TN: EWG - 2001: A Taste Odyssey - Christoffel,Prum,Pegau,Beaucastel,Chave,Montelena,Yquem,Climens

EWG - 2001: A TASTE ODYSSEY - Conrad Green’s Abode (12/18/2011)

In what has become an annual event the East-side Wine Group makes it’s holiday a look back to the vintage of a decade prior. The chance to look at 2001 made everyone excited at the prospects of possible wines to look at as it seems to be a very good to great vintage in many places. We settled on German Auslese, the Rhone Valley, Napa Cabs and Sauternes for our lineup with a few misfits thrown in for good measure. Predictably we had lots of great wine.

Luckily for all of us, Conrad agrees to host us for our showcase while he and Rick prepare an excellent meal for us. They once again made a meal as good as any we might have in a restaurant but in the cozy atmosphere of Conrad’s home near the kitchen. His hospitality and attention to pairings really make this even shine for all of us. In our joy we immediately begin talking about the next edition.

For this edition I can say I really enjoyed it. Lots of great wine with plenty of variety within each flight. This particularly surprised me among the Auslesen where we seemed to have everything from trocken to something like a late harvest dessert wine. Lots of highlights here and I’m not sure I could pick a WOTN. Narrowly standing out for me would be the Christoffel, Ogier, Pegau, Forman and Climens.

I can’t wait for next year.

Here is the menu which was well thought out and paired very well with our wines. Nice work Conrad and Rick. I’m hoping someone will share some pics of these dishes.

Flight #1: Butter lettuce salad with apple, candied pecans and a buttermilk dressing
Flight #2: Beef Bourguignon
Flight #3: Lamb chop over green lentils and vegetables
Flight #4: Cheese- Colton Basset Stilton (UK), Lou Bergier Pichin (Italy), Andeerer Traum (Swiss) - One of these was replaced by what I cannot remember.
Flight #5: Iles Flottantes


German Auslese
Such surprising variety here. The Christoffel was quite easily drinking the best for me and is already spectacular. The Karlsmuhle was quite a surprise for it late harvest character as well as the Karthauserhof for it’s very dry feel. The Prum clearly needs more time as do most of these. The Diel would be second to the Christoffel for me but it seemed to have barely reached it’s potential. A terrific flight and good pairing. I should mention that our first bottle of Karthauserhof was corked and Conrad quickly grabbed another one so it was an immediate pop 'n pour.

  • **2001 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese **** - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    A wine where I wrote limited notes because it was just so good. Clean nose showing aromas of apple and lots of minerals. A clean palate that is still very young and probably even still hiding a tad. The sugar is well integrated but still noticeable. Impeccably balanced and lovely. Outstanding.
  • 2001 Schlossgut Diel Dorsheimer Pittermännchen Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel - Germany, Nahe
    Still fat fruited on the nose with a lot of apples. Fatter fruited than the Christoffel and in need of more bottle time for its best. Sweet apple flavors with the sugar in reserve. Very nice if still a baby.
  • 2001 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    Bright, tart nose that is light in character. Good dose of effervescence. Very dry with no detectable sugar. I might have guessed a trocken if served blind. Bright and light bodied with tart apple flavors. Fresh.
  • 2001 Mönchhof Robert Eymael Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    Tight nose with some diesel aromas. Big apple flavors and late tartness. A pretty floral character comes out with air. The expression seems to be just coming out of this so I’d leave it be a bit longer. Should be very nice.
  • 2001 Weingut Karlsmühle Kaseler Nies’chen Riesling Auslese Lange Goldkapsel - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    A striking amount of rich golden color. Ripe stone fruits on the nose, mostly apricot. Fat and tangy sticking to the interior of my mouth. Medium sugar and a touch of diesel. This drank like a late harvest wine from another region though I’m not certain I really detected any botrytis characters. A very different expression of German Riesling than I am used to but it was very good. Maybe a touch more acidity would have driven this a bit better but it was very tasty.
  • 2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    There are some mineral qualities peaking out from a the copious sulfur. Very effervescent with a bit of a bite. Clean and light bodied with an oily texture. This is gonna need some time or lots of air. The sulfur did dissipate some with swirling and time but the wine remained a bit inexpressive. Rest.

