Spur of the moment get together in my backyard. I wanted to get the Cristal and Vilmart open, as a few weeks back we did the same pair, although we do the 08 and 11, respectively. So, this time we could do the 09 and the 10 of these same wines, to get a feel for the entire quartet. Also had a chance to revisit the RM Platt, which is fantastic and also the final bottle of Adam’s new Clarice project, the Garys’ 2017. Thanks for reading.
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2012 Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Extra Brut La Grande Ruelle - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (6/4/2019)
Disgorged 09/2017. 100% PN, sans soufre and without dosage. We opened this 2 days ago, and simply tried to stop it up overnight to finish last night. It didn’t hold the bubbles well so the final glass of this was more of a still wine. I dig the dill/dried green herb note on this bottle–very distinctive. Polished, with apple, dark cherry, lime curd and raspberry. This bottle showed a unique expression, one I enjoyed and while I preferred it on Sunday with the bubbles and the more lively expression, it does show the classy core on which it is built when tasted still. Terrific. -
2012 Piollot Champagne Champes Rayés Brut Nature - France, Champagne (6/4/2019)
Disgorged February 2017. No dosage. 100% Chardonnay. The best way to describe this is liquified chalk, with citrus rind, tart berry, like a cranberry. Decent complexity. For around $35, we enjoyed this and as a side note, this is made by Rolland Piollot, the husband of the winemaker for Marie-Courtin, who is Dominique Moreau. It’s farmed organically and comes from some plots around the village of Polisot. -
2017 Clarice Wine Company Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (6/4/2019)
My last of the trio of Clarice 2017s. Opened this 2 days ago, then finished more of it a day later. Black cherry, dark plum and some cocoa that adds a bit of inflection to the aromatic. In contrast to the Rosella’s from last week, this Garys’ finds the SLH citrus into the wine, the grapefruit quality of that site. The core here is tarter than the Rosella’s, with a good cut of acidity that gives the darker fruit a good counter-balance. I like the juicier quality of this too. Finishes with some blue fruit that carries the finish. Of the 3 Clarice 2017s, I have to say this is my favorite. Nice job here, Adam. -
2017 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (6/4/2019)
As enamored as I was with the first time trying this wine, I sourced some and decided to see if this wine would create the joy of that first bottle. For me, a true wine of stature and greatness will impress across multiple settings, situations and moods. We opened a bottle again on Sunday, then finished it last night (Monday). On Sunday, it started out tight, with dried cranberry, blueberry and some juicy quality, with a tight finish. Hmmm? OK, so I had a few glasses leftover so we got after it again last night. Nose of some iron and new wood, plus a little herb (stem?). The grip and structure of the wine was still present, most notably when cool. As the wine warmed, the grip and tension softened some but it remained enough to still notice and call it out here. For me, that is a good sign, as I want that structure in a really top shelf PN. Bright strawberry but not jammy. Kiwi, raspberry and just bordering into something darker fruited, like a plum skin but it never gets black fruited nor heavy. On the final sip, this remains juicy, delicious, finishing with some cool grip. For me, I’ll put this on record that I believe this is in the top PN that TRB has ever made. Some will argue with me but at 13.1%, with the way this is built, this is gorgeous. WOTY candidate for 2019. -
2009 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne (6/3/2019)
Excellent showing again. Spicy, lemony turning creamy, stony with lime in the finish. This wine remains such an exquisite example of what fine Champagne can express. Love this stuff. -
2010 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (6/3/2019)
Disgorged December 2016, 80% Chard / 20% Pinot Noir. This follows the 2011 CdC that we drank a few weeks ago. I like the 2010 better. This showed citrus peel, cardamom, ginger, lime and a chalky finish with some wood tones in the aromatic. Saved a glass for retasting, which I will use to update my note later today…retasted 24 hours later, as the wine held up nicely under stopper and kept a large portion of the bubbles, too. Creamy, lemon/lime, with terrific palate weight and presence. Sexy. Finishes with a bitter note, which for me was the acidity coming through as a citrus pith. Finally, when this became still and the bubbles had left, shows a cool mix of green apple, honey and some pie crust, giving a nod to the Vilmart style. This is a terrific bottle of CdC, for me much better than the 2011 from last month and well-suited to show well now, yet age with the acidity on which it is built. -
2012 De Ponte Cellars Melon de Bourgogne D.F.B. - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (6/3/2019)
Honeysuckle, lightly oiled texture with lemongrass. This is gentle, medium weighted and in a good window now to drink. -
2015 Sanford Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (6/3/2019)
Licorice, pear, vanilla, lime and a green melon, finishing with a toasted barrel and lightly cloved note.
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