2004 Jean-Marc Morey Santenay Grand Clos Rousseau
I don’t drink a lot of 2004 Burgundy but I don’t think anyone could find the ‘green’ ‘herbal’ components here. This was very friendly, open, generous (for Santenay) yet not sloppy. Not terribly complex, but the spicy (is that wood?) fruit is fun enough, especially with food.
2008 Yannick Amirault Bourgueil La Coudraye
I didn’t quite know what to expect but this helped please my friends with lots of dark (almost chocolatey) fruit. The texture was not goofy by any stretch of the imagination but it was polished. Fun to drink in the right circumstances.
2005 Edmunds St. John Parmelee Hill Syrah
After all the debates last week about how ‘open’ this was, I was happy to drink another bottle. We decanted right away but of course it didn’t get as much air as during last week’s scientific ESJ-a-thon. Yet I still think this has pleasure to give. The flavors and aromas are fun for those who like ESJ syrah (even if not as drop dead gorgeous as the 2005 WF) and the palate is rich and almost-silky. Probably will only get better but I enjoyed it now so who cares.
2008 Vissoux Beaujolais Cuvée Traditionelle VV
Hard for this wine to follow the ESJ but once our palates adjusted it was quite nice. At first it seemed screechingly tart, especially on the nose, but for my tastes there was a nice flickering core of gamay fruit underneath and I like the lively style.