Let's celebrate the life of Bob Henrick with wine

Bob's friendship over the years is reflected in many ways, one of which is the assortment of wines in my cellar. A few Lancyres have visited, there are a number of Pegaus, some Musars, and a lot of Tahbilk Marsanne. I think most of my Musars came to me through Bob, as he found deals on them at various stores, including two bottles of 07 which he delivered last Friday. Today, Cindy and I will toast Bob's wonderful life and his friendship with a bottle of the Tahbilk. Bob was a good friend and will be missed.

Having no Marsanne, Pinot Gris, Musar, Pegau or Stone Wolf wines in my collection, I went with a Pinot Noir from Oregon. On Friday night I opened a 2007 LANGE THREE HILLS CUVEE PINOT NOIR, WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OR. The grapes come from three vineyard sites. It has dark fruit notes with some earthy underpinnings. It shows some grip on the tail end. It may be near the end of its drinking window, but I still enjoyed it. One evening I had it with turkey and noodles and another two evenings with a ground beef casserole. I visited Lange Winery on my one visit to Oregon and Washington and it is in the Dundee Hills with a beautiful view. They source their grapes from various vineyards.

Anyone know if Tahbilk Marsanne is available around Ann Arbor?

[Jenise]

Having no Marsanne, Pinot Gris, Musar, Pegau or Stone Wolf wines in my collection, I went with a Pinot Noir from Oregon. On Friday night I opened a 2007 LANGE THREE HILLS CUVEE PINOT NOIR, WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OR. The grapes come from three vineyard sites. It has dark fruit notes with some earthy underpinnings. It shows some grip on the tail end. It may be near the end of its drinking window, but I still enjoyed it. One evening I had it with turkey and noodles and another two evenings with a ground beef casserole. I visited Lange Winery on my one visit to Oregon and Washington and it is in the Dundee Hills with a beautiful view. They source their grapes from various vineyards.

Long, long ago I visited the winery and tasted with the owner/winemaker. What a hilarious man he is, or was. I kind of wonder if he's still around, as the wines show up at Costco frequently these days--not always a good sign.

We toasted Bob with an ESJ gamay (red) and a Marsanne from WA state. But I'll keep my eye out for a Tahbilk for a future memory.

Very sad news. Coincidentally, I just visited the Lancyre cellar door very recently - a wonderful visit it was too - and bought some Tahbilk Marsanne Museum Release 2007 today. I'll open one soon to toast Bob.

In reference to Jenise's post, Don Lange was the founder of the winery and his son Jesse is now on the winemaking team but I think Don still has a hand in the winemaking. I also met Jesse at a tasting in North Carolina.

[Robin Garr]

We all know how much Bob enjoyed Château Pégau. I couldn’t score a red, but this white - a Côtes-du-Rhône purportedly made from fruit grown in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation - is mighty fine, a Southern French white made in a rich, complex style that I love in a lot of the better whites of the Southern Rhône and Provence.

In memory of Bob!

Château Pégau 2013 Cuvée Lône Côtes-du-Rhône ($18.99)

Clear, rather rich straw color. Appealing on the nose and palate, a blend of white fruit and a hint of something that reminds me of beeswax in the aroma, carrying over on the palate with good fruit - pears and green figs, maybe - with good texture, medium-bodied or a bit more so, kept in shape with tart, mouth-watering acidity. The claimed 12.5% alcohol seems surprising, as it feels a bit higher-proof, in a good way. A blend of Clairette (40%), Bourboulenc (30%), Grenache Blanc (20%), Ugni Blanc (10%). U.S. importer: Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, Va. (July 12, 2015)

FOOD MATCH:
Fine with a simple summer pasta of spaghetti tossed with butter, a little garlic, and minced fresh sage.

VALUE:
Very good wine, a good value at this price, which seems in line with U.S. retail prices listed at Wine-Searcher.com.

IMPORTER’S FACT SHEET
http://www.handpickedselections.com/pro ... e+Lone.htm

[David M. Bueker]

I did not know that Pegau did a white CdR.

