WTN: Jaboulet, Innocent, Remelluri, Pallieres, Plaisir

Blind tasting lunch notes.

2010 Jaboulet Raymond Roure Crozes Hermitage Blanc – this white Crozes showed a lemony floral nose, creamy texture, decent acid albeit an entry on the thin side and it failed to follow through in the finish. Pleasant.

1999 Ch. la Maltroye Chassagne Montrachet Clos St. Jean – three blind reds came next. This one had a pronounced clove nose at the start but changed to add sesame later – odd but interesting. Medium body, soft tannin, decent wine.

1999 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir Estate Wadenswil Block – blueberry nose on this one, with herbal notes, smooth and supple with medium length. Decent.

1999 St. Innocent Freedom Hill Vd. Pinot Noir – riper sweeter nose, but more claret like than pinot to begin with. Full in the mouth, big acid, and good balance. My fave.

1999 Remelluri La Granja Rioja – this Rdoriguez wine showed a nice sweet oaky fruit nose and was long and sweet in the mouth. Nice.

2001 La Gode Brunello – dark wine with a dusty nose with some odd vinyl notes, soy and hoisin, soft tannin, slightly warm on palate, tasty but we were left wondering if the wine had been slightly heat affected at some point.

2000 Dom. Cousodon (Patrick Lesec) St. Joseph La Sensonne – great nose with ripe sweet fruit, balanced and slightly warm good fruit in the mouth and a nose that developed charcoal and cocoa notes.

2003 Dom. Les Pallieres Gigondas - raspberry cocoa nose, uplifted juicy entry, loveley balance, fresh.

1995 Plaisir de Merle Cabernet – my wine, and I was getting pretty nervous after all the other younger wines that were escalating in quality, but this South African wine showed well too. Smoky cabernet nose with cassis, juicy fruit in entry, soft tannins, long sweet finish, drinking well now.

[David M. Bueker]

Remelluri was a favorite of mine when I started learning about wine. Now I don't see it around.

[Jenise]

Bill, I delayed commenting on your notes because I'd misplaced the notebook I carried with me that day. And I have to presume I buried it pretty good because it still hasn't turned up. So I'll comment now while I actually remember something, but for starters I'll just say that I don't see anything here I don't agree with although I must have liked the Jaboulet white better than you did (I'd sum it up with a higher compliment than 'pleasant')--I went hunting for some when I got home and was diappointed to find that it's not even imported to the U.S.

I loved the trio of 99 pinots served as a group. That was fun. I agree that the St. Innocent was the most complete of the three, and would put the Bethel Heights last. I thought it odd that Alvin believed the Bethel to be a Californian--I think he got it in his head that one of the three was Californian and so to his mind by default it had to be that one because he was much sure-er of the other two. He's too good a taster to otherwise have found any single characteristic in it typical of California. That blue quality was far more likely to be Oregon.

All the rest were very good, and no two wines even similar. A standout was that Gigondas, in that we seemed to have caught it not just in peak form but at the pinnacle of the peak. It could not have had a better day.

I wouldn't buy the Crozes based on that tasting, it just didn't impress me that much, but certainly willing to give it another try some time.

I thought the Gigondas showed brilliantly. I have 2001, 2003 and 2004 in the cellar. Mabye we should look at a vertical some time (garden?). I note that I also have 1995 Santa Duc Haut Garrigues that drinks perfectly now. Hmmm.... what to open for bocce.......