WTN: Fine Fontodi CC, some Trimbach, atypical Hermitage, etc

I return from Italy to find the tasting season in full swing; indeed I have missed one or two good ones. I am seriously behind with my tasting notes and the following represents today’s recollection of wines consumed at home or sipped at Rob over the last few days without the benefit of succinct manuscript notes of the sort which I normally take at more formal tastings.

Hermitage 1997 – Tardieu-Laurent was a disappointment. Quite full bodied and well balanced showing some elegant fruit with distinct cherry notes and good depth, resolved structure and length but also with a certain underlying sweetness in mid-palate and notes of cream and vanilla towards the finish. All this sounds like a good wine and I am sure that it would have admirers but it is somewhat anonymous, lacks class and is not my idea of Hermitage; 15.5/20.

2006 Mandelgarten GG Pfalz 2006 – A. Christmann (back label clarifies as Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten Riesling trocken 2006 Qualitätswein) was a very decent dry Riesling without genius with a scintilla of RS showing nice white fruit and flowers, minerals, vigour and quite a lot of backbone; 16/20.

Chianti Classico 2001 – Fontodi was a perfect basic Chianti at its peak with medium/full body, tangy acidity, lively red fruit and firm tannic structure singing harmoniously; 16.5/20.

Rosso Conero “Sassi Neri” 2003 – Fattoria Le Terrazze, made from the Montepulciano grape, is a prestige bottling from this well known estate but I was disappointed by its imbalance between muted fruit, albeit round and rich, and its marked and somewhat dry tannins; a victim of the 2003 heat perhaps; 14.5/20. (I tasted the 2005 yesterday and it is much better without being extraordinary.)

Château Poujeaux Moulis-en-Médoc 1997 used to be an over-performer in an iffy vintage but the fruit seems to have receded and has become dominated by the bitterness of its tannins which was certainly not the case before. It was my last bottle, fortunately; 14.5/20.

Tasted on Saturday afternoon at Rob, the Brussels temple of gastronomy.
Pinot blanc d’Alsace ?2007? – Trimbach was fresh and enjoyable but somewhat bland and did not increase my enthusiasm for this grape, which is a bit of a blind spot with me; 14/20.
Riesling 2007 – Trimbach (approx. €13), the basic bottling, was refreshing and mineral but much less interesting than another on show at the same price across the room, which I bought and will report on when I open it at home; 14.5/20.
Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Émile 2004 – Trimbach (>€40) was, of course, a different matter entirely. Deep, complex, long with substantial and elegant fruit matter, mineral with hydrocarbon hints and backbone but needing much more time for full expression; 17/20+ potentially. (Regrettably Rob does not stock the Riesling Réserve so it was not on show.)
Pinot Gris Réserve ? 2007? – Trimbach was a lovely example of this rich and complex grape with much less sweetness and more crispness than is usual; 16/20+.
Gewurztraminer ?2007? – Trimbach was nearly dry, quite crisp and displayed the characteristic spice and lychee features without the cloying frequently met; 15.5/20++.
(I tasted the Léon Beyer range on Sunday and M.Beyer boasted that his range is the only reliably dry one in Alsace with Trimbach leaving in more RS than he does. Maybe so, but I liked the Trimbach line-up better and didn’t find the very slight element of sweetness in the PG and GWT offensive.)

[David M. Bueker]

Interesting notes. I find your comment about the Tardieu-Laurent to "lack class" odd, as I find the more frequent criticism of these wines is that they go too much for class and gloss while lacking soul or even rusticity.

The 2004 Trimbach CFE was a wine I could not warm up to. I found an unpleasant herbal/tobacco element on the palate that detracted from the whole package. I have never found that in other vintages of CFE.

I find your comment about the Tardieu-Laurent to "lack class" odd, as I find the more frequent criticism of these wines is that they go too much for class and gloss while lacking soul or even rusticity.

The 2004 Trimbach CFE was a wine I could not warm up to. I found an unpleasant herbal/tobacco element on the palate that detracted from the whole package. I have never found that in other vintages of CFE.

I agree about the gloss on the Tardieu-Laurent but I do not equate that with class; it's more the glitter of the upstart. I go even further and think sometimes in terms of classy rusticity, i.e. that of a blunt country gentleman; for example, some Madiran and Cornas, not T-L's, has this type of classy rusticity.

I didn't notice an unpleasant herbal steak in my CFE but am reluctant to put down €40+ for it especially in view of the long wait to its peak.

Tim -

I don't know if you saw my note on TL's Cornas (under "Syrahfest") that I posted last week. Like you, I found no Cornas-ness to the wine, and downgraded it for lacking northern Rhone typicite.

Mark

The Trimbach Gewurz. is downtown, been a while since I sampled anything Alsace!

Bob, I've just had a peep of the DeVines offerings and I note that at Can$70 the CFE does not work out at a lot more expensive than here in Belgium; and it is 2002 to boot, i.e. 2 years nearer maturity. The lesser offerings are, however, substantially dearer than here. Take a punt at the Gewurz, though; 06 rather than 07, which I think I tasted, and maybe therefore a touch softer.

[David M. Bueker]

The 2002 CFE is vastly superior to the 2004 IMO.

I definitely missed a trick when passing through Ribeauvillé; I see that the ex-cellar price of CFE is quoted as €32. I would buy either 02 or 04 at that price but, in view of David's comments, I would suggest that no one should purchase the 04 without tasting in case they share his perception.

I have no single wine in greater quantity than the CFE, but I, too, am passing on the 04.

Greetings from Sweden / Fredrik L