BYO dinner out with Christian, Oliver, Patrick and Remo in a local restaurant I will not recommend. The problem in Switzerland is that most restaurants will not accomodate BYO parties to begin with (they figure they make most of their profit selling drinks, not food), so it is not easy to find good places.
Gaja Langhe Sperss 1997
Thanks to Oliver. Same as always really, except that being from Oliver’s collection, this is the first bottle ever of this wine I have encountered that, while not mature, was no longer closed, by which I mean – seemingly at least – not even partially. This is perplexing to say the least (= the wine remains youthfully unapproachable from my cellar), even so, it remains debatable whether one will find the wine mature enough before the oak has subsided to greater extent (Gaja’s 1997 crus, with the exception of the Costa Russi, offer the greatest potential for overall harmony in this and possibly any other respect of all the Gaja Langhe crus I have tasted). Deep garnet-ruby-black with beautiful gloss. Luscious and complex black cherry with touches of preserved blood orange and blueberry, already perfectly integrated sweet asphalt, white Alba truffle, scorched wet earth (as Remo suggested, as if breathing in the mist after a forest fire). Finesse notes of fennel seed, rose petal and suede. Orange Lush Pecoe black tea tannin, slightly but not negatively oak-induced. Tar and marzipan oak that seems increasingly integrated in each bottle we have had (but note I am convinced it is impeccably cool storage and ample patience that will ultimately do the trick). Round, no rough edges to be found. Astonishingly minerally (perhaps the part I have always liked best about this wine, even so, it continues to surprise). Very, very long on the finish. Glyceric as if with a touch of olive oil. Rare potential harmony for such a powerful Serralunga. As great as this is, in terms of terroir expression/notes alone, I continue to prefer the Sorì Tildìn and Sorì San Lorenzo. No use decanting this for too long: youthful as it is, it was at its most open and communicative for a couple of hours maximum, then started to close down inexorably. Rating: ~97(+?)
Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins 2004
Thanks to Patrick. L. 02/09 Deep plummy ruby-black, good gloss. Grilled nuts and peachy superripeness, a little sewage/brett to complex and deep fruit that superficially suggests mulled wine, albeit not at all at the firm core. Cocoa and dark chocolate bitter notes and incense to youthful tannin that is only fractionally dustier than in other recent vintages (and certainly not in a negative way). Intriguing spiced and dried tomato, fig syrup, beef broth cube. Clearly Célestins in terms of depth, complexity and surface evolution, but similar to the 2003 Marie Beurrier (just to a lesser extent) insofar as it is showing a (modern Amarone-like?) primary core and fractionally more modern tannin quality that makes me wonder if Bonneau’s new helping hand in the cellar is leaving its/his mark (given both these recent vintages’ deeper colours, maybe some vats were replaced? I am not suggesting with new ones, of course...). Either way, this needs bottle age (it behaved like more modern/less oxidative-styled CdP in the sense that it closed down with airing, and soon). Both nuttier (more closed) and longer with airing. I may be exaggerating or unnecessarily worried given the fact that all my stylistic favourites all over the world have disappeared or are on the verge of extinction one way or another (be that modernized or gone), but I am currently wondering if the 2001s may have been the last of that era of unashamedly ancient-styled Henri Bonneau CdP – admittedly, the change we are perceiving is gradual, but note my buddies are noticing exactly the same. To put the 2004 RdC into perspective from a qualitative point of view, it is an altogether fruitier, uncomplicated, easier to interpret and appreciate wine than the 1999 (especially given some time in bottle), and thanks to its nicely dense core, structure and backbone, it may catch up with or even surpass the 2000 in the long run – but I would not bet on it that any of these three are going to turn out great examples of Henri Bonneau RdC. With what may be the lowest release price for RdC since the 1995 (or 1999?), the 2004 is probably worth owning all the same – even given a slight but noticeable stylistic change (or fluctuation/ongoing adjustment process?), there is nothing quite like it at any price. Rating: 93+/94?
Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 1998
My contribution. Raspberry-ruby colour, black reflections, by far the lightest-looking wine of the night. Still sports high alcohol (a problem in closed bottles, but the concentration is such that it should be all right again as soon as the wine comes out of its closed phase). Intense and perfumed right after the cork was pulled, even a touch wild (exotic and animal with a suggestion of Balsamico), but soon clean and pure with a metallic ink aspect to alluring Kirsch Schnaps red fruit and pebbly minerality, then closing down the longer it aired... But extremely complex and long on the finish all the same. Very tannic, once one notices this aspect at all. The wine of the night (Oliver’s in particular, he said), if not for current drinking, then in terms of potential (even though I will always admit I am more curious than sure exactly what Marcoux’s VV is going to evolve into with bottle age – the “oldest” I have had was the 1990 almost four years ago, so that ironically, the most mature ones that have crossed my way were the 1995, 1997 and 2001). Concentration, balance, structure, complexity, purity, depth and length are certainly all there in abundance, but the wine remains almost frightfully unevolved. Rating: 97+/98(+?)
Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Da Capo 2000
Thanks to Remo. There are two reasons I had the CdPs poured in inverted order (instead of from young to “old”): I was afraid the Marcoux VV would close down on us if it aired too long (which it did), and the Da Capo started out not merely more closed, but showed a slight whiff of cardboardy cork taint that initially, no one seemed to notice (so that I kept my mouth shut – hate to be a poor sport). Had a hard time keeping Oliver and Patrick at bay once they became aware of it, though... Deep, almost opaque plummy ruby-black colour. Showed well despite the flaw, a less red-fruity and alcoholic Da Capo than the 2003, very complex and long, almost as good as usual. Remotely sour/bitter on the finish due again to the TCA taint. Still too early to pull corks even on the 2000, though. Rating: 95+ or: N/R
Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline 2003
Thanks to Christian. Thoroughly opaque inky purple colour. Incredibly balanced (“painted poetry” is how Patrick described it), even early-harmonious, and amazingly finesseful for such a low-acid (if hugely tannic) and new-oaky young wine. Mild and round yet huge fruit, warm and ripe, unusual even for young Guigal. Great bacon fat, spiced olive, brambleberry liqueur with a peachy superripeness, lovely iron, cinnamon from the oak. Remo was quite right to notice that this is oakier (alluding also to the partly oak-flavoured tannin) than, and lacked minerality in comparison to the 1999 (agree, and would add, iron and other soil notes – but only relatively speaking!). I personally missed the lavender freshness of the 1999 (one of the two finest, if not the single greatest Guigal LaLa I have ever tasted), especially also the floral tea-like quality of the tannin there, but then, the 2003 is impossible to criticize given the vintage that brought it forth, in other words, given the combination of superripeness (mind you, not overipeness!), high if extremely finely grained (if partly oak-induced) tannin, and a virtual absence of acidity. The wine of the night admittedly in part insofar as we were all happy to be given the opportunity to taste it – a memorable, possibly unrepeatable experience! (Cannot honestly say it is “better” than the 1998 Marcoux VV, but seriously now, who cares when wines are so different/individual yet so great?) Guigal may have made even more complete wines, also, the unashamedly stylish, polished and modern 2003 La Mouline does not quite appear to be on the level (especially in terms of both wines’ respective future development) of the 2003 Chave – minor quibbles aside, who would not love to own a cellar full of either!? Rating: ~98(+?)
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
