Short trip back to Montreal (Last post)

[Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r]

We’re back in Montreal for a too short visit as we also need to hop in Boston before going back to France.

Since we won’t be able to see all family and friends, we privatized a bar towards the end of our stay and invited everyone. Don’t expect TNs from that night as what we’re offering as opening cocktail is punch served out of fishbowls . But leading to that night, I have drunk and will drink a few bottles from the cellar.

NIGHT 1

Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault Le Meix Sous Le Château 2017
Everything I wanted out of this. Citrus, Granny Smith apple, green almonds, butter and slight vanilla cream on the nose. Great concentration on the palate, chewy with a little fattiness to it and then it hits with a great citrus and mineral streak to balance everything out. I don’t see any reason to wait any longer on this if you want this ideal balance to it. Lovely wine.

Domaine Rapet Beaune 1er Cru Les Bressandes 2012
Pretty amazing nose on this: red berries, intense florals, some earthiness and sweet spices. It also drinks well but the palate doesn’t quite do justice to the nose: red tart berries, forest floor and spices with proper acidity a little bit of texture from the tannins. This is drinking at peak for me. Also a lovely wine.

Michel Mallard Ladoix 1er Cru La Corvée 2012
Where the Rapet was typical Beaune, this drinks more like a Côte-de-Nuits. More dark than red berries, some dark roasted coffee and oak spices. Round and full of fruit with a good tannic bite and bright acidity leading to a long finish. This still needs time to integrate the oak and show some tertiary notes. Could be very good in 5 to 7?

NIGHT 2

Samuel Billaud Chablis 1er Cru Montmains 2017
Good Chablis. Rich nose with tropical fruits and some crushed stones. The palate opens on ripe citrus but then it’s all freshness from the iodine and crushed stones. Mouthwatering finish from that mineral goodness. So easy to drink and wide open.

Gini Soave Classico Superiore Contrada Salvarenza Vecchie Vigne 2016
Good followup to the Chablis. Golden color. My limited experience with this cuvée has taught me that it needs a few years to integrate the oak. This is drinking very well right now with the vanilla just peeking through and not overpowering the nose nor palate finish. Pear, ripe citrus and a little tropical fruits, white flowers and that slight vanilla. The palate shows great texture: plenty of dry extract, rich and fatty but also good citrusy acidity and salinity on the finish. This could keep going but it’s entering “my” drinking window.

Contino Rioja Gran Reserva 2008 and 2010
The 2008 is ready to go: the dill has disappeared and the oak is now all warm spices and slight torrefaction. Plums, leather, tobacco, ripe red berries and some dustiness. Good balance with plenty of acidity, the tannins are “enrobés” and the finish goes on and on. This was a winner with braised lamb, aligot and flageolets.

The 2010 however is not ready. The oak is still a little too prominent, the tannins could resorb a little bit and it’s mostly fruit and oak at this point. This could still need quite a bit of time (10 to 15?). It’s got all it needs to age well and turn into something quite enjoyable (it might remain bigger than the 08 though).

NIGHT 3

Happening later tonight. Notes to come.

[Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r]

We cruised through all 4 bottles over a selection of plates at L’État-Major in Eastern Montreal: PEI oysters, sweet potato and macquerel accras, Boudin noir, salmon tartare and duck tataki as starters. Elk steak, macreuse de boeuf, homemade pasta with chorizo and shrimps and pork tomahawk chop for mains. We finished it all off with a crème brûlée, homemade donuts with salted butter caramel and pavlova.

I told the boys I wasn’t hungry before we ordered. Apparently, I was ignored…

Domaine Servin Chablis Premier Cru Montée de Tonnerre 2017
Textbook Chablis with beautiful depth and a long mineral finish. Good wine from a good vintage. Sadly my last bottle.

Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Clos du Meix 2019
Diam 30.
This was not open for business. The dominant struck match note stayed on for the entire meal (more than 4 hours) even though I carafed it. Still, I dig reduction so I soldiered on: bright citrus and slight mint/licorice and honeysuckle. Medium body, medium acidity with a chewy mineral finish with an agreeable bitterness. This should improve over time.

Benjamin et David Duclaux Côte-Rôtie La Germine 2012
While this was more red-fruited than my previous bottle in 2021, it’s still the red meat/blood/iron notes who dominate here. Lighter styled Côte-Rôtie with plenty of acidity and a peppery finish. This bottle also showed some oak spices and coffee on the nose and on the finish. Good.

Ca’Marcanda Magari 2012
Last and best bottle of this. It’s now come into it’s own. Dark cherry, blackberries and damson plums, star anise, tobacco and warm leather. It’s round and plush but keeps away from the dark side of the force with bright acidity and engaging tannins. Long finish. Good wine and a very good match with the macreuse.

The other two wines were for my wife’s night out:

Lunae Colli Di Luni Etichetta Nera
All I got from the ladies on this was: good, tropical, citrusy and better when colder.

Château de Fonbel Saint-Émilion 2010
My wife’s assessment: good. Her best friend’s assessment: still too young.

[Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r]

A couple from Tuscany with Moussaka.

2016 Mauro Vannucci Piaggia Riserva Carmignano
Enjoyable supertuscan. Nose of red berries, nutmeg, earth and tobacco. The palate brings forth darker berries but with good acidity. The oak appears on the finish. Tannins are starting to integrate. Easy drinking and a good food companion. Good.

