Recently, I dined out at The Black Sheep Restaurant with 2 good friends. As always, we drink and eat well while enjoying each others company. Trusting the chef/ part owner to do the right thing, we opted for their tasting menu whatever that translated to for this night and it was the perfect choice as one savory dish followed another until we called it off after 5 courses. Our wines showed and paired well too.
NV BOLLINGER SPECIAL CUVEE BRUT- 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier, with 30% of the blend brought up in barrels; I pulled this from a 6 pack received earlier in the day; it had just arrived and is from Bollie`s latest batch; as usual, it was very peasant with an over all mellow aura that started off with mild, spicy and brioche infused citrus aromas that were a bit more pronounced on the palate; lemon, lime. apple and kiwi made up the basic fruit profile; it had a soft, lush mousse and bright acidity; very nice.
2017 SAMUEL BILLAUD MONTEE de TONNERRE CHABLIS 1er Cru- this comes from 2 parcels, 1 in Chapelot, the other in Montée de Tonnerre; it was loaded with citrus and stone fruit following the scent of fresh flowers; its hallmark may have been its mouthfeel which was rich and creamy; it seemed to expand and give more and more, as if it was listening to our praise.
2010 DUTTON ESTATE MANZANA VINEYARD DUTTON RANCH RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR- the color was a dark red purple; the nose had lots of fresh dark fruit which once tasted could be identified as ripe black cherry as well as some blackberry and black currant; it had a slight toasty and wood spice accent and it was delivered in a very pleasing smooth textured medium; it finished very fruity; a nice treat.
2015 DOMAINE LOUIS BOILLOT les CHERBAUDES GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 1er Cru- I brought this thinking it was the 15 Henri Boillot Clos de la Mouchere {which resides on a nearby shelf} and only at the dinner table was it called to my attention that it was not and I’d even decanted it; a member of our larger wine dinner group has bought a few of the Henri wines, most recently a week ago and I was intending to surprise these guys with the same gorgeous wine; not to be; fortunately, this was superlative and reminded me of some of Burt Williams Allen Pinots with it red raspberry, strawberry and red cherry fruit accented by cinnamon and spice; even the color was a similar grainy red; it had a great texture that allowed for it to just glide over the palate and ease into the back end. It was really good mistake and as it turns out to be, this was a serendipitous experience.
It was after a second time through this wine that I received a text message advising me of Burt`s passing earlier this evening. When I shared the news, we all held hands and had a quiet moment. My grand evening took an abrupt turn, but once I got it together and with the support of my buddies, I made it HOME.
Cheers,
Blake