Drinking in Place

I’ve not only been drinking more frequently since the virus shutdown, but I’ve also been much better about taking notes so I might as well share them.

2013 Goodfellow Family Cellars Pinot Noir Durant Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (5/5/2020)
Popped and poured in a Grassl Cru. The fairly light translucent garnet color but excellent intensity present a textbook example of the difference between concentration and extraction. It initially shows evergreen inflected dark cherry on the nose, while a layer of very fine tannin latches on to pure fruit on the palate like Velcro. It broadens out and takes on more savory notes with air. Excellent now and I look forward to seeing what more age will bring to the table. (93 pts.)

1997 Saint Cosme Côte-Rôtie Montsalier - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (5/3/2020)
A little simple but drinking well, it needs some air for the fruit to come out and join the savory meatiness and iron. (90 pts.)

1998 Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough (5/3/2020)
Surprisingly not only alive but enjoyable, lemon curd and the age has brought a nice creamy texture. (88 pts.)

2007 Marie Courtin Champagne Efflorescence Extra Brut - France, Champagne (5/2/2020)
Light gold color, with lemon, Bosc pear, and minerals and a lovely tart finish. With air a pleasant nuttiness comes out that helps round it out further, it is excellent now but shows no danger of fading any time soon. (93 pts.)

2016 Dirty and Rowdy Mourvèdre ‘ESPECIAL’ Alder Springs Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (5/2/2020)
Still an example of gluggable spicy tangy goodness.

2009 Kendric Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Marin County (4/30/2020)
Lots of sweet somewhat candied cherry and brown sugar with a little oxidation and some forest floor on the palate. Past peak, still enjoyable but time to drink up. (88 pts.)

2000 Clos du Marquis - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (4/26/2020)
Ripe currants with a little cedar and a little bell pepper which blows off with some air. Still fairly tight and tannic, it needs either aeration or more time in the cellar. (92 pts.)

2013 Ronan Blanc - France, Bordeaux (4/26/2020)
Rich but with bright fruit and decent acidity, very good with a crab cake and lobster tail and plenty of life left. (90 pts.)

2013 Puzelat-Bonhomme Le Telquel - France, Vin de Table Français (4/24/2020)
Crisp raspberry and strawberry fruit and evergreen bough with a little white pepper, it is fairly tart and restrained but works well with food. (87 pts.)

2017 Vincent Chardonnay Tardive - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (4/18/2020)
The lemony salinity with a little funk reads like a ouillé Chardonnay from the Jura, as does the moderate weight with well integrated acidity. Nice on its own, but better with food. (91 pts.)

NV Camille Savès Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé Bouzy - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (4/17/2020)
Strawberry and a little watermelon, nice weight through the middle with a refreshingly tart finish, very good with salmon and bluefin nigiri. (91 pts.)

2013 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (4/16/2020)
From a 375ml bottle into a Gabriel Glas Gold. Showing more like a first class white Burgundy than a typical California Chardonnay with a touch of matchstick, apple, and a dash of lemon and minerals, piercing acidity on the attack with nice weight filling in behind it through a long finish. Drinking very well now but with a lot of life left in it.

On day 2 it has become more expansive and a lovely honeycomb component has emerged, This is a truly world-class Chardonnay. (94 pts.)

2006 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Falstaff Road Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (4/16/2020)
Slightly candied cherry and pomegranate, a little simple but pleasant and not showing too much age. (88 pts.)

1997 Flowers Pinot Noir Camp Meeting Ridge - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (4/13/2020)
Drinkable but fading, as there isn’t enough fruit left to balance the remaining tannic structure and the age hasn’t brought added complexity.

2015 Terrien Wines Chardonnay - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (4/9/2020)
Apple and stone with a little unobtrusive oak and good acidity and drinking it with food brings out more nuance, it reminds me a bit of De Moor Bourgogne-Chitry. One of the best values I’ve had in years. (91 pts.)

2014 Folk Machine Parts & Labor - USA, California (4/8/2020)
A very satisfying bistro red, with blackberry fruit, a touch of herbs, and a pleasantly tart and slightly tannic finish that makes it a great match for food and just plain fun. (90 pts.)

