WTN: Launois, Peju, Jax, Division, Barham, Coutet

[Jenise]

Menu was Italian-Japanese fusion, occasion a birthday dinner for my chardonnay-loving BIL:


With proscuitto-wrapped shrimp and fresh basil leaf:

NV Champagne Paul Launois Le Mesnil sur Oger "Composition #6" Champagne Grand Cru Chardonnay
2nd of 3 bottles purchased from First Bottle, both unsatisfactory. Nose has an unpleasant petrochemical taint and there's some onion skin on the palate where apple and bread dough should be. Very poor.


With a crudo plate (amber jack, striped bass, cherry tomatoes, enoki mushrooms tossed with chili oil, red nappa cabbage, and radish sprouts, meyer lemon, soy sauce, ginger, olive oil):

2022 Peju Province Winery Chardonnay Legacy Collection Carneros
Classic and seductive Carneros chardonnay with creamy apple, white peach, lemon and lemon grass that is minerally and balanced in a way that exudes elegance and tastes expensive. Best CalChard I've had in some time.

2022 Jax Vineyards Chardonnay Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley
This sat better with me last night than the first bottle we opened two weeks ago. Concentrated and lightly tropical with notes of apple, meyer lemon, mango and nutty, toasted oak on the finish. Not a fan of that last part but the birthday boy guest very much is, so it worked.


With seared duck breast (orange and black walnut gastrique, kaffir lime rice, steamed cauliflower):

2016 Barham Mendelsohn Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
This wine's finally in it's moment. Bright red fruit with a little spice, only medium bodied but the flavors linger on the finish. Just right for a light bright protein like the duck breast splashed with an orange-black walnut gastrique I served. One of the last pinots made by Jim Clendenen before he passed.

2022 Division Winemaking Company Pinot Noir Un Willamette Valley
What's 'un' about this except unexciting? It's not un-oaked, label says 10 months in FO. Not sure what else it could be. Anywho, wanted more red fruit, this had a bit of black in it as well as a bit of green--more like underripeness than herbal, accentuated by comparison to the bright 2016 pinot from California. Did not love it. Brought to dinner by a guest and not opened or decanted in advance.


With cheeses:

2001 Château Coutet Barsac Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc (half bottle)
Gorgeous. Light bright yellow, no sign of age, and everything that made the 2001 vintage in Sauternes and Barsac incredible is on full display here.

2001 ranks with 1988 as my fave Sauternes vintage of all time.
"I don't always drink Sauternes. But when I do, I prefer 2001. Stay thirsty, my friends"

Hmm, that's a worrisome Division, bought a few of these as part of a mixed case of 22s, of which I've tried only one so far, the Béton, which I loved. I'll make a note to give this one some decanter time.

[David M. Bueker]

On the Division wine, they typically make 3-4 Pinots per vintage, “named” un, deux, trois, and sometimes quatre. Un is the blended wine, and typically my least favorite. The higher numbers are normally single vineyard or at least more focused appellation wines which I like much more.