IndyFest: notes and more (now with pictures)

This past Saturday (March 12), a delightful gang of wine lovers invaded the Courtyard Marriot on the north side of Indianapolis. In attendance were Julia B, Howie Hart (our guest of honor), Bob Henrick, Mike Hughes and his wife Cindy, Bill Pauman (Redwinger) and his wife Norma, Sam Platt and his wife, Bill Morgan (a neighbor of mine, and recent addition to WLDG), and myself. Later in the evening, we invited about 5 wine-appreciating strangers from the lobby, to share/help us with our embarrassment of riches.

I was told the official count of bottles opened was 25, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were that many again waiting at hand, especially considering all of the fine Hart Wine Cellars selections Howie so generously brought along to share with us. Wonderful food abounded, including but certainly not limited to: Norma's excellent pesto-plus-other-tasty-things spread, Julia's incredibly delicious duck liver pate, Mike's very fine tuna steaks, and Redwinger's absolutely perfect flank steak; Bill Morgan's stuffed mushrooms and Howie's spicy gougeres were quite nice; I'm told my broccoli salad and Triple Sec truffles were rather good too; and Julia's chocolate torte was just incredible. Mike brought along some Graeter's ice cream, which no doubt was top-notch as usual, but that sadly was opened just as Bill Morgan and I had too leave, and I was too stuffed anyway.

Because I had to drive Bill Morgan and myself home, I had to make a few tough decisions, and so apologies to the group that I do not have notes for the following (which I am now kicking myself for, safe and easy drive home or not): Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage 1999 (pity, but I had to pick my battles), Pegau Cuvee Reservee 1996 (which I did get a whiff of - very bretty, but dear me, why didn't I have just a small sip?), and ESJ Bassetti 2005 (yes, I know, shame on me). The two great lessons of the evening for me: Howie is a very talented winemaker, and I am going to have to get me some Musar!

I have a few pictures, but those will have to wait until I get to a faster connection.

Now, the notes! I'll let everyone identify their contributions if they care to.

As we were congregating, I suggested to Bill Morgan that he open the following, a perfect starter, and I believe much enjoyed by all who tried:

Rousseau Freres, Touraine Noble Joue 2009
Light pink with a hint of orange. On the nose and palate, like a sticking your face in a strawberry patch, with red apple, and a nice vegetal hint. Delightful and fresh, with sweet fruit. An excellent rose. **

Julia told us we should let this sit a while longer, but I just couldn't resist. I meant to revisit, but never got back to it:

Chateau Musar (blanc), Bekaa 1998
My first Musar. Golden like a young Sauternes. A fascinating and quixotic nose: banana bread, apricot, and honey suckle. Similar on the palate, rich, but tight; nectary and a bit burnished, but not a lot going on, and that after double-decating and hours of breathing. Intense and impressive. Can sail effortlessly for 10 more years, and those experienced with Musar suggest it could go another 20 years, and that seems perfectly plausible. Fascinating. ****

Julia insisted, and Bill Morgan reiterated, that this was not to be missed, and it was indeed an eye-opener:

Chateau Grand Traverse, Ship of Fools, Michigan 2008
A white blend. Peach, custard apple, nectar, and mineral. Steely, with great body. ***

Now, the first of Howie's wines, and one which WLDG had some part in naming, IIRC:

Hart Wine Cellars, Rose the Riveter, Sparkling Pinot Noir, Niagara 2008
Cherry, blood orange, yeast, and mineral. Very good sparkler, solid quality. **

Then Howie's tour-de-force, which for Bill Morgan and myself was perhaps the treat of the evening:

Hart Wine Cellars, Cabernet Franc - Merlot, Niagara 2010
Barrel sample. Howie Hart's intent was to make Right Bank style wine. Blackberry, red currant, cherry, plum, a little pleasant greeness. Chalky mineral. Fantastic fruit and body. Could hold its own against a Pomerol. Can age for 10 years. Bravo Howie! ****

I had waited a very long time to try one of these, and I think I'm now in love:

Chateau Musar (rouge), Bekaa 1997
My first Musar red. Awesome nose!!!!! Cherry, blackberry, earth brett. Similar on the palate, with some currant, raisen, and chalk. Such depth! Heavenly. Can go 5 - 10 more years. ****

Next I sampled a very fine red Burg, which also intended as a set-up for the two equally fine American Pinots that followed:

Huguenot Pere et Fils, Petite Crais, Fixin 2005
Fantastic Nuits nose: floral, gamey, blackberry. Similar on the palate, a bit smokey, some great mineral, great body. Drink now or in the next 5 years. ***

Warm Lake Estate, Pinot Noir, Niagara Escarpement 2005
Medium garnet; surprisingly mature color. Cherry, blackberry, foral notes, matchstick. Palate less expressive; cherry, orange rind, game, blackberry, foral notes. Beautiful. Tastes like a Nuits, in fact very similar to the Fixin tasted just before, but fruitier. Drink now or in the next few years. Pity that the winery is defunct. ***

Lindsay, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2002
Cherry, blueberry, hints of violet, game, and earth. Nice fruit, nice accentuation, focused, great body. Like a Beaune. Now or next 5 years. ***

There was a general sense of amazement that somebody had gotten their hands on this, though I think it suffered in comparison to the rest of the evening's amazing line-up:

Turley, Zinfandel, Pesenti Vineyard, Paso Robles 2005
Rich, intense black raspberry, currant, tobacco, herbs, and sweet spice. Excellent for what it is, the quality is very good, and I can see the appeal, but nothing all that special. **

At any rate, the Turley was a nice lead up to these big guns:

Saint Cosme, Cote-Rotie 1998
Cherry, blackberry, apricot, smokey bacon, earth, mineral, cocoa, black olive. Still young and a bit astringent! Classical Northern Rhone. 5 to 10 years ahead. ***

E. Guigal, Cote-Rotie 2003
Not a lot on the nose. Black olive, black raspberry, apricot, bacon, earth. Still tight and tannic. A great Cote-Rotie, but all potential at this point. 10 to 20 years ahead. ****

At about this point, the tuna and steak came off the grill, and we all sat down to eat. A perfect time to hit the Barolo's, I thought. Sadly, the first, a 1998 Anselma, was corked, a pity because there was obviously a great Barolo there, and it probably would have been fine with food, though with so many wines, nobody bothered. Nonetheless, my reaction upon trying this was deemed priceless by Sam's wife, who will likely be posting a most amusing picture. After that, on to one of my contributions, which as was very happy with, and confirms (per the recent thread here, which includes another note for the same wine) that the 2000 Barolo's are just fine:

Damilano, Barolo 2000
Cherry, blackberry, hint mushroom, hint leather. Vinous, great body, a riper style, but a perfect Barolo. Still tannic and taut, just now reaching drinkability. 5 to 10 years ahead. ***

I took the remainder (2/3 of the bottle) of the Damilano home, and revisited with Bill Morgan and a nice dinner the next day. My detailed day 2 notes are included at the end of this post.

A few whites got opened to go with the tuna steaks, and though it may not have made sense to drink them between a bunch of big red, there they were, so why not?:

Hart Wine Cellars, Pinot Gris, Niagara 2010
Color showing a bit of pink. Lemon, peach/tropical notes, mineral. Very nice. **

Donnhoff, Riesling, Nahe 2008
Apple, lime, peach, passion fruit, mineral, great body. A great Riesling. ***

Hart Wine Cellars, Riesling Niagara Escarpment 2010
Orange, and pear, moderate sweetness. Not showing a whole lot, probably needs some age. **

So, after that nice intermission, back to the Baroli:

Michele Chiarlo, Tortoniano, Barolo 2003
Too young and tart. Some red fruit, mushroom, and chocolate. Needs a lot more time. Revisit in 5 - 10 years. ***

Grilled steak being served - must be time for some Chateauneuf!:

Domaine du Pegau, Cuvee Reservee, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2000
Black olive, black raspberry, currant/grilled meat, chocolate, great earth and mineral, some brett. Lighter than some vintages, but very Pegau, and do they ever disappoint?. 5 to 10 years ahead. ***