North vs South Rhone
This was the best food and wine pairing for me. The CdP’s worked great with the Beef Bourguignon. Another great flight from top to bottom without a loser in the bunch. The Ogier and Pegau were drinking the best for me, both being expressive and complex. The Beaucastel was great showing a contrast from nose to palate that was unexpected. The Chave, Janasse and TL were very nice but seemed to be speaking more to their potential.

  • 2001 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Bright, pure fruited, forward nose without much in the way of secondary notes. Never had that experience from this house. The palate is more complex and classic though. Very focused with crunchy acidity. Nicely balanced and clean with medium tannin. Very nice.
  • 2001 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Dark brooding fruit on the nose. There is a lot of dense fruit here. Tight and on the tannic side. This is gonna need more time. Brooding would sum this up.
  • 2001 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Impressive. Classic CdP nose. Deep and great. Complex and lovely palate. Prominent acidity. I’m not the biggest Pegau fan normally but this vintage continues to impress. Terrific.
  • 2001 Tardieu-Laurent Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Spéciale - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Dense almost stewed fruit on the nose with a touch of heat. No secondary notes. Somewhat tight fruited the structure was what really expressed itself. Clean, crunchy acids. Focused in the tannin-to-acid department. Spicy on the finish as well. If the fruit can open up to match that impressive structure this will be awesome.
  • 2001 Michel & Stéphane Ogier Côte-Rôtie Cuvée la Belle Hélène - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
    Very pretty nose that is forward with some nice herbal qualities. Clean, focused palate. Dry finish with focused minerality. The fruit is still a bit tight but there was more herbs here and there. Still lovely if not yet at peak. Excellent.
  • 2001 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
    Complex nose showing baked fruits, asphalt and smoked meats. The fruit here is young and very pretty. Crunchy acids and very clean. There is complexity under it but it is a bit chunky. Extended air would probably smooth it out. Very nice.

California Cabernet
I love Forman Cabs and brought this one. It was my fav on the flight for certain even trying to dampen my bias. It has a long future ahead of it. The Motelena didn’t show as dense as I might have expected but it still carried the classic stylings that I love. With one Bond being corked the other two were quite a contrast. The St Eden showed very oaky and ripe to me. But the Vecina showed as a well put together modern styled Cal Cab showing some balance and complexity. I’m still partial to the classic styles but this surprised me, especially next to the St Eden.

  • 2001 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
    Decanted about 4 hours prior to consumption. Cedary nose with light notes of wood. Lots of focused fruit. Forward acids bringing lovely structure into focus. Notes of cedar and tobacco with hints of brett. Still a bit tight for me but a very nice classic Cab. Will leave my others to rest.
  • 2001 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
    Expressive nose with leafy cedar notes. Expressive palate with long acids and spicy wood on the finish. Somewhat juicy. Love the classic lines and flavors.
  • 2001 Bond Melbury - USA, California, Napa Valley
    Corked.
  • 2001 Bond St. Eden - USA, California, Napa Valley
    Very ripe grapey fruit on the nose with vanilla oak. Very fruity with a round, soft middle. Touch of heat.
  • 2001 Bond Vecina - USA, California, Napa Valley
    Dark fruited nose. More focused that it’s brother with concentrated dark fruits. Clean with tarts acids. Quite different than the St Eden next to it though still in a more modern style than classic. Drank nicely.

Delicious Misfits
Some extras and wines that didn’t fit in the other flights. The '91 Ridge stood out here for me. The baby Bello from a great vintage is always a winner. The Casanova is going to need some time for that oak to integrate. The Tablas Creek was very nicely styled Cal Rhone blend with still primary fruit. This could go a while.

