Dinner Chez Shannon and David

Had dinner at Shannon and David's last night. Appetizers were Asian beef wrapped in Shizo and Radicchio, Baked Clams Portugaise, Tuna Tartare, and Parma Ham Antipasto. For the main course, Shannon and David prepared grille Tri-tip, roasted potatoes and carrots, and grilled yellow Squash. For dessert, there were Madelaines and strawberries in whipped cream. Fantastic food. Now the wines.
The Bubbles:

• 2000 Philipponnat Champagne Cuvée "1522" Grand Cru - France, Champagne
  
  This showed great last night with the various appetizers. I don't know that this is an intellectual Champagne, but it sure is a fun one. Imminently drinkable with a very fine, delicate mousse, toasty and citrus flavors with a medium length finish. It comes across as a serious Champagne though and nicely walks the line between opulence and finesse.
  
• N.V. Vilmart Champagne Rosé Rubis - France, Champagne
  
  After the more feminine Philipponnat, this Champagne roared over the palate with powerful strawberry and raspberry flavors. Long finish and lots of life ahead in this wine. Very nice, and certainly a good match for the heartier appetizers last night. Could be a good match for roast meat without problems.
  

The Reds:

• 2003 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
  
  Upon opening, this wine was surprisingly dark and opaque. Unfortunately, it was also completely shut down. Multiple decants and hours of aeration ended up yielding a really stunning wine. Purchased at release from a reputable merchant and cellared perfectly since, this is very very young. Tremendous nose of red fruit and black olive tapenade. On the palate, there's plenty of blackberry and red fruit with stern tannins and a nice dose of earth, leather, and spice. The tell-tale bacon fat that this bottling is famous for isn't really showing yet. Too young for that to be front an center. That said, this is a terrific bottle of wine that has 10 more years before it's really ready and another decade or even two of life left. Very impressive wine.
  
• 1998 Château Troplong Mondot - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  
  Just like the Guigal Brune at Blonde, this came out of the bottle completely closed. I would actually describe the wine at first taste as "unyielding", "hard as nails", "massively tannic". and black as night. I purchased this bottle at Chateau Troplong in St. Emilion, I transported it home in the OWC and stored it at 55 degrees since. I was expecting it to need some decanting to be in the window, but even hours of aeration and multiple decants couldn't produce what I was looking for in the end. I will say that this still drank nicely. It had a great degree of typicity, showed of a really nice nose towards the end of the evening, and it was a great match for the grilled steak. It just never showed the sweetness of the fruit and voluptuousness that Troplong Mondot can show when it is singing. Based on my tasting of this bottle, I would say that my remaining bottle is at least 10 years away from being in the earliest part of its drinking window and that it should last another decade or two past that without any problem. This wine is made in an old-school, uncompromising fashion. I will enjoy this one on my 50th birthday.
  
• 1998 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore
  
  Very impressive wine. It's a hypothetical blend between a top-notch St. Emilion and a top-notch Napa Cabernet. The nose is entirely old-world and could be mistaken for Bordeaux (which I did). On the palate though, there is richer fruit and less acidity than Bordeaux usually shows, not unlike a very good Napa Cab. Bing cherry, chocolate, earth and spices on the palate and a long, long finish that has just a trace of the "funk" I love in Italian wine. Showed incredibly young. I had guessed early 2000s on the vintage, so I was off by quite a few years. Really quite a spectacular wine.
  

For Dessert:

• 2001 Château Rieussec - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  
  Killer Sauternes. I might point out that I guessed this blind as Sauternes, upon confirmation, I correctly guessed 2001 as the vintage, and upon confirmation of that, I correctly guessed Rieussec...I was really lucky last night. As far as the wine is concerned, this is as good as Sauternes gets. Rich and creamy yet light and with plenty of acidity. Lemon custard flavors and a finish that goes an and on. I am embarrassed to say I don't think I quite finished my pour as I had to drive home, but it was as good as any YquemI have had the pleasure of tasting.
  

