Whites:
2005 Pépière, Muscadet Granite de Clisson:
Benchmark Muscadet that is drinking well now but has years to go.
If there is a finer grained, more complete, and perfectly balanced young Muscadet that is of its place, I have not had it. Drink or hold.
2007 Do Ferreirio, Albariño Cepas Vellas:
Day one: closed and tight with a shy nose but a palate that seems loaded but pent-up. Good Albariño character but not the depth or intensity that one expects from this bottling.
Day two: more depth and concentration showing but not enough to get a good read. Others with experience think this even better than the 2006 (which is extraordinary in my book) but the jury is still out for me. Hold.
2007 Edmunds St. John, Heart of Gold:
54% grenache blanc, 46% vermentino and 13.3% alcohol.
Day one: although not fully open, much more so than three months ago; this is bright, moderately complex and a terrific wine with food.
Day two: more of the same but still not all it has. Drink or hold.
Reds:
1998 Belle Pente, Pinot Noir Estate Reserve:
I last had this wine five years ago and was a bit frustrated – it really didn’t impress. I was too early to it; now it’s showing some secondary development, much more integrated and has its own distinct personality. It still probably needs a decade to be at peak, but its pretty damn delicious now, well stuffed and nicely balanced. I think this a remarkable effort for young vine fruit that spent 18 months in new wood (which comes across very gentle as this stage). Drink or hold.
2005 Baudry, Chinon La Croix Boissée:
The angriest wine I have had in years. Completely shut down, tannic, brutal in the mouth and way too green. Revisit in a decade, at minimum. Opening this now is a complete waste. Hold, hold, hold.
2000 Hamacher, Pinot Noir:
Sourced from six different vineyards, 13% alcohol:
Day one: no secondary development here but this is silky, balanced, evinces both red and black fruit and finishes as a completely composed wine. Has time left; how much it will develop is the only question. But for now, a really charming and delicious drink.
Day two: a touch of truffle is now a part of the nose which has richened and broadened; likewise in the mouth with a bit of complexity, a little less integrated, a very slight hint of oxidation and mouthwatering acidity; excellent length that is also mouthwatering. A nice wine close to its peak. Drink or hold.
Best, Jim