06`Billecart-Salmon Nicolas Francois, 14` Huet Pétillant Brut, 2 Spatlese, 3 fine white Burgs

Our wine dinner group met once again for our bi-weekly outing, this time at our fav Sushi bar, Arigato.

Typically, we have from 8-12 attend, but COVID times have reduced the numbers to 5-7 and on this night, 5 of us were seated on the outside back courtyard area where distancing from others was quite easy and comfortable.

While delighting in way too much world class Sushi, we conversed on all subjects and drank well:

2006 BILLECART-SALMON CUVEE NICOLAS FRANCOIS BRUT- the inaugural release of this cuvee was in 1964 to pay tribute to the co-founder (who married Elisabeth Salmon); it is typically made of 60% Grand Cru Pinot Noir and 40% Grand Cru Chardonnay; 5% of the wine is vinified in old oak barrels before spending 11 years on its lees and undergoing partial malolactic fermentation; it is sugar dosed at 4 gpl; following the mild yellow color came aromatics of nice citrus fruit, especially lemon; on the palate, it gave up more of the same plus mild honeyed orange, apple and pear fruit along with a surprising and undesired touch of straw/ hay/ grass, Sauvignon Blanc like character, that eventually blew off to allow for the more charming nuances to be experienced; it had bright acidity and a wondrous creamy mouthfeel; I was so expecting this to be stellar out of the gate, but it took at least 40 minutes before the straw/ grassy accent dissipated and allowed for it to be experienced for the glamorous wine it is intended to be IMHO.

2014 DOMAINE HUET VOUVRAY PETILLIANT CUVEE BRUT- this is basically Chenin Blanc with a spritz and it’s good too plus it comes with a full throttled profile starting with it’s vibrant yellow gold color; stone fruit dominates the aromas and taste which more specifically includes peach, apricot and yellow nectarine along with a hint of apple and lemon zest; it’s full bodied with lots of weight and finishes on a huge upswing. this was the antithesis of the B-C.

2015 FORSTMEISTER GELTZ ZILLIKEN SAARBURG RAUSCH RIESLING SPATLESE- 8% abv with 92 gpl RS; when I learned of the residua sugar when writing up the notes, I was surprised to find it so high as the wine was not all that super sweet as my notes reflect that it contained lightly honeyed lemon/ lime; it had a medium body at best and was delivered via a medium textured fluid; for me, it was very pleasant as I’m really not all that fond of sweet wines beyond a small sampling; the one who brought it could and has made an entire evening out of dessert wines.

2016 JJ PRUM WEHLENER SONNENUHR SPATLESE- 8% abv; this was the 2nd bottle I’ve had in the last week and the notes are very consistent; it has lovely sweet peach, mango, orange and lime fruit accented with minerality from the nose through the tail and was gracefully delivered in a smooth, creamy medium that completed the wondrous sensory experience.

2016 LUCIEN LE MOINE CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU- the nose was so inviting with aromas of fresh cut white flowers, citrus and even some spice, all of which continued on with minerals, saline, lemon, orange and apple fruit joining in by mid palate; the texture was a soft and smooth medium which carried all of the goodness to the back end where it hung on for a long and satisfying finish; overall, it comes off as just a bit on the green side with time the only necessary factor needed to allow this to really shine. A decant would have been helpful.

2017 MOREY-COFFINET les HOUILLERES CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET- this is my 3rd bottle of this beauty and all have been really good and shared with most of the same folks; the nose had the requisite citrus inundated minerals and flint notes and the taste showed more specifically lemon, apple and pear fruit with the mineralality blending in nicely; it is full bodied with medium+ weight and has great feel and length; lovely wine that just gives and gives at this youthful age.

2011 HENRI BOILLOT les PUCELLES PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1er Cru- yellow color; mellow nose with a hint of spearmint accented citrus which in the taste becomes more pronounced as lemon, vanilla and golden delicious apple, also with that streak of spearmint that extends throughout providing an unusual and different nuance from what one would expect from this exceptional Grand Cru quality vineyard.

This was another great evening for sure as the small number allowed for all to share in a table conversation and commune more collectively as a group.

Cheers,
Blake

Update on the Billecart-Salmon Nicolas Francois- 2 nights later, it thankfully was showing beautifully without the straw/grassy notes, just fresh, ripe citrus fruit and a super smooth mouthfeel along with all of th other attributes noted above.

Thanks for the notes Blake.

I love Zilliken’s wines and have found that they have enough acid and extract to balance the sugar. The Saar is one of the coolest regions in Germany and thus Saar wines virtually always have great acidity (even Zilliken’s 2003s have adequate acidity). If you want the wines to taste a bit less sweet, age them. They will basically age forever. 2015 is an especially excellent vintage for Zilliken IMHO.

