Day 2 saw us united with our very good friend, Nick Christie from Raleigh-Durham, who had driven up and arrived late the previous night. Today was a day of lively and lovely conversation around a very hearty communal lunch (Japanese kale, avocado, cucumber, pumpkin seed and sesame salad from Tran, mole-chipotle chicken from me, beans and rice from Berto)—there need to be more days like this!
I’ll first comment on some retastes from yesterday. The 94 and 97 German Rieslings hadn’t moved, which is to say that the 94 has its very definite ceiling and the 97 is fine and probably a bit better with more time. The 07 Karl Lawrence was about the same. The real change was in the Quilceda Creek which had now taken on a huge creosote and burnt leaves aspect to the aroma. Not flawed, I don’t think, but a startling transformation overnight.
Otherwise, I need to learn to save my notes when I do 'em rather than hoping my netbook doesn’t shut down and restart leaving me to work from memory. Grrr!
THE WINES
Krug 164
Thrilling wine. Lemon, a touch of salt and lots of fresh-washed stones waft up the glass. When you put it in your mouth, this stuff has laser precision and intensity from the front of the palate to the back. I usually like a bit of “cushioning” in my Champagnes, but this is arresting and dazzling stuff to drink. Fine now and fine in 20-30 years too. 92
2007 Hourglass Cab Franc
Berto pulled this to have some fun after Tran indicated that CF was not his favourite grape. And truly, there is no sign of any green pepper on the bouquet or palate of this wine. Instead, a nose of blackberry and cassis leads to a surprisingly fresh entry given the 15.6%, and dominant notes of olive tapenade. Interesting and I really liked it.
1997 Pierre Damoy Chambertin Clos de Beze
This smelled like Chambertin and tasted like a 97. Dark cocoa/mocha, earth/dust, delicate berries…it’s hard to put into words what Chambertin is to me, but this is it. The palate has refinement, but is fairly quiet and fluid rather than persistent. It’s drinking right in its window now, I think. Certainly happy to have the chance to taste this.
2008 Bouchard Meursault Genevrieres
One of mine that I’d left here. The last one of these I opened with Nick and my friend Dave was flat and uninteresting. This was back on form, with lemonseed, almond and ginger bouquet and a superbly balanced 08 on the tongue with some replays and bits of pear sneaking in. When it sings like this, I’m always glad to drink this wine.
2011 SQN Dark Blossom Syrah
We were looking for a wine to match with the food. This sure as chivalry did. Stands very well on its own—power is there but it’s unusually restrained for a young SQN. Nevertheless, red and black plum and berry are at the core of things. But the food electrifies this wine, adding a ton of verve to the front and back. I vary in my enjoyment of SQN, but this is on the highly enjoyable side and might have been my 3rd favourite today.
2012 Rockpile Cemetery Zin
We tried this one too, one I picked up in Buffalo and wanted to open here. I was surprised at how shy and retiring this was—showing brambles and herbs around boysenberry fruit and almost suave tannins and feel in the mouth. The food sort of overwhelmed this wine, but that is probably its youth as it started to show more expressiveness and flamboyancy later that night.
2010 Passadouro Vinho Tinto
A bring from Jay, this also worked quite well with the food. Very shapely and composed wine with redcurrant and dark raspberry and touches of earth here and there. It reminded me a little bit of a medium-weight Bordeaux and that is no bad comparison.
2012 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny Montrachet Les Trezins
First taste. Laughed. Said to Berto “this will be ready on Tuesday”. We jammed it into a decanter for a few hours before taking it with us for the evening. Gunflint shows itself in the sniffer, with lemon-lime. The very pure lime continues on the palate with deeply-buried minerality and a fleur-de-sel aspect as well. I do actually think this has a ceiling in terms of vivacity, but I would have to wait until Tuesday to ascertain that. Leave yours for 3-5 years at least.
2007 Chateau Rieussec
This was from full and had been open before we arrived. I will only comment that, although somewhat tired now, this also shows a wine where the botrytis has been fully integrated and it does have the acidity of other 07s.
2008 Chave Hermitage Blanc
This was an ask of mine when I saw it that Berto generously let us open. It is stunning right from the get-go. Honey and flowers and latent vanilla bean all with this just-exotic tinge in the bouquet. On the tongue, the texture is simply divine, warms and caresses your mouth as it makes its way through, hinting at all sorts of unripe tropical fruit on the way. A sublime triumph, I was actually amazed it had this much to give so young. Berto told me that he has never had this wine where it was any less than excellently approachable. WOTD and 94, good chance this will show up in the WOTY list as well.
2009 Nicholas Joly Coulee de Serrant
So this, on the heels of the incredible 01 we had on Wednesday, was a great study. It finds itself sitting in my mouth for a long time as I assess it. We do realize it’s quite younger so we let it slow-ox for a day and a half. That said, this is certainly on the idiosyncratic side of how he makes wine. Sort of a bitter buttered pear thread if that makes any sense, along with some lanolin, this just doesn’t knit together. Nick put it best, perhaps—recognizing the quality, he finds it hard to enjoy the wine. I would need to agree.
1987 Heitz Napa Cab
No problem enjoying this. This was great. A promising aromatic profile of rhubarb, currant and some wood resolves into a sturdy red-fruit-based wine that elegantly dances its way down your throat. Old-style Cali, this is the sort of stuff that gave the Bordelais fits and is at least on a par with the 87 Dunn I had a few years ago. If I can find stuff at right prices, a vintage for me to seek out. #4 today.
1975 Chateau Suduiraut
Berto opened this with much hope, but for me it was a “representative” 75—it’s clean and clear in presentation, but there’s little complexity or force. By no means downhill in any way, it just has been a static vintage for me, with Rieussec and D’Yquem also among my experiences.
Ferreira 10 year White Port
A bring from Tran, this is fairly uncomplicated with light touches of white grape around a ripe melon-infused quaff. Some raisins and perhaps even buttertart nuance their way across the palate. Enjoyed this.
Mahalo Nui Loa
Mike
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