Wines in Indianapolis!

WINE TALK
1

So, off I went to Indy this past weekend, to take in the beautiful sunshine that this small town had to offer. In addition, I went to see the Jets blow a golden opportunity to get Namath off of their back, but, alas, that did not happen.

On Saturday evening, we went over to 14 West (http://www.14westindy.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). St. Elmo’s is the popular tourist place in town, but 14 West is where the Colts fans dine.

The food at 14 West was very good. Some items (Fried Oysters, Lamb, Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles) were simply outstanding. I even told my buddy, Matt, that the truffles, at $4 for 3 of them, was probably the best value dessert I have ever had at a restaurant.

The food was so good and the service so delightful, that we decided to get our pregame tailgate in on Sunday at the very same place. Boring? Possibly, but the Burger was pretty killer. American Cheese, Bacon, Mushrooms, Lettuce Tomato, Mayo…on a bun soaked in clarified butter…what’s not to love about that Burger?

If you are in Indy, I highly recommend a meal there.

Onto the wines…the theme of the weekend was Syrah from around the Globe…

  1. 1993 Chapoutier Ermitage le Pavillon…This was the “Wild Card.” Despite Robert Parker’s drinking window on this of 1996-2046, I had my doubts. And for good reason. The wine, which was in pristine condition, was flat, and uninteresting. We barely touched it.

  2. 2004 Kurtz Lunar Block Shiraz…Back in August 2009, I tasted this wine for the first time, and instantly fell in love. Well, on this night, we said our vows for each other all over again. A total production of like 60 cases, this is extremely rare…and extremely good. The same Eucalyptus notes that I picked up back in August were even more prevolent on this night. There has to be some Cabernet in there somewhere. This is just great food pairing wine, and very atypical for a struggling wine region. KUDOS!

  3. 2005 Charles Smith Syrah Heart…I just do not get these wines. This wine was basically Port. We decanted it for over 2 hours…and it was still Port. Pours like Syrup, looks like Syrup, tastes lie Syrup…it must be Syrup. Totally overwhelming for the food, until dessert. It was a good match for the Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles.

For lunch the next day, just one btl (had to save room for beer at the stadium)

  1. 2007 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Walla Walla…These wines have been picking up buzz for over a year now…I bought them after some people I really trust told me to, so on blind faith, I put them on the shelves. Well, I decided to see what all of the fuss was about. This wine is OUTSTANDING! We popped and poured at lunch, and just sucked it down. I could have put a straw in my wine glass, this was so silky smooth! Is this stuff for real at this price? I am going to need some more…going to pop a Cabernet this weekend, and press my luck. Well done, Greg Harrington!
2

Sounds like you should have waited until 2046 on the Hermitage!

Good notes. I’m curious to try the Heart Syrah. I’ve had a number of the K Vintners stuff but none of the super high end ones.

3

Mike

You are not missing anything. Pobega is the only one I know that can tolerate them.

Seriously, this one was pretty bad.

4

Hi Daniel,

I admit I last tried the 1993 vintage of this wine 2-3 years ago, but none of Chapoutier’s (with emphasis on the ‘poo’) prestige cuvees have ever struck me as being anything other than, as you rightly say, flat and uninteresting. Quite why they merit such crazily positive reviews and sell for piles of dosh is beyond me. Does anyone out there see them as good value? Do tell if you do.

Cheers,
David.

5

David

I once drank a 1989 Chapoutier Pavillon out of mag with Mr. Parker, himself, and it was mind blowing. Beyond that, I am consistently underwhelmed.

6

I’m guessing that was a few years ago… deadhorse

7

It was on a River Boat Cruise in Australia last month. I was on a flight first class with Neal Martin.

Me, Parker, Miller, Dan Phillips, Eric Solomon, Jorge Ordonez…and all the heads of the 5 families.

8

Hello Daniel,

I’m told by some people that the first couple of vintages (89, 90) after the sons took over vineyard and wine-making duties were not only a vast improvement on Papa Pootier’s efforts but also some properly fine wines were made. This has not been my experience, alas. Indeed, I feel let down by the brothers Pootier as they have some great vineyards with lots of old vines in them which should really be producing wines that would tickle my fancy and deeply engage my enthusiasm as a Northern Rhone lover. Why don’t they make good wines from their wonderful holdings?

I am jollied along by your negative comments on Chapoutier wines; it is good not to be the only person underwhelmed by a supposedly flash producer’s efforts.

Cheers,
David.

PS. Great name-drop, by the way [thumbs-up.gif]. I’d love to share a bottle of something fine with the man himself, if only to see how compelled he is by wine after all those bottles he’s slogged through. And, I admit, I’d be reasonably happy to slag off his aesthetic ideal of wine, but I don’t suppose that would be terribly polite. ‘Manners maketh man’ as my first Oxford college motto would have us believe; I switched colleges for my post-grad studies.

9

Count me as another drinker who is less than impressed with Chapoutier, although again, I did have an outrageously good '90 Ermitage once that proves that these guys can make a world class wine when everything falls together. But more often than not I find their wine ho-hum, and given their ratings, have to admit that I greatly prefer Chave.

10

Bob,

In December, a bunch of us had a 1977 Chave that was stunningly good.

This 93 Pavillon couldn’t hold a candle to that wine.