Our Monday Night Blind Wine Dinner Group enjoyed another fabulous evening with our 5 local members in attendance plus a local, worldly wine savvy, ITB guest.
We had initially assigned 2 to bring a bubbly, 2 to bring a white and 2 to bring a red, but somehow that got confused and we ended up with 1 bubbly, 3 whites and 3 reds.
Nevertheless, it was another fun and educational evening with lots of challenges, some great perceptions and some great wines.
As usual, we were served with class and ate well while reviewing the wines throughout the evening before revealing what was behind the brown bags.
Here’s some notes:
NV FALLET-DART CHAMPAGNE EOCINE EXTRA BRUT- blind; this had a bold yellow color, super active bubbles and major stone fruit aromas with a ginger accent; once tasted, it gave bold, rich, honey baked yellow apple with hints of red cherry and strawberry with a touch of peppermint in the background; later on, some peach and apricot joined in while all of the goodness was being delivered to the back end in a honey like viscus texture; I loved the champagne and due to the color and stone fruit dominance, thought it to be from a 2004 blend with a greater percentage of Pinot Noir and a dosage of 6-8 gpl from a small grower thinking Agrapart or Gosset; this is comprised of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir all from 2009, bottled March 2010, disgorged June 2023 and dosed at 3 gpl.
About EOCENE: “A period in the Tertiary era.
This period, in the Tertiary era, lasted about 21 million years. Characterized by a great diversity of mammals, the Eocene period is also well known for its gasteropods which were very well established. These molluscs took part in slowly creating the sedimentary layers which now makes up our terroir. These stratum, of marine and land origin, are made up of alternating layers of rocks, clay and limestone in which a great variety of fossils were trapped. This authentic terroir of the Marne Valley gives a typical mineral quality to our wines.”
We moved on to blind taste 3 white wines:
2020 JEAN MARC VINCENT LES HAUTS AUXEY-DURESSES- blind; following its light yellow color came mellow and delightful aromas of honey topped fresh citrus fruit with lime and lemon most prevalent later on joined by some nice yellow apple and a streak of minerals; it had a lovely mouthfeel and expressed class and elegance throughout; it was clearly a fine white Burg and once revealed, from a producer I’ve never heard of and a region I’ve had little wine from.
“Anne-Marie and Jean-Marc Vincent inherited most of their vines, principally located in and around the village of Santenay in the southern Côte de Beaune, from Jean-Marc’s grandfather, André Bardollet-Bravard. They produce three premier cru reds and two premier cru whites from Santenay, in addition to a red and a {this} white Auxey-Duresses.”
2017 DOMAINE ROULOT MEURSAULT- blind; this had a clear light yellow color and offered aromas of nice floral and tropical fruit and honey dew melon, all of which continued on to be joined by some fresh kiwi and guava; this was a classy, delicate wine with loads of elegance, integrated oak influence and a super smooth texture that added tactile pleasure to the whole package; as with the wine before it, it seemed apparent that this was another stellar Burgundy; I guessed it to be from around 2015, but had no idea as to the commune; this is a “ blend of multiple lieux-dits (including Meix Chavaux, Vireuils, and Narvaux), all biodynamically farmed. Native yeast fermentation in barrel (15–20% new), full malolactic, aged ~12 months on lees without bâtonnage”.
1994 LOPEZ de HEREDIA VINA TONDONIA BLANCO GRAN RESERVA RIOJA- I chose to pour this blind due to the difficulty in removing all of the wax capsule and not wanting to remove the wire mesh that encompassed the entire bottle [also found on bottles from Marques de Riscal, Muga, Roda and Balgorri and others} as I’ve been told by a LDH representative that it is bad luck to do so before drinking the wine; the orange amber color drew some ahhs, but I knew the winemaking process was in evidence here and to go beyond to get the true essence of the wine; it took most of the group at least 2-3 sips before they started to get it which all eventually did; it sported a nose full of petrol, minerals, butterscotch and orange marmalade and a taste profile that also included a metallic note with coconut butter accents coming in plus a sweetness that emulated lightly dusted brown sugar; once I got the coconut, I knew not to share that since it strongly suggests American oak and the dead giveaway for a Spanish wine; as it turned out, our guest picked up on it and now most were sure this was a Spanish white; it had a super smooth, creamy texture and was delicious; this is a blend of 90% Viura and 10% MalvasĂa Riojana fermented in old (ancient!) oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in well-seasoned American oak barrels for 10 years, racked twice a year. It was bottled unfiltered in March 2005; 12% abv.
BTW, regarding the wire mesh, it was first employed in the 19th century primarily to prevent tampering and counterfeiting. Over time, it has become a symbol of quality and prestige in the wine industry.
While many wineries still use wire mesh, some, like Marqués de Riscal, have started to remove it as part of sustainability efforts.
And now for the 3 reds:
2021 GIROLAMO CALDERARA SOTTANA ETNA ROSSO- blind; this had a medium red purple color and an inviting nose of blackberry and blueberry that received a coat of honey and a sprinkle of bacon bits for more flavor, all of which continued on all the way through; it was creamy smooth which enhanced and served to lengthen the finish nicely; this wine exuded class and top notch wine making skills and I first guessed it to be Guigal La Mouline with the pepper additive so blatant and kiddingly threw out Mt Etna as I was reminded of a recent wine from there that also had that peppery blueberry and blackberry profile, but the defining difference may be the La Mouline’s full body and oily, weighted texture that goes just a bit beyond this wine; this is comprised of 94% Nerello Mascalese, 6% Nerello Cappuccio from the Northern slopes of Etna, aged 16 months in used tonneaux and 6 months in the bottle.
2012 LUCIEN LE MOINE CHARMES-CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU- blind; one nose and it was an easy call, “great red Burgundy here”; a hint of brett, violets, lavender and spicy red raspberry were most prominent aromatically with red and black cherry coming in on the palate; it was full bodied with lots of depth and some weight and in a really good place to please most palates of which, there were 6 on this occasion.
This is not the original bottle. Bc of the deep punt and bottle shape, the label and wine was transfered to this bottle
2009 DOMAINE ROSTAING AMPODIUM COTE-ROTIE {formerly labeled as Cuvee Classique Emporium}- blind; I was pretty sure this was N. Rhone unless another Nerello Mascalese Mt Etna got slipped in with the Peter Piper picked perfect pepper, coffee, black olive and spicy red and dark fruit in the nose and tastes profile; it thought it was younger as the color was a youthful, vibrant, dark red purple, but that only set the stage for the seriousness of the wine that followed; ripe red and black cherry made up the major fruit profile and a smooth texture and long, satisfying finish sealed the deal; this is 100% Syrah sourced from various vineyards in the Cote Rotie.
We are blessed to have so many knowledgeable, wine savvy local friends in this relatively small community and hopefully our format contributed to an enhanced learning experience for him as he and it surely did for us.
Cheers,
Blake
