Wade Hostler was visiting Helsinki, so I made a big pot of Boeuf Bourguignon to go with the Oregon Pinots we tasted. Antti Nevalainen brought a dashed nice port for dessert, and we opened up a few other nice wines also. It was a very nice evening.
Didier Daguenau Pur Sang 2001 12%
The nose is rather oaky, with a prominent note of ketchup. But gladly it did show a bit of rocks and vegetation, but was not at all Sauvignon-like to me (until retasting now while writing these notes, where it seems a bit more like SB, but still not much....). The palate doesn't show the oak, but rather a nice acidity, nice fruit, but the fruit doesn't quite follow the acids on the aftertaste. Very nice. I enjoyed this much more than any other oaked Sauvignon I've tasted before. I would give a couple more years to give the oak on the nose a chance to integrate, though.
Belle Pente Pinot Noir Estate Reserve 2001 14,3% (Willamette Valley)
A smoky, oaky nose but with true Pinot character: vegetality and earth. It also had a very nice mineral streak verging on the metallic which I found very engaging. The palate was big and sweet and almost over the top but still reigned in by the high acidity and earthiness. Very nice.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir 2001 13,5% (Willamette Valley)
A much more elegant, high-toned, red-toned nose than the Belle Pente with again lots of Pinot character, but a more Burgundian style and more restrained. Like the BP it shows a lovely minerality that is bordering on the metallic. The palate is like a coiled up spring, lots of everything and very exciting and clearly delineated but (probably) not showing all that it will eventually have. Very nice, and very earthy, and nicely acidic. Very long. More to my style than the Belle Pente, but the differences between this and the Belle Pente were more I think stylistic than qualitative. Very good.
Fonseca VP 1977
A curious Port. Like the Pur Sang, this was served blind. The fruit was very red toned making me think of Graham's style, yet it wasn't so sweet. It was a spicy port, perfectly harmonious, not so much an in-your-face style but rather an elegant one. I can't really say more about the structure or the descriptors on the nose, because the most memorable thing was the pure seamlessness and harmony of the wine. This was certainly one of the best ports I've drunk. Thank you Antti. The curious thing about it was that it wasn't at all like the idea of Fonseca that I have had in mind! I've always thought of Fonseca as a more blueberry than red-berry oriented wine and I've always thought it a bit more sweeter than this was. Oh well, I love it!
Ch Rieussec 2003 14%
Typical Rieussec nose, rather dark toned and brooding and oaky, with lots of orange-smelling botrytis. The palate is big and sweet and low in acid yet paradoxically fresh and light. I don't know how it is possible, but even for my acid craving palate, this worked. I like it, but it needs lots of time for the oak to settle.
-Otto-