I had a couple friends over to try some recent arrivals from Alko plus a couple random bottles. Unconventionally we started with the reds, since I had a pot of something vaguely boeuf bourguignony ready.
So first up was a Joseph Drouhin Vosne-Romanée 2011 which was surprisingly open for such a young Burgundy. I've long been a fan of Drouhin: I think they make attractive wines that reflect their terroirs well (though their whites can be a bit too oaky for my tastes). This Vosne-Romanée had all those paradoxical characteristics that this area is known for: it was powerful yet soft; fruity but austere; sexy yet keeping its distance. Yeah, this was good V-R. Silly price in Alko, however, asking 70€ for a village wine. But though a big producer, Drouhin really does things well and the wine itself is really pretty. The only thing that surprised me was how open it was aromatically. But despite that, if you have any, just keep it hidden for a decade at least.
Next up was Concha y Toro Terrunyo Pirque Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012. It was huge. The bottle it comes in is huge and thick and weighs as much as a magnum. Pretentious is the word that comes to mind. It smells of wood and dark fruit and isn't quite the stereotype of Chilean Cab since it isn't sickly sweet in its cassis aromas. It tastes solid. I mean one needs to chew it to get it down. This is not liquid.
Then we had some whites with some cheese. And I have to say that opening whites after reds made a whole lot of sense. The first was a recent arrival in Alko, Domaine de l'Aigle Limoux Chardonnay 2014 from Gérard Bertrand. It was so neutral I have difficulty saying anything about it. There's a bit of new oak. Not horrendously much but enough that I don't enjoy it. There's not much else aromatically going on. The fruit is very neutral with some slight citrus thing going on. I like neutrality when it goes the route of great Muscadet or Sake but here it just doesn't work. Here it's just boring.
Rebholz Weisser Burgunder 2014 was however magnificent. A totally dry, mineral, lively wine that had richness and high acidity. I shouldn't really say anything it about it on this blog because it is a genuinely great little white and I want to buy more of it before it disappears from Alko.
Finally we opened an extra wine since we were thirsty, a Vicarage Lane Sauvignon Blanc 2015 from NZ's Marlborough. I hate SB. But instead of smelling like cat's piss and gooseberries this smelled mostly of guava. I like guava, so this was actually a pleasure to drink instead of something painful (though I need to try this when sober to say for certain).
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