Killer Loire/Chinon (1977-2010) Night w/Tooch, Corey N., and Marc F.
As I lounge around this morning with a very strong cup of dark French roast, my head still a little fuzzy and body lethargic from a party that lasted until around 2 a.m., I reflect on how incredibly blessed we are to share each other’s company with this wonderful passion and lifestyle around wine. It is through this passion that I have had the pleasure of meeting Marc Frontario, who has become one of my very closest friends, Matt “Tooch” Latouchie, getting together twice now when he has come to town, and on a complete last-minute whim, Corey Novick flying down from chilly Chicago to join us on a perfect, sunny and cool Florida winter evening (65-68 degrees). The night was so perfect, we hosted the party mostly outside on the deck while the chefs worked their magic inside.
The theme was Loire whites and reds. And we stuck to it pretty damn well. Except for the food. I brought in a chef for a 7-course, small plates tasting menu. The chef - a fellow Cuban and cycling buddy of mine - put together a really fun, varied menu with more of a Latino flair. Well, he did toss in some goat cheese in one of the courses.
Over the course of a very long evening, we went through a broad array of wines that ranged, from mature, to unique, to flat out stunning, some a combination of all. I completely enjoyed the majority of these wines, we really did not experience any duds or any that were just average. Since the ladies seemed to migrate more toward the Loire whites, the boys were able to enjoy full glasses of most of the Loire reds. It was quite an experience to enjoy and compare these wines, and I liked the format very much, but also thought that I would have also really enjoyed experiencing any 1 or 2 of these wines over the course of an evening, watching them evolve.
As I was socializing, hosting, doing some coordinating with the chef and wines, I did not take any formal notes. My comments are just some basic impressions.
The Loire Whites
The 2010 Edmund Vatan Sancerre Clos la Neore is mind-blowing. Stone cold river bed, chalk and minerals. Bracing acidity. Crisp citrus fruits. I understand this wine is hard to source, and there is a reason why. A chilling wine. This could be the greatest Sancerre that I have had. Needs more time though. Followed with a 2002 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux, which was deeply honied, musky, round, full-bodied. Another outstanding wine in its prime drinking window. This was my wife’s wine of the night.
In the funky white wine of the night category, the 1993 Olga Raffault Chinon Champ-Chenin took the prize. The funk took some time to blow off, showing some interesting sweaty, woolly characteristics, tart citrus fruits, waxy lanolin. Very high acid. Decent and interesting, but not great. Showed much better last time I had it 18 months ago.
I pulled out of reserves, and kinda wish I had saved it for another night, a 1998 Chateau Laville Haut-Brion Blanc. Popped for the ladies, I tried it and was quite impressed, fully intending to come back but never did. The reds were being poured . . . .
The Mature and Maturing Loire Chinons
Started with the 1990 Joguet Les Varennes du Grand Clos and a 1990 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses. These are mature and quite different expressions of Cab Franc, both outstanding. The Joguet is a prettier, more vibrant, silky wine. Gorgeous, ripe display of red fruits. The Raffault is that archetype, old school Chinon, showing the more classic expression of ash, tobacco, herbaceousness, forest floor and a hint of barn. Leaner, more crisp than the Joguet, and showing more dark fruits, but the Joguet is just a prettier wine.
The 2003 and 2005 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeaux are another level of Cab Franc, completely living up to their vaunted billing. Tooch opened these several hours before he came over, so they got some air, but both are still quite youthful. The 2003 beautifully expresses the ripeness of the vintage, a very opulent style of Loire Cab Franc without being over the top. Nice delineation of red-to-dark, tart-to-sweet fruits. Quite herbaceous, meaty, veggies, like a beef barley soup. The 2005 is more backward and quite structured. This wine needs considerable time. It will be the better wine over the 2003 in time, that 2003 is just so damn sexy right now. I love the firm structure of this 2005, the archetype Loire Cab Franc elements, and the depth to this wine is amazing. I’ve never had a Rougeard with 20+ years on it - compared to having tried many other Loires of that or great maturity - but truly believe these wines will hit higher highs once fully evolved. That compels me to sit on my small stash, I may move them to back storage.
Moving next to the 1985 Clos des Roches (Lenoir) Chinon was a bit unfair to this lovely, mature wine. Light-to-medium bodied, pretty floral notes with dried strawberries, notes of ash, leafiness and herbs. Drink up, this is past prime.
And then my red wine of the night, the 1977 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses. Not sure where Marc found this wine, but it was so perfect in every way. Super clean, well stored bottle. Cork pulled cleanly with just a little effort. Fully mature, expressing tertiary characteristics, but still quite full-bodied for such an aged Cabernet Franc. I put this wine on par with '89 and above '85 and '90. It is outstanding. The earthy, dried porcini mushroom, tobacco leaf thing going on with the nose is ridiculous. I am sitting on a lot of Raffault, and drinking the '77 and '90 in one night reminds me, stock them away. . . . But alas, they are so damn fine young as well if you like youthful structure and crunchiness to your franc.
I will let Tooch wax philosophically about the 1999 Thunder Moutain Cab Franc from Cienega Valley. Ranks up there with one of the most bizarre but fascinating reds that I’ve had, and one that did not resonate as Cab Franc, hence Tooch serving it to us blind. A wild guess, I assumed it was some funky, non-sulfur Jura red.
And then Desserts . . . .
I lost track of time, not sure if it was around midnight, but everyone is still socializing and apparently awake. So I get a wild hair up my backside and decide to pop a 1965 Chateau Mouton Rothschild that I had been saving for my 50th, which was back in November. Long story, but I forgot to bring the damn wine to my birthday vacation. Could not imagine a cooler group to enjoy this wine with, especially since I really assumed it would be a mere novelty and likely DOA. Not a good vintage by any stretch. Color me surprised, this was an elegant, mature claret. Simple but very much alive. Yay.
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