Around this time, people started for the desserts, and Howie brewed espresso from his home roasted beans, to which he brilliantly added a few fennel seeds - is there anything the man cannot do? Twas time for a sticky I thought, and opened my other contribution, which I was happy to see that people enjoyed a great deal. I took the last half glass home, and the notes that follow are based on day 2, and while more detailed, the wine was showing identically:

La Chapelle de Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Sauternes 2004
2nd wine of Laufarie-Peyraguey. Golden with a hint of burnish coming on. Nose somewhat reserved, but very fine, with good presence, and a sense of depth. On the nose and palate, a personality of pinapple, orange marmalade, citronella, apricot, a hint of mango/tropical fruit, honey, barley sugar, a hint of celery, rocky mineral, and a touch of boytritus spice. Not very foral or nectary per say, a whiff of greeness, and little boytritus influence, but oh my, creamy, burnished, with remarkable concentration, intensity, body, and youthful verve. As befits Laufaurie-Peyraguey, a great sense of poise and depth, calling to mind a fine white Burgundy. The quality here is phenominal for the price ($25 for a full bottle), and it is a genuine sample of L-P's style. The modest vintage gives a different style of Sauternes here, but the Sauternes lover will be very happy. Youthful still, can take 10 more years in stride, and will probably still be doing pretty well in 20. *** [3/12/11]

I declared myself done at this point, knowing I had to drive home. Howie very generously insist that I pick one of his wines to take home, and I very quickly chose a Lemberger (he later insisted I take a Steuben as well - Howie you are a gem, thanks very much!). 45 minutes or so later came Julia with a Stone Wolf Pinot. "I can't" said I. But she insisted:

Stone Wolf, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2000
Incredible youth for its age. Pugent, intense cherry and blackberry. Oh my! Some Oregon accentuation. Needs time. Can last another 10 years or more. Impressive. ***

Another 45 minutes or so later, Bill Morgan and I had managed to say our goodbyes (but not before Howie gave us a Cayuga), packed up, and were off for Bloomington. Had a nice drive home, reflecting on a wonderful evening.

Thank you so much to all for your warmth, generosity, and a memorable evening. And special thanks again to Howie for visiting us in Indiana, and for spoiling us with his talents.

Pictures to be added later.

Now, as an epilogue, day 2 with the Damilano, which the the Maderaks and the Morgans savored with a very fine dinner of roast beef:

Damilano, Barolo 2000
2nd day, after several hours of slow breathing, plus a full day recorked with airspace. Medium garnet. On the palate, cherry, blackberry, chocolate, mineral/granite, and leathery earth; as it opens a hint of juicy currant/plum. A somewhat riper style, but with great tone, and still very Barolo. Now, the nose, which encapsulates this wine and why I love it: deep and rich cherry, blackberry, chocolate, and leathery earth; as it opens, so many things emerge in turn (and are reflected on the palate) - orange rind, roses, mushroom/forest floor, wet gravel, and tobacco; one of my favorite noses ever. Great body and persistance; savory, and with aromatic drive. For me, this is stylistically perfect. My favorite Piedmonte red to date. This has just now arrived at drinkability from youth. It's future presents a difficult decision: to drink it in 5 years, when its fruit is still youthfull, or to drink in 10 years, when it should display a beautiful maturity. I'll be looking forward either way. I love this Barolo! ****

I generally don't attempt notes from these kinds of events, so I'll just offer my impressions and recollections. Thanks for clarifying the lobby additions...I was wondering who the %$#& they were.

This is the first time I have tasted Howie's wines and his wines are delightful and impressive. Thanks, Howie, for your generosity.

The 2005 ESJ Bassetti Syrah (my contribution) was opened (not decanted) about 10 hours before the event started. Dark fruit, structured and a nice core of minerality. While tasty now, the wine is very primary/tannic and needs at least 3-5 years in the cellar and I have no reason to doubt Steve's opinion that this is a 15 year wine.

