WTN: It's Been Too Long...

We used to get together with my friends, Paul and Linda, on a regular basis and do, what I refer to as, our kitchen suppers. They came to our house this past Saturday evening, after a day of work for all of us.

On the kitchen table, as they arrived were sardines imported from Spain, Comte cheese, Boucheron, crackers, and bread, while I prepared the asparagus, arugula, and Prosciutto bruschetta. Our wine was a 2004 Fevre Les Clos. This bottle was soooo much fresher than a bottle on the road to oxidation that I opened a couple of months ago. This one was fresh with hints of lime and pear. Bracing acidity, with just a whisper of creaminess, and everything I could want in this wine.

We continued nibbling and sipping as I prepared the pasta - cacio e pepe (I cut down on the black pepper). With this I poured a 1996 Lagrange (Dale's recent encouraging note prompted me). This got everyone's attention (Paul and Linda have limited Bordeaux experience), and I felt they would find this appealing. The nose was intriguing with some herbal qualities, cigar box, and berries. It was very approachable and well structured, with soft tannins, dark berries and tobacco. The mid palate was shallow and the finish was of medium length, and very enjoyable on this night. Perhaps not an ideal match with the pasta, but not a bad one. I needed that additional course to separate the Lagrange from the next wine.

Joel went outside to grill our hanger steaks that I had marinated in Sriracha, lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, granulated garlic, and ginger. Paul brought a 1999 Pavie. This bottle was not as robust as the one we had almost 2 years ago. It actually was quite subdued. The nose showed muted aromas of black cherry and licorice, but as it sat in the glass, it kept putting on weight and showing better, but I never felt it displayed St. Emilion characteristics. The same for the palate as we found reticent dark cherries, milk chocolate, and black pepper that catches you at the finish.

These bottles were drained, and I was perfectly satiated, but I offered to get another bottle, and no one said "no." What do you drink, when your palate is fatigued, and the next wine will probably not be given the attention our previous bottles were given? A big, bold, and youthful 2009 Bedrock Heirloom Dolinsek Vineyard. I bought this bottle out of curiousity, and this was the perfect time, and they were the perfect people to serve it to. I had a bowl of delicious, dark chocolate on the table and those who drank the wine said it was perfect with the chocolate. I could manage a sniff (alcohol) and a small sip - fruit bomb! However, the next day I poured myself a glass and it was surprisingly fine. The alcohol was still showing on the nose (15.9%), but the ripe fruit was balanced by good acidity. A small glass was fine with our dinner, and I can see serving this wine to non-wine geeks.

Sounds like a great meal (and "kitchen dinners" with close friends are the best, especially if it's been too long).
Interesting lineup. What is the Bedrock Dolinsek- Zin? Syrah? Blend?

Sounds like a great meal (and "kitchen dinners" with close friends are the best, especially if it's been too long).
Interesting lineup. What is the Bedrock Dolinsek- Zin? Syrah? Blend?

I think those "Heirloom" wines are often a blend of many different grapes.
Best, Jim

Sounds like a great meal (and "kitchen dinners" with close friends are the best, especially if it's been too long).
Interesting lineup. What is the Bedrock Dolinsek- Zin? Syrah? Blend?

I think those "Heirloom" wines are often a blend of many different grapes.
Best, Jim

They are not specified on the label, but it says that the 99 year old Bonsai vines, growing on Sandy Goldridge loam, at Dolinsek Ranch yielded up less the 1/2 ton per acre in 2009. A co-fermentation of the many interplanted varieties using native yeasts, the wine saw 40% new, tight-grained, French oak and zero rackings until bottling. Six barrels made.

Jim - have you tried it?

Jim - have you tried it?

Diane,
Morgan's winery is right around the corner from where I live in CA so I taste with him every vintage.
IMO, Bedrock is in the process of becoming one of the most interesting and exciting wineries in CA and I can't tell you how much fun it is to taste and talk with Morgan.
These 'Heirloom' wines are a passion for him and I think they are unique; some have as many as 14 different varieties blended together.
BTW, he also did a joint project with Michael Havens (the name of which now escapes me) and their albarino was absolutely stellar; grown on a limestone outcropping in American Canyon the wine was so vibrant and expressive.
And his prices are reasonable, too.
The whole package, at Bedrock.
Best, Jim

Since I'm not interested in joining any more mailing lists, I have to depend on the random bottle being sent to a retailer, which is how I came upon a few bottles of the Dolinsek.

Hi Diane,

Thanks for the notes. Where would you put the 1996 Lagrange in the maturity spectrum? I have a couple of them that I have been saving because Parker thought they would be good until 2022. But I don't want them to pass their prime, and I am thinking I should probably drink them. What's your opinion? Mine have been stored under controlled conditions.

BTW, I tried another 1996 Ducru and that one is at its prime, yet.

best,

Covert

Covert - there was enough structure and fruit in the Lagrange that I don't feel you would have to hurry up and drink it, but it is at a point where I like my Bordeaux. If you have more than one, I recommend trying it.

I'm not sure if I understand your Ducru note. Not at its prime?

Covert - there was enough structure and fruit in the Lagrange that I don't feel you would have to hurry up and drink it, but it is at a point where I like my Bordeaux. If you have more than one, I recommend trying it.

I'm not sure if I understand your Ducru note. Not at its prime?

Thanks, diane. I meant that the 1996 Ducru is still on the young side, still a bit harsh and ungiving.

Geez, I went to my cellar to extract a 1996 Lagrange and noticed I had a couple of 1995's. Not usually enjoying 1995's as much ad 1996's, I decided to drink them up first. What a surprise! It was absolutely lovely. Classic black fruit of great cab, almost eruptive nose; best possible sweet oak taste I can imagine, even youthful; a bit of asphalt and a hint of tea to come in the future. Tannins are soft and sweet, with a touch of granularity for depth and contrast. Nice long finish, and the brand of characteristic spice on the tail of any good St-Julien: nutmeg. In four words - generous, generous, sexy, loving.

Nice surprise, Covert.

I had a couple of 1995s last night. For the most part, 1995 hasn't provided the pleasure I have gotten from other vintages, and last night's Cos d"Estournel and Pichon Baron have proven that, once again.

Hi again, Diane. For comparison, Lynn and I followed up this weekend with a 1996 Lagrange, after enjoying the 1995 Lagrange immensely last weekend. Reading a tome on Wine Tasting at the moment, I am more convinced than ever that few people perceive flavors in a wine the same way somebody else does, unless they listen to the first person and then they can confabulate many of the same notes into their own tasting. For example, the most predominant flavor that both Lynn and I got out of our two bottles was asphalt (albeit bathed in sweet cassis), similar to what we often find in Saint-Emilions. I can’t see the others’ comments as I am posting this response, but I do not remember anybody mentioning asphalt. Of course the truth is there is no asphalt in the wine; it is just a convenient metaphor for a familiar retro-nasal (if that is the word) experience.

I thought both the 1995 and 1996 were very similar in flavor profiles; however, I considered the 1996 to be more blended and thus less focused. For that reason it was more sensuous to me, like a free skate as opposed to school figures. Both fantastic bottles, though, as I substitute Second and Third Growths for Firsts for our special bottle nights, to keep more money in the bank going forward.

Blended is a good descriptor, and that is my preference, especially for Bordeaux. I find it difficult to enjoy when one of the flavor components is sticking out, especially when it is a smoky one.

Last night we drank a 2000 Reserve de la Comtesse, and I have been enjoying these over the past couple of years - fruit, tobacco, and pencil lead were all playing a supporting role. We didn't sit and contemplate, we simply enjoyed it.