Jay Miller had a few members of his Zoom tasting group over this weekend and he was kind to invite myself to join. Proceedings held on the building’s deck and for the most part the rain held off well. As always, the food, wine and company were top notch. I captured most of the wines in passing, sadly ended up missing a few but that happens. This includes two wines served blindly, one was a Chivite and the other an apparently heat damaged older Magdelaine. Also missed a Mencia wine. I move slowly.
2019 Thomas-Labaille Sancerre Les Monts Damnés “Cuvée Buster.” Pale straw hue, a touch flat, weaker rims. Good stone and seashell driven nose, lemony, peach pit sort of fruit, moderate lift, missing some zing. Medium-bodied and fleshy. I find the acidity moderate at best, others disagree. Rose water, damp slate, the salinity helps. Fully ripened peach, apricot, pear fruit with suggestions of cherry. Tightens up well with air time, however, I can’t view the primary material here as particularly ageworthy.
2012 Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie “Butte de la Roche.” Starting to turn a darker golden hue but nowhere near amber or such. Explosively floral nose, stony and sandy dirt, lemon peel, orchard fruit, turns smokier with air, perhaps needs a bit more focus. Full-bodied and very dense, almost flattened on the palate. Quite dry if not overly acidic. Yeasty, particularly as it warms. Basic apricot, peach, apple fruit flavors. Suspect it has more to offer than today, found it to be evasive. And if you did catch it, became taciturn. Maybe in a dumb phase?
2017 Duplessis Chablis Montmains. Shows a greenish yellow hue, almost glowing, good glass presence. Displays ripe peach, apricot fruit in the nose, good smokiness with a sort of “Alpine” breeziness, lemon peel, sluggish like woken from a nap. Light-bodied, the acidity tends to upset it a bit. Lavender, mineral water with cellar aged apple, peach, apricot fruit. Here too it’s laconic and consistently so. Very lemony finish. After just a few sips you know this is a wine made in a deliberate style.
1981 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco. Bright amber color with very nice shine for its age, strongly hued rims. Flor lifted nose, yeasty, shows a smoky metallic side, turns nuttier as it opens up, sort of poached peach, dried apricot type of fruit scents, more integrated closer to room temperature. Medium-bodied, acidic, taut and leaves a tacky dry residue on the tongue. Strong orange, lemon citrus presence. Not much fruit at this juncture, dried apricots, but it was never a focal point of the wine and not missed per se. Pressed flowers, ferrous, pie crust dough, hint of Serrano ham. In no danger of dying, on an indefinite plateau that could see it unchanged for decades. 90% Viura, 10% Malvasia.
There was a 1993 Château Margaux “Pavillon Blanc” which was deemed to be corked, a shame as always when flaws appear. On to the reds.
2004 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine “Cabernet.” Rims ruby-violet yet, more scarlet red along the rims, good clarity, looks like a middle aged wine. High-toned nose with a swift, borderline violent lift, ash, dried bell pepper, crushed stone, good mix of back and red cherry fruit, enjoyable enough that it’s too swiftly paced, you wish it slowed down some. Light-bodied, buoyant acidity with a spicy undertone which at first highlights the bell pepper. Slight turbulence as it opens. Strong white grapefruit bite, tingly. Poor dirt and graphite. Mildly short finish, otherwise it’s about as complete and fully integrated as one could hope for. Unspecified percentages of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon. (Synthetic Cork: Nomacorc)
2004 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Côt [Malbec]. Vivid scarlet-purple coloration, youthful bricking along the rims, clean and no visual weaknesses. The nose at first is a touch feral with meaty and tarry earth accents, savory herbs, stops tapping its toes long enough for the red berry to blueberry scents to gain ground and over time the fruit does win the advantage. Medium-bodied, tangy with fine framing acidity. On first opening the strawberry, raspberry, blackberry fruit sprints out to the lead. Soft grassiness then a white grapefruit burst in the mid-palate. More floral towards the finish. Factoring in the acidity has nice plumpness too which lengthens the finish. Arguably has a little bit of upside yet.
