Our dinner group enjoyed another fabulous evening out, this time dining at Convivo Restaurant & Bar, a self proclaimed novel “Nomad Italian” restaurant. 14 of us enjoyed the fine cuisine and 22 bottles of wines we shared which featured a theme of champagne, white Burgundy and Right Bank Bordeaux. Our wines:
3 champagnes:
I have already posted a separate tasting note for this first champagne due to some recent adverse hype regarding the more recent Sir Winston Churchill releases and the outstanding showing of this historically fine champagne created in 1975 to honor Churchill by Pol Roger.
2006 POL ROGER CUVEE SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL BRUT- disgorged November 2016 at 8 gpl; following its light yellow color, came mild aromatics of fresh made lemon meringue which translated into lemon cream on the palate; it had a frothy feel good mousse, was so rounded and elegant and just exuded class and royalty; past mid palate, a touch of minerals and chalk came in to join the fun; I refrained from shouting out how good it was, but when it came time to vote, others showed their appreciation and it came in 1 vote shy of being the WOTN against some good Right Bank wines.
NV BOLLINGER SPECIAL CUVEE BRUT- 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier; I`ve found this to a consistently good champagne over the years and this bottle stayed the course with very nice and lovely lightly moussed citrus, pear and green apple notes with a touch of sweetness.
NV BILLECART-SALMON BRUT ROSE- another fine bottle of this consistently good rose which in the last couple of years seems to have stepped up the fruit profile to a more expressive, fuller and richer style; red raspberry, strawberry and red cherry flavors abound; it so tasty and has enough pizzaz to pleasing the most discerning of palates.
4 white Burgs:
2013 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY les ANCEGIERES CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET- lots of flint and minerals in the nose with nice fresh citrus, especially lemonade notes are found in the taste profile and then a major hit of flint comes back to finish it off.
2013 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY MEURSAULT-GENEVRIERES 1er Cru- this marvellous wine had enticing aromatics of sweet lemon-lime with some minerality blended in and a touch of coconut coming in past mid palate; it had beautiful balance and great feel.
2015 MOREY-COFFINET les HOUILLERES CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET- it just keeps on getting better in this flight with one nice white Burg after another and this one takes it to the next level with concentrated aromas and flavors which are represented by spicy lemon zest and a hint of toasty brioche; it had bright acidity and a lovely texture which enhanced the climatic finish.
2015 DOMAINE HENRI BOILLOT CLOS de la MOUCHER PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1er Cru- now the white Burg lineup quality just got bumped up again; the light yellow color deceived that this was a lesser wine; not true; this was so tasty with gardena, chalk, saline, lemon, lime and apple notes, but its hallmark was its elegance and finesse; with nice feel, it glided across the palate and left a residual coating of fresh citrus at the end.
13 Right Bank Bordeaux:
2003 CHATEAU PAVIE MACQUIN SAINT EMILION- we had a rare dup here with 2 of these and a slight deviation between the 2; this bottle had a good chill on it and the flavors were a bit more balanced out with chocolate laced black currant being delivered gracefully to the back end in a soft and smooth texture; very pleasant and enjoyable.
2003 CHATEAU PAVIE MACQUIN SAINT EMILION- this bottle was much warmer temperature wise and therefore the nose and taste was much more accentuated; also, it had been decanted for 2 1/2 hours whereas the first bottle had not been decanted; the biggest distinguishing characteristic was there was much more milk chocolate accenting the black fruit. Both were good wines.
2003 CHATEAU LA PRIEURE SAINT-EMILION- pretty Bretty as in the 4-ethylphenol barnyard type; then decent notes afterwards, but yuk won out.
2003 CHATEAU de FONBEL SAINT-EMILION- unfortunately, the degree of Brett in this one masked everything else and the wine got tossed. Yes, I used a different stem from the Prieure.
2000 CHATEAU GRACIA SAINT-EMILION- this was very astringent with nice blueberry and blackberry fruit but mouth puckering tannins just overwhelmed the palate.
2000 CLOS SAINT-JULIEN SAINT-EMILION- I really liked this for its mellow and consistent notes and mouthfeel that exuded elegance and finesse and yet had enough substance to deliver some quality sensorial pleasure; mild earthy, milk chocolate black currant was most prominent; I am especially delighted in the showing this had as a dear friend and wine shop owner, now deceased, and I each bought a case on a lark after reading some pre- En Primeur tranche hype and it turned out to be a good move. Here’s to you Frank.
1989 CHATEAU PAVIE-DECESSE SAIJT-EMILION- 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; this was absolutely fabulous from the nose through the tail; it started out with loads of dark fruit which on the palate translated into black currant, blueberry and plum being derived in a smooth and silky texture; it had layers of depth and seemed to expand and finish with a grand climax. My fav of the Right Bank Bordeaux on this evening.
2004 CHATEAU AUSONE SAINT-EMILION- the nose.was strongly suggestive of something stellar although there was a hint of Brett; the taste profile had an unexpected accent of cola plus earth and leather that joined in with black plum, blueberry and black currant fruit; the Brett factor lessened, but never waned, but one could get past it and appreciate the pedigree this wine had been purported to have; the group called it the WOTN outvoting the SWC by 1 vote; I still liked the Pavie-Decesse better amongst the Right Bank and the SWC overall.
2005 CHATEAU MONBOSQUET SAINT-EMILION- decanted 3+ hours; it seemed very youthful with a dark deep purple color and super ripe black cherry/ berry fruit; it had good structure for the long haul and an overall really appealing profile.
2012 CLOS L`EGLISE POMEROL- following its inky dark color, came a massive dose of dark fruit in the nose and on the palate; this is a huge, very serious wine with so much going on and it just needs lots of time to mature; highly recommended for those who want to buy now and drink a few decades later.
2009 CHATEAU TROPLONG MONDOT SAINT-EMILION- here`s another really big wine that needs time and has some early on redeeming qualities which included fruit forward notes of black cherry/ berry; it has complexity with layers of depth and tannic structure that results in lots of astringency now, but should ease up and become contributive to a glowing future.
2012 CLOS FOURTET SAINT-EMILION- 86% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc; Brett laden.
2014 CHATEAU LA CONFESSION SAINT-EMILION- 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; this comes from a small domain of 2.7 hectares, circa 2001, made by owner Jean-Philippe Janoueix who also owns Chateau de Chambrun in Lalande de Pomerol and Chateau Croix Mouton; our bottle was an unready, full on bomb that like so many others on this day just needs time to evolve, mature and balance out; no doubt, its has all of the stuffing to be great, but right now its tannic and very fruit forward.
2 dessert wines:
1997 CHATEAU SUDUIRAUT SAUTERNES- 750 ml; this had a lot of super sweet honeyed apricot nectar delivered in a thick and creamy texture.
2007 KLEIN CONSTANTIA VIN de CONSTANCE SOUTH AFRICA- 500 ml; made from raisined Muscat de Frontignan planted at the original 1650s site; it had a maple color, some molasses in the nose and honeyed cinnamon papaya, peach and apricot on the palate; simply marvellous and flavorful. The hype on this wine is that Napoleon Bonaparte purportedly guzzled 30 bottles a month. I`d go for a spoonful.
All in all, this was another fine evening as all of ours are. Life is good,
Cheers.,
Blake