We spent last week back in Indiana, visiting friends, and giving me a chance to work with my dissertation advisor on getting some papers out. And with our visit being something of a special occasion, there were a lot of good wines pulled out, and a wine tasting that had been postponed an entire year so I could be there. In short, I have never had a week with such a run of outstanding wines. Just to tease you all, here's an outline:
Prologue: The Warmup
Part 1. La Grande Dame and Two Kings
Part 2. A Breather
Part 3. The American Rally
Part 4. A Tale of Two Verticals
Epilogue: A Last Minute Surprise
The Warmup
Before heading out to Indiana, we stopped to spend a few days with my parents, including the 4th of July. Nice to chance to cook a few nice meals for them, and share a few nice wines.
Chateau Franc-Cardinal, Francs-Cotes-de-Bordeaux 2009
72% Merlot, 24% Cab Franc, 4% Malbec. Dark, pure ruby. Very nice nose, rich and aromatic. On the nose and palate, a personality of blackberry, cassis, damson, tart cherry, a hint of flowers, a touch of citrus rind, wood smoke, loamy earth, and chocolately, chalky tannin. Rich and attractive but lots of tannin and good acid tone. Will drink nicely for another 5 years or more. 2.5 Stars [7/2/13]
Alexander Valley Vineyards, Rose of Sangiovese, Alexander Valley 2012
Lovely, aromatic nose, fresh but rich. On the palate, blackberry, sweet strawberry and watermelon, plum, bright citrus, sweet mint, and a touch of mineral. Full bodied, fresh and rich. 2.5 Stars [7/3/13]
La Grande Dame and Two Kings
This was the first chance I had to drink some wines with my PhD advisor in about a year, so he pulled all the stops, and actually offered that I could choose any vintage Champagne for us to open from his small but top end collection (although he also said he had veto rights). And so I choose, and he made sure that there was worthy company, including two "kings" of wine.
Chateau de Chasseloir, Comte Leloup, Cuvee des Ceps Centenaires, Sur Lie, Muscadet Sevre et Maine 2005
Excellent nose of yeasty bread, mineral, and floral notes. Similar on the palate, with citrus, and light but nicely textured pome and stone fruits. Excellent depth and richness of texture, medium bodied but persistent. The yeasty, rich sur lie character really shows itself here. This is the best Muscadet I've had, and in fact is an eye opener for me in terms of what Muscadet is capable of. Drink over the next 5 years. 3.5 Stars [7/7/13]
Jean-Luc Colombo, Les Abeilles, Cotes-du-Rhone 2010
Exceptional nose, with fragrant, meaty currant, stoney earth, cocoa powder, and tobacco leaf. Similar on the palate, though not quite as expressive, with remarkable density, excellent tone and structure; full bodied and ripe but impressively balanced. Lots of potential here. Almost like a Chateaunuef. 5 - 10 years ahead. 3.5 Stars [7/7/13]
Renato Ratti, Marcenasco, Barolo 2006
Awesome Nebbiolo nose of fragrant, meaty red berries, forest floor / autumnal notes, a touch of mushroom, citrus, flowers, and chocolate. Similar notes on the palate, with damson, juicy and rich, gorgeous texture. Medium-full bodied but penetrating, with an awesome finish and loads of chocolately, slightly chalky tannins. Awesome!!! One of the top two Barolos I've had. 20 - 25 years ahead. 4.5 Stars [7/7/13]
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, La Grande Dame, Rose, Champage 1988
Needs time to open. Unique color: bronze / dark salmon. Awesome nose: yeasty bread, wonderful mature notes of fruitcake, raspberry, and mineral. And the palate: amazing! Similar notes as on the nose, with the addition of tart orange notes, a hint of peach, perhaps a hint of nuts, and wonderful mineral notes. Phenomenal texture and body (full and penetrating), incredible richness and depth, and an extraordinary finish. Every aspect of this is wonderful. Mature but still has some youthful verve, can age another 5 - 10 years (and this was not an ideally stored bottle). Second only to the 1996 Krug as the greatest Champagne I've had. Phenomenal! 5 Stars [7/7/13]
The Royal Tokaji Wine Co., 6 Puttonyos, Szt. Tamas Primae Classis, Tokaji 2000
Light bronze, with a hint of green. Outstanding nose of apricot, candied almond, and floral nectar. Similar on the palate, with huge, tart, sweet citrus balancing the syrupy sweetness. Outstanding. 20 - 40 years ahead? 4 Stars [7/7/13]
A Breather
The next two evenings were more casual, spent with some dear friends, and with my brother and sister-in-law. But there was still excellent wine to be had.
