Monday 11/3 went to dinner with a work client (well, friend) and two of his friends and a colleague from where I work. Had a good time, low corkage always a plus.
2017 Pascal Agrapart Chardonnay, Champagne, Minéral Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut (12.5%). Bright gold, clear as stream water, moderate shine, attractive overall. Pleasing nose of apple and pear fruit, strong lemon zest, some chalk dust, touch of croissant, round and easygoing. Medium-bodied, abundant bubbles that provide a gentle lift off the palate. Stronger minerality here to pair with the chalk. In turn more apricot than pear/apple, welcome tartness. Acidity is normal. Pretty much complete. (Disgorged September 2023)
2002 Louis Latour Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Corton, Château Corton Grancey (14.0%). Youthful violet-ruby, super clean and trim, bright, not seeing much age at all. Smoky, almost roasted, nose, cherry to dark raspberry scents, arguably plummy, then potpourri, more primary than evolved, nothing tertiary going on. Medium-bodied, tart with a lot of acidity and firming tannin. Zippy cherry, raspberry, blackberry fruit. Lemon and stone, vague earthiness. Unevolved here too with a truncated finish. Grapes sourced from Les Bressandes, Les Perrières, Les Grèves, Le Clos du Roi.
1998 Bartolo Mascarello Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Barolo (14.0%). Dusky purple core, thin if peppy bricking rims, doesn’t come close to looking its age. Lifting nose, herbs, menthol, wildflowers, matted straw and tar, touches down gently as it dissolves. Full-bodied and a few sips felt on the heavy side. Tannin fully resolved, just about no acidity. Tea leaf, pressed roses, tar, cedar nice array of developed flavors. Going past the mid-palate the weight persists as the flavors lift and drift off. This is the time, not going to get any better. 1.5 liter bottle.
2013 Stella di Campalto Sangiovese, Tuscany, Brunello di Montalcino, Riserva (14.5%). Vibrant, budding violet-ruby, broad magenta rims. Nose offers celery, sage, alongside vivid cherry fruit, licorice, great erect posture and active, more leather over time, doesn’t seem to have been altered by the hands of time while it didn’t seem in terms of “primary” to me either (that is, fruit-driven). Medium to full-bodied, savory and tannic. Here it shows more fruit dependent, serious amount of red cherry, blackberry fruit with a tart twist. Balanced out by leather, tar and black earth, remarkably clean given the secondary aspects. Long, smooth finish, I’d give this ample time to see where it goes. 1.5 liter bottle.
Got 4.5 hours of sleep. Bonus.
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This past Saturday 11/8 had the same colleague over to finally hang out with our mutual wine biz pal, Charlie Woods. My friend Gary joined in. The weather was surprisingly nice here in Northern New Jersey so we were able to sit outside all afternoon into the evening.
2012 Marie-Noëlle LeDru Pinot Noir, Champagne, Cuvée du Goulté Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut (12.0%). Light mousse, deepening gold color, mild pétillance. Vinous, tight nose, crisp apple and pear scents, stripped down chalk and minerality, after that not much of note just serene and collected experience. Medium-bodied, tingle gives it spryness. Acidity adds bounce, not arch. Very fine chalk dust dominates. Angular apple, pear, peach fruit accompanied by zesty orange, lemon citrus. Air didn’t change over a course about two hours. Excellent today, I wouldn’t want to do anything to throw the balance off.
2002 F.X. Pichler Riesling, Austria, Wachau, Loibner Loibnerberg, Smaragd ($49.99, 13.5%). Fully bronzed color, on the dull side and glazed, yellowed rims that fade out. Pie crust and rubber leap out first in the nose, concentrated pineapple and apricot scents, catmint, balsam, not all that much separation and clarity opting instead for power. Full-bodied, acidity is adequate not more. Here spiced orange and grapefruit shine most, pushing the fruit into second place. More of the expected doughiness which comes with age. Still overall tropical. Savory herbs. Does open with air, thought about decanting. Sticks around well through the finish. Very good, not great, likely 5-6 years past apex. That’s the way things go.
2013 Eva Fricke Riesling, Rheingau, Lorcher Schlossberg, AP #14 (11.5%). Darkening gold with a greenish tint, layered and solid. Massed nose of rubber, tangerine, pineapple to mixed orchard fruit, light milkiness, the layered feel in the nostrils persists without negatively impacting liveliness. Feels close to full-bodied and uses its heft well to create a sense of movement. The acidity restrains the depth of the tropical fruit. Topped off by pink grapefruit and honey. Not a subtle wine and not all that dry. Rainbow of flavors, a happy wine.
1999 Denis Bachelet Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Gevrey-Chambertin, Les Corbeaux, Vieilles Vignes ($49.99, 13.5%). Moderate amount of purple left, darkened by crimson, good vigor for its age, pushes nicely into the rims, semi-gauzy. The nose comes at you flat and low, like the running back is hitting the A gap, spicy, dark fruits, tilled earth, not so minerally, airy smokiness, tar, forest scrub, vague orange peel, never develops a lift. Medium-bodied, chewy tannin has it grind against the palate. acidity counters this to middling effect. Leathery, tarry, earthy, all of it supports the tannin’s direction. Coats things cheek-to-cheek. The blackberry, black cherry fruit holding on admirably. Excellent length. Air really helped but didn’t want to decant and lessen the power. Catch it now.
1999 Catherine et Claude Maréchal Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Pommard, La Chanière ($35.99, 13.0%). Pale, transparent throughout, barely any purple in the core, all rust red, slight switch into more orange and yellow at the rims. Nose of minerally earth, iron flecks, decomposing old wood, pine sap, smoked grill fat, once you get used to it the core of cherry fruit enunciates clearly, just beautiful. Light-bodied, the tannin continues to frame it whilst (cool to say that) the acidity nudges it forward. As a result, given the body it’s grip is tight. More forst wood, smoke, and meatiness. Less ferrous thus the the cherry, raspberry fruit shows earlier. Plenty of inner mouth perfume. About as tactful a finish as it can muster. Damn this is good, why did I only buy one bottle? Eff me.
2004 Domaine de la Pousse d’Or Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Corton Clos du Roi ($82.99, 13.0%). Surprisingly blackish red ore the rims a deep sunset orange, visually I’d guess about middle-aged. Heavy set, plummy nose, good spiciness, fluffy and meadowy florality, appealing smokiness, some blackberry to that plum, open and welcoming. Full-bodied, heavily layered with abandon, once it sits down it doesn’t want to move. Lavender led floral musk. Rawhide leather. Same sort of plum, boysenberry fruit. Not nimble, not clumsy. The acidity keeps it this side of overripe. Long, buoyant finish.
1963 Dow’s Portugal, Douro, Vintage Port (20.0%). Cloudy ruby red even after decanting, I’d say opaque, definitely looks younger. Nose of nail polish then golden raisin, date as well as nutmeg, fennel, pressed flowers and walnuts, stays high-toned and curiously unevolved. Medium-bodied, slim and freshly fluid. The acidity is kicking ass and taking names. Typical date, raisin, fig, sweet with a lighter degree of concentration. Menthol driven finish, so well balanced. Jaysus. Unspecified percentages of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, etc.
Had a bottle of Lagier-Meredith as it got colder and then the heater ran out of propane. With everyone gone popped a beer and tried to watch the Hurricanes football game on DVR and passed out on the couch. But, hey, they won.