TN: Saturday Afternoon Wines

Met up with some new folks in Chicago (including board contributor Mark Lipton) to enjoy some beautiful wines, great food and good conversation.

CHICAGO DISORDERLY AFTERNOON - Phil's House (5/12/2012)

Graciously hosted by Phil and Sara this was a fun afternoon of wine and food. Phil masterfully prepared a number of dishes for us - my favorite was his beet salad. Absurdly good.

• 2006 Marie-Noelle Ledru Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée du Goulté - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
  Nose of white floral, vanilla, peach and mineral tones. Had plump orchard fruit on the palate but Ledru's signature minerality was evident. While most champagne producers seek yeasty, bready wines, Ledru happily producers wines of finesse and minerality. Quite amazing. (91 pts.)
• 2002 Marie-Noelle Ledru Champagne Grand Cru Millésimé - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
  Loved this wine's floral and mineral character. The palate was electric with melon, sweet lemon, herb and pear tones. A "wow" type of complexity. Still has great energy and I can see this doing well for another decade. (94 pts.)
• 1987 Domaine Dupasquier Altesse Roussette de Savoie Marestel - France, Savoie, Roussette de Savoie
  Corked. NR (flawed)
• 2010 Cowan Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Isa - USA, California, North Coast, Lake County
  An interesting wine that was intensely perfumed aromas of peach, mango and pineapple. Really showed well around cellar temperature with sizzling acidity and lush, vibrant tropical fruit. Pretty cool stuff. (89 pts.)
• 2009 Jean-Yves Péron Vin de Table Français Cotillon des Dames - France, Vin de Table Français
  Yummy stuff that had nice spice notes with that waxy banana peel aroma too. The palate had nice pear, lemon, and was nicely textured. Thought the acidity was nice and tingly and it was an all-together nice package. (90 pts.)
• 2010 Emmanuel Houillon (Maison Pierre Overnoy) Chardonnay Arbois Pupillin - France, Jura, Arbois Pupillin
  A young, and still primary wine. There is, however, great material at work here. The expressiveness of the lemon and melon tones was fantastic and it's hard not to talk about the wines acidity...almost like there's an electrical current running through it. If you're opening one soon, I'd give it a nice decanting ahead of time...the air opened up some of the floral and spice notes. (91 pts.)
• 2002 Domaine Truchot-Martin Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
  A bit better than the last bottle I had. Found the mushroom tones on the nose and palate to be a bit more vibrant which I really enjoyed. The red fruit is still really pretty and is pure silk. A beautiful wine that is drinking at peak I would guess. (91 pts.)
• 2009 Domaine des Cavarodes (Etienne Thiebaud) Arbois Poulsard des Gruyères - France, Jura, Arbois
  A juicier expression of Poulsard than I'm used to, but nonetheless delicious. Loved it's brambly red fruit nature with spicy, radish-like tones. Florals developed with air and the finish was prickly with acidity. Really nice. (89 pts.)
• 2010 Arnot-Roberts Trousseau Luchsinger Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Clear Lake
  A good term for this is "bright" I was struck by the lushness of the palate and while the fruit tones were dense and juicy, it had nicely woven floral tones and acidity to give it a nice elegance. Will be interesting to watch this wine age. (88 pts.)
• 1998 Thunder Mountain Star Ruby Bates Ranch - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
  I adore the wines of Thunder Mountain and this was my first try of the Star Ruby Bates Ranch blend. I don't know what the blend consists of, but there seemed to be some cabernet franc influence going on. I think Phil pointed out how he was picking up some green pepper notes which I thought was spot on. The palate was juicy with red, brambly fruit...more green notes...maybe dill? A really fun wine that I thought was drinking nicely. (90 pts.)
• 2008 Domaine du Cros (Philippe Teulier) Marcillac Vieilles Vignes - France, Southwest France, Marcillac
  Lars was right on. This was killer with the lamb shoulder that Phil made. Really enjoyed the cranberry and spice tones to the palate - and its acidity and tannin level suggest it has the structure to age and flesh out some secondary and tertiary characteristics. (91 pts.)
• 1986 Kalin Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Sonoma County
  Certainly wouldn't have guessed this to be 26 years old. The nose had some rusticity to it, but it was still holding onto its dark, spicy fruit nose. There was this nice graham cracker tone to it too that I really enjoyed. The palate was silky and feminine with good fruit and some dark floral notes. The tannins were completely mellow - this was a really great wine. (91 pts.)
• 1997 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Lovely bottle with dark fruit, cedar and smoke on the nose. The palate is powerful and balanced with violets, dark fruit, spices, and truffle tones. This has a lot of life left - no rush drinking this baby. (91 pts.)
• 1990 Domaine du Viking Vouvray Tendre - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
  A nicely aged Vouvray with vanilla, banana, pear and apple tones on the nose. Despite being semi-sweet, the palate was airy with orchard fruit, floral notes and crushed rocks. Very nice. (87 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Met up with some new folks in Chicago (including board contributor Mark Lipton) to enjoy some beautiful wines, great food and good conversation.

