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.
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