Rubus, Shiraz-Viognier, Barossa 2009
Just impressions here: rich and full bodied but balanced, with good depth. Very nice. 3 Stars [7/8/13]
Bonterra, Riesling, Lake County / Monterey 2009
No formal notes taken, but at last, here is a compelling Cali Riesling: dry and full bodied, combines ripe CA fruit with petrol and steely acidity. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Organic. 3 Stars [7/9/13]
Oriel, Il Gattopardo, Nero d'Avola, Sicilia 2005
No formal notes taken, but this is the best Nero d'Avola I've had. Still showing quite young, this is full bodied with good density and acid tone. Very food friendly too (even with herb-caper chicken). Really nice stuff! 3.5 Stars [7/9/13]
The American Rally
On this evening, an outstanding dinner with my PhD advisor and his family. He prepared several recipes from one of his favorite Top Chef contestant, and they were phenomenal (the centerpiece was an herb crusted fillet mignon). It was an "All American" evening in wine, each outstanding, and what's more, each a triumph and revelation for its respective style.
Chateau Beaux Hauts, En Tirage, Extra Brut, Russian River Valley 1992
Late disgorged after 17 years. Excellent, deep, lovely nose, with notes of flowers and herbs, and mature notes of mushroom and fruitcake. On the palate, apricot, raspberry, a hint of pineapple, blood orange, mature fruitcake, hints of mushroom, and lots of mineral. Magnificent full body and texture, wonderful, ripe, rich fruit. Has mature notes, but is so young in character. There is obviously a healthy amount of Pinot Noir in this. This is so good! Can develop for at least 10 more years, and may be alive in 20. Wonderful! 4 Stars [7/10/13]
Casey Flat Ranch, Estate Red, Capay Valley 2009
Capay Valley (AVA) is in Yolo County, CA. Clearly a Rhone blend, but no info is given (even on their website). This wine is a revelation! Outstanding, heady, rich, high toned nose. On the nose and palate, loads of juicy blackberry, sweet red currants and cassis, with orange rind, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and stoney mineral. Awesome aromatics! Nearly indistinguishable from an outstanding Chateauneuf. Wow! I would never have guess California was capable of this. 5, maybe 10 years ahead. 4.5 Stars [7/10/13]
Valiant Vineyards, Wild Grape, South Dakota 2006
Made from Vitis riparia harvested in the wild, and aged in oak for 6 years. The results are amazing! Awesome, heady nose of blackberry, sweet cherry, cassis, rhubarb / sweet green notes, raisen / fig, smokey rock / mineral (limestone maybe?), orange rind, and plum tomato. All of those notes are reflected on the palate, which is juicy and rich, with excellent, savory, full body, and chocolatey tannins. Pungent mint emerges as it opens. Very high toned acid, but balanced. This is rather Greek / Italianate in character. It's hard to predict, but maybe this can go another 10 - 20 years? A truly outstanding wine with phenomenal character that can hold its own on the world stage. 4 Stars [7/10/13]
A Tale of Two Verticals
This was the most serious evening of the trip in wine terms, featuring a vertical of Caymus that was originally supposed to have happened before we left Indiana last year. The Caymus was provided by a dear friend, and the evening was hosted at the home of the wine manager of the local gourmet shop, who threw in a second vertical of Dedicato a Walter, a unique Super Tuscan - and it actually trounced the Caymus! Which tells you just how great an evening it was. Incidentally, this was actually my first experience with Caymus, and what I must say is that they are impressive wines with good balance, though I prefer a slightly more old-school style of Napa Cab, and in particular, I would like to have seen more Napa typicite. But that's just me being picky, because in a week like this, I could be picky.
