En Vacances in London and Paris: Various TNs

  • 2007 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru (4/19/2014#
    Purchased off the wine list at Les Climats 4/15/14. For whatever reason, this wine was singing tonight. Red ruby color. Immediate nose of mulberry, red raspberry, intense florals, fecund soil. Layers of black cherry, strawberry and red raspberry cut with stones and iron, painting the palate with verve and pleasure within the lighter, pretty frame characteristic of the vintage. Tannins present but smoothed off to a moderate degree, acidity quite lovely with a freshening effect. Round finish echoing red fruit and iron flecks, ending with grip and a slight turn of sweetness. A real pleasure and a great foundation for the meal. (92 pts.)
  • 2007 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru (4/19/2014#
    Purchased from LeGrande Filles and Fils then consumed with dinner that evening. Perfect cork, darker ruby hue. No nose for most of the meal but later with vigorous swirling exhibited stones, violets, and mulberry. Very open on the palate with striking, fully delineated layers of red plum and red raspberry, anise, schist, iron, and licorice persistently gathering on the tongue. Strong tannins and excellent display of acidity. Long, stony finish with echoes of grippy mulberry and iron. Very young but accessible. Would have been even better if the nose had come out to play. (92 pts.)
  • 1997 Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (4/19/2014)
    Half-bottle purchased off the wine list at Tour d’Argent 4/16/14 after discussion with the sommelier. Still dark ruby color. Nose notable for rocky, earthy scents later joined by notes of blackberry, raspberry, violets, and acacia. On the palate, still surprisingly tight for about half the meal, but waking up to reveal iron, stone, tons of masculine black fruit, and anise. A featheriness and elegance began to apply, particularly on the finish. Tannins powerful but ultimately filed-off and buried by strong black fruit, with acidity quite enough to add freshness and vivacity. Longer finish of iron, black raspberry, grip and stones. A great example of an excellent NSG premier just waking up, and quite delicious with the meal. (91 pts.)
  • 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Beaune du Château - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru (4/19/2014)
    Purchased off the wine list on the overnight Brittany Ferry from Portsmouth to St.-Malo. Darker ruby. Nose of fresh plum and raspberry amidst scents of violets and stony earth. Fruit-forward per the vintage but not over the top. Palate showed layers of vivacious and accessible red raspberry fruit and anise balanced by modest iron notes and plenty of acidity. Tannins certainly present but submerged beneath primary fruit. Moderate finish with a great deal of harmony, showing black cherry and earth. Not a lot of complexity evident but quite delicious and great fun to drink on a voyage across the channel. (89 pts.)
  • 2009 Domaine Sylvain Pataille Marsannay Clos du Roy - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay (4/11/2014)
    Purchased off the wine list at Pollen Street Social. Darker ruby. Nose of blackberry, cherry blossom, anise, earth. Big and thick on the palate with nicely-delineated layers of luscious black raspberry and black cherry fruit in an extroverted fashion. Moderate acidity and structured tannins presently submerged beneath all that primary fruit. Medium length finish with cherry notes and sweet grip. Tasted somewhat New World tonight with fruit-forward, seemingly accessible nature, but could gain complexity with a few years in bottle. (89 pts.)
  • 2007 Henri Boillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru (4/10/2014)
    Purchased off the wine list at 28-50 (Maddox St). Popped and poured. Ruby color. Nose of violets and earthy smells, raspberry and mulberry. Tight on the palate for most of the evening but all the components present for a long, favorable evolution: crisp layers of pure red raspberry fruit, freshening acidity, clean texture, stern tannins, and a long, stony finish. Excellent with duck. (91 pts.)
  • 1993 Catherine et Pierre Breton Bourgueil Les Perrières - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil (4/7/2014)
    Purchased off the wine list at Green Man and French Horn. Thoughtfully decanted by the establishment. Garnet purple hue. After about half an hour a superb nose of violets, cassis, plum, blackberry liqueur, and earth billowed out. On the palate this was a fully mature, resolved wine exhibiting a persistent and delicious core of red currant fruit joined by cedar, a bit of green leaf, thyme, and sweet grip. Lower acidity. Nice structure but tannins soft and elegant with feathered edges. Long harmonious finish echoing earth and red fruit. What a find. Just beautiful. (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Let me know next time so I can apply to be your valet. I love the diversity of Burgs. tried, and that the one exception took the honors, score-wise. Well done, cheers.

Best,
Jonathan

Jonathan,

Yes, good observation. I am a burg nut like many on this board, but was very intrigued by the Green Man and French Horn restaurant in London which specializes in the wines of the Loire valley. Their wine list is exemplary and includes aged bottlings of regional whites and cab franc, some of the latter dating back to the 1990s, at very fair prices. We ended up enjoying the wine, and the dining experience, very much.

Cheers,
Doug

How was the food at Green Man and French Horn? I’ve walked past it many times but never thought to eat there.

Thanks Doug for the lovely notes.
Also interested in your take on Green Man & French Horn. I believe that it is a sister restaurant to Les Terroirs, which happens to be 300m from our hotel when there next month.
Also your thoughts on Les Climats also appreciated.
Many thanks,
Kent

Nice report, Doug. Where did you go in France besides St-Malo and Paris? Folks wax rapturously about 2007 Volnay, but I think they all need some time to develop a little complexity.

Mark,

I am certainly no foodie but I enjoyed the food quite a bit. Relaxed, inventive place with a neighborhood feel but a cut above because they have chosen to concentrate on the Loire. Staff was excited we ordered a 1993 Bourgueil so we were treated well. I ordered something dubiously called a beef rump to go with the cab franc but this turned out to be perfectly cooked and the whole thing paired beautifully.

Kent,

Les Climats was the only place where we encountered foam as part of the meal (again I am no foodie but it is not a favorite). That said, the food was excellent. Chef is Asian so there is a touch of fusion to the menu. It has a stiffer feel to the décor but once we started talking to the staff about the stellar, exclusively burgundian wine list everyone was terrific and we had a great time. We were there one year after they opened almost to the day so they were happy to reach that milestone.

John,

We only went to St.-Malo (with a quick ferry ride to Dinard and back on the “bus du mer”) as we only had one night in Brittany before taking the train to Paris. I now wish we had had more time on the coast of France as it was drop dead gorgeous and a good time to go. You can probably tell I am one of those fans of 07 Volnay as they usually represent relative bargains on a wine list or at retail! You are right, though, I believe they will surprise us with their ability to age.

Cheers,
Doug