I needed a break from Bordeaux, but something that I could pair with steak seared on cast iron!
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Have recently been backfilling vintages and I hadnât bought Palmer in 2016. I bought a bottle to see if I wanted to go long. Used Coravin to take out two glasses and decanted for about 3 hours. It was still tight when I took out the first half of a glass. But over the next hour or so the wine became polished and silky. Dark plum fruit. Really enjoyed the wine. Though it wasnât quite the ethereal experience that u had with 2005 Palmer last month. Excited about how this wine evolves over the next 10 years.
I will def be buying more.
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How was the Mariedam? I have a few of those on the way.
2008 Dom Perignon for breakfast!
Powerful, pungent nose of smoke, petrol, yellow fruits and sweet buttery biscuit. Still an evolving wine that needs time, took a bit to soften on the palate, but just totally gorgeous. Love this vintage in champagne and in Dom.
Kane was at my beach town with his family, so he snuck away for a casual breakfast! Great friends are the best! Even if I have not been able to entice him out to go cycling with me! He probably fears me.
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Well⌠how was it? Been curious on these for a few years now but havenât pulled the trigger
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Little tasting with friends.
We had a taste of the first four before lunch and then revisited them with food.
Château de Marsannay Bourgogne en Montre Cul 2021
Blinded on this, I called young Burgundy Pinot but couldnât find where in Burgundy. I even wondered if it even was Burgundy Pinot at all after a few sips. Why? There is a definite smokey note to this. It works but itâs new to me. Red cherry, a little bit of oak peeking through, nice bright acidity and a little bit of chewiness leading to a decent finish with smoke and slight bitterness. Enjoyable.
Domaine Tourbillon 1947 Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2021
Second blind for me. I went southern RhĂ´ne right away, recent vintage, but called CĂ´tes-du-RhĂ´ne on this. Why? Because I normally donât like Châteauneuf-du-Pape but I liked this one! No over sweetness, no stewed fruits, mostly plums with some red berries and just a hint of prunes and savouriness. No herbal undertones. Clean, bright with a nice balance of flavours. Complex but fresh and with way more layers than a 3 year old wine should. Liked it.
Jacques Picard Coteaux Champenois Blanc Son Palais 2020
One of the two I brought. No one got this although with some coaxing out, some ended up on Chardonnay. Initially itâs all pear. The palate brings on citrus and stones. Fresh, tangy, zippy but little length. I wonder what age would do to this? I would pair this with oysters and call it a day. Ii was a gift but itâs probably not cheap.
Guigual Château dâAmpuis 2000
My last one was oaky, burly and not fun. This one was really good. Some called old Corton and some eventually landed on CĂ´te-RĂ´tie. Advanced nose of forest floor, stewed red berries and brine. But the palate sings: red berries, damp earth, red meat, salty herbs, slight pepper and a long finish on spices and smoked meat. Lovely.
After lunch, we hit another two.
Château de Chamirey Mercurey Clos des Ruelles 2019
I really liked the 2017 of this. My buddy didnât carry the 2018 because he didnât like the balance but he just got this one in. Very nice. A little less mineral than the 2017 which makes it even more approachable. Gourmand, lots of red berries, silky tannins, easy to drink, easy to like.
Champagne Quenardel et Fils Brut RĂŠserve NV
This is the same people behind Labruyère. I didnât get the back label but itâs something like 50% PN, 45% Chard and 5% Meunier, recent disgorgement.
Good. A little generic. Good value but not a buy for me. Iâll try the Labruyère lineup this weekend.
Edit: itâs right there on the picture 
: 52% Chard, 42% PN and 6% Meunier. This seemed PN dominant though (red berries and spices).
Iâm sure you didnât want to go but they dragged you there anyway.
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The 2019 showed much better right out of the gates. The first night with this 2020 was not that impressive, it was exceedingly primary. The second night it was much more open, deeper, with a lot of earthy elements in play. Love the clear strain of olive tapenade in this wine.
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Itâs good to go!
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Prima Materia pizza night:
Had the Sangiovese as well! Great new world takes on my favorite wine country.
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Good to know! I have 2 of the Negro Amaro and 2 of the Sangiovese.
Getting back to the Mariedam⌠is that âjustâ a sipper, or are there any food pairings would you recommend?
Glad you guys hooked up!!!
Very out of season warm day today; we decided to take advantage of it:
Delightful but not as stellar as two previous bottles â less tension and more muted florals / herbaceous qualities. Still very nice.
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I generally drink his rosĂŠs with whatever or while Iâm cooking. Had the Eserra tonight and it had a lot of great grapefruit notes. Sorry I canât be more specific!
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I opened a bottle of this on Wednesday, and it showed tired. So open another bottle yesterday, and it was singing. Good concentration and resinosity that was missing in the first bottle. Perhaps Clos des Rocs needs to switch to DiamâŚ
It was a dinner organized due to several happy coincidences, so we got to drink wine made by Rene Lafon with Pierre Lafon; not much of that left (including in the Lafon cellars). Your comment made me smile - I organized the dinner, so no one needed to drag me there!.
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