I suspect i liked the 2000 Pegau Reservee a bit more than you did, probably because I felt this wine was a solid expression of CdP, but it was showing youthful with a tremendous upside with additional cellaring.

The Musar Rouge was my first Musar and it did not disappoint. Deeelightful

I didn't get to the Musar Blanc until later in the evening, but it did show much on the nose or palate at that time. It was my understanding it had been opened earlier in the day. Confusing wine to this taster.

I liked the 1998 St Cosme Cote Rotie a bit more than you did and thought it a wonder expression of the appellation. Dark fruit, earthy/funky, bacon, roasted meat and black olive notes.

A point of clarification on the 2002 Lindsay Pinot. This Linda's Angus bottling, while not exactly ubiquitous,is not nearly as rare as the 2000 Stone Wolf Martiarch series that Bob Henrick graciously shared. I believe the Matriarch series had total production < 10 cases.

I did not taste every wine, but the ones that stood out for me, in no particular order, were the Musar Rouge, the 1998 St. Cosme CR, and the 2000 Pegau Reservee.

Aside from the corked Barolo, (there was some disagreement about it being corked) and the Musar Blanc, which I am not talented enough to figure out, there was not a clunker on the table.

I will try to upload a few photos later....worry not JB!!

Redwinger

Edited to correct the vintage on the St Cosme CR

I suspect i liked the 2000 Pegau Reservee a bit more than you did, probably because I felt this wine was a solid expression of CdP, but it was showing youthful with a tremendous upside with additional cellaring.

You know, I've been contemplating whether my palate was just a bit worn out at that point, since that was wine 18 out of 20 for me, or maybe I had just done too much back-and forth between radically different wines. Certainly I recognized it as good Pegau and I appreciated the experience, and I pretty much categorically love CdP, even the cheaper ones. I can see how, if it was showing youthfully, and perhaps holding back a bit, I might at the time have interpreted that as it having less to offer than the other vintages I've had. But then, I've been spoiled in having the three previous Pegau's I've had be awesome.

As to that 1998 Anselma being corked . . . . yeah, up for debate, since in truth it was still showing its stuff. But like I said, too many wines to dwell on one that might have been a bit off.

I was actually very impressed with the Saint Cosme, which seemed to me still youthful at nearly 13 years. But for whatever reason, at that particular moment, the Gugial impressed me more. Interesting to note that back at Depauw Fest, I also preferred a 2003 where you preferred a more classical late-90's C-R (of course the later was a Jamet, so the 2003 hadn't a chance with you )

But yes, when you've got a lineup of so many consistently good wines, really it's all splitting hairs and personal preference. This is part of the reason I don't use numerical scores any more.

Ryan - Thank you so much for remaining focused and taking great notes. My intentions were good, but my note book was accidently left in Kokomo, giving me an excuse to simply drink and visit. The lineup of wines was both interesting and impressive. I love "no theme" wine tasting because I get to sample so many different and varied juices.

It's impossible for me to pick a wine of the night, but the wines that stuck out for me were Howie's CF-Merlot blend, the white Musar and the Turley Zin. Howie's blend was deep, dark and quite complex for a homemade wine. I would love to taste it in about 5 years. The Musar was quite interesting in that it had a wonderful nose, but not a thing going on with the palate - it would certainly be my "nose of the night". I had always wanted to taste a Turley, and thanks to Bob's generosity I got my chance. My expectations were high due to all the hype, but all in all I thought the Turley was a relatively pedestrian Zin.

As Bill mentioned, the quality of all the wines was quite high, save the dead/corked Barolo (who brought that wine anyway?!). In general, the wines were too young, as is nearly always the case at tasting events. Like everyone else I get excited about my wines and am too quick on the trigger finger.

The company was fantastic, as was the food. Everyone was extremely generous with food, wine, and conversation. LuAnne and I had an excellent time and look forward to doing it again. Special thanks to Howie for literally bringing the fruits of his labor to share with all of us. Far and away the best homemade wines I have ever tasted.