As always, thanks to Shannon and David for the hospitality and tremendous food. Next time, our house again.
Posted from CellarTracker

Open a bottle evening (chez Shannon and David)

Last night, our regular group of food and wine friends was summoned to Shannon and David's abode to taste some of Shannon's delicious cooking and a lineup of fun wines. On to the wines:

Starter Whites

• 2006 Dönnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Nahe
  Was even a touch better on night 2 than the night before. Very tasty, and high acidity makes this a great cheese wine. I paired it with some Chabichou de Poitou goat cheese drizzled with honey and rosemary. Winning combination. Unfortunately, my other wine pairing of Bleu d'Auvergne and White Burgundy was a miss. I should have had some Granny Smith Apple on the cheeseplate as that would have enhanced the Riesling goat cheese pairing further. Oh well.


• 2006 Domaine Ramonet Bourgogne Blanc - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
  This was OK, but not good. I think at the mid $20s price, this underperforms slightly, at least right now. Has a little bitterness on the palate and seems very stern, angular and four-square. Finish is long, but alcohol rears it's ugly head slightly. Acid was fine, but this never came together. Disappointing for this producer for sure.

Reds

• 1978 Clos Fourtet - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  Just like the last bottle, this one was magic. Funky, but with surprising structure and tannins. Blackberries and leather and great verve. Finish solid. I love this wine.


• 1999 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
  This was clearly a great wine. Tasted blind. I would have never guessed Bordeaux or Margaux for that matter. I did guess this as a young Barolo. It had great freshness and tar with some floral overtones. Elegant through and through. Turns out it was a Chateau Margaux. Oops. In my defense, this bottle was incredibly backward for a 1999, and the nose didn't gave up a whole lot. The palate was more generous, but it still was a little tight. Maybe a longer decant would have helped. Either way, great juice from a sleeper vintage. Thanks Shannon.


• 2005 Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir Jayson - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  Oh brother. Didn't like this. Cherry, vanilla, and cotton candy. Surprisingly red fruited for a Sonoma Coast. Cloudy appearance and hot on the finish for my taste. Really difficult for me to say anything good about this wine.


• 2006 Braida (Giacomo Bologna) Monferrato Il Bacialé - Italy, Piedmont, Monferrato
  This wasn't a half bad bottle of wine. Showed some typicity for Piemonte, had good fruit, solidly made. Good freshness and went well with food. Good everyday drinker. Just a little outgunned by some of the other wines on the dinner table.


• 1999 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna di Pianrosso - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  Although I don't think this touched the Margaux or the Clos Fourtet last night, it was clearly a very good wine. The only deduction (and a sizeable for me) is that I found it near impossible to identify this as Brunello, even after the wine was revealed. It had old world acid and structure, but the fruit and viscosity could have been from anywhere in the new world. Just a bit to too oily. That said, I still think it's very good and certainly NOT overoaked, which gives me hope that between the good acid levels, the structure, the ample fruit, and the low oak, this should gel into a very good wine down the road.


• 2001 Patrick Lesec Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rubis - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Opened at the end of last night, this started slowly, similar to the bottle I opened last August. It did gain traction quicker though than last time, and I htink it drank pretty dang good last night. As usual, this Rubis is light in color and shows its high Grenache content by way of being ever so slightly reductive and loaded with roasted herbs. Traditional in style, but somewhat lower than usual in acidity. Drinks great and would ceratinly qualify as a real value wine in my opinion.

There were also two very nice Champagnes, one from Turgy, and one from another small producer, but I didn't pay any attention to them other than that I liked them a lot. Thanks to Shannon and David for their incredible vinous and gastronomical generosity. Next time, it will be our turn to host.

Birthday Dinner Chez Pelz

Last night, our friends convened at our house to celebrate the birthdays of our friend Lauryl and myself. For the occasion, the food was as follows:

Appetizer: Melted brie with home-made crispy hazelnut bread and red pepper jam (prepared by Shannon)

Entree: Whole bone-in pork loin chop with braised kale and porcini risotto (prepared by yours truly)

Dessert: Apple/Almond Gratin (prepared by Lauryl)

I actually had made a cranberry/apple chutney well in advance, but I forgot to serve it with all the hustle in the kitchen....I guess we'll save it for Thanksgiving.

