Had a glass of BD Sabelli-Frisch White Zin Rose this afternoon. Delicious stuff, and I’m really happy I went with the whites sampler this time around.
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Anyone want to guess what this is ?
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Thanks Alex!
Was it the “Eserra” White Zin or the “Mariedam” Stampede?
This was the Eserra. Had 1 1/2 glass yesterday slightly chilled and it’s in the fridge now. I was thinking it seems like a gutsy move to call it a “white zin” and the description on the back label fits it perfectly. Really nicely done! First of the BD whites sampler and looking forward to the next.
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Little tasting with my local caviste yesterday:
The Mailly is a decent enough Champagne (I think 70% PN and 30% Chard) but it isn’t very exciting nor a particularly good QPR.
The following bottle was the Pinot Beurrot which I think I already described here.
Then followed the Pommard which was wonderful albeit on the young side. Nice nose of black and red berries and hints of spices. Nicely concentrated, plenty of freshness and some powdery tannins with some grip. Good length. I bought some of it.
The Marsannay was also enjoyable but lacked from following the Pommard. It’s red fruited and lively with good acidity. The pairing was ambitious with a Munster espuma which essentially made the tannins disappear.
The star of the show came out with the éclair au caramel: Château de Meursault Marc de Bourgogne 2008. It was served lightly chilled which made it easier to palate for some. The aromas really came out as it warmed up and this is an explosion of fresh grapes, dried fruits, toasted almonds and wood spices. This is absolutely wonderful. I bought a bottle instantly. Only made in good vintages in very small quantity, they get the grapes from their parcels in Pommard Clos des Epenots, Beaune Grèves, Beaune Fèves, Volnay Clos des Chênes and Corton.
Visited my caviste again today to try some of his new arrivals from Domaine de Montine. The Côtes-du-Rhône (Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault) is a decent wine but the initial nose was reduced and rather green (guarrigue). It lacks length and concentration on the mid-palate. Their Secret de Terroir cuvée is better (50% Syrah, 50% Grenache): black fruits, good acidity some green elements on the mid-palate decent length. Their Rosé Muse i was not a fan of: the nose is nice enough with plenty of fruit but it’s a little dilute on the palate. Very little to like.
I had brought a 2018 Mullineux Syrah and it did not impress either. A lot of tannins but lacking in fruit even though the nose shows a good dose of black fruits. We finished with a Turkish red, can’t remember the name, that was even less of a pleasure to drink.
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Thanks again!
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1982 Ducru-Beaucaillou
Base neck fill; like an old friend; showing all different facets of Bordeaux - tertiary red fruit, touch of plum, earth, ink, pencil, foresty green, touch of poop - with a sort of simple legibility to the flavors, shorn of embellishment, but not simplistic, the facets constantly shifting throughout the evening; this has held up beautifully, and is utterly classic; very good
No guess but would love to know…
Ha!
Max, that is my 1995 Poco do Lobo Cabernet passing through a Melitta coffee filter after I met an unfriendly cork. You can see the tiny cork bits floating in the wine if you look closely. The bigger chunks and bits were removed in a first pass through a metal sieve.
Cheers!
I should have known… dangit!
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2014 Dom. des Chenevières Chablis 1er cru Fourchaume
Performed very well tonight considering the price. So delicious with a special kind of cod (skrei) tonight.
A couple recent cold weather comfort wines:
2012 Barlow Estate Family Selection
Have been holding on to this for a number of years and decided to open. Great fruit/acidity/mild but present oak/smooth tannins. Had a glass day 1 and finished with dinner day 2. Showing awesome day 2. Great family and wine, highly recommend tasting at their vineyard in Calistoga if you haven’t.
2019 Mending Wall Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard
I continue to buy this wine almost every year despite it not being the typical style I drink. Big, black with globs of sediment and muddy-like stuff in the bottle and it stains everything in your mouth and anything it touches. Huge silky tannins, fruit, a little vanilla, gaminess. I could see pairing this with BBQ but it was drank without food. 2014 was my favorite of this wine (maybe my favorite ever PS) and this is (odd to say) the more restrained version of this offering.
Wow! Never seen one that old - how was it??
I’ve got lots of ‘14-19.
The short answer is terrific.
Had my miss taste it blind, except liking it though thinking it would benefit from a bit more aging I had her guess the vintage, “2020?” 
I can’t blame her though because it was such a fresh wine, not even the colors showed signs of aging (watery rim, red garnet).
Wish I tasted it in its youth to have a reference (drank my 1/3 bottles about 3 years ago, also lovely) seems it reached a plateau and just keeps going.
Taste-wise: Cherries, raspberries, wild strawberries. Menthol, herbs, licorice, Asian spices. Tannins are silky yet a dusty graveliness to it. A long sapidic finish.
The silkiness of the tannins and perhaps a hint of leather together with the spices were the main things giving away that it’s a 25 year old wine.
You are in for a treat (wish I had that as well) and I don’t think you need to to wait nowhere near as long till they reach the peak and reach the plateau.
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Sounds incredible! Thank you for these beautiful notes.
The once and still QPR champion… Vina Alberdi…
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Vice Versa 2019 Steltzner Vineyard
Opened up a lot faster than I thought - an hour decant shook off the initial very tannic tightness and punch-you-in-the-face aromas, turning this into a lush but not excessive wine. Nice poise between red and dark berries, toast, vanilla, a little mocha and a hint of cinnamon. Flirts with extravagance but never went over the edge, and will very likely improve with time. Surprisingly balanced given how dark magenta it is and given its youth. Pretty darn tasty.