[Robin Garr]

I did not know that Pegau did a white CdR.

Evidently they do ... or else Rudy has moved to counterfeiting QPR stuff.

More seriously, I think the whole Cuvée Lône for white and Cuvée I Forget for red Cotes-du-Rhone is something fairly new. Back up from the link to the white and the HPS website will tell more.

http://www.handpickedselections.com/pro ... e+Lone.htm

[Jenise]

I did not know that Pegau did a white CdR.

Ditto!

[Robin Garr]

I did not know that Pegau did a white CdR.

Ditto!

You guys both ought to look for that Cuvée Lône! HPS gets around to most parts of the country, doesn't it? It's a really nice white (to my AFWE taste buds, anyway) for less than $20.

[Jenise]

I would buy anything that says Pegau on it.

Jenise,
This is exactly why you should come to MOCool this year!

See you Aug. 15th!

JB

It would really have helped me to appreciate this bottle to have had Bob with me to guide me through its fine points and advise me with what to pair it in future. (This time it was guinea fowl. OK but not an extraordinary match.) Unlike Bob, I have never really got on with the Marsanne/Roussanne white N.Rhône style, the main reason being that my preference goes for much fresher tasting whites with a lot of acidity and minerality. I have a 1996 in my small stash of Chave's white Hermitage and it is possible that I prefer that acidic vintage.

1995 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (7/19/2015)
Because of this wine's great reputation, I bought several bottles from various vintages but have opened very few. That is because the white Northern Rhône style, except for the occasional Condrieu, does not sing for me. I think that I should have decanted this because it took a long time to open up. Colour was almost brown. Nose showed subdued white fruit, honey, wax and marzipan with a very slight oxidative hint. The palate was medium bodied apparently filling out and lengthening during the meal, texture was quite viscous like fine olive oil with flavours of waxy drying apricots and almonds in particular. The impression was more of a dessert wine than a main course pairing because low acidity led to a quite sweet impression in spite the lack of obvious RS. Very good of its kind, I suppose.

Posted from CellarTracker

Thanks for the note. My preference is for Condrieu also although I rarely have any due to cost and not many available locally. I did have a taste of a very nice Chave Hermitage Blanc at a wine tasting in June.

[Jenise]

Tim, I share your pain. I love white wines from all over the world but have never been able to develop a strong categorical interest in those of the Northern Rhone. I find them too richly perfumed and too soft in acidity, as a rule. I appreciate that others have a different experience, but I also appreciate it when I run into someone like you with a similar take.

[Robin Garr]

I did not know that Pegau did a white CdR.

Ditto!

I just found out something new! This is Chateau Pegau, not Domaine Pegau. Domaine is the Chateauneuf-du-Pape property of Paul Feraud, which he built up with his daughter, Laurence, since 1987. Chateau is new, the former Domaine de la Jouve in Sorgues, just outside the CdP appellation, which she purchased (purportedly in "run-down" condition, renamed and renovated in 2012. Same family, similar label, connected tradition, but it's father and daughter.

[David M. Bueker]

But the daughter is the one making the wine at Domaine Pegau.

[Robin Garr]

But the daughter is the one making the wine at Domaine Pegau.

May be, but I was a little confused between Domaine and Chateau, myself. It seems that the daughter makes wine at her dad's winery at Domaine, but is in charge at Chateau. Or something. Anyway, the main thing is, Domaine and Chateau are different, and since I don't usually drink a whole lot of Pegau, I didn't notice the difference when I posted.

I've had about 4 bottles of the Chateau Lancyre Rose 2013 over the last 3-5 days; it's a wonderful salmon colour and was my favorite of several roses served this week. Very elegant, with lovely strawberry, watermelon. minerals and mint flavours on show. I thought about Bob, though I've never met him face to face, every time I opened a bottle.

[Jenise]

John, hope this doesn't sound obtuse, but: where is Lancyre from? The mentions of it in this thread mystify me--I'm unfamiliar.

Great domaine from Languedoc Jenise.

The Pic Saint Loup region of the Languedoc. Quite a lovely area!