Our dinner group returned to our default sushi restaurant for another fine evening of fabulous food, wines and fellowship. As ie typical for this venue, we bring champagne, white Burgs and Rieslings to pair:
2012 PIERRE PETERS CUVEE SPECIAL LES CHETILLONS BLANC de BLANC GRAND CRU- I thoroughly enjoyed the first bottle I opened of this a couple of weeks ago and wanted to share it with our group as I discovered it to be extra stellar, at least the first bottle was; this was really good, but no where near the explosive, power laden beauty that preceded it; in so far as full on thrust, power, weight and depth is concerned, this was the antithesis as it seemed to have more finesse, charm and elegance; both bottles were nicely balanced and featured nice citrus notes along with apple, pear and tropical fruit accented by a mild touch of ginger and brioche; I’m still loving this release, but the bottle variation is shocking and I’m not sure which one is the real deal, but I suspect the first one was and I`ll buy more and find out.
NV AGRAPART & FILS TERRIORS BLANC de BLANCS EXTRA BRUT GRAND CRU- this is made of 100% Chardonnay sourced from 20–50-year-old grand cru vines in Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry {see map}; tis comprised of 40% 2014 and 60% 2013 reserves aged in barrel for 6 months; it was disgorged 2 months prior to the release date with a 5g/L dosage; it is unfined, unfiltered and hand riddled; this was very pretty with nice and easy offerings of minerals, chalk and saline infused lemon, lime, green apple and tangerine; I found it to be classy, light in weight, having lots of elegance and very enjoyable.
This house makes 3 non vintage cuvees:
7 Crus- their entry level wine made of 90% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir; derived from 2 vintages and 7 villages; disgorged at 7 gpl
Terriors- as noted above
Complantee- a field blend of 6 varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Arbane, all sourced from Avize; it is also derived from 2 vintages; disgorged at 5 gpl
2016 DOMAINE des ROCHES NEUVES CLOS ROMANS SAUMUR- 100% Chenin Blanc; this was impressive being super creamy and loaded with fresh and crisp slightly mineralized lemon and orange zest with a side of pear and apple; it was so rich and very fulfilling and maintained its focus throughout the evening as confined by repeated visits.
2017 WEINGUT EMMERICH KNOLL LOBNER FEDERSPIEL RIESLING WACHAU- see map and note the label for this Austrian beauty which displays an ornate image of St. Urban, the patron saint of winemakers and vineyards; they do selective hand harvesting, no destemming, skin contact and fermentation with cultured and natural yeast in stainless steel and casks for 5-10 days whereafter the wine spends 3 months on the lees; the nose and taste profile was inundated with mineral infused grapefruit while being delivered in an oily, feel good medium all the way to the back end; it had bright acidity and was in perfect balance and like the Chenin before it, deserved revisiting a few tines.
2016 JJ PRUM WEHLENER SONNENUHR SPATLESE- 8% abv; I’ve had many bottles of this in the last few months and the notes have been very consistent as all have had lovely sweet peach, mango, golden delicious apple, orange and lime fruit accented with minerality from the nose through the tail and gracefully delivered in a smooth, creamy medium that completes the wondrous sensory experience for this gem.
2017 COMTES LAFOND CLOS de la BARRE MEURSAULT- I’ve long been a fan of this release, but it’s been a few years since I had any recent vintage, so this was a real treat especially since it showed beautifully; it’s hallmark may have been its amazing balanced, but it had enticing aromatics, a wondrous mouthfeel and layers of mild citrus fruit with lemon the most prominent, so take your pick as to which attribute wins out; this is a class act.
2015 MOREY-COFFINET DENT de CHIEN CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 1er Cru- who lit a match? There was so much flint in the air when this was passed and poured; its funkiness was mindful of walking down the streets of Amsterdam; well, maybe it was not to that extreme, but there was certainly enough flint and mineral character in this wine to placate all who cherish those notes; amazingly, this skunky, funky, citrus laden wine seemed to balance out and take it to another level of acceptance; the vineyard literally is separated from Montrachet by an 8ft dirt path. You cannot get any closer to it except for Chevalier-Montrachet. Only by picking hairs can you think of their Blanchots-Dessus 1er bottling as a second to Dent de Chien. It lies directly on the southern border of Montrachet but is down a 10-15ft drop next to the road that separates the two.
2017 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY LES COMBOTTES PERNAND-VERGELESSES- I`m usually very perceptive to TCA especially when it expresses as wet cardboard, but I really did not get that much to discard the pour while the others tossed it; even with continued searches, I was happy to receive nice lemon, grapefruit, apple and pear fruit with accents of ginger and spice; it was medium bodied and had a nice oily texture; for me, it definitely was drinkable and enjoyable as I worked beyond the subjective table talk.
NV EMILIO HILDAGO VINA DOLCE NATURAL RIVERO CZ PEDRO XIMENEZ JERES SHERRY- 100% sun-dried PX; 375 ml; 15% abv; dark amber color; aged in 80-100 year old American oak 500 L barrels; this was super creamy maple syrup like in texture and taste; dried raisins, molasses and almond butter also dominate taste profile and it might have been better dispensed via a dropper.
Truth be known, I’m not a big sushi fan so this evening was more about the wines and fellowship and I’m really good with that.
Cheers,
Blake
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