A while back, I was happy to join some of the gang at Peach Farm in Boston’s Chinatown, where we had a plethora of dishes ordered by Trung—most of which I could not tell you anything about other than that they were all delicious. It was a fun and adventurous night with some wonderful wines. Wines were not served blind unless otherwise noted.
Flight One:
2008 Albert Boxler Sylvaner Alsace. We started off with this wine, which sports a fine, clean bouquet of talc, green herbs, apple blossoms, Anjou pear and powdered minerality. On the palate, it has more heft and density than the nose would lead one to expect and the sleek, slippery flavors of lemon, tropical fruit and mineral flow along in a nice juicy fashion. There’s also an excellent bolt of tangy acidity in it—leaving the finish dry and bracing, but also a bit narrower than the more fleshed-out middle. Overall, though, it has a very nice flavor profile and is quite enjoyable.
1994 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc. There is a definite orange-colored tinge to this and the nose is rather volatile and sharp right off the bat—with lots of rancio notes to go along with iced tea, toasted walnuts, caramel, copper and other obviously oxidative aromas. In the mouth, it is all about beer nuts and praline sorts of flavors, but with the honeyed sherry notes and the tinny bits taking hold, it is just tough to enjoy.
2008 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley. This wine was served blind to us. The rounded bouquet has a strong streak of smokiness to it to go along with slightly funky aromas of lemon rind, beeswax, toasty wood, vanilla bean and foresty greens. In the mouth, it is pretty rich—with a lot of classy vanillin flavors, plenty of full orchard fruit notes, abundant barrel spices and an awkward bit of wood poking through at times. It is super-fleshy in texture and has a nicely-focused and considerably tangier finish to it that I like a lot. It is extremely long, but it just seems kind of in an in-between stage just now, needing some time to integrate the wood more.
2008 Vollenweider Riesling Kabinett Wolfer Goldgrube Mosel. Aromatic notes of mineral, graphite, chalk, seashells, lavender, green apple and melon lead to a rounder-bodied and finely cohesive wine in the mouth that sports plenty of density and full juicy flavors of orchard tree fruit and sweet melon. There’s also a restrained but bright vein of tangy acidity running through it to offset the sweet-fruited core, but this still seems a bit inward almost sort of primary to me. I’d give it a few more years in the cellar.
2001 Donnhoff Riesling Kabinett Oberhauser Leistenberg Nahe. This was a fantastic showing by this wine. First of all, it gives off an immediate and wonderful bouquet of petrol, blue slate, honey-soaked peaches, apples, white flowers, graphite and lemon zest that combine together into a gorgeous overall Riesling profile that I just keep getting drawn back into. In the mouth, it is completely loaded with rich yellow and white fruit flavors, yet comes across as lacy and ethereal at times—all the while exhibiting wonderful length and persistence on the palate. It is an impressive dance and all done in a pristinely-balanced fashion. This is drinking just great.
Flight Two:
1995 Henri Bonneau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Marie Beurrier. Oh man, I can smell the fantastic bouquet of this wine from about a foot away as I raise the glass to my nose. It features gorgeous aromatics of crushed red flowers, kirsch, spiced leather, ashes, fresh earth and fine tobacco. It is Chateauneuf du Pape as Burgundy, according to Charles, and I must say I immediately agree--especially as the additional nuances of toasted orange peel, autumn leaves and darker red fruits start to fold into this near-perfect blend of fruit and complex earth tones. I just love it and simply can’t get enough of it. In the mouth, it doesn’t quite hit the same ridiculous heights, but it is still a beautifully smooth-flowing and rounded wine with a ton of pleasure to give. It is rather spicy at times, but stays fresh and purely red-fruited, with an occasional nod to some leafy qualities that work really well in the overall mix of old-fashioned and traditional goodness allied to super-smooth, medium-weighted ease. Some might clamor perhaps for more weight or depth, but for me this is drinking just perfectly, despite some fine-grained tannin in the background. In the end, it is a no-brainer WOTN for me.
1995 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape. The bouquet of this outstanding offering is a whole different animal, with a focus on rich, dense and utterly saturated and captivating scents of black plums, roasted cherries, hoisin, smoke and hung game that coat the nostrils. On the palate, it is rich and creamy and thick, with a fine spice edge to it. It is concentrated, intense and almost pushy in a way with its big flavors of black fruit, leather, earth and tobacco. It is wonderfully heady stuff, but #2 in this flight for me on this night.