Caymus Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Valley Napa 2005
Initially, ripe, juicy, attractive black cherry, blackberry, and tart raspberry; very little Napa typicite. As it opens, sweet peppers, tobacco leaf, saddle leather, cocoa powder, orange rind, some dark earthy notes, and tasting much more like Napa. Full bodied but not overdone, with good tone. Ready now, but will improve, and drink well for another 10 - 15 years. 3.5 Stars [7/11/13]
Caymus Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Valley Napa 2006
Wonderful, attractive, aromatic nose, with lovely red fruit and flowers, some Napa-style earthiness, leather, dust/cocoa powder, and sweet bell pepper. On the palate, concentrated blackberry, some currant / cassis, and mineral. Dense and juicy, with good tone. Very, very attractive, but not as complex as the 2005. Will improve over the next 5 - 10 years or more. 3.5 Stars [7/11/13]
Caymus Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Valley Napa 2007
Wonderful nose: dense, dark fruits, tart red fruits, white pepper, coffee, and sweet green notes. On the palate, rich, dense, savory dark fruit, with black raspberry, cherry, currant, cocoa, a lot of chalk/stone, and succulent, slightly aggressive tannins. A big wine, but the acid tone is there. Almost painfully young still, but huge potential. I'd give it 5 - 10 years more; can last up to 20 years from now? 4 Stars [7/11/13]
Caymus Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Valley Napa 2008
The nose is not very expressive at this stage, but aromatic, with really nice, lovely red fruit, a hint of flowers, and white pepper. Dense and full on the palate, with really attractive, dark fruit. Young still, needs time; give it another 5 years, will last up to 10 years from now. 3 Stars [7/11/13]
Poggio al Tesoro, Dedicato al Walter, Toscana 2005
100% Cab Franc. Outstanding, wonderful nose of tobacco leaf, a hint of raisin, cedar, hints of orange rind, tomato, and flowers. Awesome palate, with lovely red fruits supported by dark, slightly tarry black fruit, herbs, earth, and coffee. Wonderful, succulent texture. Wow! 10 - 15 years ahead. 4 Stars [7/11/13]
Poggio al Tesoro, Dedicato al Walter, Toscana 2006
100% Cab Franc. Awesome nose of deep, succulent red fruit, chocolate, tobacco leaf, roses, a whiff of citrus, and plum tomato. Awesome density and purity on the palate, with cherry / currant, raisin, chocolate, and sweet vegetal notes. Very 2006. A bit young still, give it 5 - 10 years, will last for at least 15 years from now. 4 Stars [7/11/13]
Poggio al Tesoro, Dedicato al Walter, Toscana 2007
100% Cab Franc. Outstanding nose, aromatic yet dense, with earthy notes, blueberry, red fruit notes, violets, whiffs of chocolate, and coffee. On the palate, dense, tart, rich, pure black raspberry, cherry / currant, a hint of bell pepper / tobacco leaf, a hint of coffee, orange rind, plum / apricot, and tomato. In a really nice place now, but better in 5 years, and will last for 15 years or more from now. 4 Stars [7/11/13]
Poggio al Tesoro, Dedicato al Walter, Toscana 2008
100% Cab Franc. Excellent nose, but low key at this stage, aromatic, dark, succulent fruit, citrus rind, flowers, and faint hints of meaty currant. Tart and somewhat unexpressive on the palate, but with excellent density, and loads of stoney tannins. Needs lots more time, give 10 more years, will last for 15 - 20 from now. 3.5 Stars [7/11/13]
A Last Minute Surprise
So there we were, dropping by to visit some friends we hadn't gotten the chance to see yet, literally on our way out of town. The friends in question are the pastor of Eastern Orthodox parish in Bloomington and his wife. So, he was making coffee for us to share, and then told me that he had received a few wines from a parishoner of his who was a serious wine lover that had to give up drinking for health reasons. He wanted to get my thoughts on the wines, so he brings me the first one, and my eye popped a bit in surprise, because here in my hand was a 1999 Lynch Bages. And then he went on to say that he had actually opened the other bottle he was given the previous evening, and realized upon tasting it that it should have been saved for a nicer occasion, so he brings me that one, and now my jaw drops in surprise, because it was a 2005 Lascombes. Naturally, in short order I was sitting with a small glass of it - and the circumstances were perfect, because this much too young wine had the chance to breath overnight. And I told him that I thought it was actually a great thing that he got to have the experience, because had he known what it was, who knows when he would have dared open it. Anyway, that Lascombes left me walking on air for the drive back to my parents.
Chateau Lascombes, Margaux 2005
Dark ruby red. Nose somewhat restrained, and yet still gorgeous, with awesome floral perfume overlaying dense stone / earth / gravel, and dense dark fruit with fragrant red fruit, some wonderful damson, a hint of orange rind, and tobacco leaf, all with excellent tone; the nose is so dense that smelling it is almost like drinking it! The palate is really quite reserved and not as expressive as the nose, but dense and elegant, with dark fruit offset by tart red fruit, some chocolate, and awesome, succulent, fleshy / meaty texture. The experience of this wine is like walking through a rose garden on an early summer day. Full bodied with a lot of tannin, which nonetheless is already very fine and integrated. This will be glorious in another 10 years, needs at least 5, and will last for 20 - 30 years from now. Wow! This is Bordeaux at it's best. I love it! 4.5 Stars [7/13/13]
I ought to look that up! I don't know what to say about the Caymus vertical not to mention the '05 Lascombes!! Did I already mention that I am jealous!