WTN: Pomerol, Faiveley, Greece, Loire, Champagne, Palmer(?)

No wines Monday (pasta with artichoke), just leftovers with fish tacos Tues,

Wednesday an old neighbor was in town, and Betsy and I met her and some other neighbors at Harpers. I ordered a glass of Hiedler Gruner Veltiner to go with my stuffed trout (fennel and leeks). I was then a little nonplussed when describing white choices to another said “well, the Gruner Veltliner and the Riesling are a little sweet.” I doubted her re the GV, and wine confirmed. Pear, green plum, a little pea. Moderate acids, easy to drink. B

Thursday headed up to Mark and Nancy’s, where they had a nice spread of D’Artagnan charcuterie and cheese from Second Mouse, Congenial group gathered on the deck

2016 Doyard Clos de l’Abbaye Extra Brut Champagne
Good, full, but I would not have guessed Extra Brut or BdB blind. Rich,nutty, long with sweet pear fruit and hazelnut.B+/B

2018 Hatzidakis Skitali
Broadframed but with strong tangy acids, long and saline. B+/A-

2014 Blanc de Palmer
Never knew Palmer made a white, and now question why they do. Peach and apple cider, nutty oxidative notes, shrill despite not especially high acids. C+

2 2014 Pomerols, blind (we know the wines, just not which is which)

#1 Big cassis fruit , herbs, truffles. Powerful, I agree with MArk when he correctly says its the
2014 Vieux Chateau Certan. A-/A potential (I’m not much for drinking under-10 Bordeaux).
#2- Red and black plums, a pleasant tobacco leaf herbiness that some call green, elegant. 2014 La Conseillante.B+/A- potential.

2014 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon
Ripe, slightly roasted, glossy, Jean Louis called in a Cabernet Auslese. C+


1981 Faiveley Les Cazetiers Gevrey Chambertin 1er
What a beauty from a mostly panned vintage. Red cherries, sandalwood, gamebirds. Elegant resolved, a pointe. A-

1987 Faiveley Bonne Mares
Quite pleasant if maybe a little creaky, slightly roast black cherries, forest floor, mushrooms. Maybe better a decade ago but still enjoyable. B

1949 Huet Le Haut Lieu Vouvray Moelleux
Apricot, honey, wax,and wool, long and complex. Lingering mineral and beeswax finish, yippee., A-/A


Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

[David M. Bueker]

Who is holding on to ‘81 and ‘87 Burgundies?

I am the culprit. The 1981 I have had before; we served it blind to the Faiveley winemaker, who thought it was a 1985 Chambertin Beze. The 1987 came up at auction recently, and I have had some very good luck with the vintage, and it was relatively inexpensive. This was tad disappointing, but I have a bottle standing for another attempt in the next week or so.

Great notes by Dale, and agree with everything he wrote. My wine of the night was the 1981, but in a strange way, I loved the VCC more. It is an extraordinary wine, and I certainly prefer it to both 2015 and 2016, even though on paper, I would score the 2016 a point or two higher. Hard to say why I preferred this except in terms strange subjectives that the wine speaks to me in a way only a tiny number of wines have. Of the thousands of bottles I have tasted, they number less than a handful. So, I now have a few cases of this wine, as there is nothing else on the market, where I had the same visceral reaction the first time I tasted it.

[David M. Bueker]

The wine really does have the last word, doesn't it!

There are a few wines I've felt that way about. Not objectively the "best" wine, but spoke to me and just felt right. 79 du Tertre, 71 Canon, 01 Mugnier village, 10 Boulay Comtesse, a few others.