WTN: Oregon, Chablis, Jumilla

Thursday I was taking a group from Germany around the city, as I would be driving later in evening I limited my dinner intake to a half-glass frrom a 375 of the 2004 Patricia Green Pinot Noir (Oregon). Seemed a bit thin and hard, with more oak than character. However, on Fri we went to my sister-in-law's for dinner (my MIL was in town to see Betsy perform). I carried the remaining 10 ounces along. Much nicer- ripe dark berry/cherry fruit, a bit of spiciness, good acidity to help it cut through the broiled salmon. Nice wine for the "base model", B/B+

Cal also served the 2004 Luzon (Jumilla). Pretty modern, with very ripe fruit and a bit of oak. But shows more complexity than a lot of the inexpensive modern Spanish wines, with notes of tar and smoked meat mingling with the black plum and vanilla notes. A bit much for the salmon, but good QPR. B

With the cheese course, we tried a 2004 Brocard "Montmains" Chablis 1er I had carried along. Pretty forward, with good bright apple and lemon fruit, a core of minerality, and a nice balance between the fruit and acids. There's a chalk-meets-oystershell mineral note that becomes more prominent with time. This can probably age, but seems very tasty now. B+/A-

There was also an open bottle of 2002 Ch. de Camarsac (Bordeaux Superieur) out, but too oxidized to really say anything but "yuck" (unsure how long it had been open, but I would guess several days)

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

 

Nice notes as always.

Those Patti Green wines have seemed to be quite tricky in their youth each year. I'd really like to go back and taste her first releases (under this label) now because her wines at Torii Mor were incredible with a bit of relaxation in the cellar...

I notice you served the Chablis Montmains with cheese. I very much prefer whites with cheese. It's more logical to do so if you have blue cheese and sauternes (a match with which I don't agree, but that's another story) or some other white with residual sugar like a Alsace VT or something, but I generally prefer dry whites in this situation.

Although I'm certainly not black and white with the rules by any means, I'm wondering what your or anyone else's opinion is on putting a DRY white and the end of the menu.

Ultimately if one enjoys it, it's fine of course. One of the best cheese course matches was a after a laid back dinner/gathering with a lot of solid Red Burgundies, we finished with an "off-vintage" 1987 Chevalier-Montrachet from Georges Deleger that was bought on closeout for a song: it ended up being truly wonderful with the acidity cutting through a selection of three cheeses.

Still, it feels weird to drink amneu such as...

Appetizer- Dry White
1st Course - Dry Red
2nd Course Dry Red
Cheese - Dry White

Or something along those lines.

What's your opinion (Dale and others)?...

[James Roscoe]

Dang! I passed on the Luzon at $9.99 today because it looked too modern. Now you're telling me it may have been okay? Oh, well, I picked up Gaston Chiquet at under $30 so I'm happy.

I bought a basic Patricia Green for a Pinot Noir comparison. It must have been severely corked or oxidized (although the latter possibility I cannot understand-it's from a good wine shop in Healdsburg), as the wine tasted very strongly of mud. A little funkiness? Sure. Mud? No thanks Yuck.

Alan,
real dinner parties at my house tend to follow a pretty predictable pattern:
hors d'oeuvres : sparkling
first sitdown course: dry whites
secondi : dry reds (sometimes there might be 3 courses, usually the 2nd one is lighter dry red, 3rd is the Bordeaux varietals or Rhone)
cheese : continue with dry reds with good cheddar, mimolette, or the like, then segue into a sweet wine with the blue
dessert- continue with the sweet wine (I don't actually eat dessert, but enjoy the wine)

In this particular case, when I asked re whatI could bring, my SIL said "wine and cheese are always good." While cheese is a course at my house, I've gone accustomed to the fact that many people think of cheese as an appetizer (I personally think it's the last thing you need premeal). Not knowing what they were serving (they're pesce-vegetarians), I thought white was a better bet, especially since I didn't know where it would be served. The cheeses were a Pont L'eveque, a St Nectaire, a crottin (chevre) of some sort, and a Stilton. I thought Loire white would be at least ok with all but the blue, but then saw 5 bottles of the Brocard ($17 @ Zachys in a prearrival sale) sitting there.

In general I wouldn't serve a dry white there (though, like your example, I remember some great showings by white Burgundies after meat and reds, latest example was a PeterLugersSteak@PeterPratts lunch). This seemed to work, but the other reality was it wasn't really a big wine dinner. 5 adults, and we went through an opened half-bottle of PN and a bottle of Spanish red before dinner and with salmon; then a bottle of Chablis. Not enough reds to cause a real disruption of palate.

James, the Luzon is indeed modern. I just thought it showed a bit more character than some.

[James Roscoe]

I don't mind the modern style at the under $10 range. It's good with burgers and other midweek fare. We get busy and at that price I have no problem pulling a quaffer.

I looked in my "drink soon" shelf and I saw a Luzon sitting there so I will taste it this week myself.

[Jenise]

Alan said:

Although I'm certainly not black and white with the rules by any means, I'm wondering what your or anyone else's opinion is on putting a DRY white and the end of the menu.

Alan, interesting question, and one that comes up frequently here since I share your preference. That said, I bow to costum and typically serve sweet whites with the cheese plate, though I always add fruit and nuts to carry the sugar.

I think one should be flexible and all of the above are good ideas..

In addition, I have no problem going back to dry whites after red wines and I think the palate is definitely capable of jumping, with proper preparation of course..

That said, the ease of that transition depends on so many other variables, such as the particular wines in question and the other food served..

Jenise,

I don't drink a lot of sweet whites (although Sauternes may actually be my favorite wine truth be told), but when I do, it's usually with cheese and done as you suggest with nuts, plus I like a little fruit. Sweet white + thin slices of pear or green apple + nuts for me. For some reason, I think I subconsciously think that when it's a sweet white, I'll do a smaller portion of cheese (+ the nuts and apples) wheras if it's a dry white, I'll often keep it just cheese and larger amounts. In the back of my head I think I'm telling myself that too much cheese ith a sweet white will be altogehter too much, wheras with a dry white will cut the fat and I won't notice the larger dose of cheese. Mind you this isn't a steadfast rule, rather it just seems that's how I began doing things a while back and continue to do so, but it was never a conscious decision...

Real good price on the wine, Dale.