I must be in the small percentage, but increasingly I'd prefer to enjoy the meal with one bottle, à pointe.

Well, this was about 5-6 hours (for me, others were there earlier and left later). I didn't spit much, but I dumped a lot and drank a lot of water and there was plenty of food the whole time. I didn't find my palate becoming fatigued in this setting, unlike in big walk-around trade events that are all young wines. Because many of these wines had that bit of age on them, I found it really easy to taste and observe each wine.

But generally, I like to enjoy wines individually over the course of a dinner. If it is a long dinner on a Friday night with company, we will probably average about a bottle per person. There were at least 15 people there on Sunday when we had the Chateauneuf, so it wasn't so far out of whack. The only empty bottles when I left were the 2000 Hommage and the 2005 Valentini.
 
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense spits , present participle spitting , past tense, past participle spat language note: In American English, the form spit is used as the past tense and past participle. Spit is the watery liquid produced in your mouth.

. . . . Pete
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
If so, must be another case of enough people saying it wrongly eventually make it a rightly.

You are, of course, correct. Therefore, Pete is not. Same story as the adjective varietal used as a noun. Although more debatable, I cannot force myself to use gift as a verb. I give gifts. I never gift someone something.
 
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
If so, must be another case of enough people saying it wrongly eventually make it a rightly.

You are, of course, correct. Therefore, Pete is not. Same story as the adjective varietal used as a noun. Although more debatable, I cannot force myself to use gift as a verb. I give gifts. I never gift someone something.

I would not jump to this conclusion personally with respect to “spit” as past tense in American English. More research from more reliable sources than I can find quickly on the internet is needed. Anyone have access to the full OED online?
 
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
If so, must be another case of enough people saying it wrongly eventually make it a rightly.

You are, of course, correct. Therefore, Pete is not. Same story as the adjective varietal used as a noun. Although more debatable, I cannot force myself to use gift as a verb. I give gifts. I never gift someone something.

I would not jump to this conclusion personally with respect to “spit” as past tense in American English. More research from more reliable sources than I can find quickly on the internet is needed. Anyone have access to the full OED online?

If the Wiktionary quotation from a 1611 imprint of the King James Bible is correct, then your hesitance to jump to conclusions seems well founded. The Wiktionary entry adds that “The past tense and past participle spit is an older form, but remains the more common form used by speakers in North America, and is also used often enough by speakers of British and Commonwealth English to be listed as an alternative form by the Collins English Dictionary and OxfordDictionaries.com.” Perhaps Oswaldo and Mark owe Pete an apology?
 
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