WTN: Baumard Savennieres, Bert Simon MSR Riesling, Carrick NZ PN

Notes from a dinner with Nico, Alvin and Jimi at Cafe Ysabel. All wines provided by Nico.

Domaine des Baumard Savennieres 2002 - Dry, acidic, stony and minerally. A little weak on the finish. Should have tried it with fresh oysters but we had the au gratin and rockefeller. The match didn't work for me. Drinkable but not a style I enjoy.

Bert Simon Serrig Wurzburg Riesling Spatlese MSR 1998 - Three opinions on the aroma. I thought overripe fruit, Jimi said diesel and Nico said durian. The diesel was definitely there but I couldn't find the durian. Gentle, apples and grape juice. Aging gracefully. Went very nicely with the spicy-sweet bread dip and I thought better with the oysters than the Savenierres.

Carrick "Unravelled" Central Otago New Zealand Pinot Noir 2004 - Slightly hot. Very dry with scents of roast meat. Medium bodied, offering flavors of dried fruit. Long, slightly bitter, finish. Not too pleasant on it's own but very nice with food.

Notes from a dinner with Nico, Alvin and Jimi at Cafe Ysabel. All wines provided by Nico.

Carrick "Unravelled" Central Otago Pinot Noir 2004 - Slightly hot. Very dry with scents of roast meat. Medium bodied, offering flavors of dried fruit. Long, slightly bitter, finish. Not too pleasant on it's own but very nice with food.

Jay,
Pardon my ignorance but what country we talking about on the PN?
Walt

what country we talking about on the PN?
Walt

New Zealand.

I'll edit my post to make it clearer. Rahsaan is right, New Zealand Pinot Noir.

My own notes (from CT):
Bert Simon - Petrol of old riesling. Sweet style (9.5%) but acid backbone prevents flabbiness. This has the flavour profile everyone imagines when talking of MSR, but which many Germans are eschewing in favour of drier styles. Quite good
Carrick - Nice pinot nose, not too oaky (like California at this price point) nor too sweet/floral (like Chilean at this and lower price points). Medium weight. Balanced tannin and acid. 14.5% but not overpowering. WSIWG - no surprises, flavour profile didn't change much from beginning to end. Very good - I would put this against many new world pinots costing twice as much.
Baumard - Chiseled minerality. Restrained fruit. Precise, linear acidity. Excellent.

One of the things I find so fascinating about wine is the way the Rashomon effect quite often expresses itself in tasting recollections.

According to the couple who review for the Wall Street Journal, the 2002 Baumard "was the single best wine we tasted during our entire vacation, with focused tastes of apples and minerals and the kind of acidity that made every bite of food better." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1185488 ... d=Tastings

I wonder how this would taste with another five years of bottle age...

According to the couple who review for the Wall Street Journal, the 2002 Baumard "was the single best wine we tasted during our entire vacation, with focused tastes of apples and minerals and the kind of acidity that made every bite of food better." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1185488 ... d=Tastings

I wonder how this would taste with another five years of bottle age...

Thanks Jay and Nico for the notes.

I really TRY to like the Gaither/Brecher articles. They seem like nice people (met them once at a tasting), and I do realize that they are writing for a general audience. But I can't get a grip on their tastes, and more importantly sometimes I think they're sloppy. Here's they say "a Savennieres from Baumard", so I guess they mean the one you had. But who knows, as I think Baumard makes 4 in most good vintages? The "regular" Savennieres, the Clos St Yves, the Pappilon, plus the off-dry Trie Speciale they taste later. I know this sounds like nitpicking, and they almost certainly meant the "regular", but it would have been easy to be more precise.

In any case I'm trying to hands-off my 2002 Savennieres, as I like them with at least 10 years in a good vintage

According to the couple who review for the Wall Street Journal, the 2002 Baumard "was the single best wine we tasted during our entire vacation, with focused tastes of apples and minerals and the kind of acidity that made every bite of food better." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1185488 ... d=Tastings

I wonder how this would taste with another five years of bottle age...

Thanks Jay and Nico for the notes.

I really TRY to like the Gaither/Brecher articles. They seem like nice people (met them once at a tasting), and I do realize that they are writing for a general audience. But I can't get a grip on their tastes, and more importantly sometimes I think they're sloppy. Here's they say "a Savennieres from Baumard", so I guess they mean the one you had. But who knows, as I think Baumard makes 4 in most good vintages? The "regular" Savennieres, the Clos St Yves, the Pappilon, plus the off-dry Trie Speciale they taste later. I know this sounds like nitpicking, and they almost certainly meant the "regular", but it would have been easy to be more precise.

In any case I'm trying to hands-off my 2002 Savennieres, as I like them with at least 10 years in a good vintage

Dale,
Interesting you would mention the WSJ. I look forward to their article every Friday. I read the article about Savenierres two days after ordering this wine at a restaurant in Keswick Virginia. The one they liked was the '03 Tri Speciale but made nice comments about the one Jay is referring to and the one I ordered. It was most enjoyable and drank it as an appertif looking out over a golf course. When I got home I went looking for this wine. None in St. Louis and could only find 1/2 bottles other places. I really like this producer and a great value.

Their article today was a little weird. They taste 1st growths every year and this year report Mouton to be the value wine at $236 per bottle. I have a real problem tasting 1st growths that are so young and getting any feeling for them but that may just be me. Interestingly, Latour, arguable the property that ages the longest appeared almost undrinkable. Think they said think and very off on the nose.

Walt