Graciously hosted by Phil and Sara this was a fun afternoon of wine and food. Phil masterfully prepared a number of dishes for us - my favorite was his beet salad. Absurdly good.
[list][*]2006 Marie-Noelle Ledru Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée du Goulté - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
Nose of white floral, vanilla, peach and mineral tones. Had plump orchard fruit on the palate but Ledru's signature minerality was evident. While most champagne producers seek yeasty, bready wines, Ledru happily producers wines of finesse and minerality. Quite amazing. (91 pts.)[/b
[*][b]2002 Marie-Noelle Ledru Champagne Grand Cru Millésimé - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
Loved this wine's floral and mineral character. The palate was electric with melon, sweet lemon, herb and pear tones. A "wow" type of complexity. Still has great energy and I can see this doing well for another decade. (94 pts.)

I must confess to being a bit of an apostate on these wines. While I found them generous and reasonably fruity, I found the yeast autolysis character to dominate to such an extent that I lost any nuance that might otherwise have been present. I have come to realize that I far more sensitive to those "toasty" aromas than many, so no doubt this accounts in large part for my differing perception of the wines.

[*]2010 Cowan Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Isa - USA, California, North Coast, Lake County
An interesting wine that was intensely perfumed aromas of peach, mango and pineapple. Really showed well around cellar temperature with sizzling acidity and lush, vibrant tropical fruit. Pretty cool stuff. (89 pts.)

I had followed Florida Jim's advice on this wine and given it a double decant 2-3 hours prior to serving it and tried, to the extent possible, to serve it at cellar temperature. The nose on this wine was truly beguiling, but very hard to pin down. At times, I got grapefruit; at other times, more tropical fruit and even some melon. There was also an herbal quality to the wine that was quite distinct from the usual grassy character of SB. Jim or someone has described Isa as a "baby orange" wine and I think that that's an excellent description for an utterly fascinating wine. NB: Jim tells me that's he's got a line on some Ribolla Gialla that he plans to treat similarly -- that should make for another fascinating Cowan Cellars wine.

[*]2009 Jean-Yves Péron Vin de Table Français Cotillon des Dames - France, Vin de Table Français
Yummy stuff that had nice spice notes with that waxy banana peel aroma too. The palate had nice pear, lemon, and was nicely textured. Thought the acidity was nice and tingly and it was an all-together nice package. (90 pts.)

This was lovely, too. Very crisp and citrusy with enough phenolic extract to keep it from seeming in any way thin.

[*]2010 Emmanuel Houillon (Maison Pierre Overnoy) Chardonnay Arbois Pupillin - France, Jura, Arbois Pupillin
A young, and still primary wine. There is, however, great material at work here. The expressiveness of the lemon and melon tones was fantastic and it's hard not to talk about the wines acidity...almost like there's an electrical current running through it. If you're opening one soon, I'd give it a nice decanting ahead of time...the air opened up some of the floral and spice notes. (91 pts.)

I hope that I didn't offend anyone at the soirée when I commented "it's just another Chardonnay" but that was really my impression. In essence, it suffers only from my previous experiences with Overnoy's reds, as this was a perfectly acceptable, varietally correct example of Chardonnay. At this stage in its development, I'd take Brun's Beaujolais Blanc or even a top Macon over it, but I defer to the wisdom of those who've had aged examples of this wine that it'll develop with time into something profound.

[*]2002 Domaine Truchot-Martin Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
A bit better than the last bottle I had. Found the mushroom tones on the nose and palate to be a bit more vibrant which I really enjoyed. The red fruit is still really pretty and is pure silk. A beautiful wine that is drinking at peak I would guess. (91 pts.)

My first encounter with Truchot's wines, and it did not disappoint. For something with a generic Bourgogne designation, this was as fine a wine as I could imagine, soft and lush, with a silky texture, lovely red fruit and a sous-bois character that added a touch of complexity as well as a savory element. Matt had mentioned that Truchot's wines will never bowl you over with their power, but rather with their delicate beauty, and that was quite evident with this wine. I can only imagine what to expect from his more exalted vineyards, but I'd never be upset to have this wine in my glass, either. Many thanks for this, Matt.

