Our Monday night blind wine tasting group met for another wonderful evening of fellowship and excellent Italian food and service while exploring 4 wines tasted in a blind format.
As always, it was an educational if not humbling experience for me especially when I had 2 wines from Burgundy when in fact, they were Bordeuax. Here’s some notes:
2008 PIERRE MONCUIT BLANC de BLANC EXTRA BRUT GRAND CRU- served blind to the others; they immediately picked up on the oxidative notes that prevailed in the nose and taste profile although the color was more yellow than gold which suggested to me, although I did not find any information to sup[port this, the producer may have a tendency to give his wines more air, but then again, the vintage was so replete with big and powerful wines, more air would not really be needed; caramel and tangy butterscotch were the first notes that suggested such with tangerine, Meyer lemon, yellow apple, mango and a coat of honey and streak of minerals coming in on the palate; the aromatics were very intense and I had to back off and come in more gently after the first hit; the wine had bracing acidity, depth and loads of energy and provided an aggressive yet fun and interesting experience in this Extra Brut disgorged 11/20 and dosed at 3 gpl. One of the others had it as a 2000 and most had it as a BdB.
2020 DOMAINE GUFFENS- HEYNEN MACON-PIERRECLOS “JULIETTE et les VIEILLES CHAVIGNE”- blind; according to the one who brought it, this comes from a well respected, although new to me, producer who enumerates his various parcels in lieu-dit Chavigne using the phonetic alphabet, in this case, the cuvee was based on fruit from a parcel of almost 20-year-old vines named “Juliette”; it was PYCMesque {Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey} with a nose full of flint and mineral laced citrus fruit and I’m thinking Saint Aubin or Meursault from Comtes Lafon or Chablis from Billaud, Dauvissat or William Fevre; additionally, it gave generous amounts of acid laden sweet lemon and green apple with white peach arriving first in the nose and late on the palate; the oak was nicely integrated and it was very intensely concentrated, yet had enough finesse to lighten up the experience.
About the producer from Ideal Wine: “After studying a year in France in 1976, Maine and Jean-Marie Guffens-Heynen never returned to their native Flanders. Enchanted by the Burgundy vineyard and the land of Vergisson so dear to Lamartine, they cast aside their artistic impulses for the viticulture school of Mâcon. An internship with a producer and here they are now, 3 years later, at the head of a small vineyard in Pierreclos. Domaine Guffens-Heynen was born in 1990; the couple decided to expand their activities and create the Verget trading house in Sologny. Breaking with the Burgundian traditions, they would be the first to buy white grapes from the best domaines of Mâconnais, Côte d’Or and Chablisien. The wines are then vinified, aged and then marketed under their own name; excluding trading, the Domaine Guffens also produces Mâcon-Pierreclos, Saint-Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé, and since 1997, VDP of the Vaucluse of the Domaine des Tourettes. Against all odds, these “philistines” mastered the art of Chardonnay, respected by all (including the greatest of the Côte de Beaune), praised by critics, sought after by connoisseurs. The wines from the Mâconnais and the Luberon have acquired a solid reputation; cuvées polished like diamonds, always very pure, and both rich and tense.”
1982 CHATEAU L’EGLISE CLINET POMEROL- blind; 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc; opened and poured at the table; the color was a medium dark red purple with a bit of bricking and the nose offered burnt dark red cherry notes with spice and talc in the background which continued on once tasted with more red and black cherry fruit showing up; the burnt toast accent and fruit profile suggested red Burgundy to me; it was definitely fruit forward and seemingly needing more time to balance out although it was a real treat at this stage; I was all over the place with the vintage too, first thinking this might be from the early 2000s, but the bricking and mature fruit said it was older and I eventuality called it 1982 once hearing the other 2 pronouncing it was Bordeaux. Loved it.
1994 CHATEAU MONTELENA CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA VALLEY- blind; this had just bit more color and seemed bigger, more intense and more complex than the first wine {1982 L’Eglise Clinet} as well as being more balanced with everything integrated and in order; it was super smooth, fully loaded, full bodied with layered complexity and finished with a climactic conclusion with everything coming together perfectly; I got cedar and talc accented red and black currant and started thinking this is a Cabernet Blend, but never convinced myself enough to move away from Burgundy. Regardless, this was absolutely fabulous and one of the best wines I’ve had in a while.
I arrived with a smile on my face and left with it being just a bit bigger. This is so much fun and the educational aspect serves my yearn to learn and it is made easier by like minded friends who share in the delight of exploring and learning about all things wine while we delight in the foods of the table.
Cheers,
Blake
