WTN: Burgundy and Shiraz

Back Room Wines held their Burgundy tasting today. Highlights included:

2005 Domaine Pinson Chablis 1er Cru "La Foret" What a lovely, lovely Chardonnay. I can't even describe it-it was just so elegant.

1999 Leroy Bourgogne-Earth, earth, and mushrooms. I guess I do like Pinot when they are not fruit monsters. Lovely-for $29!

2005 Domaine des Lambreys Morey St. Denis. This had a nose that I would describe as "bizarre." Was iut Brett? It was almost rubbery. The palate was better, with the tight mushroom and earth flavors of a tight young Burgundy????

2005 Domaine Castagnier Gevrey-Chambertin. Beautiful wine. I may dislike "Pinot Noir" from the New World, but I guess I love it in its more closed, restrained earth! earth! earth! character. Very nice mushroomy earthy nose, with some good fruit, but not too much. On the palate, the fruit is reticent, but I love the minerality and earthy notes. Delicious.

Dan also let me try a few of the "cult cabs" from the previous night. I have to admitZ: I just did not like them. I don't like the strong bell pepper that seems to be somewhat characteristic of the 2005 Napa Valley cabs! The Koballt and Bucella, three figure wines, just did nothing for me. Bell pepper, thin fruit, and a blast of heat on the finish. At 1/3 the price, I rpeferred the Burgundies!

Later: 2006 Mason Cellars Reserve (Sonoma Valley) Sauvignon Blanc. Delicious. Smooth and rich, not from oak but from sur lees aging. Great minerality and savoryness, with plenty of citrusy, grassy SB fruit. This wine was 1/5 the cost of the Napa Cult Cab, and I liked it better!

Finally, certainly an unexpected highlight: 1999 Tim Adams Aberfelty Clare Valley Shiraz.
This was not what I expected. Dark, opaque in color. Definitely medium or even light in body. Smooth, with only a tiny kick of heat at the end (14.0% abv nominally). There was a LOT going on in this wine. Not the black pepper I expected. Instead, this wine was white pepper. Another taster found licorice. I found a green touch, maybe bell pepper, maybe eucalyptus???? Very fresh in character, still plenty of acidity. Fruityness was not the dominant character. In fact, as the wine sat there, it became very savory, leading to a discussion of "umami." Not cheap at $40, but so interesting and multifaceted a wine

Thanks for the note on the Aberfeldy, Brian. Haven't tasted this in a couple of years so it's nice to see it travelling well. Seems to have shed a certain amount of puppy fat and is starting to develop the Tertiary characteristics. While this may be too geeky, I've noticed that the Eucalyptus notes in Clare reds tend to be more pronounced in wines from vineyards east of the Main North Road; not surprisingly as there seems to be a higher concentration of gum trees around the vineyards when compared to the west side.

FWIW 1999 was a fantastic red vintage in Clare generally. While not as fruity as 98, the wines have better tannin and natural acid structure that will allow to age for many more years yet. I have a small collection of 99 reds that I'm not even going to broach for another 10 years; but if you ever fancy taking one for the team again, it would be much appreciated

Thanks, Nayan. This was a spur of the moment purchase-the local "better" grocery store (whiuch created the wine collecting monster I have become ) had reorganized their shelves so the Aussies were up front-and I noticed it. The storage is only OK-this was not from a cool room but from the store floor, which is in the high 60s F -low 70s range, which is not ideal but not enough for heat damage, at least not yet. I'm a 110% newbie when it comes to Aussie wines, I generally look at the label and if it says 15.6% abv, I put it back.

It's interesting that it has even more aging potential-given how fresh it was, I might be picking up another couple.

1999 Leroy Bourgogne-Earth, earth, and mushrooms. I guess I do like Pinot when they are not fruit monsters. Lovely-for $29!

2005 Domaine des Lambreys Morey St. Denis. This had a nose that I would describe as "bizarre." Was iut Brett? It was almost rubbery. The palate was better, with the tight mushroom and earth flavors of a tight young Burgundy????

2005 Domaine Castagnier Gevrey-Chambertin. Beautiful wine. I may dislike "Pinot Noir" from the New World, but I guess I love it in its more closed, restrained earth! earth! earth! character. Very nice mushroomy earthy nose, with some good fruit, but not too much. On the palate, the fruit is reticent, but I love the minerality and earthy notes. Delicious.

Great notes. Sounds like Pinot Noir. Tough to find those elements in Cali. Even when they are not fruit monsters, there are very few that show earthy elements or "tightness". Many of Oregon's pinots carry more burgundian elements ... while still showing uniquely Oregon.

I still love to quote my friend who is a Cali pinot fanatic. I poured the 99 Leroy for him and his first response was "it doesn't smell like pinot"

Jason

Jason: I've enjoyed some Oregon Pinots, too. Interestingly enough, my favorite, in my limited experience, was made by French Negociant house Domaine Drouhin.

Thanks for notes. How much was the Castagnier? In past I've thought Guy Castagnier wines were nice traditionally styled Burgs with very good pricing. Hope my Clos des Lambrays are better than that Lambrays MSD!

Dale: Around $45 at Back Room Wines in California. Dan is fairly priced, but I didn't check any of the online sources. To be honest, I like buying from people I "know" and can chat with. I'm old fashioned, I guess.

The Lambrey was good, though. Just a strange nose, and it was about $11 more expensive, so I went with the immediate gratification of the Casti. I wish I had picked up the Leroy, too.

my favorite, in my limited experience, was made by French Negociant house Domaine Drouhin.

No surprise at all Brian! DDO makes some of the best Pinot Noir in Oregon. But, I'm a Bethel Heights man myself-so delicious, so elegant, so reasonably priced.