I almost pulled an Enfield Citrine tonight but opted for a different producer when I saw your note. While I too found out about Enfield here in Berserkers it was also here where I first learned of Walter Scott. I’ve really been impressed by these Chards and tonights wine did not disappoint.
2019 Walter Scott Chardonnay Cuvée Anne - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/18/2023)
Pale straw color, slightly reductive nose with some grapefruit and quince. More quince and/or under-ripe green apple and a dash of honey. Lip smacking acidity and a steely minerality. This would go well with shellfish but tonight it gets chicken pot pie.
Last night, a small group met to blind taste “value champagne.” One of the bottles I brought was Pierre Trichet L’Authentique Extra Brut, influenced by @D_Pennet’s severalposts. His recommendation of L’Authentique influenced me to purchase Perre Trichet’s Grand Cru La Puissance, which I really enjoyed.
L’Authentique is a blend of 53% PM, 24% PN, 23% Chard, from many plots just South of Reims. No disgorgement date. Dosage 4g/L (I found the number online, so who knows whether it applies to this bottling)
Light yellow color, med-strong mousse, but the bubbles all but disappeared in minutes. Nose of white peach and white flower (one attendee described it as honeysuckle). The initial taste of lemon and a bit of unripe nectarine dissipates very quickly, leaving a hollow and bitter mid palate. Long-ish, one-note finish of citrus pith. At the end of the evening, this bottle had the most left remaining in it, while others had less than an ounce. I re-tasted today to make sure the setting (other wines, food, etc.) didn’t play a role, but my evaluation is the same. Could this be a bad bottle? Possibly. Could it be too young? Also possible, but without disgorgement date, it’s hard to tell - this bottle was purchased in Spring 2023. I won’t repurchase l’Authentique, but would repurchase La Puissance (100%PN), which is a few dollars more.
Now for the obligatory picture of Ms. Brownie, who looks a little tired today:
How many of us discovered the wines of @H_Wallace_Jr through this board? I know I did. I missed the first couple of vintages of Dirty & Rowdy, but got on the magic carpet early enough. The exploration of Mourvèdre was (and remains) captivating. Then Hardy started to explore other grapes, and we were fortunate to try Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Merlot, Zinfandel and more. Eventually the magic carpet got an upgrade to the warp drive enabled Astral Plane of WineCo Yeah!, but I will always cherish the wines and the labels (!) of that far-reaching terroir transport that was D&R.
Drinking a 2016 Dirty & Rowdy Enz Vineyard Mourvèdre tonight, and it tastes like it has a dash of Grenache that is elevating the fruit. The bass notes are anchoring the song, but the red fruit is flying high above the mix. Delicious and invigorating.
I’ve never had so much trouble trying to get people on a wine board to open wine. Thanks to everyone who has posted notes so far. I’ll keep the thread going until Friday in case anyone just didn’t have time.
How can we have Berserker wines without @Jamie_Kutch ?
2019 Kutch Pinot Noir Mindego Ridge Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains (12/19/2023)
Been open about 90 min, first pour still in the glass. Lots of interesting spice on the nose along with some earthiness and leaning even a touch blue. Earthy pice laden palate with zesty dark cherry and citrus amplified by the stem inclusion. Crunchy cranberries and that spice that just keeps coming. Really digging this.
I first learned about Prum on WB, but this is my first bottle with substantial age on it (actually my first bottle ever). Im hooked. This may supplant my Donnhoff purchases moving forward. Sadly I spaced on getting a picture.
2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (12/19/2023)
Millions of peaches, peaches for me, millions of peaches, peaches for free, LOOK OUT! Seriously was the best peaches juice I've ever had. Peaches and honey from start to finish, and the finish made it through at least a couple verses of the song. The body was excellent from start to finish, thick in a creamy way. Mouth coating but with enough acidity that it didn't feel unctuous. Excellent bottle! (95 points)
2021 Orr Wines Chenin Blanc (Columbia Valley) - Lovely balance between tart fruit, sweetness, and minerality with a finish that makes you want to keep coming back for more. Consistently pairs beautifully with Asian food that has a bit of heat to it, as with last night’s Thai basil chicken.
I hope this makes it in under the wire. EMH Black Cat is the example par excellence of a wine I never would have had if not for the WB boards. I have been flabbergasted by the good advice (sorry, enabling) I have received on all sorts of experiences I would never have had without this community.
2016 EMH Black Cat Special Selection
From CT review:
2 hr decant. Boy was that a good idea: if my impression of the 2015 was that of a very good, old school and restrained Napa cab, this was a big step up in terms of complexity and sophistication. A beautiful mix of cherry, cassis, leather and tobacco leaf, this tastes more like a fine Medoc — Pauillac in particular— than a super charged Napa beast. Delightful.
Score: 93-94. Relative to expectations: ++
2006 Rhys Pinot Noir Swan Terrace - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains (12/19/2023)
Initially flashing the stem inclusion hard. That integrates and this takes on that cool, haunting quality great Pinot can often do. Quite dark fruited for Pinot with a straight up blackberry quality. Very fine tannin yet makes the finish quite focused. Minerals and rocks. Citrus. Pretty damn good. Loses some depth overnight but not expression. Worth the wait.
2015 Enkidu Barbera Bedrock Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (12/24/2023)
A little simple, but enjoyable and quite nice with chicken parm. (89 points)
I didn’t get a picture of me or my cat with the bottle, so I don’t expect extra credit, but here is a picture of my rescue:
Thanks everyone for playing, we ended up with 32 notes and some great pictures. I multiplied by $20 for a total donation of $640 to Dogma Animal Rescue. Hopefully there will be lots more pictures of happy pets and owners in the near future due to this drive.
Happy holidays!
