TNs--Restarting Humanity Dinner #4 -- wine smorgasbord

This was another visit my friend Heather and I made to our friends Lynn and Jon in nearby Kitchener (all of us had first tested negative). I toted along my mole chicken with side of mashed potatoes with saffron and amarula liqueur. Lynn made a delicious yellow bean salad with pickled onions (which will feature in a startling discovery in the notes) as well as homemade peach ice cream and scrumptious cookies with chocolate chips and base of ground hazelnut. Heather contributed homemade pita–amazing–with green goddess dressing and various veggies. Another wonderful night with close friends.

2013 Hidden Bench Natur Sparkling

All 4 of us are longtime fans of this Ontario winery. Lynn, Jon and I had recently tried the BdB from 13 (which is my go-to vintage for sparkling right now in Ontario) and liked it plenty. We may have liked this even more–their 0-dosage wine–but it was a very different wine from the BdB. Much more crystalline and clear-cut, the fruit is just hinted at. it’s all about feel, and the feel is very nice indeed.

2018 Domaine de la Tour de Bon Bandol Rose

My friend Daun brought these in and I jumped on a six-pack untasted. This was my first. When initially opened, found it well-made with interest, but not calling out to me, especially with the fruit. Well, that aspect did come around the 2 days later when we poured this out for the group. There is still a creamy kind of side to this and plenty of herbs, but I can get at the red berry and especially rhubarb fruit now. I will leave most of these to age for a year or two and come back to them.

2010 Vina Tondonia Rosado

Just got a bit of this and desperately wanted to try, having never had one before. I’ll be sure to give any future bottles a long decant. Heather was right in warning us not to think of this as Rose. This is the orange wine of Rose. It is super-kinetic, absolutely dynamic with grippy tannins, lots and lots of herbs and undeniable fascination as it plays with your tongue the whole night. There is also some VA here, but for me definitely in the Musar way of being an important part of the palate experience. This is really something to try and I look forward to watching the wine’s evolution, if I can keep my mitts off my 2 remaining bottles.

Heather then served us a blind. In blind, it’s often helpful to start with what it isn’t. It wasn’t Chard. Through some gentle teaching, she helped eliminate Rhone or Italian from the equation. Kind of floral-based nose, this too has extensive interest in the mouth…particularly a persistent phenolic bitterness that I ended up describing as a cross between iodine and wintergreen. Slowly, very slowly, a yellow fruit component began to percolate through. Really fresh and no oak signature, Heather gave us a large hint when she said it was from someplace Lynn, Jon and I had been. Since I know she is not the world’s biggest SB fan, that pretty much narrowed it down to Alsace. I had guessed something with 5-6 years. Um. No.

1997 Weinbach Clos des Capucins Cuvee St. Catherine Schlossberg Riesling . 23 years old? There’s just no effin’ way. Fresh as a handpicked daisy, full of life, and that didn’t change the whole night. It was a really good match with the main course too. Super-generous bring and easily the best of this cuvee I’ve ever had. 91+ The Climens may have nipped it for WOTN, but it would be super-close.

2002 Chateau Haut-Bergey

These just came into our market and I was curious enough to open one. For the C$36 I paid for this, I have no complaints. Requisite small, slightly dry berry fruit is complemented by oak, tobacco and a tiny touch of charcoal. Next day, the fruit has faded some, but it still has very decent structural components. No one is calling this 1989 Haut Brion by any means, but it doesn’t suck and could actually have probably used an hour’s decant. follow-up next day, the structure is still there but the fruit has sort of faded away, not sure what to make of that

2011 Chateau Climens

Opened and then re-capped, with a tiny bit poured off, for 5 days. Gorgeous. This is the Climens I want to have. Ethereally light yet draws your tongue right in at the same time. There is some coconut milk here, but also plenty of ripe yellow fruit and everything in its place. Should last another 30 years at least, I saved some to try again today. And the botrytis is in play… next day, it is for sure the sweetest Climens I’ve ever tried, almost approaching being modestly heavy and the coconut has taken over completely.

2013 Hidden Bench Late Harvest Gewurtz

…as it is with this halfsie that Lynn and Jon pulled. Also delightfully fresh and, kind of pleasantly, moves away from the lychee side and instead there’s sort of a nectarine and yellow plum aspect here. What was really cool—a thing Heather identified for us–was the interaction of both these wines, specifically the botrytis, with the pickled onions. The wines completely absorbed the stringent acidity and tang of the onions. Almost caramelized them, I want to say. It was remarkable. Both wines.

Such a nice night.

Skal

Mike