Our wine tasting group, Los Amigos del Vino, enjoyed a super fine evening in the stately home of one of our members whose house is in Hope Ranch and sits high up with stellar views of ocean and mountains when the fog is not present which occurred soon after our arrival. Each month, our group is hosted by a different member and the theme is left up to their discretion. In this case, the theme was a very creative Champagne or a varietal that makes up Champagne from France and <$60. To accompany a feast of quality appetizers and fresh made hot quesadillas with homemade salsa and guacamole, we blind tasted 16 wines after 2 wonderful starter bubblies.
Starters:
2002 DE MERIC CUVEE RENE SOUS BOIS PINOT MEUNIER- 100% Pinot Meunier; everyone who drinks Champagne with PM in the blend should drink one made 100% with this varietal to get the input it has; its obvious why there is a limited amount usually blended into the mix with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; its pretty concentrated and bold and has an abundance of acidity; by mid palate, this one hit all the right spots with a creamy stone fruit character along with some lemon orange and honey dew melon; all this comes after an initial almost oxidative nose and entry.
2002 FRANCK BONVILLE BdB- 1.5L; new producer to me, this is wonderful bubbly and a phenomenal QPR; it`s very balanced and has a full body and enough complexity to support the fresh, rich lushness; it had a toasty citrus fruit profile and just continued to give and give; this mag was drained.
FIRST FLIGHT OF 3 SERVED BLIND:
NV LAUNOIS LE MESNIL RESERVE BdB- I`ve enjoyed a few bottles of this wine and many others from this producer and continue to be impressed; this was elegant, balanced and beautifully expressed bubbly; loved the acidity and citrus laden fruitiness; a winner and strong candidate for a house Champagne.
2002 VEUVE CLIQUOT BRUT ROSE- oxidative nose followed by some toasty and slightly oaky red fruit with a bit of nuttiness; strange profile for this usually classy rose.
NV HENRI ABELE BRUT ROSE- lightly colored pinkish rose with a ginger spiced strawberry flavor that pleases; pleasant, not serious; easy to drink and quite refreshing when chilled.
2ND FLIGHT OF 4 BLIND:
2002 LA CHABLISIENNE GRAND CUVEE 1er Cru- from a coop, this offered lots of minerals along with some grassy and musty notes, finishing quite dry.
2001 DESERTAUX FERRAND LES BOUCHERES MEURSAULT 1er Cru- loved this out of the gate; soft and lush and elegant carrying a light toastiness melded into nice citrus, especially Meyer lemon all the way through a long finish; a consensus #1 in the flight and a top WOTN.
2011 BOUCHARD MEURSAULT- kind of a big wine with full on fruit and floral notes that unfold in layers; nice minerality; great mouthfeel.
2011 ALBERT & PATRICIA de VILLAINE BOUZERON- made from Aligote Dore and imported by Kermit Lynch, this winner has aromatics of floral and ripe apple/ pear all carried onward in a pleasing texture; its pretty and refined.
3rd FLIGHT OF 4 BLIND:
2011 CHATEAU des JACQUES [LOUIS JADOT] MORGON- made from Gamay, this got better and better in the glass, starting out somewhat tart and dry and moving into a more pleasing fresh red fruit character with an emphasis on red cherry and a vanilla topping.
2010 DROUHIN CHAMBOLLE MUSIGNY- silky smooth, this had a very robust red and black fruit profile that was nicely spiced and full of minerals; some smoke shows up about mid palate and dissipates at the end.
2008 ALAIN HUDELOT-NOELLAT CHAMBOLLE MUSIGNY- this was my fav in this flight as it blessed us with very tasty spicy red cherry/ berry flavors that went on and on; nice balance and good acidity are hallmarks of this very good wine and one of the better on this night.
2011 SIMON BIZE SAVIGNY les BEAUNE les BOURGEOTS- another village wine with an abundance of dried fruit along with some stiff tannins which contribute to a drier, more astringency by mid palate.
4th FLIGHT OF 5 BLIND:
2006 DOMAINE BERNARD GRAS PERNAND des VERGELESSES- on the light side of things, some spice and a bit tart strawberry/ raspberry notes drying up by the finish.
2009 DOMAINE ALBERT BICHOT du CLOS FRANTIN les MUROTS GEVRY CHAMBERTIN- some toast, wood oak, mint and smoke inundate the ripe fruit notes; OK Pinot.
2005 ?- Corked!
2001 WILLIAMS SELYEM HIRSCH VINEYARD PINOT NOIR- 14.2% alc.; a ringer from our host; some nail polish remover= volatile acidity reduces the more pleasurable spicy ginger apple sauce notes which prevail; I drank it full well knowing the flaw and was grateful it did not dominate.
2006 LOUIS JADOT CORTON les GREVES- this Grand Cru, gave up some nice clove infused ripe red currant and berries with a lot of complexity and depth; pretty big and bold and a little out of balance.
The combination of fellowship, an amazing spread of appetizers, the magnificent home and its views and some decent wines made for a very fine evening. Our host was so gracious and accommodating and is to be commended for taking such great care of us.
Cheers,
Blake