WTN: Three for Three

Some friends came over last night to share the joy of summer.

With spiced almonds, cashews, and walnuts
2008 Paolo Bea IGT Umbria Santa Chiara
This was an opportunity to introduce my friends to the category of orange wine, and it was a perfect evangelical drink. Deep flavors with plenty of tactile orange grip and lovely herbal spice notes. A no-brainer match with evening-starting nuts. What’s not to love.

With eggplant, olive, Sardinian sheep’s milk cheese, tomato sauce pizza
1995 Marie-Claude Lafoy and Vincent Gasse Côte-Rôtie Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
Opened two hours before serving and by the time we got around to pouring it was full of full dark Northern Rhone syrah fruit. Background notes of florals and coffee beans and bacon grease were dancing around the margins but it was still mainly a big whacking dose of fruit. That said, it was 15-year old fruit that had mellowed its texture and was a perfect joy for us to drink with the pizza. Lovely.

With halibut cheeks and monkfish with mushroom sauce, sauteed red peppers, potato gratin and purple carrot and shiso salad
1988 Albert Morot Beaune-Teurons
The biggish fruit has mellowed and the tannins have softened (my first bottle but I’m only assuming there were more aggressive tannins in this wine at some point in the past, which I assume is not a wild leap) and this is very pleasing to drink. Not a lot of flavor detail and perhaps a smidgen more brett than I would like. But my friends are happy and it caresses the tongue well, so the table is a pleasant place to sit with this in my glass.

Thanks for the note on the 2008 Bea, I had been wondering about that one. Somewhat different than what I thought, but all the more intriguing for it. Does sound like you found a good pairing.

-Michael

Sounds like a nice lineup of wines and food. Quite impressed at the Lafoy et Gasse C-R lasting that long - I was under the impression that the wines received very little sulfur and could be rather variable, so good to hear about a 15 year old one drinking so well!

Thanks for the note on the 2008 Bea, I had been wondering about that one. Somewhat different than what I thought, but all the more intriguing for it.

What do you mean different? From previous vintages? I understand he has been increasing the maceration time each vintage since this became an 'orange' bottling.

Quite impressed at the Lafoy et Gasse C-R lasting that long - I was under the impression that the wines received very little sulfur and could be rather variable, so good to hear about a 15 year old one drinking so well!

I don't know much about them. I bought 2 bottles of their wine from a merchant in Paris whose palate I respect very much. The other was a 2003 St. Joseph which was good for the vintage and obviously full of fruit. This 95 was another warm vintage but I still wasn't expecting it to show quite this young. That could partially be the fact that it sat it in this guy's perfect storage for so long until I bought it. Or maybe I just don't have enough experience with 95 to know what to expect. Probably both!

So I have no idea how lucky I was with this, but based on this bottle I would buy more and expect them to age beautifully over the next few years. Unfortunately I don't have easy access to the Paris source!

Thanks for the note on the 2008 Bea, I had been wondering about that one. Somewhat different than what I thought, but all the more intriguing for it.

What do you mean different? From previous vintages? I understand he has been increasing the maceration time each vintage since this became an 'orange' bottling.

Sorry, just saying that I hadn't realized the wine was going in the direction of "orange". And I appreciated knowing that.

Thanks,
Michael

Sorry, just saying that I hadn't realized the wine was going in the direction of "orange". And I appreciated knowing that.

Thanks,
Michael

Ok. I think the extended skin contact thing started at least in 05. Not sure about earlier vintages. And the maceration has been getting longer each vintage. I believe this one was roughly 1 month.

2008 Paolo Bea IGT Umbria Santa Chiara
This was an opportunity to introduce my friends to the category of orange wine, and it was a perfect evangelical drink. Deep flavors with plenty of tactile orange grip and lovely herbal spice notes. A no-brainer match with evening-starting nuts. What’s not to love.

I had the 2007 a few weeks ago and did not love it. It was interesting for sure and a good wine but nothing I would buy again. It just never sang to me. Even if I did want more it would be a hard sell in the house as my wife hated it, refusing to drink more than the two sips she tried. Different strokes I guess.

Sorry, just saying that I hadn't realized the wine was going in the direction of "orange". And I appreciated knowing that.

Thanks,
Michael

Ok. I think the extended skin contact thing started at least in 05. Not sure about earlier vintages. And the maceration has been getting longer each vintage. I believe this one was roughly 1 month.

15 days for the 2007

I had the 2007 a few weeks ago and did not love it...Different strokes I guess.

I've not had the 07 but from the different maceration time it sounds like they are probably pretty different.

Nonetheless, I was clearly indulging in a bit of hyperbole with my comment about 'what's not to love' I know everyone doesn't respond the same way, especially for wines that aren't exactly cheap.

I just found it so much fun. And I don't know how much bottle variation there can be with this wine but it strikes me as much more stable than some other orange wines. Which also wins big points in my book, because the deep flavors are purer and there are no hints of off-flavors that drag down the experience. I'll probably be getting some more at some point.