Another installment of our Saturday wine lunch group, with a very loose theme of Burgs.:
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2004 J. Gagnard Chassagne Montrachet Les Caillerots. A weakly lemony nose, and a watery midpalate. Nothing to see here, move along.
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2005 Jobard Meursault Genevrieres. A fair amount of buttered popcorn on the nose, which follows through to the taste. But as the wine aerates, the taste expands to lemon, vanilla, and a bit of smoke. A “yum plus.”
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2002 W. Fevre Chablis Bougros. Lots of lemon and vanilla, with some apple emerging in the nose. The taste is much more oyster shell/minerally. Good fruit/acid balance, but just a touch tart until it warms up a bit. Has the structure to age and improve for at least another 3-4 years. A “wow.”
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1990 Alain Robert Le Mesnil Reserve. We switched over to bubbly at this point. Very aromatic nose of biscuit, caramel, and vanilla. The taste, however, is much sharper/tarter than the nose would suggest. Much more impressive with food. A “yum plus.”
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1988 Veuve Cliquot Rare. Much smoother and rounder than the Alain Robert–you might even say creamy. By itself, much more enjoyable, but still enough acidity to pair with food. A “wow.”
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2005 Meo-Camuzet Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes. A somewhat spicy, peppery cherry quality throughout, with a bit of smoke in the midpalate. Very approachable, and somewhat on the ripe/sappy side. Between a “yum plus” and a “wow” with potential for improvement over the next 5 years or so.
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2004 Melville Clone 5 Pinot Noir. Well, it was very obvious that we have left Burgundy and have ended up in CA. Very ripe cherry/cranberry notes, with a big, rich, ripe midpalate. At 15.9% alcohol, it doesn’t taste “hot,” but the mouthfeel certainly indicates this higher alcohol style (I guessed 15.5%). This is going to be a “love it/hate it” Pinot Noir depending on your stylistic preferences. A bit above the “yum” level for me.
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2003 Esmonin Ruchottes-Chambertin. And then we are immediately jerked back into Burgworld with this wine. Lovely underbrush, earth/funk, and mushroomy qualities throughout. A much more elegant style of wine than the other Burgs, with a lighter weight in the midpalate. Lovely with the mushroom risotto. A “wow” wine for now, and not sure of how much room for improvement there is.
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2003 Pontet Canet Pauillac. A few Cabernet-based wines came out at the end, so I tasted this one. Quite a bit of blackberry and herbs, with a bit of graphite throughout. Still rather tightly-wound, but showing quite a bit of potential, with quite a bit of tannins on the finish. I have to imagine this wine needs at least 5-10 years in the cellar. Just below the “wow” line for now, but I think greater things are in store down the road.
Bruce