August 2020 has been a great month for me. It is the month when I got my Coravin and invested in some classic representatives of style or region to help me grow my palate while isolating at home. It is also the month when I finally found a new job for a Marketing agency and balled some money on Krug. This last weekend especially has seen an abundance of riches that I won’t forget for a while. All the good vibes sparked me into writing – I hope you’ll enjoy my first official notes!
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2010 Domaine Yves Cuilleron Côte-Rôtie Terres Sombres - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (23/08/2020)
My first Cote-Rotie – I snatched this up for cheap at an online auction and only later found out how much it was retailing for due to the strong vintage. This is in a beautiful spot right now; tannins have receded, the structure is great, and the wine shows good typicity.
On the nose, you get olives, wild meat, some barnyard, red fruits, dark fruits, pepper. In the mouth, the wine is consistent with the aromatics, carrying over some of the olive tapenade, meat gaminess, and red/blue-berry fruit with good body and persistence. A great vintage indeed.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 162eme - France, Champagne (23/08/2020)
My first Krug – and nothing can properly prepare you for it. I have to admit that I didn’t get it at first: the power and richness, the mid-palate Druck, the secondary and tertiary notes. Where were the bright fresh fruits, the floral notes, the light autolysis, and freshly-baked bread notes?
Once you make peace with it though, and the temperature increases, the wave of pleasure is as hedonistic as it gets. Krug is all about the nutty umami flavors and this 162eme wasn’t different. From dried nuts – walnuts, hazelnut, chestnuts – to lees influences – sourdough bread, rolled oats, brioche – to bottle age – sugar barley, brown butter, baked apple – this is unique and mesmerizing.
I tried pairing it with truffle and mushroom pasta and I am very glad that I did. When pairing think about what you would eat in Autumn and it’ll be hard to go wrong.
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NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (23/08/2020)
A fantastic Champagne for the price and one I recommend without hesitation. Vilmart Grand Cellier interplays flower aromatics, lactose notes, and fruits, both citrus and pome. Think fresh butter, buttermilk, cream, white flowers, lemon, pear, all in a cohesive, delicious core, supported by an acidic and mineral backbone that will let it age forever. -
2003 Château Rieussec R - France, Bordeaux (22/08/2020)
My first Sauternes. A treat to remember. Highly complex and evolved, the 2003 Rieussec is a compendium of richness and hedonism. With its waves of honey, molasses, caramel, butterscotch, walnuts, and orange marmalade, this paired beautifully with our burnt basque cheesecake. I’d highly recommend trying that pairing. -
2016 Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein Uhlen Roth Lay Riesling Uhlen - Roth Lay Grosses Gewächs - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (22/08/2020)
Accessed with Coravin. Rich, intense, and creamy. On the nose, ripe tropical fruits like pineapple and guava intermingle with plastic toys and wet slate. On the palate, this is a satisfying and mouth-filling wine, of good power, releasing lemon custard, salt, tropical fruits, and even fresh herbs. In short: tropical fruits and umami.
I prefer this served at a slightly cooler temperature than the style and richness would suggest, to keep it from becoming too rich, and maintain the elegance and acidity. It paired perfectly with a chicken and chickpea curry.
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2017 Clonakilla Shiraz - Viognier - Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Canberra District (22/08/2020)
This is a nice wine and a diametric opposite to the big, bold Australian Shiraz. However, I disagree that this wine has much Old World in it, as other reviewers write, and, at least at this stage, it doesn’t deserve the high scores it is seeing.
I tasted it next to a Cote-Rotie and the aromatics were lighter and more perfumed, showing crunchy red fruits, white pepper, flowers, and some new oak, sweet vanilla influence. On the palate, the wine has pronounced acidity, great core cranberry, yet is missing some of the earthier, meaty complexities of the Cote-Rotie. All in all, a good drop with a bright future ahead, but I would wait for the acidity to subdue and more layers to develop, as it is still quite primary.
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