  • 1991 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
    Complex nose with plenty of leafy SCM notes along with pipe tobacco and cigar aromas. Rich yet fresh and clean. Moe leafy notes. I always dig this.
  • 2001 Rutherford Hill Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
    Woody, juicy fruited nose with heat. Fruity, juicy palate that is a bit simple. Not carrying a lot of concentration.
  • 2001 Tablas Creek Founders Reserve - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
    Fresh ripe fruit on the nose. Surprisingly primary. Focused palate with ripe, almost Zin-like fruit. Fresh acids and focused tannin. Nice.
  • 2001 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
    Tight, woody and tannic. This needs lots of air and more bottle time.

Sauternes
My first go with the vaunted 2001 Yquem and it did not disappoint. But the Climens stole the spot light for me. It was just that much more expressive and delightful on the night and that is no slight to the Yquem.

  • 2001 Château d’Arche - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    Nose of baked apricots.Palate of Rich fruit with caramel and nuts.
  • 2001 Château Rieussec - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    Wild nose showing tart apricot and buttery pie fruits. Rich sappy fruit. There is plenty of structure behind it but it will need more time to clean up and integrate.
  • 2001 Château Climens - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
    Complex and rich nose with notes of cobbler. Ripe stone fruits on the palate. Complex, fresh, pretty, focused. Gorgeous. This was shining brightly on the night and out classed the d’Yquem for me. Outstanding.
  • 2001 Château d’Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    Tropical fruits and apricots on the nose. Very focused and well put together. Driving acids behind fat fruits. Pretty with notes of vanilla. Lovely with loads of potential.

Posted from CellarTracker

01 Christoffels are mindblowingly good wines. I’m glad I still have a few more bottles of that 2-star Treppchen Auslese (and some of the Spatlese/Kabinett).

Dang, that’s a helluva tasting! Well done!!! :slight_smile:

Thanks for the nice notes…interesting tasting line up as well.

Personally, I have always preferred the '01 Climens to the Yquem, both great for sure, but I like then Climens slightly more restrained, finer style…

Wonderful write up Cris. Thanks for taking the time and efforts in documenting our tastings. It’s really fun to look back over the years at a journal of our past events. What an overwhelmingly fun night. Despite my excitement and anticipation, I’m never disapponited by our year end tastings nor is it anti-climatic. My favorite wines in each flight were the Karthauserhof Eitelsbacher for its incredible purity and succinctness, the Pegau and Chave because they are awesome-the Chave had the best aromatics for me of any wine on our table, the Forman was just drinking really well with room for improvement, the Ridge was classic old school and the Climens was just well…Climens. The food was superb, the cheese course was incredible and the commradery unmatched. Conrad is the consumate host and Rick was very generous with his contributions. I cannot wait for our '02 tasting which ought to have some Burgundy in there somewhere (I’m sure your salivating now).

This was an amazing dinner and tasting. After the food, the highlights for me were the Rieslings, in particular the Christoffel, Karthauserhof, and the Diel for the whites (how good were these with the salad???!), and the N. Rhones, the Chave and Ogier for the reds which were complex, deep, and very structured, at a great mid-way point in their lives, if not adolescence (exquisite pairing with the Beef and lamb).
Can’t wait for next year!

Love the 2001 Sauternes. Rieussec, Climens and d’Yquem all fantastic; each with their individual style.

We’re doing a small tasting of the 2001 Yquem in about three weeks along with some other 2001 sauternes (Fargues, Guiraud). I’m looking forward to it!

I have had the '01 Yquem 6 or 7 times since release, always very impressive no doubt, but to be honest, I have never really like it, as I found it too over the top, too big and rich and far too oaky…

The last bottle a few weeks ago was by far the best, and it has shown perhaps it is starting to integrate better. It will always be a wine in a bigger, richer style, but I think another 10 years is really needed to see it at anywhere near it’s best…,