A lovely gathering hosted by new friends, Jake and Mo. Some wonderful wines, fantastic food, and delightful music!
NV Tissot (Bénédicte et Stéphane / André et Mireille) Crémant du Jura Indigène- France, Jura, Crémant du Jura
Excellent bubbly. Not Champagne and has no desire to be. Great focus and precise flavors. White flowers, citrus, some oxidative funk, and a bit of waxiness and almost chenin-like richness. Disgorged June 2015. A great way to start the evening. (90 pts.)
2008 François Chidaine Vouvray Le Bouchet- France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Tiniest bit off-dry. Dried flowers, lemon peel, stone fruit on the nose. More dried flowers, lemon, wax, wool, and a hint of nuttiness almond nuttiness. This has such amazing balance, drive and persistence, with a finish that wows. Loved all around. (94 pts.)
2006 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia- Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Super lifted, with fresh lemons, wax, (slightly bruised) yellow apples, and a bit of bitter peach pit. Some coconut oakiness, but not obtrusive. Lovely texture, simultaneously fleet-footed and of a serious creamy weight. Super young. Needs air to integrate. (91 pts.)
2011 Domaine Berthet Bondet Savagnin Côtes du Jura- France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
This is delicious as a baby vin jaune. Very approachable, with only a bit of nutty oxidative character with lots of fresh squeezed lemon, rocks, and lemon-rocks. Waxy texture and mouthwatering acidity; like the ’06 Gravonia, this needs time to integrate but so much personality here. (91 pts.)
2005 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia- Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Like the ’04, this needs ample air. Has that elegant Bosconia perfume of dried cherries, flowers and orange peel. Palate started out thin and reedy, with light cherries, high acid, minerals, and a bit of herbal wood. Sadly, I forgot to revisit this towards the end of the night, so don’t have good notes of how it turned out. Jake said it was excellent on day 2. 87 if rating the first taste, but since I forgot to revisit, NR.
1988 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain- USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
Felt honored that Jake decided to pull his last bottle of this for our dinner. Beautiful nose – could smell this all night. Smells like having a Christmas plum cake in an old library, well worn leather sofa, rough hewn wood beams, books, dried violets. Maybe a hint of smoke. Palate is nice, with more of the same, and some pretty black plum and black currant fruits, but not quite as rich as the smell. Fruit and tannins mostly resolved. Starts to fall apart about 30 minutes in – with increasing VA balsamic notes and structure that starts to sag a bit. Beautifully paired with Mo’s perfectly cooked lamb chops. 95 for nose, 92 overall. (92 pts.)
2001 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes- France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
A big ’01, with oodles of botrytis on the nose – saffron, honeycomb, wet wood, bergamot, stone fruit. Palate is similar with brulee’d pineapple, spicy, marmalade and a bit of waxiness as well. Good acid keeps the sugar in check, but this is definitely on the sweeter side, and toes the line of being cloying. Seems a bit less complex and focused than the best ’01s, but this is a very nice sticky. (92 pts.)
Excellent set of notes! Thanks for posting. If you get a chance, try LdH’s rose, not as easy to find as their other wines, but if you like the whites, you’ll be intrigued by it.
Nice write up on the Chidaine Bouchet. I still have a single 2007 left but have finished my 2008. What a terrific vintage it was for them and glad to see that wine holding in there. Thanks for the TNs, Vince.
Great notes, Vince. You guys truly did commit toddlercide with the Lopez de Heredia Blanco and the Berthet-Bondet, but great that you tried 'em. Thanks also for the check-in on the 01 LTB. I take it that was from a full? It’s a different note than I’ve written up based on one full and a number of half-bottles, where for me this vintage was really its chance to show itself as the Fairy Princess of Sauternes/Barsac (in how light on its feet it has been)—makes me wonder if it’s ageing really quickly. I will find out, at worst, in a couple years when I serve it at an all-2001 table.
Frank - agreed on the ‘08 Chidaines being terrific - I’ve only had good bottles, although the Clos Habert I had a couple months ago started to fall apart after about 5 hours open and mostly lifeless on day 2. I wasn’t around on day 2 for this bottle of Le Bouchet but my friend who hosted (and who supplied all the bottles aside from the Chidaine and La Tour Blanche), but he said it was still great on night 2.
Mike, not surprisingly, the Berthet-Bondet and both LdHs were better on night 2 (again, hearsay). The LTB was indeed from a 750ml. Perhaps my ‘01 point of comparison is the Climens I had a few weeks prior, which was perfectly balanced for my palate and one I’d describe as light-footed. In any case it was still a delicious sticky by any measure.
I’ve got a single 08 Habert left. Maybe it’s time to open that final bottle and bid it farewell, Vince. I still have a couple of Choisilles from 08 left and the bottle last year was in great shape, one of the better white wines I had in 2017.
Hi Vince, your post has prompted me to fess up as the hearsay declarant and post my first here after lurking for a few years.
The evening was lovely, and the music superb. Thanks again for bringing the Chidaines and Tour Blanche. Re the “toddlercide with the Lopez de Heredia Blanco and the Berthet-Bondet” – yup, and on reflection I’d have opened both a couple days before if I’d known for sure that we’d serve them – but hey, as my subsequent CT notes mentioned, they were both were singing for Mo and me three+ days later, and so at least two of us experienced them near their best!
PS to others: I’ve learned a lot from this board and from the many experienced folks here.
Whereas I’ve been waiting impatiently for at least the last 2 years. I thought I had purchased enough prior vintages to tide me over but they’re long gone by now.
Jay, I’ve seen a few bottles of the '08 starting to pop up on WS, in random stores across the country. They never seem to last long. Anyone have any idea who their importer(s) are, and when they’ll start shipping in volume?
Hello Mike, thanks, and it’s nice to be out of the bushes. For what it’s worth, I’ll mention: I’ve been communicating with L de H about an appointment/ tour that we have set up there for the fall. I asked if I would be able to purchase the rosé, and they very nicely — and rather apologetically — said that because production is so small and demand so high, it was available only in a six pack: one rosé and five red Tondonias.
I’m not convinced there is such thing as toddlercide with Gravonia. I’ve had them “young”, had them old, recently had the last of my '89s and a '93 and it’s usually the same type of experience, namely, very very thin on opening, give it air for 3-4 hrs (sometimes up to a day), maybe a double decant, and at some point becomes sumptuous and lovely.
I had an '81 Gran Reserva Blanco on my birthday a few weeks back and it also started out thin on opening (although the aromatics were mind blowing). It was ready for business within 30 minutes though, and kept evolving over the course of the next 2 hours. The last drop was the best.
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