WTN: Four from America, Quatre de la France, aussi Fromage

Included in the grand tasting of 12 Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs/red Burgundies at Enoteca Vin, Raleigh.
Pinots and red Burgundies were tasted along with burgundy-braised shortribs and cauliflower au gratin and a plate of five cheeses.
2002 GREENWOOD RIDGE PINOT NOIR, MENDOCINO, CA (I also like their zinfandel with Fred Sherrer grapes)
This and the Saintsbury Reserve were darker than the other two. The Thomas Pinot Noir from Oregon was the palest.
Not entirely opaque, but not transparent. Light scarlet fading on rim. Cherry/berry nose; cherry flavors. Starts with delicacy and gains strength on mid-palate and finish. Some boysenberry along with the cherry.

2000 SAINTSBURY PINOT NOIR RESERVE, CARNEROS, CA
Along with the first one, darker than the other two. Seems more dimensional than the Greenwood Ridge if not as elegant. Like a berry mix with slight earthiness. Stands up to burgundy-braised beef shortribs better than does the Greenwood Ridge. Most complex of the four American Pinot Noirs and best with the meat entree.

1994 KALIN PINOT NOIR RESERVE, SONOMA
This was the favorite P.N. at a recent tasting. Unusual nose which was hard to pinpoint (secondary characteristics perhaps.) Lifting note on the finish. Also good with the beef shortribs.

2002 THOMAS PINOT NOIR, WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OREGON This took me back to the Greenwood Ridge with some elegance. Dark rose color, paling at rim. The cool climate wines (Mendocino and Willamette) seemed to have the most elegance. I actually liked the Kalin and Saintsbury best but all were quite good.

2002 DIGIOIA-ROYER CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY, V.V. (OLD VINES)
I'm a dedicated fan of the 2002 regular C-M from this vintage and producer and I'm pleased to report that the V.V. version no longer tastes as oaky as when I first tried it. It's more integrated now. I thought it might be closed down because it didn't seem to have much fragrance initially. However, with time in the glass, the fruity nose began to emerge. With aeration time this challanged the Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques as my favorite Burgundy of the night. I think I still have one or two bottles at home and will possibly hold one for a couple years.

2001 FOURIER GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN "COMBE AUX MOINES" 1ER CRU
Leggy on glass. IMHO overshadowed by the next wine. This is available presently for $55 a bottle at Vin Restaurant.

1998 FOURIER GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN "CLOS ST. JACQUES" 1ER CRU
Richer tasting than the Combe aux Moines. I liked this better. It was nice with the Pennsylvania Noble cheese and my favorite of this flight, edging out the Chambolle-Musigny V.V.

1999 FOREY ECHEZEAUX GRAND CRU More depth and finish than others in the flight but not as attractive for drinking now IMHO. Leggy on the glass. Opened a bit with aeration. Could probably go five or six more years without a problem. Still slightly tannic on the finish. Good, but not as enjoyable at the moment as the Clos St. Jacques.

Cheese plate:
Persille' di Beaujolais blue-veined cheese. Aged three months. Herve' Mons outside Roanne, France. Eat without the rind. (I like some other bleu cheese better including Stilton, Danish bleu and Cashel Bleu from Ireland.)

Pennsylvania Noble: organic cheese made by Green Valley Dairy in South Lancaster County, PA. Raw milk cheese. Aged for seven months. Only three ingredients: organic cow's milk, vegetable rennet, and Kosher salt. Very rich and tangy. One of my favorites of the five.

Manchego Curado, Spanish made in La Manche. Raw sheep's milk cheese aged nine months. Slightly salty and sweet. Recommended to serve with a light crisp white wine. I have had Manchego that I really liked before--this one disappointed.

Brillat Savarin, France. Triple cream cow's milk cheese. Don't eat the rind. Very creamy. Rather nice with the Greenwood Ridge Pinot Noir or the Thomas Pinot Noir but might also match with the Ponzi or Mount Eden Chardonnays (none on the table to sample with the cheese course).

Humboldt Fog Cypress Grove Dairy Chevre, Arcata, CA. Ripened goat milk cheese. Creamy and luscious with a subtle tangy flavor. The cheese has a ribbon of edible vegetable ash along its center and a coating of ash under its exterior. It matched well with the American Pinot Noirs, especially the Greenwood Ridge and was also nice with the Digioia-Royer Chambolle-Musigny v.v. and the Fourier Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques. My favorite cheeses were the Humboldt Fog and Pennsylvania Noble with the Brillat Savarin as a third treat.

Someone really did their homework putting together an interesting group of wines, some with a little age on them. Thomas is a good choice from Oregon to compare with Burgundy, and Saintsbury seems to always make above average to better wines. I love the Fourier Gevrey wines I've tried, and have some of the 01 Gevrey VV cellered. I haven't seen the Digioia wines around the West coast, but they sound good. Is the regular Chambolle less oak driven than the VV bottle?

Thanks for the notes, sounds like a nice evening.

Best,
Marc

Yes, Marc, when I first tasted both Digioia-Royer Chambolle-Musignys, my preference was for the regular one since I thought the V.V. had a little too much oak treatment. I had ordered two bottles of the V.V. and one of the regular before the tasting and wished I had reversed the order. Now the wood has integrated and the V.V. is more enjoyable than previously. The regular is a village wine that drinks more like a premier cru--flowery and elegant. Claude Kolm and Alan Uchrinscko (and you) weighed in when I posted a WTN about the regular bottling. Alan agreed about its yumminess and floral qualities. The V.V. is perhaps slightly less noticeably floral but very nice. Give me more!
I'm going to see if I can purchase a bottle or two of the Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques. I forgot to give the price for this. At the restaurant it is $65 a bottle, $10 higher than the Combe aux Moins. I may see what I can find of the 2005 Fourrier wines also since that is said to be a very promising vintage.

Chrish Peel puts together the special wine tastings and is part-owner of both Enoteca Vin restaurant and Carolina Wine Company. He is also a lover of white and red Burgundies which suits me fine. I will be going back to Raleigh Thursday for a dinner with Lange wines from Oregon. I already am a fan of Lange Pinot Noir Reserve but find their single vineyard Pinots too expensive for my pocket.

The price for the Fourrier at the restaurant sounds close to retail, and given the price of 2005 Burgundy seems like a screaming good deal. Having great wines available for very fair prices would be a big incentive for me to eat there. Good for Chrish.

I'm looking forward to your notes on the Lange tasting. I like their Reserve and also thought the Lange 3 Vineyard Pinot (which is a blend of their single vineyards) to be very good and was a decent price when I visited the winery a few years back.