BBQ wines....

WINE TALK
1

Doug Ackerman and family is in town this week and we’ve had a couple of really nice dinners at my house - one this past Sunday night (Roger, notes pending…) and then again this past Thursday night. I fixed up my famous Carne Asada and we all sat outside - the weather is perfect this week. There was one '96 Chablis bottle that a guest brought - didn’t write down the name unfortunately…

2007 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Vireuils Domaine et Selection This one took the longest to come around but after an hour or so out of the ice bath and opened this was quite nice. Broad shouldered scents of wet stones with lots of floral aromatics. We have several orange/lemon trees around the house and the blossoms are popping out - couldn’t get the idea of orange blossoms out of my head… 91pts.

2008 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Vireuils Domaine et Selection Nice acid profile here - lemongrass, stones, lime cream, and flashes of nice minerality - quite long in the mouth also after it warmed up. 92pts.

2008 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly Cuvée Nicholas Matisse This one had very nice touches of creamy orchard fruits, herbs, and white flowers. Like the '09 - balanced acidity with lots of personality - cuts like steel. 91+pts.

2009 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly Cuvée Nicholas Matisse This was the first gone - this says something! I do think that there are many '09 white burgs that can and will please for several years to come - in '09, PYC killed it. There are layers of integrated fruits here - lovely acid spine - floral with extra dimensions… 93+pts.

2010 Vincent Pinot Noir Armstrong From Doug’s vineyard :O). This had wonderful flashes of earthy and airy black cherry fruit, stone fruits, balanced tannins and acidity. Well made and impressive Doug - will need to get a few!

1995 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Laurence I’ve always wanted to try this one - had the '89 this past month and love the '98/'01. This started off with just a touch of brett - integrated with time. Dried cherry, garrigue, black fruits, fruit cake. Added weight and density as it sat in the glass - black tea with enough palate length to make it absolutely lovely. 93pts.

1996 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes I quite liked this - black and broad shouldered personality. Blood orange, herbs, earthy black cherry with middle weight tannins - touches of tart fruits. Not bad and went well with the Carne Asada. 91pts.

1978 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano We took a trip to pick something out to cap the night - this is what Doug wanted. Black to the core with flashes of ruby red throughout. Wonderful wafts of black earth, leather, asphalt, and flashes of sweet fruits - fruit cake, roses, tart cherry, dried red berries, and plums. Long in the mouth - LOVELY!!! 97pts and ready to go!

2

You’re killin’ me with the 09 WB praises. DO NOT make me revert on my “no 09 whites rule.” Please.

We popped the 07 Domaine et Selection Meursault also! Neither of us enjoyed it too much on night number 1. Carolyn was questioning the purchase and thought it tasted like Aubert - “lots of oak and that buttery thing. No likey” A resident was supposed to come take the remainder of the bottle home, but he flaked so we drank it last night. Or should I say, She drank it. Totally different wine. Nothing profound and I am not sure worth the tariff, but a very nice Meursault without the oaky, buttery tones of the night before. I had one small glass, she drank 1/2 the bottle in about 30 minutes - LOVED it…maybe it is worth the price???

3

Haaaa neener. Try one of the '09 PYC En Remilly bottles and let me know what you think ;o).

4

I’ve had that same rule too for 09 whites and notes like Jonathan’s here and some others I’ve read recently are tempting me to revert also…

5

Stay strong Jedi warrior. resist the power of the dark side. the wines are hot and blowsy like the desert from which he lives.

6

and 2010 is right around the corner! Why waste your hard earned money on 09’s. :wink:

7

We will see Daniel’son - wax on with '10 WBs, wax off with '09 WBs [highfive.gif]. You will know when I know, until then nobody knows… Haaaaaa.

8

Jon,

First of all, my most heartfelt thanks for the ridiculously generous and outrageous nights of food and wine. The Carne Asada was simply the best I’ve ever had, but the Bouef Bourgignon was sick. I could have eaten just that for breakfast, lunch and dinner … for a week, it was that good. The wines were over-the-top and I’m grinning ear to ear just reading your notes, as well as Roger’s on his post.

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessments of the wines, except I liked the 2008 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Vireuils Domaine et Selection quite a bit more (and more than the also delicious 07); I liked the nervous thrust of the wine which played really well off the sweet flowery fruit.

I too preferred the 2009 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly Cuvée Nicholas Matisse relative to the 08, but both were great (at one point you asked me which wine I preferred—I replied “the 08”, but I was referring to the Coche-Dury that was in my glass!).

I thought the 95 Pegau Laurence was spectacular after the funk blew off. While this CdP was quite different from the “typical” animal, sauvage Reservee, which I love, this was a different level. Many luxury cuvee CdPs turn me off with their sheeny, oaky sweetness but everything was balanced and integrated. Terrific.

I thought the 1996 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes had a beautiful nose, but then pretty much caved in within an hour. The palate didn’t quite deliver the promise of the aromatics.

The 1978 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano was a pretty magical bottle. 34 years old? Tasted like it was 10 max. I can’t describe it any better than Jon, that’s for sure.

Glad you liked the 2010 Vincent Armstrong Vineyard–I’ll be sure to let Uncle Vinny know.

Great times!!! And be sure to thank Kelly for putting up with us during such a busy time for your family.

Cheers,