With Appetizer:

• 1998 Deutz Champagne Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne
  Served last night with appetizers. Very tasty and those familiar brioche and yeasty flavors I love in BdB. Bead and mousse were a little more coarse than I expected, but overall, this was excellent.

With Entree

• 2004 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Olivets - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  I continue to enjoy the 2004 CdPs. This wine was very clearly a CdP with red fruit, red licorice, some olive tapenade and garrigue. This is as typical and traditional a CdP as I have tasted in a while. Very mellow already and ready to drink without further cellaring. I liked this a lot.


• 1982 Château de Sales - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
  I love mature Bordeaux. This bottle had been lovingly stored as it was in great condition. Red fruit, plum and tobacco on the nose had me guessing left bank Bordeaux from 78/79, but alas I was wrong. Either way, this was just fantastic and kept unwinding throughout the evening. Very smooth texture and textbook finish with tertiary flavors dominating. Impressive showing.


• 2005 Bosquet des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Chante Le Merle Vieilles Vignes (Chantemerle) - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Another CdP. Although I recognized this as a CdP, it was in a different style from the Sabon. Much bigger and more fruit forward, and with a much darker fruit profile, this nevertheless had the elements that I associate with CdP...garrigue, olive tapenade, almost slightly oily texture, truffle/earth and black licorce. Finishes strong. Seems like it would have a fairly good size Mourvedre and Syrah component. This is a candidate for extended cellaring in my opinion, and a wine I am glad to own some of.


• 2004 Icardi Langhe Nebbiolo Surisjvan - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
  I pegged this correctly as being from Italy, specifically Piedmont. I incorrectly thought it was a Barbera. Either way, it had the typical acid and funk profile I love in Piedmont wines. Great balance and dark fruit with floral undertones. Finished well. I rather liked this a lot.


• 1995 Château Troplong Mondot - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  Great bottle. Every time I drink this '95, it reminds me how much better it is than its '94 counterpart. Definitely still young with good structure, but it's beginning to get mellow and it shows some secondary flavors of earthiness and leafiness. Some tobacco and black currant with a touch of earth and truffle. Everything is here and all with great balance and class. A reminder why I like Bordeaux even if I don't currently drink very much of it.


• 2001 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  Decanted for 7 hours. Dark, almost black color. Nose is intense with black fruit, leather, and some earthiness and cedar. Incredibly velvety texture and monster finish. As much fruit and structure as there is in this wine, there's also plenty of acidity to balance the wine out. It's definitely balanced impeccably. For lovers of traditional Brunello, this may be a disappointment as it is made in a modern style, but to drink with food, it was very good. That being said, to me, I align more with Galloni's assessment than Suckling's.


• 1999 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve le Clos du Caillou - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  And yet another CdP. Again, I guessed this as CdP because of the garrigue, licorice, creosote, and earth/truffle. A big, dark, brooding CdP, that I would guess has significant Mourvedre and Syrah precentages in the blend. Finishes very strong, and it's a candidate for long term cellaring as well. Nowhere near sa approachable as many other 2004s I have had.

With Dessert

• 1998 Château Climens - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
  Very good. Golden color. Clean, focused honey and pear with some honeysuckle. Good companion to the apple gratin dessert.

1998 Château La Dominique (France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru)

Solid wine. Popped and poured. Color still looks fairly youthful with no browning around the edges. Nose shows really nice plum fruit, smoke, and dried/grilled herbs. Good texture and roundness. Cherry and plum flavors dominate, but in a very feminine structure. Extremely elegant. I suspect that friends of high extraction will not like this wine, but fans of elegant, terroir-driven wines will love this, especially as a food companion. Consumed with roast duck tonight.

