WTN: Quick thoughts on an evening of excess riches

[David M. Bueker]

Salil hosted a small group at his house last night. Good food (read: lots of meat & potatoes) and a staggering amount of great wine.

1995 Schmitt-Wagner Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Auslese
Showing the same as other bottles i have tried recently - a dryish auslese in a classical mold. Would likely sell as kabinett in the current, globally warmed market.

2001 Schmitt-Wagner Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Auslese
Predictably richer and sweeter, but also shows more interesting development. Where the '95 seems to have shed layers, this has put them on. There's a creamy edge and still plenty of fruit.

We then moved into an early flight of Syrah

2001 Allemand Cornas (Sans Soufre)
Bright, high-toned, vibrant (getting hte redundant idea?) but not showing much in the way of fruit. There's some meaty/herbal stuff hiding in the background, but this never really seemed to come out and play.

2004 Allemand Cornas (Sans Soufre)
Initially this was also quite closed, but air was its friend. It's also a bright wine, but with air it gained a lot of weight, meaty and floral elements. I found both of these wines notable for their vibrancy, but honestly do not get the fuss.

2007 Gonon St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes
Closed. Chains and locks around the gates. It did not show anything, and did not budge the entire evening. Do not disturb.

A white wine interlude with cauliflower/gruyere soup:

2004 Raveneau chhablis 1er Cru Monts Mains
Wow! Stones, lemons, herbs in a rich but precise matrix that just kept getting better and better as the evening wore on. Stunning stuff.

2000 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste Hune
Richer than any CSH I have ever had. Clearly botrytis affected, and creamy rather than austere. A very interesting, intense wine, but I have to wonder about its future, as I am not entirely sure all the botrytis is clean.

1996 Krug
Wow! Wow! Dense and elegant at the same time. Shows all the richness of the vintage, as well as some of the more mature elements, but it's so balanced, and has so many layers of aromas and flavors that it's hard to grasp all that is going on in a sip or a glass. Stunning Champagne.

On to the meat courses (chicken & pork):

1966 Chateau Beychevelle
Leathery, floral, showing that older wine sweetness that is definitely not sugar. Lovely match with the roast chicken, and a delicious showing for a 46 year old wine.

1996 Chateau Pichon Lalande
Needed time to open up. Overall it's a rich wine that has the structure of classic Bordeaux. Leave this wine alone for a long time if you have it. There was supposedly a lot more going on a couple of hours later, but I had finished.

2007 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux
Primary - dark fruit and herbs. Good balance, but just so primary.

And to finish up...

1992 Muller-Catoir Mussbacher Eselhaut Rieslaner Auslese
Appears to be on its last legs (at least this bottle). Shows a lot of that dried citrus peel character that usually means the end is near. Interesting, but not much more.

1996 Muller-Catoir Mussbacher Eselhaut Rieslaner Spatlese
Dramatically younger in its color, aromas and flavors. Still has a lot of peachy fruit, spice and a little of that Rieslaner horseradish. I would drink up though, as it has not got a ton of sweetness left, and the acidity is just as aggressive as it ever was.

Quite a night!

1996 Chateau Beychevelle
Leathery, floral, showing that older wine sweetness that is definitely not sugar. Lovely match with the roast chicken, and a delicious showing for a 46 year old wine.!

Based on 46 year reference and Salil's recent acquistion, believe that should be 1966. Always have liked that wine.
Quite a lineup!

[David M. Bueker]

Oops...will fix.

That was a fun night, though my personal highlight was the pair of older wines - the '66 Beychevelle, and the '61 Cappellano Barolo that may have been my WOTN. The Barolo was amazingly fragrant; floral, savoury, earthy and showing a sweetness beyond just fruit (like the Beychevelle) with incredible complexity and finesse - just a stunning wine.
The Krug was stellar, my first experience with that and it certainly lived up to the hype and my expectations.

Really enjoyed the pair of the 96 PLL and the Rougeard - both very finessed wines with a sense of real polish, purity and depth, though certainly very primary now. I'm excited to have a bunch of the Poyeux in the cellar.

The '01 Allemand was pleasant, perhaps a bit too high toned for my tastes with air but not exciting. Was really thrilled by the '04 after it had been open for a couple of hours and was starting to show a lovely set of floral, spicy and meaty aromatics. I like Allemand's sans soufres (particularly after an incredible experience with another bottle of the '04 a few months ago), but don't see them as a step up from his other bottlings.
Loved the Raveneau and the combination with the soup.