1994 Edmunds St. John Syrah Sonoma Valley Durell Vineyard. Dark purple core with dark red rims, nothing sticks out about it. The nose has a muscular lift, filled in black fruits, rubber band, tree bark and twigs, good overall animality and changes enough sniff to sniff to keep you on your toes. Medium-bodied, the tannin youthful yet, adds to its 'sauvage" profile. Bountiful olives, tar, beef jerky to take attention away from the credible sour currant, plum fruit. Chewy and smoky, very clear in its messaging. Didn’t spend as much time with it as it warranted.
2008 López de Heredia Viña Bosconia Reserva. While clear on the whole has a dark blackish core with blood red rims, not the usual colors you expect with such vibrant shine. Bright red berry in the nose, moments of maraschino cherry, this pierces the omnipresent coconut custard element, touch of menthol and dill, broadens well in the nostrils. Light-bodied, the acidity brings a crisp, penetrating feel to it, albeit by the same token makes it bounce around too much at times. Well mentholated and at least at first too dill dominated for my preferences. Offers abundant creamy oak as counterbalance. Very slowly uncovers a citrus streak and a dry stony earthiness. Day two found the oak much better knit-in with every element more subdued. 80% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 3% Graciano, 2% Mazuelo.
2012 Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny “La Grande Vignolle.” Scarlet to red magenta red surrounds the violet core, unblemished, rims flushed with color. Really billows up through the nostrils, forceful presentation of bell pepper, red currant to red cherry fruit, cigar ash, moments of beef blood, subtler floral mist. Medium-bodied, very collected with both fluidity and grip. The fruit reddish here, not a true match for the brawny tannin. The bell pepper proportionate to the whole. Nice touch of grill smoke. In a good place, my bet is on the tannin so drink up sooner rather than later while the fruit keeps it in balance. (Synthetic Cork: Nomacorc Select700)
2004 Palari Sicily “Faro.” Some purple in the core, broad red rust rims, very filmy which leads to opacity. Medicinal nose, fennel sage, coconut shavings, has cherry, dark berry fruit of moderate intensity, complex in subtle ways but ultimately undone by too much volatility. Light-bodied, offers the same medicinal quality, highly perfumed with pine needles, licorice. Neither acidic nor tannic but quite cleansing. The cherry, red currant, plum fruit lightly roasted, flavorful but not all that juicy. Big, rolling finish. Calmed down some on day two. Certainly not for everyone but I found it ineffably enticing, the same as when I first encountered the bottling many moons ago. Unspecified percentages of Nerello Mascalese, Nocera, Cappuccio, Galatena, etc.
2005 Ch. Musar Bekaa Valley Rouge. Rich purple core, broad reddish scarlet rims, youthful with decent clarity. The nose infused with soy, leather, barnyard floor notes that get close to peanut shells and nail polish, then fennel, plum to cassis fruit, witch hazel, never settles down, same deal on day two. Medium-bodied, fairly tannic. Mentholated and medicinal, black fruits get close to prune, plenty of inner mouth perfume. Damp earthiness, tar and asphalt, peanut shells. The fruit is not the issue, there’s more than enough. While it improves the next day it just can’t shake the uncleanliness to the point you can just relax and enjoy it. Unspecified percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache, and Mourvèdre.
Only one dessert wine which was sorta what it was…
1996 Domaine du Clos Naudin (Philippe Foreau) Vouvray Moelleux. Burnt reddish amber color, not much shine, weaker rims. The nose is a confluence of apricot paste, sauna smoke, pressed flowers and pine sap, softer underlying minerality, it’s clear that it has moved on from its “wow” youthfulness. Medium-bodied, dried out in the way that makes the sugar diminished while not texturally dry. Concentrated, non-juicy nectarine, apricot, pineapple fruit. Dried flowers, molasses, candied orange peel. In that cerebral place now, you appreciate it equally for what it clearly was as for what it is. No need to push it further.
There was no official poll on the WOTN but anecdotally speaking it appears to have been the 2004 Clos Roche Blanche Cabernet. At least Jay was enjoying a paroxysm of joy over it and there was solid choral support.