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Good info Howard, especially about the aging for reduced sweetness. I’m more of a GG fan.

This bottle came from Envoyer as well. I did not hesitate to jump on it having had a few older ones that were pretty stellar. I’m curious to see what the next bottle shows in comparison to this one. I`m almost thinking of decanting. Almost.

I like traditional German wines much more than GGs. Every place in the world makes dry white wines. What is unique about German wines is what you tasted in the Zilliken, a mix of RS, acid, extract, etc., that creates something pretty unique in the world of wine. Yes, there are producers who leave too much RS in the wines and don’t have enough acidity in the wine - or de-acidify, which is to me like castrating the wine. But, producers like Zilliken make something almost unique in the world of wines (not totally unique given Loire Chenin Blancs) and they should be treasured. The specialness of these wines is to me inherent at all ages, but the wines grow even more special with age. There is something special in the modern world where someone makes something unique and does not just do what the rest of the world is doing. All, of course, IMHO.

Great comments Howard and I hear you in my limited exposure. Thank you for your informed remarks. I probably should have stated my preference to be more toward balanced wines and not just totally dry ones as implied by GG. I look forward to more wines from Zilliken and like and kind producers to treasure the uniqueness.

One thing that I see as a threat to all top German wines: as the climate gets warmer, acid levels (in general) are down from what they used to be and sugar levels are up (meaning either more alcohol or more residual sugar). Right now, we still are in a pretty good spot, where there are a ton more good vintages than there used to be, although generally in the old days the bad vintages were when it was too cold and the grapes did not get sufficiently ripe while today the lesser vintages tend to be vintages where it is too warm and acidity goes down. This is actually a relatively good time for GGs, as the grapes are riper than they used to be and don’t need as much residaul sugar. But, again, obviously sugar becomes alcohol or residual sugar (and too many non-trocken wines today have too much residual sugar as a result of trying to keep alcohol levels down). German wines today tend to be more powerful and less steely than a generation ago. Read any of the many German wine threads around and you will find nostalgia that there basically are no true Kabinetts anymore because the grapes usually get too ripe for that, esp. from top vineyards (you know, the ones with the best exposure to the sun). My best antidote for this right now is the Saar and the Ruwer, which have always been the coolest regions, in general.

When you fly east to come visit (maybe even to Toronto or D.C., if not Raleigh-Durham), I shall bring you a Zilliken Spatlese with 20 years of age, Blake . Because of their low alcohol, people often drink Prum/Zilliken/ et al. at very young ages, but there’s a massive difference with 15+ years…

There simply is no time machine for Riesling. But, if you can get in the rhythm of making them a part of your cellar, the rewards are just immense!

Again, fabulous info and I`m making notes for future reference and purchasing decisions. I truly appreciate you sharing this Howard and please feel free to add on anytime I’m reviewing German wines. I’ve actually had more than it appears, but have had difficulty in understanding the RS component while also favoring a low or no sugar profile. The Zilliken impressed me and got my attention to the possibilities that are available even with high RS.

Nick, I’m extremely grateful for the kind offer and would like to think that at some time in the future, that can happen. I’ve been a fan of all things JJ Prum, both long and aged, for a few decades, but little exposer to Zilliken wines. I obviously need to change that.

You don’t have to pick between GG and wines with residual sugar. You can drink both - just like you don’t pick between grower Champagne and large house Champagne, you drink the best of both.

Then, there are Auslese, my favorite wine for dessert or after a meal. A good Auslese has the acidity lacking in a lot of Sauternes.

Blake (or others)
Have you had the Billecart-Salmon Clos St. Hillaire? I have a bottle in the cellar and been hesitating to open it yet. Vintage is 1998.

Nick has treated me to more than one of those, Blake, and when they’re on, it’s a wonderful experience. Appreciate the excellent notes on all the wines, no surprise that the 16 Prum is already beautiful, though I’m sure it will age gracefully for at least 3 decades.

Glad to see you and the group are continuing to keep well

Mike

Yes, I’ve had a few bottles, but not the 98 and all have been really good with fine acidity, a spicy forward fruit profile and creamy mousse that provides some nice sensory experiences. Remember, this is a oak barrel aged Blanc de Noir and the ones Ive had were bigger, richer and bolder than a BdB. I’d go for the 98` soon.

How great to hear from you Mike and to know you and Nick are connected as well. Our dinner group has resumed with only 5-7 showing up and the other 2 groups have yet to start back up. At least I get some opportunity to commune and share albeit on a limited basis which is obviously prudent at this time.

Nick and me–hadn’t realized I hadn’t mentioned that to you. We have been good friends for a long, long time now. Yes, doing same here, vetted friends in smaller groups, but so happy to be sharing wine again with people.

Love it