Which one would you say stands up better to shipping across the country in a paper bag?
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A few add-ons to @Dennis_Atick and @Mike_Evans notes above… (and Dennis may yet do a more detailed post)… the two champagnes were a cool pairing in that the Laherte was relatively young and packed with energetic acidity while the Bruno Michel was really nicely aged and deeeeeeep, a big contrast, both really nice. The 97 Raveneau Foret was, yes, a bit over the hill/oxidized, but had some fleeting moments of brilliance over the course of a few hours. The 20 Ramonet Saint Aubin was freaking awesome, textbook great white burg, and had we not moved on to Chevalier… alas, but we did. That first red flight, I brought the Chevillon and was really happy, but the Fourier Gevrey was easily my personal favorite of that flight with its bright fruit and zappy elegance. The amoureuses were stupendous, and I was also sloshed by this point and have very little recall! But I do remember the vintage port being a perfect wrapper on a very good evening!
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Last night I returned home from a function and still felt like a night cap. Christine had kindly opened a 2017 Fevre Chablis Bourgros that night, and carelessly not finished the bottle, leaving me about 100ml from the bottle.
To me it was at the top of its game, still quite youthful, but integrated. Riper nashi pear and citrus combine with oyster shell and limestone, but it’s all neat and compact and with ripe, saliva inducing acidity.
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Another great weeknight in Atlanta courtesy of @RKatz and @dcornutt as we welcomed Roy Hersh to town with Chinese feast from one of our favorite local chefs.
Each of the Champagnes was delightful in its own way. The Vilmart and the Rogerie were my favorites, as I loved the mouthwatering tartness of the Vilmart’s finish while the Rogerie combined oxidative richness with precision.
The whites offered great variety. The Ramonet was strikingly similar to the stunning St. Aubin tasted earlier in the week. I wasn’t familiar with the Clos du Moulin aux Moines, but it more than held its own in lofty company. The Niellon was a little advanced but paired well with an octopus dish. The Sauzet may have been my favorite, with a creamy texture but with the acid to keep it from being flabby. The Morey Batard kept opening up as the night went on without losing its impressive elegance. Finally, the 1993 Eyrie was very much alive, rich but balanced.
The reds showed well. The d’Arlot was brooding and needed some time to unwind. The Jadot had a rustic charm, but went very well with the food, as did the Portuguese wine. The star was the Grivot, with beautiful red fruit and spice aromatics, I could just sit and sniff it all night, but then I would have missed out on the entrancing crisp fruit on the palate.
It’s been a blessing to have two incredible nights of wine, food, and friendship so far this week and a reminder of the bonds our shared passion for wine can build.
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Great notes and pics Mike. Life is short. It is great to be able to share such an incredible meal and wines with friends. Steve and Stephanie put out some incredible food. (Thanks Randy and Kris!) My personal favorite was the 17 Grivot Echezeaux. (Although I LOVED the Vilmart champagne. So precise with very elegant texture and great length ) The Grivot was the kind of wine you could smell all night. Changing directions. Loaded with fruit, savory and some element of floral elements. So complex. So sexy. Great night. So wonderful to welcome Roy to ATL again.
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Blind Chablis with oysters today. My favorites were the 2011 Fevre, which was a prototypical Chablis, the 2019 Dauvissat Petite Chablis, and the 2014 Droin Grenuilles. I enjoyed all of the others except for a horribly premoxed 2020 Dauvissat.
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Another chapter of the ongoing story of “why we cellar red burgs”
Wow what a beauty this is. Glorious nose of sous bois, spice and red cherries. A big but perfectly balanced mouthful of red cherries, some fresh soils notes and a hint of oak. Lovely gentle but noticeable tannins and good acidity makes it very appealing. Ridiculously delicious and giving. Gorgeous wine for current drinking. I just love the 2009 Red Burgs. Clearly a ripe year but retains plenty of freshness.
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Great image!
A bottle of 2011 Pride Mountain Claret to celebrate a friend’s new job. Pushed all the right buttons for her, a big Cali blend lover. We’re happy hosts.
2023 Gueguen “La Vigne de 1975” Chablis
This wine was very nice with strong minerality, tinged herbal to me. Might guess some oak too, but not-sure on that, could be coming from the “old bones”. Recommended. ~$30.
Enjoyed it with pan seared oven finished filet of Coho Salmon, farm raised from Chile. Needed a break from the weekly New England winter fish of cod and haddock.
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Mike, those last two producers in your photo lineup are on my calendar for tasting visits in late May. Hope to do a wide and a deep dive, if they are willing. I probably have had more bottles of William Fevre Domaine Chablis in the last several years than any other wine.
Those should be interesting visits. I still have a little 1995 Duplessis and the last bottle of the Clos I opened a few years ago was stunning. The 2018 I had yesterday was enjoyable but unusual, with strong floral aromas more reminiscent of Albariño or Viognier than Chablis. The 2011 Fevre was textbook Chablis, steely with minerals but lovely intensity. My blind guess was 2014 Louis Michel Vaudesir. It was everything one could ever want in Chablis.
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2021 Trimbach Riesling Vielles Vignes & 2015 Tercero Verbiage Rouge. Had the Riesling with dinner (chicken thighs with a creamy mustard sauce), it was a great pairing. Had the Tercero after dinner (it didn’t need to be poured into a decanter), interesting nose of raspberry & cherry, tasted better than it smelled, I enjoyed it. Also have a 2016 of the verbiage that I’ll save for the summer to have out by the pool.
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1998 Jamet Cote Rotie
At its peak. The palette was so elegant. Not lean ot thin. Eleganance at its best. Showed a lot of grilled meat, bush, and a spice i couldn’t put my finger on. I realllllly enjoyed this.
2018 MG Vosne Romanee
It was too ripe. Shows the heat of the vintage aromatically. Hard for me to spot as a CDN wine nevermind VR. Huge gobs of red berry with little to no vosne spice. A touch of herbs were burried under the red fruit. On the palette it preformed more like VR. The textures were its saving grace. Medium acid. 3 more bottles left. Im holding out that these will be better with some age but these are not for long term aging.
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Sunday lunch notes with friends.
No real standouts as the entire lineup was firing at a high level.
The 2018 base Champagnes from Jules Brochet (Prémices) and Cédric Bouchard (Roses de Jeanne Boloré/R18) both held great tension despite the vintage heat.
The Selosse Rosé (Base 18) served as the perfect vinous bridge to the reds.
The Ramonet 2020 Boudriotte was pure fruit after a 4-hour slow-ox, incredible density and clarity once that initial reduction blew off.
The Roumier 2021 Bussière was also singing after only a 2-hour slow-ox. William Kelley’s point about delayed malo for the last three vintages really seems to hold; the wine was exceptionally open and floral for such a young MSD.
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