Excellent write up, Ryan! Doctoral quality all the way. Wasn't that a fun night? I abstained from any wine consumption on Sunday (if I'm good to my liver, it will be good to me). Tonight, however, I grilled a steak and revisited the Chiarlo Barolo..lovely!! It paired perfectly with the rare steak, lush, tannic and a tad earthy.
I couldn't begin to choose a favorite but the Musar red, the Pegau 2000 and the Lindsay were stand outs. Howie's barrel sample cab franc/merlot blend was so delicious, I cannot imagine how fantastic that will be upon release. The pairing of the night had to be Mike and Cindy's tuna prep with the Donnhoff 08..yum. The food, the wine, and most of all the company was absolutely delightful. Let's do it again!!

Thanks to all for a lovely evening!

JuliaB

PS Sam Platt is young.

I had a great time. Good friends, new friends, good food, great wines! What more could one ask for? I didn't take notes and I didn't try every wine, but was impressed with both of Linda Lindsey's PNs, the '97 Chateau Musar (rouge), Chateau Musar (blanc), E. Guigal, '03 Cote-Rotie, '08 Donhoff (thanks Mike) and the '04 La Chapelle de Lafaurie-Peyraguey was a real treat. The foods were awesome - Julia's chicken liver - date pate, Winger's flank steak and Mike's grilled tuna were outstanding, but I ended the night pigging out on Julia's chocolate torte (double yum). A very memorable event and thanks to everyone!

[James Roscoe]

Someone said all JB's wines were corked again! Typical!
I am glad everyone had a good time.

Here at last are a few random pictures that I or Bill Morgan took.

The wines

indyfest1.jpg

Mike and Sam

indyfest2.jpg

Most of the crew, sans Mike, Sam, and I

indyfest3.jpg

Howie and I (and who's that hiding behind Howie?)

indyfest4.jpg

Holy Toledo! Now I am sadder than ever that I couldn't make this event (though 4 days in the FL Keys was some consolation). You guys sure pulled out all the stops with that lineup of wines. I'm glad to hear that the '00 Pegau is doing as well as it is as I have a few rotting downstairs. And Ch. Musar in Indiana! What will you think of next? Thanks for the photos, Ryan. And you're looking as photogenic as ever, JB!

Mark Lipton

[James Roscoe]

Ryan, you need to attach names to the pictures. I recognize Howie of course. I also see a nice shot of the aged BobH. I also don't recognize Mr. Hughes in any of these shots. Was that an artistic choice? If so, I applaud the decision. I also believe I recognize the shroud of Turin behind Howie in one of the photos. I need to know whose name belongs to the other faces.

Rousseau Frères, Touraine Noble Joué 2009
Light pink with a hint of orange. On the nose and palate, like a sticking your face in a strawberry patch, with red apple, and a nice vegetal hint. Delightful and fresh, with sweet fruit. An excellent rose. **

Sounds like a great time and a great guest of honor. Howie is one of the most generous people I've met, and a very good winemaker.

We visited the Touraine Noble Joué AOC in the Loire last fall and found the wines thoroughly enjoyable. It's a single cépage AOC. The wine is a vin gris made from Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir with maximum and minimum amounts of each specified by the AOC. Our host in Tours actually served us the Rousseau Frères which he buys in bulk at the winery and bottles himself. The winery even gives him labels with a space to put his name, so he can legitimately claim that the wine was bottled by him!

While we enjoyed the Rousseau Frères, we preferred a fresher and lighter one by Jean-Jacques Sard. The price at the winery was all of 4 euros. We wished we could take a case or two with us. Do try any Noble Joué if you get the chance. It's a very different rosé.

Ryan, you need to attach names to the pictures. I recognize Howie of course. I also see a nice shot of the aged BobH. I also don't recognize Mr. Hughes in any of these shots. Was that an artistic choice? If so, I applaud the decision. I also believe I recognize the shroud of Turin behind Howie in one of the photos. I need to know whose name belongs to the other faces.

3.jpeg includes Howie, Bob H. in the white polo, The other Bill in the red shirt, LuAnne Platt and me in the perfectly coordinated denim outfit scowling about why I'm the only one doing any work around here.

Winger