The '85 Talbot (late night cellar pull because we obviously didn't have enough wine) was also great - savoury, leathery, deep fruited and mature Bordeaux drinking beautifully (despite a slightly low fill).

Seriously great evening, thanks all.

[David M. Bueker]

I knew I was missing something - the '61 Barolo. Another wow wine.

Nice writeup---and nice tasting, guys---but I want to explore one of your comments, David.

You talk about the Allemands and indicate therein that there was no "wow" factor for you in those wines...and by extension, Cornas? That you just don't get all the fuss? Is that correct about Allemand only, or Cornas the AOC?

Now, if you don't, about Cornas, I mean, I can understand that, because Cornas can be a particularly unpenetrable wine through a long period, so dense and compacted and hard-shelled and stingy with its favors (especially in youth) as to be at times infuriating. Ont he other hand, when you do get a nice, open and friendly Cornas it can be magnificence of the highest order, a definite wow factor.

And thanks for bringing out those Longuichers. That's a spot on the river that doesn't get all that much love, and isn't often spotlighted, yet I've had some good, sturdy, dependable and massively pleasant wines from there over the years. You brought back some sun-drenched river days with your notes on those.

You talk about the Allemands and indicate therein that there was no "wow" factor for you in those wines...and by extension, Cornas? That you just don't get all the fuss? Is that correct about Allemand only, or Cornas the AOC?

My guess is that he was talking about the Sans Soufre cuvees.

You talk about the Allemands and indicate therein that there was no "wow" factor for you in those wines...and by extension, Cornas? That you just don't get all the fuss? Is that correct about Allemand only, or Cornas the AOC?

My guess is that he was talking about the Sans Soufre cuvees.

Yep, wondered whether it was the sulfur-absent styling or the AOC he was talkin' 'bout. Not a particular follower of Allemand myself. Current fave though is the Domain Alain Voge which, made by Alberic Mazoyer, is stunning in its depth and complexity and tightly woven knit---and that's firmly biodynamique.

[David M. Bueker]

You talk about the Allemands and indicate therein that there was no "wow" factor for you in those wines...and by extension, Cornas? That you just don't get all the fuss? Is that correct about Allemand only, or Cornas the AOC?

My guess is that he was talking about the Sans Soufre cuvees.

Yep, wondered whether it was the sulfur-absent styling or the AOC he was talkin' 'bout. Not a particular follower of Allemand myself. Current fave though is the Domain Alain Voge which, made by Alberic Mazoyer, is stunning in its depth and complexity and tightly woven knit---and that's firmly biodynamique.

I just did not find that the sans soufre bottles provided any greater experience than the regular Allemand cuvees.

Was not casting an aspersions on Allemand or Cornas, as I love both.

I'm with David - I love Allemand, have had one jawdropping experience with the 04 sans soufre before but I don't see the point of paying a lot more for them versus Chaillot and Reynard.

Meanwhile, leftovers of the 85 Talbot and Clos Rougeard held up very nicely. I'm excited to have a bunch more of the Rougeard in the cellar as it showed wonderful purity and balance, though following the two mature reds was really a tough ask.

Sounds like a great evening, guys, thanks for sharing the notes and follow-up impressions.

Glad to have the data point on the 07 Rougeard Poyeux--I'm definitely letting mine sleep a little while before dipping a toe. I also have a few bottles of 1996 PLL and have been a fan of the wine each time I've had it, though I agree it is one that benefits greatly from decanting.

Interesting to hear that the 1985 Talbot was doing quite well. I've had bottles of 1978 and 1982 in the past year or so that have been outstanding and now I'm curious about the '85.

On Saturday night, we had a wonderful bottle of 1998 Muller Catoir Rieslaner BA that was a slice of heaven. It did have a lot of dried tangerine peel sorts of notes but it didn't seem at all close to the end. I'm curious to hear more about how that might be a harbinger of downhill slides for wines like that. Not at all a challenge, just a curious ask.

All the best,
Michael

[David M. Bueker]

Michael,

In a BA or TBA I would not think of dried citrus peel as a sign of impending death. In what was a lighter (at least by current standards) auslese it was another matter. To be more precise, think of an old, clove studded orange. With BA and TBA (especially think like Catoir which are so dense and rich) the botrytis character just takes over.