Here are the few remaining ugly bottles (and a La Rose Pauillac with a clean label). I stood them up yesterday morning but held very little hope considering all the others had expired. I thought I was going to waste more time trying to pull out the corks in one piece to then empty them down the drain.
Well it was a lovely bottle from the get-go! Dark berries, leather, forest floor, tobacco on the nose. Medium-minus body with nice acidity and the tannins still show some grip. Air was actually kind to this wine as the best glasses were the last ones. I decanted this before serving.
I didnât give the other uglies a try since we only needed one Bordeaux last night.
Champagne Texier BdB
Not a fan. This showed some oxidative notes along with citrus and chalk. Rather than adding complexity, the oxidative tones were detracting from the fruit and minerality. Somewhat short finish. Not a rebuy.
2004 Domaine Philipp Vougeot 1er cru Les Petits Vougeots
Last bottle of this auction buy and it was even better than the first. This didnât feel thin and I didnât get that bitterness I found in the finish with the last bottle. Lovely mature Burgundy Pinot Noir.
We finished things off with some Goutte from my wifeâs grandmother (we believe distilled in the early 70s), some Château de Meursault Marc de Bourgogne and another bottle of Champagne (Lamable RosĂŠ NV) which was uncalled for at the late hour but still enjoyed.
From my favorite retailer, 2008 Pavelot Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode, I think these were $22.99âŚI remember a decade ago this was hard as nails. Guess what, still is. Opened on Friday, nope. Sat on counter Saturday, took a sip, nope. Seahawks game started and was deciding whether to just bin it, but took a sip and wow, finally opened up a bit, crunchy red fruits, brught acidity, textbook note of iron from 2008, and some blocky tannins. This will probably outlive me.
2 hr double decant. What struck me most about this is how earthy it was, in a general sense: dominated by pencil lead, sandalwood, with a wild whiff of violets thrown in at random. The fruit - while there - was almost background noise to the pyrotechnic minerality and spice elements. It doesnât taste remotely like typical Napa cab to me (nor should it I guess as a blend). The cab franc shows up in spades as a distinct impression of blood, iron and pepper. Itâs like a weird cross ( and I mean this as a positive, this was really distinctive) of Pauillac and Pomerol. In the difficult 2011 vintage this is a bit jumbled and some of the competing themes tend to cancel each other out. However in a great CA vintage this could be pretty out of this world. Bottom line: is this interesting enough for me to consider ponying up for a great vintage ? UmmmâŚâŚ yeah!
Score : 94. Relative to expectations: ++
Went gangbusters with grilled standing rib roast. The Mrs made an apple crumble for the ages from apples picked off our tree yesterday. Life is good.
â12 Camus Bruchon Savigny Lavieres with crispy oyster mushrooms. The wine was rustic on in a good way, open nose, black plum >red cherry fruits, slight damp earth, camphor funk. Acids a bit scratchy, a little tannin left. Good accompaniment with the mushrooms and a pasta dish with a chick pea spinach based sauce.
Super easy recipe.
Fresh oyster mushrooms sliced thin, sprinkle with olive oil (not soaked) and kosher salt, bake at 450f for 8 -10 minutes, flip the mushrooms over once and bake until crispy, about 5 more minutes.
Our Saturday farmers market has the oyster mushrooms on sale this week.
1998 Château du Tertre
Color me surprised for that one. After a completely deceased sibling a few weeks ago, this one has a pristine cork and primary nose when opened.
I have to stand up my bottles in the fridge since my wine fridge/cellar is stacked and wonât allow me to stand up a bottle. So I typically uncork and smell while they are too cold. After a while opened up and left at room temp, it seemed stable enough to start calling it.
As per the picture above, the color shows very little age. Aromas of sweet and almost stewed red berries, earth, long pepper, cedar, tobacco and some understated florals. I list all those aromas but the sweet red berries do dominate. Medium body, medium acidity, fine tanins that gain grip on a short finish. It doesnât scream Margaux at me and thank God the acidity and lighter body counteract the red ripe berries. It lacks complexity and length but itâs easy to drink. It just lacks depth and complexity to me. The ripe red berries just take over and the finish on grippy tanins and very little spice or florals leaves me wanting for more.
That being said, i was so convinced it was gonna be another DOA bottle, that i was happier than I should have been to drink this .
I read some CT notes calling it on the down slope quite a few years ago but it seems to still be on that plateau. I just donât think it will get any better. Enjoyable but not very Margaux-y.
Edit: Drank over 3 hours. Did not get tired at all and smoke and forest floor added to the aromas and a little mineral streak showing on the palate. But still, not a rather complex wine.
2017 Monsanto CCR, a birthday gift from my brother in law last year, shared with him
tonightâŚdefinitely rewarded the extra year of cellaringâŚOne of the best chiantis I have tasted in quite a while
2021 Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel
We drank this with dinners the past two days (pizza , and a NY strip cheeseburger). Always a pretty reliable choice, the 2021 seems especially balanced and flavorful to me. Can be enjoyed slightly chilled. Tasty wine for both wine geeks and regular folks, I think. Very Recommended
Last night at Boneâs with a group that included @Mike_Evans and @Steve_McL
Theme was Germanic whites and Piedmont.
Damn fine showing from that German Chardonnay from Becker pictured at the end. The Barolos were all strikingly young to me. But really fantastic. 96 Scavino was singing to me. Good time with some great wines. Horribly corked/moldy Trimbach 375. My second bad bottle in past year.
1983 Ch. Rieussec. Brought from NZ to Malaysia to share with a 40 year old niece. Dark amber, good level, crappy cork. Still powerful intense and delicious at 40. Lovely orange marmalade notes with sweet spice and that characteristic 83 acidity framing the long finish. Fully mature but will hold longer.
Great way to celebrate a milestone.
2013 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
Cherries and spices on the nose. On the palate it is a complex bouquet of dark cherries, baking spices, black tea, strawberries⌠The depth is incredible. A very complete wine, which will further improve with additional cellaring. Superb now, bright future ahead.
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