2004 Château Monbousquet (France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru)

Dark, chocolaty garnet red color. Nose is exploding with blackberry, espresso, tar, and licorice. Really solid on the palate with massive structure and good balance. Flavors are notably of blackberry and chocolate covered coffee beans. Finish is very long. Not for traditionalists (at least not right now), but a great young Monbousquet that is absolutely true to its St. Emilion origins. In my opinion, the best Monbousquet since the 2000. On a side note, I drove by Monbousquet when I was in Bordeaux in July 2006 and I was impressed by its location that is west and south of D670 on a fairly flat plot of land.

1996 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot (France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru)

Still darkly pitched wine but with some browning at the edges. Nose is all about coffee and blackberry, plum, and earth. Still surprisingly tannic, but I believe this is in a great place right now. I think the tannins will be more long-lived than the fruit, so it's time to drink this now. I am missing a little bit of the aged St. Emilion truffle character I often detect, but it's still a great bottle of wine that has a beautifully long finish. Great match for the left overs of some Humboldt fog cheese tonight.

2004 Château Tour Simard (France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru)

Popped and Poured. Dark, and I mean really darkly pitched garnet red color. Aromatically slightly closed. It's tough to coax much out of the nose beyond some hints of coffee, cherry, plum, and tobacco. Really explosive on the palate with mouth-puckering tannin level and serious structure. Flavor profile shows smoke, cherry, dark chocolate, and minerally earthiness. The finish just keeps sailing on. At $18 at the local Costco, this is an incredible deal, especially considering that this is the second wine of Mr Perse's famed Chateau Pavie (made from younger vines on the estate in exactly the same manner and by the same winemaker as Pavie). I would venture to guess that with the tannin and fruit levels in this wine, it should easily be able to go 5-10 years before hitting its peak, but friends of young Bordeaux can enjoy this now. Assemblage is 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Screaming QPR in my opinion and it'll be interesting to see this develop over the next few years.

2004 Château Troplong Mondot (France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru)

Looks like I like this quite a bit better than the major wine critics. Nice dark garnet color with a fine aromas of pain grille, cassis, and tobacco. Despite its youth, not overly tannic and shows some nice and juicy cassis and blackberry with some cigar box. Maintains nice elegance within a medium body. Finish is very long. More elegant and burgundian in style, this is a wine that's right up my alley. Lovers of thicker, jammier Bordeaux may want to pass on this vintage. For me, this is an absolute buy.

I paired this with a dinner of Seared, bacon-wrapped Sirloin, gratin dauphinois and sauteed Kohlrabi. Perfect combination.

1995 Château Monbousquet (France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru)

Popped and poured. Dark garnet red with browning at the edges. At first, the wine is seemingly completely closed, but with some time the nose appears. The nose is absolutely loaded with plum, earth, and tobacco. The tobacco is remarkably strong and is reminiscent more of chewing on a cigar than smelling it. Extra soft/velvety texture with fresh acidity and a fruit-filled, long, supple, round, and dry finish. Seems almost fully mature to me. Maybe another year or two from its peak, but I can't see it getting much better from here, so I would recommend beginning to drink if you have a few.

2003 Château La Confession (France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion) (91 pts)

Garnet red color. Great, generous old-school St. Emilion nose of rustic plum, sweet tobacco and a good dose of coffee grinds and earthiness. On the palate, I taste mocha, tobacco, earth and boysen- and gooseberries. Finish is excellent and has good length.

This wine is surprisingly good...I thought this was going to be a full-blown super high octane right-banker with little sense of where it came from...wrong...this is a very typical and maybe even old-school St. Emilion wine that shows off its finesse and aromatic qualities. Excellent and for the $23 per bottle I purchased it, it was an absolute steal. Highly recommended for fans of old school style St. Emilion wines such as Beausejour Duffau, Magdelaine and Belair.

2003 Château Fombrauge (France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru) (89 pts)

Dark red garnet color. Nose is very muted and does not give much of anything. On the palate, there is very good stuffing, and this certainly reminds me of classic garagiste St. Emilion wine with loads of plum and tobacco, but the oak may be a little more heavy at this stage than I prefer. Hence my "very good" rating rather than "outstanding". Feels a little like a good CA Merlot, although the rusticity and dryness give it away as Bordeaux, IMO. At the price I paid on futures, this is a superb QPR.