We popped quite a few corks on Saturday because our neighbours joined us for dinner with osso bucco as the main item on the menu.
2006 Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Brut Cuvée Spéciale 1er Cru Millésime - France, Champagne (11/15/2014)
Disappointingly bland with discreet bubble, smooth mouth-feel, less crisp acidity and more dosage than I like.
1997 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (11/15/2014)
A robust medium/full bodied Brunello showing rich mature and tangy Tuscan fruit veering slightly towards over-maturity as the bottle aired, forest floor notes as well as a touch of leather and tar, quite velvety texture, reasonable acidity and a ripe tannic backbone. Typically Tuscan and very good.
2001 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (11/15/2014)
This wine followed a Costanti Bruello and it was interesting to compare them. Similarly medium/full bodied but more linear in shape, perhaps slightly longer in the finish and overall slightly more international in character, this Tignanello nevertheless showed gratifyingly Tuscan traits in its tangy but rich fruit, suave texture, a slight Balsamic touch, well balanced acidity and smooth tannins on its quite long finish. Very, very good.
1995 Scarzello Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/15/2014)
The assembled company still showed appetite for more Italian wine after the Costanti Brunello and Tignanello and this one was to hand.
On its own it would have been an enjoyable Barolo with the usual rose and tar notes albeit somewhat drying out but after the others it seemed rather thin and angular. Quite good, though.
For Friday and Sunday fish was on the menu and I went to the Mâconnais and Chablis for pairings. The former was very satisfactory and the latter less so.
2011 Domaine Henri Clerc & Fils Pouilly-Fuissé Quintessence - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé (11/14/2014)
As soon as I opened this bottle and sniffed it, I knew it was going to be much better than the previous bottle of the same. I complained then that "I like more underlying roundness and fat on my P-F and there was a slight rawness towards the finish", but on this bottle there was ample creamy roundness and no rawness on the finish. And the positives noted then, namely "focus, crisp acidity, citrus notes, well developed minerality and a saline spine" were present here too. I am wondering whether the previous bottle was suffering from TCA which I couldn't detect overtly. Very good. I hope that there are more bottles left at Leclerc.
2009 Verget Chablis 1er Cru Côtes de Jouan - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (11/16/2014)
I was hoping for more from this Chablis given Guffens' abundant talent. First sniff and sip before food revealed a subdued bouquet with citrus hints and a medium/ light palate quite soft and slightly creamy with only moderate acidity and minerality on entry leading to a strong saline spine towards the finish. A second sip after a mouthful of sole obscured the saline spine but highlighted a deficiency in tension. Perhaps this is a warm vintage effect and perhaps the wine is in an intermediate stage between youthful freshness and mature complexity if premox can be avoided, which is questionable given the Nomacorc closures on this bottling for the French market. Quite good only.
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