1995 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee. This is just textbook Pegau to me—with fine aromas of horsehide, turned earth, dark spices and kirsch that have a sort of deep, sexy and mysterious edge. In the mouth, it displays wonderful balance, with rich warm fruit, fine spices and earthy undertones accented by crunchy acidity. It really represents a middle ground between the two previous wines, in my opinion, which makes it delicious to drink but somehow seemingly less distinctive on this night. Still, I’d be more than happy to drink this any time!
Flight Three:
1998 Pierre Usseglio Chateauneuf du Pape. Terribly CORKED.
1998 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau. After the Bonneau, this wine had the most compelling bouquet of the evening—I really couldn’t get enough of its delightful scents of cigars, bridle leather, hung game, barnyard scrabble, black cherry and mixed currants that just fill the nostrils. On the palate, it is full of warm kirsch flavors, accented by spices, leather and fine earth. It is engaging and pretty but seems to show its alcoholic or vintage warmth more openly than any of the wines from 1995. Still, it is a big mouthful of luscious red fruit flavors carried along by bright tangy acidity and that lifted warmth. I enjoyed the wine, but I just wish I liked that flavor profile as much as I adored the nose.
1998 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape. There’s lots of red cherry, red currant, caramel, suede leather, dry clay, tobacco, jalapeno pepper and garrigue aromas on the nose of this wine. It may not be quite as big or profound as some other bouquets on this night, but it seems rather classically done Chateauneuf du Pape to me and I find it quite likeable. In the mouth, it is much darker-fruited—with dates, figs, black cherry and black raspberry flavors right out front and leathery earth tones playing only a minor supporting role. It is sort of rich and pasty-textured, with a lot of glycerin in the mix. It has good length and persistence, but overall is not quite as finessed or elegant as some. It is more fruit-forward and thick-boned but packs a solid whack of pasty flavor.
1998 Domaine St. Benoit Chateauneuf du Pape Grande Garde. Although it wasn’t clear until much later in the evening (and especially the next day), this wine was mildly CORKED. This, I think, helps explain the weirdly foxy, animalistic nose that also sports odd notes of pine pitch, carpet glue, praline, caramel and steeped orange peel. In the mouth, it is chewy and chocolaty, with a dense earthy core, but also notes of caramelized fruit and volatility. On the whole, it was just a very odd performance, but I’d give it another chance given the cork taint issue with this bottle.
Flight Four:
2000 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape. I took the final pour from the bottle on this one and it was pretty loaded with sediment, so my note is really just an impression. On the nose, it is very clean, direct and pretty for a Beaucastel, with leather and mixed berry aromas. In the mouth, it is smooth and rather easy-flowing with a sort of elegant, medium-weighted personality and no real tannic interference. It isn’t real typical, but is in line with my previous, more in-depth tastings of this vintage of Beaucastel.
2000 Domaine de la Cote de l’Ange Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes. This wine didn’t seem to generate much buzz at the table, but I really enjoyed it and thought it was excellent overall. It offers up lovely scents of old worn leather, tobacco leaf, red currants, strawberry licorice rope, toasted orange peel and all kinds of exotic brown spices. It is also quite juicy and inviting on the palate—where it offers up pretty flavors of red currants, raspberries and toasted orange peel supported by some ashen earth tones in the background. It is medium-weighted but well-structured, with a fresh and sturdy backbone of fine acidity that brings it all together. I think this is drinking great right now. My #3 WOTN.
2000 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf du Pape. This wine really stood apart from the others on the nose—without much in the way of classical Chateauneuf du Pape character, IMHO. I smell juniper berries, wild blueberries, wild mountain herbs, cranberries, tingly spices and rich chocolate paste in a sort of odd melange. I like it better on the palate, where it tastes clean and more harmonious, but without a lot of depth or character. There is a clean and fresh sensibility to the wine, and it stays rather even-keeled throughout the mouth, but it isn’t very distinctive just now. I’d definitely wait on this.
Flight Five:
1960 Ferreira Vintage Porto. This is a light, almost transparent tawny color and offers up lovely aromas of fine roasted walnuts, macerated cherries, intense spices and beautifully-integrated spirits. In the mouth, it is much the same—with flavors of macerated cherries, pecan pie, and warm spicy spirits. There is a lovely and gentle edge of sweetness to the whole thing that works in perfect tandem with the still-fresh beam of acidity running beneath it. Overall, it is impressively refreshing, with great precision and balance. A very nice treat.
1995 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume. This Chenin features a plump and richly-centered nose of apricot, baked peach, vanilla cream and brown spice aromas that are luscious and creamy. In the mouth, it is really lovely--with a rich sweetness and a fabulously creamy texture to go along with a zesty lime-tinged acidity. It is dense and full and richly yellow-fruited, with a long and lasting finish. A really nice way to wrap up any meal.
-Michael
