Josephine Hutte #7 decanter black line edition
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By the sound of it - probably nothing. They sound like they are not to your taste.
I am typically sensitive to heat and alcohol in Pinot Noir and the Cabernet cultivars but I appear to be more tolerant with Grenache! No idea why this is.
One of the NZ retailers reckons that the Ch des Tours wines are more a bit more inconsistent and have more bottle variation than the others in the Rayas stable. Not my personal experience but he is very experienced.
I would agree that Ch des Tours Vacqueyras and the Ch. des Tours Rouge are not in the same league as Fonsalette/Pignan & Rayas but for me they are useful and delicious wines that clearly show the “family” resemblance.
cheers
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bringing the heat as usual! surprised by your note on the dugat py; have always been curious about their chards.
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Had with kbbq.
2023 SF “Inedal”
Grabbed this as I really enjoyed the Anchia zin I had a while back, which was quite light and floral. This was still on the lighter side, but much more juicy and ripe. Really came onto its own after ~90 mins of air, really delicious and fruity zin, with enough balance and structure to stay engaging after several glasses.
2000 Elivette
IMO a bit tired, slightly over the hill. Some pruney fruit lingering on, a nice degree of cellar funk reminiscent of left bank Bordeaux, and smooth tannins with quite a bit of acidity left. Really tremendous quality wine especially as I have been reading that 2000 was a tricky vintage.
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2023 Jean-Marc Pillot Montagny 1er Cru Les Gouresses Blanc
I have always enjoyed the wines of J-M Pillot but haven’t bought any for some time. I did buy a selection of 23s though and very pleased that I did. This is just delicious, with very pure white stone fruits of good density, a bright and chiselled palate with good natural cut. Real depth and length to burn. Oak not a feature at all. Outstanding for the $.
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such a bang for the buck. I’m very sad that we can’t find it here. I’ll have to wait for my bi-annual trip to the Motherland.
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I have a lone bottle of 2017 Clos St. Marc! Been thinking of opening…
2018 Quinta do Noval Touriga Nacional
I am yet to be genuinely excited by a dry wine from Noval, and it doesn’t help that I am also not enamoured of Touriga Nacional varietal wines in hotter climates, given the grape’s exuberant profile, so this was basically a science experiment. It had a corpulent, decadent nose of fruitcake and gooseberry jam, with a dry palate that thankfully did not fit with the expectation of the aromatics. Non-descript smooth tannin with a medium finish. I do like bigger, bolder “comfort wines”, but for me this lacks the gravitas and complexity that those wines need to have in order to command attention.
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Came across this 2016 Vajra Freisa Kyè long before I really knew what it was, and finally convinced my wife that tonight was the perfect “Why not?!” Night.
I’m really impressed, it’s not a fireworks wine, but it’s beautifully aromatic and hangs between fully-ripe/crunchy cranberries, red cherries, and savory herbs. I distinctly remember feeling like the 2021 Kyè ran a darker profile than Nebbiolo, but ~10 years certainly makes a difference. At this age it would be very difficult to catch the difference blind.
It definitely skews me towards wanting to buy more!
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I am the same way, similar to the way I love Zinfandel. I’m certainly no winemaker and have no technical knowledge, but it has always been my understanding that Grenache requires longer hang time and warmer conditions to achieve full phenolic ripeness, and will have a higher concentration of sugars. Thus Grenache tends to spike higher alcohol than many other traditional grapes. That said, Rayas is a genius with this grape, generally exhibiting to me, fuller ripeness at lower alcohol than most other Grenache producers. Not a grape for everyone, my recollection is that Keith Levenberg does not like Grenache, either.
We are big fans of the Kye, especially with age. It’s a fantastic burger wine. In fact, we drank our last 2010 with homemade Flannery burgers on New Year’s Eve. It was maybe just slightly past its prime, but I only know that because we drank a case of it. Out of context, I would have had no complaints. I’d say buy the 2016 with confidence.
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Oh I bet it’s awesome with burgers! Great call.
We had this with a relatively simple pasta dinner, but I don’t think anything was quite juicy enough to complement it. I’m rather enjoying it more on its own in this scenario.
Cheers!
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Fun tasting with very different wines 
my top 3:
Clos de la Roche CLF 2020 - surprisingly delicious for a 2020 already
La Rocche Demoiselles 2018 Jadot - amazing core of fruit, Grand Cru complexity, great showing for a 2018
Montrose 2010 - classic with great balance
Clavelier was slightly corked and Arnoux Lachaux also had some kind of minor fault, nice but shy. Clos Erasmus was a beast.
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surprising that the CLF CV was ready.
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Not today but last Saturday. A 2013 Clos Ste Hune that was maddeningly corked, but then these three:
I have enough confidence in Hardy’s wines that I’ll head to head them against a very highly pedigreed claret. The Agradezco was a interesting counterpoint to the Forts: different varieties, different styles, but weirdly convergent. There was a consensus that the Forts was WotN but everyone also felt it was not by a wide margin. Regardless, Agradezco is another EWCY! triumph simply by going the full 15 rounds against a renowned Pauillac in its prime
From CT reviews:
• 2000 Forts de Latour
3 hr decant. Cherry/blackberry core, with tobacco, tomato leaf, cinnamon/clove spice, light pyrazines in the form of a little bell pepper. Beautiful grip of strong but very fine tannins, good smooth finish. I seemed to taste a lot of cab franc and not the Merlot, even though my taste buds are wrong about that. Whatever, this is classic Pauillac.
• 2022 EWCY! Agradezco Red Blend
Another EWCY surprise in being a little more med bodied than I am used to, a trait which gives the layers of tastes a sort of wall-of-sound tone rather than the jangly Paisley Pop of some of @H_Wallace_Jr’s other mixes. The music comparison that appealed to me was Lush’s “Sweetness and Light”.
In no way inferior to the spirited, gossamer lift wines I have come to associate with Hardy’s style, this feels like wine made by pounding gold leaf layer by layer into the mask of Agamemnon. A tart non-cranberry cranberry, red currant, raspberry, peony, and a soft mineral finish. Followed a 2000 Forts de Latour and I gotta say, this was very different but held its own.
• 1920 Rayne-Vigneau
Still intact if elderly. Light brown in the glass. Similar notes to the 1904 we had a few months ago. Taste of apricot, blood orange, a touch of brown sugar, with a light mouthfeel. Tasted like slightly younger version of the 1904 as I suppose it should. Gets a round of applause for still being alive.
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Interesting stuff. 12.9% ABV and sporting a touch of pyrazine this is old school and surprising. Probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but @Robert.A.Jr might enjoy a glass.
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cid:e2cebfc6-e2d7-4fcb-b3f7
Wine selections for our 2025 end of year wine party.
Three couples get together every month. Each couple pays 100 dollars per month entry. At the end of the year we take the money and buy wine with the pooled money, go to one of the best restaurants in town and toast to tge year and us. Money is only used for the wine .
