WTN: Loire, St, Estephe, Nahe, etc

Since leftovers killed meatless Monday we went with tofu Tuesday, though it was actually a red lentil/coconut soup with broccoli. I opened a 375 of the 2000 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile to find it totally oxidized - premOx of Burgundy is bad enough, but CFE? Sob.

The replacement was the 2010 Donnhoff QbA Riesling. As previously noted, I especially like this vintage- great acids, citrus meets mineral, a crispy crunchy fun wine. Great value. B+

Wed was shrimp/fennel risotto, with a bit of truffle salt for fun. Wine was the 2009 Luneau-Papin "Terre de Pierre" Muscadet. Not your grandmother's Muscadet. Rich, full, deep. Ripe apples and lemon, not as acidic as most Muscadets but still with a backbone, wet rocks. Won't win points for typicity, but lovely full-bodied wine. B+/A-

Thursday Dave and Mary Kate joined us for capon with a mushroom/cognac sauce, parsleyed potatoes with more truffle salt, and a salad.

1986 Meyney
a particularly good bottle of one my all time fave QPR clarets. For an '86 Bdx, it's not especially big or tannic. Just a midweight claret, tannins mostly resolved, sweet blackcurrant and black plum fruit, lead pencil and cedar, a touch of herbs. A-

2009 Coulaine "Bonnaventure" Chinon
Juicy, ripe, red plums and cocoa. Quite a shock after the St Estephe, seemed modern and confected. I was surprised as producer has good rep. But tasted a while later (and today, 24 hours later), I liked better- not overtly slutty fruit anymore, just clean black fruit with an herb and tobacco edge. Probably a bit of change in the wine, and more importantly my not comparing it to the Bordeaux (I am not a physically gifted taster, and I think that can be magnified drinking 2 wines side by side). But I would have said C+ with dinner, but B/B+ afterwards.
(a good lesson in how much trust to put in single tastes)

2009 Pepiere Muscadet
Used about a half-bottle of this as cooking wine for the mushrooms, the rest made for a nice change of pace while washing dishes. Not the most vervy vintage of this, but still plenty of acid, good fruit, limestone and seashell on finish. B+/B

Tonight we were supposed to go to a party, but the host got sick. So dinner for two, never a bad thing. Betsy did flounder in a panko crust, pasta with a tomato/caper/olive sauce, and broccoli, wine was the 2009 Chidaine "Clos Baudoin" Vouvray. Yippee yi yo, I like this. Sec to sec-tendre, citrus fruit, wet rocks and wool, full-bodied, just lovely, find more. A--

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 wines and nice notes as always.

I've read a few comments elsewhere on the web about premox hitting CFE and it's sad (please, oh please, don't let Austrian Smaragd be next in the premox firing line) - though the last two halves of CFE I opened were cursed by TCA, not premox. Grr. Hope your other CFEs are fine though.

Love those old Meyneys (and other 80s Cordiers as you know) - still have another bottle of the '86 remaining, but must keep an eye out at auctions for more.

I've liked the couple of Coulaine bottlings I've had, quite surprised to hear how modern that one showed at first - but the 09 vintage in the Loire is rather ripe (that said, if David Lillie supports and sells the wine, I can be pretty sure it's not modern ). We'll have to check into one of my bottles of their 05 or 08 Clos de Turpenay some time...

Pepiere whilst washing up! Lovely moment I am sure.

I drank quite a few bottles of the 2006 Bonnaventure. I found it quite delicious. Modern? Perhaps a bit. But well made and well structured. I liked the 2008 as well. Wish I could find some 2009 where I am!