2012 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (4/6/2020)
From 375ml in a Grassl Mineralité, on the nose it is a dead ringer for 2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, with lemon, apple, and a touch of hazelnut. Loaded with acidity, it benefits from air and warming up some on the glass. (92 pts.)

2013 Ryme Pinot Noir Verse Las Brisas Vineyard - USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros (4/4/2020)
Pure slightly candied cherry with a dash of herbs and a mouth watering tartness on the finish, not terribly complex, but despite that it is very satisfying and hard to stop drinking. (90 pts.)

1995 Domaine Joblot Givry 1er Cru Clos du Cellier Aux Moines - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Givry 1er Cru (4/2/2020)
Over the hill.

2014 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (3/31/2020)
Popped and poured from a 375ml into a Grassl Cru, it is loaded with menthol on the nose, fairly shy and closed on the palate and the fruit currently isn’t showing enough to fully balance the ample acidity and tannin.

On day 2 the fruit finally came out and the black cherry and a touch of spice worked well with toned down menthol, suggesting that the wine is shut down and needs cellar time.

Hi Mike! Hope you are well and we are hanging out again soon. Nice diverse collection of wines here. Interested in Terrien, I have been hearing good things. I happen to have that 12 Rhys in a 375, too, so I appreciate the check in. The Goodfellow sounds really nice with some age on it. Well doon.
See ya soon, hopefully.

Hey Mike,

Thanks for the notes. Flowers used to be such a WCWN darling based on the 94 vintage. I don’t remember the sequence but somehow or another, the 96 was released to high praise. I got in right as the 95 and 97 were being released. Bought a bunch. Tasted and and a while later decided they weren’t for me. I rarely sell or flip wines (too lazy). But traded my entire stash of 95 an 97 Flowers CMR to a LWS for 98 Beaucastel and various red burgs. I still see current Flowers Sonoma Coast on the shelves of LWS by me and am always curious, but never pull the trigger.

Great, diverse notes. Rare to see NZ Sauv Blanc with age. Was that on purpose or a happy accident?

Dennis, I see you’ve been drinking well too. I look forward to being able to get together again. An Oregon tasting would be fun, as I know both of us and some of our other friends have been exploring it in recent years. I’m also craving a Sichuan dinner, as I’m so accustomed to trying a wide range of dishes that ordering for one doesn’t cut it. And I’ve got an old Pieropan earmarked to drink with you. I’m definitely feeling the cabin fever, but not enough to risk it when it can be fatal.

I remember those days and the WCWN buzz and probably bought more than I should have, though I think the last vintage I bought was 1999. I sold some off as well but a few years ago came across a forgotten box in my storage unit that had a few I must have decided to hold on to. The Chardonnays (1997 and 1998 CMR and Moon Selects IIRC) were all pretty much shot, and the Pinots haven’t aged that well either. I have a couple of old Perennials that I haven’t had the courage to open. They have been off my radar for so long that I’d all but forgotten about them, but I may pick up a bottle at retail sometime for old time’s sake.

Thanks. The Grove Mill was a happy accident, as I never got to it when it was young and then I expected that it was probably dead and kept passing it by. I only opened it now because I needed a white wine to cook with and decided to see if it was at least OK for that purpose. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be not only fit for cooking but well worth drinking!

Yes to all of this!

I just love Kenny’s wines. If we are ever able to re-open Rue Cler, I think I’m going to put in a wine-keg system so that I can build a Rue Cler line of wines with him.

Too bad. Those 1998s I got from you showed great. We specialed them at Rue Cler and folks loved them. Really cool to be able to serve something with age for <$100.

Had a similar experience with the 2000 Clos du Marquis last fall - I was surprised at how young / unevolved it showed. There was a parcel of this that came on the market about a year ago (I recall seeing offers from several shops), though I don’t recall if it was ex-chateau or what exactly the provenance was.

We recently opened a bottle of the 2005 Joblot. It was quite good - a 2005 burg that was actually ready. May not make old bones, but at the beginning of a nice plateau.

Thanks for the notes,
Peter