I like to hide one piece.
1 Like
Well, look at all the handsome mugs that have been posted. Wonderful. And notes with them, even better.
@Marcus_Goodfellow that you for taking my invitation personal and adding to the potential of what we can do over the next week. This is how a small group of people can make a difference, and how one person–such as you–can motivate others to get involved. I appreciate it.
I have a couple Pinot Noir Champagnes from last night’s dinner to post later, once I retaste the wines.
Ah the joys of being retired. It’s a 2 for 1 day at Schloss Bueker.
Laura and I decided to spend this rainy Thursday afternoon watching a movie with popcorn and some Champagne. The 2016 Déhu Père & Fils Champagne Cuvée De L’Orme was my selection due to it being 100% Pinot Noir. Honestly it was a little too austere for Laura’s taste. I found the no dosage style to be severe but not completely objectionable, though I would have also preferred maybe 2-3 grams of dosage to get to the extra brut level. There’s plenty of fruit, but you have to watch out for the razor blades. The butter on the popcorn did dull some of the sharp edges.
Dinner time is coming around, and there will be a still Pinot Noir to report on. See you again soon!
7 Likes
Throw us a quick tasting note too
1 Like
Wine number 2 for today, and I think PGC is part of the Deep Roots Coalition.
- 2018 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Wadensvil Clone Freedom Hill Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (11/21/2024)
For some reason wines made from the Wadensvil Clone of Pinot Noir strike my palate the right way. They seem to add a degree of juiciness without veering into jamminess. This bottle struck me exactly that way from the first sip. It’s structured, but somehow also succulent. It’s enthralling. Given the depth of fruit and the solid underlying structure it’s also probably going to be long lived. I won’t find out as it’s my last bottle, but it sure is good now.
6 Likes
PGC is.
1 Like
Ok, I’m ready to join the notes. Sitting here listening to Lata Mangeshkar on Pandora. If you don’t know her, look her up. One of the iconic, maybe the most of all in the Indian music culture. I found her music in my undergrad and sometimes I want to put her on and just enjoy it. Maybe not for everyone but for me, it makes me smile and brings me back to my college days.
So, some notes. 4 of us had six bottles open last night. 3 of them fit the theme of my challenge, and as a reminder, if its 100% Pinot Noir bubbly (like @David_Bu3ker and his Dehu), it counts. No photo of my old mug yet, I will wait for the Boss to take a photo next bottle I open.
- 2011 Charles Dufour & Françoise Martinot Champagne Bistrøtage Rosé B.11 - France, Champagne (11/21/2024)
Disgorged August 2021, 100% Pinot Noir without sulfur or dosage. The bottle shows a tirage date of 2014 so not sure where the wine rested once the primary fermentation ended, and from that date another 7 or so years on the lees. Ok, so if we think 2017 may be an off year for the region, and yet the 2017 Ruppert-Leroy Les Cognaux that we had open was great, there is nothing wrong too with this wine and it's 2011 vintage fruit! Heck, we might argue that 2011 is even more problematic than 2017 in Champagne, yet both wines were cool to drink. In fact, this 2011 was probably my WOTN yesterday. Juicy, tangy strawberry, spicy lime. There was also this textural thing that made me think of clay, too. This is polished, the color is great, the acid and the texture all married really well. What a delicious bottle of Rose. - 2015 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Noirs non dosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (11/21/2024)
May 2022 disgorgement. Sans dose, 100% Pinot Noir from Vertus (yes there is Pinot Noir in the southern Cote de Blancs!). 2nd of two bottles, shared this blind with the group last night. Strawberry pastry, with something spicy in the finish, akin to green spice like cardamom mixed with black licorice. Once this cooled off during the meal, the oak seemed to be more present in the wine. Capped and took home, retasting tonight so it's been open a full 24 hrs and has much retained CO2. There is more noticeable acid than last night, kind of a sour apple that I didn't pick up yesterday. The wine seems more savory today, and while not austere, there is an earthy, soil quality too. I don't think it's any coincidence either that with my previous bottle that I felt the wine improved on Day 2, and this bottle has followed the same course. It's more complete today, and styled a lot like the Terre de Vertus cuvee that L-B makes, and although that is Chardonnay, there does seem to be a similar textural profile, perhaps something terroir-driven that is coming through both wines. The finish pulls in the strawberry note from yesterday, much more vivid, tangy and juicy. Gotta say this has grown on me and whatever oak impact was in the wine yesterday seems much more complementary in the wine today. Same cardamom spicy note and overall I like the wine. - 2017 Ruppert-Leroy Pinot Noir Champagne Brut Nature Les Cognaux - France, Champagne (11/21/2024)
October 2019 disgorgement. Sans dose, 100% Pinot Noir, and without sulfur. My final bottle of the 2017, in what is considered by some a tough year in Champagne. And served blind to some smart people last night, figured I would see where this landed. Overall I thought the table enjoyed it. Last night this showed red apple, stone, raspberry. The wine presented as lively and fresh, with what I called a delicious quality. See, 2017 ain't all bad! Capped the bottle, took home and retasting tonight without food and a light chill after I let it sit out from the fridge. Just a little bit of gold on the color. Despite the lack of dosage and even some may worry about the missing SO2, this is fresh and plump in texture today again. Last night Andrew mentioned some orange in the wine, and I can sense that today, too. Same apple note, a crisp version of it, which is aligned to the freshness the wine shows me. There is an herbal note floating in the finish, maybe like a muddled mint plus a note of pear that I didn't taste last night. There is a lot going on in this vintage of Les Cognaux and like the Rose that Astrid poured last night, both wines make me think, and at the same time I enjoy them both.
