2000 J.P. Droin, Chablis Vaudésir:
Served with grilled chicken breasts, this was delicious. Reticent but floral nose with some chardonnay aromas and hints of stone; fleshy on the palate with solid fruit and mineral flavors, spicy accents and a beautiful, silky texture; long, clean finish. The more I taste wines from this vineyard the more I think this is the pinnacle of what chardonnay can be. Classy, supple, lightly floral and mineral infused with a focused delivery and all the finesse this grape is capable of but so rarely achieves. Excellent with the meal and although it’s in no danger of fading, it certainly could use a few more years in the cellar. 13% alcohol, imported by Eric Solomon and $38, on release.
2002 Chidaine, Montlouis Les Choisilles:
Served with sautéed swordfish with caper sauce; an excellent match. Expansive, powerful, penetrating aromatics that are mostly fresh, ripe quince, hints of lemon zest and honey; earthier/stonier on the palate but very expressive and intense, substantial, tart and potent fruit, good balance; and, extremely persistent. This is young chenin in one of its open but as yet undeveloped periods and clearly of its place. 12.5% alcohol, Imported by Dionysos Imports and about $16 on release.
1998 Vieux Télégraph, Châteauneuf-du-Pape:
Two bottles were opened, as the first was ever so slightly corked. The comparison was fascinating because we couldn’t taste the corkiness in the first but the wine was stripped of fruit and a mass of bitter tannin. The second was bright and aromatic with tar and red fruit scents but even more complex on the palate with dried herb accents and some underlying minerality. The structure was still evident in the second but it was balanced against the fruit and had a sweeter, cleaner feel to it. The comparison was certainly instructive and, despite that I have little use for CdP, a mourvèdre based one was a delicious exception.
The second bottle was served with a dish of whole wheat pasta with walnuts and ricotta salata which matched like a jig-saw puzzle; each piece fitting perfectly with the others. The second bottle was fairly open but certainly not fully mature; perhaps decanting would assist. 14% alcohol, imported by Kermit Lynch and about $45, on release.
Aside: Diane loves rosé. And the perfect rosé, as far as she is concerned, is one that can be re-closed, put in the fridge and drunk, a glass at a time, over the course of a week or so. We had not found one that held up to that kind of treatment until the 2006 Edmunds St. John, Bone Jolly Rosé which is made from gamay and comes under screw-cap. We followed a bottle for the last 7 days and the last glass was every bit as etched, fresh and charming as the first. I may have to break my buying hiatus for another case of this – after all, when Diane loves a wine I think it wise not to run out.
Best, Jim