WTN: Pavie, Pontet Canet, Montelena, Heitz

A small group for lunch this month, which means big pours and often especially good wines.

2008 Vieux Donjon Blanc – I like white CNduP but it can be difficult to nail blind. This one was tough – light colour, a gravelly citrus nose but with tropical notes that steered me away from the Chardonnay that would otherwise have been my first guess. Finally ended up in the Rhone. Nice length, nice fruit, no rush.

2002 Hendry Hendry Ranch Pinot Noir (Napa) – medium colour, nice dusty plum nose, medium body, juicy medium long finish, tasty with black fruit, perhaps a tad on the ripe side.

1983 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet – this was a poser – clearly a mature California cab, but little oif the mint that typifies this property in most vintages. The nose was a bit cooked, I thought, but the wine still had decent mid palate fruit, some spice and soft tannins. It began to fade fairly quickly. Would have been better a few years ago.

2001 Ch. Pontet Canet (Pauillac) - dark purple colour, sweet fruit and entry, earthy fruit nose, good weight, long finish also fairly sweet. The nose was atypical at first and only disclosed that it was claret with some air time.

1982 Ch. Phelan Segur – this St. Estephe had a pleasant dusty plumy nose soft entry, medium body, and decent acidity. Still has some soft tannins. Nice. Still drinks well.

1992 Ch. Montelena (Napa) – this needed time in the glass to open up. At first it showed little nose and seemed a bit hollow in the middle, With time it filled out and exhibited a very nice nose of dark fruit. Still lots of tannin and significant acidity, this long smooth wine will last along time yet. My first bottle from a case.

1999 Ch. Pavie – this St Emilion presented very oddly. A hot stewy nose, tons of acidity, and soy, it showed as mature and totally unlike previous tastings. Maybe heat damaged?

Some strange things are going on with the 1999 Pavie. I loved it a few years ago, but 2 recent bottles , both within the last 6 months, we're unrecognizable as Bordeaux. They were from my friend's cellar, and didn't show signs of heat damage, but they were stripped of all the characteristics I love about Bordeaux. if you read Cellartracker notes, you will see not everyone has experienced this. my initial thought was that it was a vintage for Pavie that isn't holding up.

[Jenise]

Bill, great lunch: every wine generated great conversation.

2008 Vieux Donjon Blanc – Bob and I loved that you guys started out thinking chardonnay because this wine has always reminded us, somewhat, of a chardonnay. A very good one, of course, and I think it's because of the heavy Picpoul in the mix (supposedly boubalenc and roussanne are the rest); notably, no marsanne or viognier.

2002 Hendry Hendry Ranch Pinot Noir (Napa) – out of the box I guessed "Pinot, Oregon" and when George said no I went straight to Napa. Of all the possible appellations in California, only Napa seems to pull black, plummy fruit into its pinot noirs. The ripeness you note is also typical, although I didn't find this one as ripe as many are. Good.

1983 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet – what you said. A noble effort, though.

2001 Ch. Pontet Canet (Pauillac) - The sweet, earthy entry of black fruit, brown paper bag and terra cotta reminded me, at first, of what good Washington winemakers who steer more old world in style achieve in cool vintages with their cabernet blends. Bordeaux was not my first thought, but it wasn't unthinkable once we learned it was a 2001, especially for the finish which I found dryer than you did. I believe this is the second 2001 Bdx Drew has brought us and I'm enjoying his generosity, as I own many 2001s and haven't dug into them yet.

1982 Ch. Phelan Segur – Wonderful funk all over this wine and some nice notes of a freshly wrapped cigar. Very well balanced on the palate with good length. Delightful.

1992 Ch. Montelena (Napa) – Can't improve on your description, though I must comment on how this is your first bottle from a case that you've owned since release. Your cellar, and patience, are mindboggling. Good bocce wine, don't you think?

1999 Ch. Pavie – My wine. My notes just say this, and it sums the experience up pretty well: "oddly mature". Nothing I'd call 'cooked', just black color and soy sauce in the mouth--soy sauce being my last-resort descriptor for a wine that has aged awkwardly and just gone into a black hole as compared to simply sliding downhill. However, that phenomena has usually occurred in domestic wines--I can't recall a Bordeaux that did this. And further to what Diane says, not only have other bottles I've had (all from the same impeccable source, and they've been in my cellar for nine years) been better/different, early Friday morning I verified on Cellar Tracker that someone else recently had a great experience with this wine. Which doesn't make what we had any better than it was, it just suggests that there's some extreme bottle variation going on. Bizarre; it should have been so much better.