2016 Caprili Brunello di Montalcino
Meh. Dark fruits, mocha, earthy notes. Tannins are still dominant. Enough acidity to keep going. The alcohol shows up on the finish. I’ll hold my other bottles but this is not hinting at greatness.

[Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r]

Lunch with @Peter_Chiu at Tian Fu yesterday. It had been a while since we got together so this was a special time.

Cédric Bouchard Côte de Val Vilaine
2015 base with an April 2017 disgorgement.
Light golden color. Enticing nose with ripe pear, some red apple and berries, mandarine, sweet spices and toasted hazelnuts. The effervescence has tamed a little which provides for the perfect lift to this wine. Good concentration with high acidity. It drinks lovely right now.

Drouhin Corton-Charlemagne 2000
There was no doubt from the nose or color that this was a wine with age. However, this was still very much alive and got better with air. Poached pear, slight vanilla cream and honey. This is on the decline but was not oxidized, just mature.

For the first 2 reds (blind), Peter’s theme was: same producer; same vintage year and same AC.

Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin 2019
Right away this “pinottes”. On the red berry spectrum with delicate spices and some florals. The oak is not obtrusive and this is already well balanced. I thought 2017 maybe Chambolle.

Famille Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin La Gibryotte 2019
It screamed young Côte-de-Nuits to me but I called 2018 Marsannay. This was black-fruited with a lot of structure. Not yet ready and it could age quite a bit. I would revisit this no earlier than 7 years.

0 for 2 on my guesses.

The second flight’s theme was: same producer; same vintage year and different AC.

Pierre Damoy Chapelle Chambertin 2013
As Peter was pouring this I could see this had a little more age. The nose was all Burgundy. The first sip brought the Grand Cru designation to mind. I thought 2014 and I couldn’t get the producer. Absolute stunner of a wine in a vintage that is often overlooked.

Pierre Damoy Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Tamisot 2013
Tough to follow the Chapelle Chambertin but this was a good wine in its own right. Still plenty of concentration and acidity here. Earthy and mineral. This is a serious Gevrey.

Just because I had brought another bottle we decided to have a quick sip to see how it showed:

Henri Boillot Meursault 1er cru Les Poruzots 2018
Same as the Lamy last week, this exhibited too much reduction. Maybe my tolerance to struck match aromas is dwindling down. Behind that reduction was a beautiful white with some tropical fruits, ripe citrus, green almonds and nice rich vanilla notes. Chewy with a long mineral finish.

This was a great lunch with great people. These are special occasions to remember. Cheers !

[Peter_Chiu]

Thanks for posting.

I was planning to do the 2nd flight red of 4 Damoy from vintage 2013 - Clos Tasimot; Chapelle, Chambertin and CdBeze.

But we did not have enough participants.

[Peter_Chiu]

Phil …I am getting old and my memory is not like before.

During the off-line evening, I only remembered what J. Morris said in his book : 2nd Edition of Inside Burgundy - page 222 - that Pierre Damoy called his Chapelle-Chambertin : The Musigny in Gevrey.

Damoy owns 2.22 ha out of a total of 5.49 ha.

If you are interested, here is what Bill Nanson said in his Book : Fine Burgundy - page 106 -

***That he found Damoy’s Marsannay Longeroies and Gevrey Clos Tamisot to be really superb wines. The Gevrey is the more profound, with aromas that would be a match for many premier crus, it is clearly a village wine from a flavor perspective - but no shame here. It is equally tough to point you to the perfect grand cru in the range. The Chapelle-Chambertin is from the heart of the original vineyard; aromatically in hints of Chambolle that of Gevrey, but it is true Gevrey in its youth. His approach is to wait 15 years then prepare to be wowed.

Here is what Remington Norman reported in his book - The Great Domaines of Burgundy - 3rd Edition : page 23.

*** Of the 3 grand-crus, Chapelle-Chambertin’s stony soil makes for an intense, elegant wine. This one is Pierre’s avowed favorite because it manages to combine quintessentially the opposite qualities of power and finesse. a very opulent, super-concentrated nose, which leads to an equally rich and potentially complex palate, altogether a wine of real depth and class which is well take a decade to harmonize and evolve.

[Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r]

Last chapter before flying back to France:

Pierre Péters BdB Grande Réserve
Base year 2016. Disgorged 12 May 2020. Good QR code for the authenticity but then again, who would counterfeit this? This normally sees about 5g/l dosage. All GC from Cramant, Avize, Le Mesnil and Oger with 20% Réserve perpétuelle.
The nose is more toasted and pastry than fruit but the ripe citrus still shows up. Creamy mouthfeel with a spicy mid-palate and slight citrus acidity cut. A little flabby to my taste tonight and missing personality.

Gilbert Picq Chablis 2018
The nose is Chablis, the body is 2018. Nice nose of ripe citrus bordering tropical but not quite getting there. Plenty of iodine/sea shell in there. The body is missing freshness though. Good material, plenty of length for a village but it’s missing that mineral/salty cut that I’m looking for.

0 for 2 but i don’t feel like a loser. We got to the bottom of both bottles without effort .