A few folks convened at Rick's house to have some braised venison and man was it good. The wines we drank with it were as follows:
With french cheeses
- N.V. H. Billiot Champagne Cuvée Julie - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
My stomach is still getting over being a little upset a few days ago, so the idea of Champagne itself was testing for me. With that said, I really couldn't get into this. Very apple dominated and seemingly large-scaled, this was too much for my stomach's sensibilities last night. I tried and abandoned the glass when it became clear that I wouldn't be able to really enjoy it. Sorry Greg.
With local slow-braised Venison
- 2005 Château Duhart-Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
My first 2005 and what a nice wine this was. Open for 2 days already and still primary and with a tannic bite on the finish. Great black currant fruit and balance though, and probably a wine that is still reasonable in terms of price for 2005 Bordeaux. I will try to secure some for myself. Very impressive. - 2002 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Really nice wine and surprisingly big and rich for it being from the 2002 vintage (generally considered a "wash-out" as far as I know). Really super olive tapenade nose and palate with some nice dried herbs and meaty, smoky iodine flavors. Finishes great, and if someone told me that this was from a weak vintage, I would be hard pressed to believe it. Still very, very primary fruit though and no notes that indicate any significant development. With that said, I think RP has the drinking window wrong. I would guess this needs 2-5 more years of rest and it'll hold for at least a decade past that. Only caution...I like my wines old and tertiary. - 1996 Pio Cesare Barbaresco Il Bricco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Most backward bottle of wine I have ever had, especially from Piedmont. When first popped and poured, it showed none of the tertiary notes I expected on the nose. The color of the wine was deep, dark, and rich. On the palate, this wine seemed brawny and serious. It took hours before this lost some of the primary fruit notes and showed some secondary notes. I don't know if it was the storage of this bottle that made it this backward, or if the wine in general is, but I would say that this needed at least 5 and as many as 10 more years before being opened at a reasonable stage of development. Everyone liked it a lot. - 2002 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled - USA, California, Napa Valley
I was skeptical of the Todd's wine, but it was actually pretty good. I'm not a big fan of California Cabernet, but this was very drinkable. I probably wouldn't run out and buy it because of my personal preferences, but I can see how many folks would love this. - 1989 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage
Great bottle from my favorite producer of Crozes-Hermitage. Somehow, Graillot manages to make a wonderfully floral, minerally Crozes in virtually every vintage. This one was no exception. Sensational bacon fat, black olive, lilac, violet, and smoky meat flavors wrapped into a superb texture. I can't speak highly enough of this wine, a true achievement in terroir wine making in my opinion. My personal WOTN.
Thanks to Rick and his lovely fiancee for the fantastic evening, food, and hospitality.
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