Our dinner group met earlier in the month to enjoy another stellar night, this time we ate at Petit Valentien and shared wines with a base theme of 2005 and younger Pinot Noir vs red Burgundy, all bagged for the challenge of ID which led to many surprises. The first 3 wines and the dessert wine were not bagged:
2002 A.R. LENOBLE GENTILHOMME GRAND CRU BLANC de BLANC- one says oxidized, others say its the house style; whatever, it was OK on my palate and Im not a fan of oxidized wines; this is full bodied with medium density and has a fruit profile of peach, pear, apple and a bit of apricot which some interpret as an oxidized note although this had no nutty, caramel sherry notes; it was mellow and satisfying and stayed true to the initial chilled taste after time in the glass.
2011 LUCIEN le MOINE CORTON CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU COTE de BEAUNE- a knockout and perhaps a candidate for WOTN although it was not in the mix due to our theme; with bright acidity, there was lots of toast, spice and clove in the nose with a very different taste profile of mildly toasted spiced apple; the mouthfeel was so pleasingly soft and creamy and the finish went on forever; most went back for 2nds as I did.
2009 PAUL PERNOT BIENVENUES BATARD MONTRACHET- certainly some oak upfront in the nose followed by mild pineapple pear notes opening up into even more pleasant green apple and a bit of flintiness; with time, it moved into greater proportions of all of the above with even more of a statement; great texture and fine length.
We now entered the realm of mystery with all wines bagged and poured in pairs. We discussed all at the end and then revealed the bottles in the order consumed:
#1 2008 PISONI PISONI VINEYARD PINOT NOIR- this was very dark purple, had a serious nose implying a major extracted wine offering lots of complexity along with the chocolate, smoky, leathered intense black cherry; this had to be a CA Pinot IMHO and alas, it was.
#2 2005 TANTARA LA COLLINE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR- entirely different, lighter color, spicy inviting nose with super ripe fruit more on the plum and blueberry side; one stated maderized; I did not note the alcohol content, but suspect it may be on the high side although I seem to recall past experiences with this fine producer the Pinots did not appear to be of a high alcohol and water back type; CA, certainly not Burgundy was my thought.
#3 2007 KISTLER KISTLER VINEYARD PINOT NOIR- I never got this for what it was; it reminded me of some of Burt Williams mid 90s Allen with its spicy, cinnamon applesauce like strawberry and raspberry flavors and light red color; I also had this as a much older Pinot only because of the likeness I related it to even though our theme limited the vintage to 05 and younger [we`ve usually had exceptions as we did near the end on this night; definitely CA.
#4 2010 MONGEARD MUGNERET SAVIGNY les BEAUNE les NARBANTONS- matched up against the Kistler, I jst senesed this had to be a Burg; the fruit profile was more of a young wine with some tart and nice cranberry cherry waiting to be more; there was a hit of smoke, cedar and clove and a layered texture and good structure along with some firm tannins that support longevity and maturation.
#5 2005 DUGAT-PY GEVREY CHAMBERTIN VIELLES VIGNES- this was loaded with lots of wild fruit, primarily of wild red cherry; it was more fruit forward and yet had some underlying nuances that suggested class; I got that this wine was not nearly as open as it could be and needs some time to evolve and shine; I had no clue as to origin and guessed CA.
#6 2005 FAR NIENTE KANZLER VINEYARD PINOT NOIR- I have to admit, I thought this was clearly Sea Smoke first because the bottle was so heavy and next due to the big, bold, intense and IMHO overblown fruit following some heat in the nose; this was not only a big wine, it was leaning toward raisins [not SS like] and suggestive of 100% ML with a dominant buttery taste and texture.
#7 2010 COULOIR OPPENLANDER VINEYARD MENDOCINO COUNTY PINOT NOIR- fresh ripe red and dark fruit pervade with especially wild cherry; it had a soft mouthfeel and nice length; I got this as CA.
#8 2008 AU BON CLIMAT 20 YEARS IN THE SHED WITH BOB at BIEN NACIDO [VINEYARD] PINOT NOIR- I brought this having had many bottles even though it has a long time to go to reach full maturity; its drinking so good now and I have many cases so one more sampling in a blind format was worth it to turn on our group to its magnificence; having stated such, I did not recognize this gem and called it a Burgundy as all others did as well which confirmed Jim Clendenens comment to me some time ago, “where else can you buy Grand Cru red Burgundy for under $100?”; the nose is so inviting and suggestive of class and quality and all is delivered in spades; early on, there`s spicy, cinnamon fresh strawberry with some raspberry and red cherry coming later on in layers; it silky smooth, has wonderful balance and a long finish; simply remarkable; all at our table were shockingly surprised this was not a Burg and in the conversation for WOTN which it was up to this point for me.
#9 2005 JACQUES PRIEUR SANTENOTS VOLNAY- this was a major winner and strongly suggestive of Burgundy to me; it was seriously good, seamless and balanced, delightful black cherry dominance and in a perfect place now; a strong choice for WOTN.
#10 2009 FAIVELEY CORTON CLOS de CORTONS- just when I thought wed had the top 2 of the night, this comes on like gangbusters and pleases no end; its nicely balanced, loaded with tasty red and black fruit and has the matrix to evolve into even greater things down the line.
#11 2006 DOMAINE ST. MARC MARTIN BONNES MARES- another major winner in a succession of fine wines and seemingly a Burgundy; good balance, bright acidity, spicy black cherry and complexity prevail.
#12 2002 A.-F. GROS CLOS VOUGEOT- the spice jumps out in the nose along with strange bacon and smoke notes although Im trusting this is not a Syrah and within the 05 and younger theme; it`s a hugely extracted wine and out of balance and a tough call as to what it is and where it came from.
Our Prince of Sweets contributed the dessert wine, another striking wondrous dessert in a glass:
2006 GREENWOOD RIDGE LATE HARVEST PASO ROBLES RIESLING- honeyed peach and apricot nectar in a thick and luscious liquid coating the palate and continued on well after leaving the restaurant.
This was quite the educational experience as I find all blind tastings to be. My biggest challenge will be to keep my hands off the 08` ABC for a few years and return for updates from time to time.
Cheers,
Blake