TNs: 2002 Copain PN Cerise, 2009 Mayacamas Chardonnay

WINE TALK
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Quick notes on a couple of wines I opened at home with the kids tonight, while my wife is off playing Bunco with ladies from our Parish and school. I sent her off with a lovely bottle of 2009 Ketcham Estate Pinot Noir RRV to drink with her friends.

2009 Mayacamas Chardonnay Mt. Veeder. I’m the board’s #1 cheerleader of the Mayacamas chardonnay, which is inexpensive ($25-30), ageworthy, complex and restrained. Having said that, the 2009 is below average for this wine, at least as of this bottle and the last one I opened. A good wine, but lacking either the vibrancy or complexity of most other vintages, at least at the moment. More good / solid than superb. My guess is that 2010 (which just hit the shelves) and then 2011 will be better vintages for this great wine.

2002 Copain Pinot Noir Cerise Vineyard. I just opened this 45 minutes ago, and the penultimate bottle of mine a couple of years ago was very slow to open. It’s a beautiful bright but transparent ruby color. The nose is all mineral and pine, no real fruit peaking through. For a split second when it hits your mouth, you sense the berry fruit shining though, but it quickly clamps back down to soil, mineral, and light pine and herbs. No oak is present anywhere. The finish is astringent and drying, like a too-young Barolo. For now. This is not so pleasurable at the moment, but certainly interesting. I’ll let the rest of the bottle get some air and come back, remembering how much my last bottle improved with air.

This is from before Wells’ much-discussed stylistic change (maybe after the 2004 or 2005 vintage?), but it’s listed at 14.2% alcohol and is quite savoury and acidic, so this is hardly a goop-monster either.

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Wells’ stylistic “change” actually occurred with the 2006/2007 vintage, depending on variety. But I agree, his earlier wines were never part of the big fruity style of Pinot of the likes of Loring or Kosta Browne. I haven’t tasted the '02 Cerise in quite a while, sounds like decanting might be a good idea. Thanks for the note.

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The Copain evolved a great deal over the evening. The second turn was rather Piedmontese, with some violets and dried roses, a bit of tar, and still high acids, though the berry fruit (very much in the background) was more purple than the red I would associate with Piedmont.

It was best after several hours of being open. The fruit became more noticeable, though it was always mostly concealed by the mineral, earth and pine, and the wine became spicier.

I don’t think this would be much of a hit with civilians, but it had a lot of cerebral interest. I wish I had waited to open it with the esteemed Frank Murrray III, who would have really dug it.

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Esteemed or steamed…both work. And Bennett, too–good to see you here.

Counselor, I didn’t play in older vintage Copain pinot all that much, as I started with their syrah. I like the flavor profile you have indicated…is this your last one? What do you have in terms of older Copain pinot?

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Not that you are asking me Frank, but I still have a bottle each of the 2004 Hein Family and Hacienda Secoya, and a couple of the 2006 Monument Tree, and 2 plus cases of assorted pre-2007 syrahs