WTN: Mostly Alsace, plus Loire, Gaillac.

Last night we went to a Farm to Table dinner hosted by my friends Alex and Fred. Fun night, nice crowd. Fred had a selection of mostly natural wines, but I also carried some bonus bottles.

We were greeted with toasted raclette on baguette with cornichon, and a glass of the NV Domaine des Plageoles "Nature" (Gaillac). Nice, reminds me of a cross between artisanal apple cider and Champagne. I had assumed the "nature" meant no dosage, but this had some definite sweetness. B/B-

First course was a winter squash soup with creme fraiche, the red was a
2008 Domaine du Mortier. Not sure of the appellation on this one- no vintage on bottle (just cork), and it says Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil in tiny letters on front. Maybe it's a St Nic, but I wondered if it was a VdT and that was just winery address. In any case light framed Cab Franc, raspberry/cranberry with a weedy edge, and a bit of brett.  B-

Main course was Choucroute garnie a l'Alsacienne.

2008 Binner "Les Saveurs"- Edelswicker style blend. Light, floral, with a bit of tropical fruit and litchi. B/B-

2007 Binner "Ammerschwihr" Riesling
A bit cloudy, rich with citrus and peach fruit, a little petrol and slate. B

2007 Leon Beyer Riesling
There was a lone bottle of this, and maybe it had been opened previously, because it had a real oxidative edge. Apple peels, apple, dry finish. If this is the wine, C/C+

1999 Trimbach "Cuvee Frederic Emile" Riesling
This showed quite well. Lime and grapefruit, apple, some petrol. Nice mouthfeel, excellent length. I wish a recent '99 CSH has showed this nicely! A-

Dessert was tarte tatin, and I opened a 2002 Chidaine Montlouis Moelleux. Not that much sweeter than average demi-sec, good acidity, extraordinarily popular, but I was slightly disappointed, as it seems a bit simple and foursquare. Tasty? yes. Complex? No. B-

Fun night.

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. 

1999 Trimbach "Cuvee Frederic Emile" Riesling
This showed quite well. Lime and grapefruit, apple, some petrol. Nice mouthfeel, excellent length. I wish a recent '99 CSH has showed this nicely! A- 

Perhaps I should have picked one up from Crush's offer of the 97, 98 and 99.
Sounds like a good lineup of wine and food, thanks for the notes.

After reading so many notes about less than thrilling (with some oxidised) CSH bottles, I'm quite glad I just stick to buying CFE - seems to perform better than CSH quite a bit apparently.

After reading so many notes about less than thrilling (with some oxidised) CSH bottles, I'm quite glad I just stick to buying CFE - seems to perform better than CSH quite a bit apparently.

CFE is more in my budget. But I do think David B said he had wide premox in the '96 CFE (same vintage that seems to have premox in the CSH).

[David M. Bueker]

'96 as a vintage has such a bizarre acid structure that I am almost never sure what to think. I have indeed had some oxidized '96 CFE, but I've also had wines that showed odd lactic elements. I do not open '96s from Alsace or Germany without a backup bottle handy.

Yesterday, I had my first wine bottle casualty, and it was a 1999 Frederic Emile (tipped over on the cellar floor and broke) - my last one. You can imagine that it is bittersweet for me to read your note on the wine - couldn't you just say it was awful

2008 Domaine du Mortier. Not sure of the appellation on this one- no vintage on bottle (just cork), and it says Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil in tiny letters on front. Maybe it's a St Nic, but I wondered if it was a VdT and that was just winery address. In any case light framed Cab Franc, raspberry/cranberry with a weedy edge, and a bit of brett.  B-

This was one of the wineries I wanted to visit in October but never got around to... Prices are low, between 5.5 and 7 Euro (see http://www.st-nicolasdebourgueil.com/indexang.html).

NV Domaine des Plageoles "Nature" (Gaillac). Nice, reminds me of a cross between artisanal apple cider and Champagne. I had assumed the "nature" meant no dosage, but this had some definite sweetness. B/B-
 

Hi Dale,
I don't know,but it sounds from your description like this is probably made in the Ancestrale method where there is no dosage, because there is no 2nd fermentaion. The wine is simply bottled before the yeast from the first fermentaion has finished converting all of the sugar into alcohol and CO2. Old School Bubbly.

Cheers,
Bill