Some recent summer quaffers:
NV JOSE MICHEL & FILS CUVEE du PERE HOUDART- 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier; 20% Chardonnay and dosed at 4 gpl although it definitely had a sweet character to it; this is made from an unusual blend of the best vintages such as 1971, 1975, 1976, 1982, 1984 and 2011; it has some very mature notes including butterscotch, caramel and almond butter along with sweet ginger accented stone fruit especially apricot; its full bodied, very rich and creamy.
NV MARIE COURTIN RESONANCE EXTRA BRUT- 100% Pinot Noir, all from 2009; it received its name to represent the balancing energies of earth and sky, does not see any wood and has no dosage; this was quite a contrast to the Roederer; I got mint and smoky black raspberry along with some hints of stone fruit initially; later on, some pepper and spice came in to add further accents; it was rich and very smooth and I liked it even more with time.
2008 CHAMPAGNE LANSON GOLD LABEL BRUT- with more than 6 years of aging in the cellar, this bottle was disgorged in October, 2017; it`s rich and full bodied, creamy in texture and just about right on the dosage level for me= not too sweet; the taste profile includes peach, pear, grapefruit, kiwi and lime with accents of ginger and saline; some citrus notes come in past mid palate; this has bright acidity and is good champagne, not to big and yet big enough.
2012 ROEDERER BRUT- Ive enjoyed a few bottles of this marvellous wine and this one was no exception; 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay; a member of our dinner group brought this to one of our dinners a few months ago and I just had to get some after having already fallen in love with the 12 Rose; it`s very generous, giving nice spicy and toasty, mineral infused citrus fruit, especially lemon zest; its round and seamless and has bright acidity, its in perfect balance and exudes class and elegance as it glides across the palate all the way to the back end.
2017 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY ROSE du PINOT NOIR BOURGOGNE- wow, is this really good; nice fruity strawberry flavors prevail in this light weight and very pleasing rose that was just perfect for the warm summer evening we drank it on our back patio to the tune of the water fountain.
NV CHARLES HEIDSIECK BRUT ROSE RESERVE- 80% of the years wines are made up of equal portions of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay with 20% of the reserve wines made up of 50% Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; the aforementioned PYCM rose was the ideal segue into this lovely bubbly as it embodies the epitome of fresh strawberries with noticeable sweetness although the dosage is noted to be in the 6-8 gpl range; it had a fine cotton candy like mousse and was very refreshing, again on a hot summer’s night.
2012 WILLIAMS SELYEM SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR- bc I have a few bottles of this wine, I opened one to track its journey and discovered its ready to give now with lots of promise for good things 5-8 years hence; the nose exudes young, vibrant red fruit with raspberry most prominent; additionally, strawberry and red cherry join in and a spicy accent adds to the taste profile; its medium to full bodied, already in a good state of balance and has nice mouthfeel.
There’s more, but another time. Love the hot summer nights on the back patio or rooftop or just about anywhere with a good bottle of wine and the lovely lady.
Cheers,
Blake