[*]2009 Domaine des Cavarodes (Etienne Thiebaud) Arbois Poulsard des Gruyères - France, Jura, Arbois
A juicier expression of Poulsard than I'm used to, but nonetheless delicious. Loved it's brambly red fruit nature with spicy, radish-like tones. Florals developed with air and the finish was prickly with acidity. Really nice. (89 pts.)

An example of Poulsard from a producer that was new to me. Very recognizable Poulsard for the savory strawberry character of the fruit overlaid with meaty overtones, and its lack of weight on the palate. It won't displace Overnoy's Pupillin from my affections, but this was a great example of Poulsard in its own right and was outstanding with the salmon dish that Phil had prepared.

[*]2010 Arnot-Roberts Trousseau Luchsinger Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Clear Lake
A good term for this is "bright" I was struck by the lushness of the palate and while the fruit tones were dense and juicy, it had nicely woven floral tones and acidity to give it a nice elegance. Will be interesting to watch this wine age. (88 pts.)

I love the wines of Arnot-Roberts and this was no exception. A great spicy and perfumed nose, followed by lush, dense dark fruit. Still very young, but showing lots of promise.

[*]1998 Thunder Mountain Star Ruby Bates Ranch - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
I adore the wines of Thunder Mountain and this was my first try of the Star Ruby Bates Ranch blend. I don't know what the blend consists of, but there seemed to be some cabernet franc influence going on. I think Phil pointed out how he was picking up some green pepper notes which I thought was spot on. The palate was juicy with red, brambly fruit...more green notes...maybe dill? A really fun wine that I thought was drinking nicely. (90 pts.)

Alas, I found this wine very slightly corked, but still quite appealing. It had the black plum character of Cabernet and Merlot with some greener elements thrown in. I thought that there was quite a bit of Merlot in the blend, but who knows?

[*]2008 Domaine du Cros (Philippe Teulier) Marcillac Vieilles Vignes - France, Southwest France, Marcillac
Lars was right on. This was killer with the lamb shoulder that Phil made. Really enjoyed the cranberry and spice tones to the palate - and its acidity and tannin level suggest it has the structure to age and flesh out some secondary and tertiary characteristics. (91 pts.)

I threw this wine in because Lars and I share an unhealthy fondness for the Fer Servadou grape. This was my first taste of the Dom. du Cros, which had been suggested as an even better example of the grape than my heartthrob, the Marcillac of Causse Marines. Owing to my suspicion that this wine was still very young, I gave it a decant 2-3 hours prior to the event and it certainly didn't suffer at all. It was bigger scaled than my previous Fer Servadou encounters, but still had the black pepper spiciness to the nose with some lactic notes thrown in. Big and brawny at this early stage, it didn't resemble Cab Franc as much as the Causse Marines wines do, but came across more like Malbec/Côt. It was very good with the lamb shoulder, but I'll give my other bottle another 5-10 years in the cellar to see how it develops.

[*]1986 Kalin Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Sonoma County
Certainly wouldn't have guessed this to be 26 years old. The nose had some rusticity to it, but it was still holding onto its dark, spicy fruit nose. There was this nice graham cracker tone to it too that I really enjoyed. The palate was silky and feminine with good fruit and some dark floral notes. The tannins were completely mellow - this was a really great wine. (91 pts.)

This was easily the surprise of the evening. At 26 years of age, it's still vibrant and primary but the rough edges have all been smoothed out and it's got the typical Sonoma County suaveness to the Cabernet fruit. It had a certain sweetness (fruit ester kind) to the red fruit in the nose, but it was pure and rich on the palate. Quite wonderful, but one has to wonder whether it will ever take on tertiary characteristics or just quietly fade into eternity.

[*]1997 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
Lovely bottle with dark fruit, cedar and smoke on the nose. The palate is powerful and balanced with violets, dark fruit, spices, and truffle tones. This has a lot of life left - no rush drinking this baby. (91 pts.)

I think that this may have suffered a tad in comparison to the Kalin, but it showed classic Napa Cabernet fruit, very dark with a hint of chocolate to it, a bit of minty character, too and just enough acidity to keep me happy (from what was admittedly a ripe year in Napa). I recall having this wine at the winery ca. 2001 and preferring at that time the '98. I'll have to open up a '98 and see whether it's aged as well as this wine has. Again, though, it's totally primary with a few secondary elements to it. Will it develop tertiary notes with age? We'll see...

I didn't get around to trying the Dom. du Viking, but I did smell the badly corked bottle of Le Petit Roches Chinon that was also open. Many thanks to Phil and Sara for hosting such a great event, and to Matt for his generosity in bringing such interesting wines as well as to the other Disorderlies who contributed. I strongly felt that, apart from the corked bottle, there was not a wine at this event that I wouldn't happily drink and the great food and company only added to the event.

Mark Lipton

Great notes Mark!