Posted from CellarTracker
4 Likes
Buek, doing Dehu, eh. Nice. Haven’t had the 2016 but I really enjoyed the 2015 last year around this time. In fact, it was one of those wines that really spoke to me. Remember that bottle well. The L’Orme is more on the expensive side but I like what Benoit Dehu does so I keep it around my cellar.
2009 Dominique Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Les Lurets
Second go around with this, with the same result. Still enjoyable, but a touch of oxidation and simpler than one would expect from Lafon. Not sure if my bottles (auction purchases) saw improper storage or if this is a function of the hot vintage.
4 Likes
I had the 2015 a while back and preferred it to this 2016.
No better time than a Berserker event to pop one from one of the OGs. John is probably off fishing somewhere forgetting all about the wine biz but he lives on in our tasting notes.
- 2019 Holdredge Pinot Noir - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (11/21/2024)
Pours dark burgundy. Nose of black cherry, black raspberry and cola. Cherry cola, cherry jolly rancher, juicy with anise and a touch of pomegranate. Balanced acid and tannins, alcohol in check. Nice example of the AVA, still a bit on the young side but I have 6 more to follow over the years. Easy drinking, long finish, good with comfort food. (Stroganoff tonight)
Posted from CellarTracker
3 Likes
Dude, you look GREAT! 
This was open the night before where it showed a little sweeter. It fleshed out nicely.
5 Likes
Goodfellow 2013 Whistling Ridge Pinot Noir
From CT review:
Almost as good as the excellent 2015 Heritage #4 PN we had a few months back. This wine too is not at peak yet; however, it was very open and generous with tons of sweet cherries, baking spices, and the beginnings of potting soil earthiness. More forceful and maybe a touch less refined than the Heritage #4, this wine confirms the high ageability of these wines. This could go another decade if you wanted to; probably best in another 5. In the meantime, very satisfying.
7 Likes
In 2018 I joined Frank and the crew at Mending Wall where Will Segui tasted us through a slew of Rivers-Marie Pinots and Chards from various vintages. In honor of Frank and that day I popped open an ‘18 Rivers-Marie Sonoma Coast. My last one 
Excuse the photo, I was wearing same hat as last night so I turned it around. My hair was a mess.
- 2018 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (11/22/2024)
Dark red with a purplish hue. Nose is sporting black cherry, mushrooms, underbrush, pine needles, Sonoma Coast garrigue. Fruit is leaning blackberry, black cherry, medium bodied, soft texture, just glides across the palate. Finish is bittersweet with the tangy acidity that builds over the course of a couple minutes begging for another taste. This is delicious!
Posted from CellarTracker
5 Likes
NV Charles Dufour & Françoise Martinot Champagne Bistrøtage Rosé B.11
100%PN from Aube, organic, biodynamic, 0 dosage, apparently no added sulphur. According to what’s online, this rosé de saignée was achieved with semi carbonic maceration and consists of “base wine coming from the 2011 vintage. 70% of the grapes are pressed, 20% vinified and whole bunches and the last 10% is reserve wine from 2010 and 2011, with the final blend ageing for three more years in barrel before tirage.” Tirage 03-Oct-2014, disg 30-Aug-2021.
Medium-fine mousse. On the nose, a hint of VA initially, but it blew off showing herb and sour cherry. On the palate, wild crunchy strawberry, some light cherry; citrus zest and a bit of pith on the finish, but nothing too bitter. A fun and approachable champagne but that makes you think a bit. On the following day, the little bit that was left in the bottle had lost most of its red fruit, but that’s probably to be expected.
8 Likes
Will drove back from a family vacation in Tahoe to mending wall for the tasting. Then he opened, RM, Mending Wall, maybe Riverain, and ultimately his stuff.
I was a wreck. I think we tasted 27 wines.
2 Likes
Yeah, that was a marathon. Then I went back to work! 
Yeah, Will put on the spread that morning. I believe that afternoon we then went to an appointment at Matthiasson right after we left Will. A day to remember…
https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=39272
Maybe some R-M will get opened today. For sure this week.
1 Like