1996 Château Pontet-Canet (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac)

This was the wine that jolted me out of my rut. It was a reminder of what great wine is all about. At age 14, this is now beginning to soften and show pretty fruit, graphite, and leather. Some chocolate and tons of black currant. Layers and layers of flavor. Really a phenomenal wine that will only get better.

2006 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac)

Very nice wine. I tracked this wine from Friday night through Saturday night. Started out hard as nails, but it softened up within 24 hours (most of that time in the cellar). Lovely balance, and a wine that thrives on its black currant fruit and cigar box aromas and flavors. Although it's got leather, earth, and cherries going on, too, the black currant and cigar box really drive this wine right now. Finishes very well. It is remarkable that GPL made this to show off finesse and elegance yet undoubtedly serious ageability. This shows just how good present-day Bordeaux can be when the property doesn't see the need to spoof. Recommended. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc.

Dinner Chez Rob & Lauryl

DINNER CHEZ ROB & LAURYL - (5/30/2009)

We were invited to eat and drink at our friends Rob and Lauryl's place last night. Food was amazing, and so was the company. Lovely wines, too.

Champagnes

With Hummus dip and tuna tartare in cucumber slices.

• 1999 Eric Rodez Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
  Fantastic Champagne. Clearly from a cool site with nice layered fruit and some brioche. To me, the Chardonnay dominated in this wine, despite the fact that the blend is 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Lovely wine that is drinking great right now.


• N.V. Krug Champagne Grande Cuvée Brut - France, Champagne
  Second bottle of Champagne last night. Mighty big wine that has just a ton of flavor. Maybe a little nutty and has some nice fruit. No need to hurry drinking this, but I don't know what the disgorgement date was. I loved it.

Reds

With lamb chops, sweet potatoes, and spinach.

• 2005 René Bouvier Marsannay Ouzeloy - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay
  Maybe a little too warm at first, but it showed very well overall. Extremely sappy and mouthwatering, this is drinking great. Some crushed berry, tobacco and earth, and the fruit is still pretty primary. Lovely Pinot that can be cellared for some time, I'm sure, but I liked the way it was drinking.


• 1978 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Great bottle as well. Took a few minutes to clean up after it came out of the bottle. Started really funky, but after it shook off the funk, the fruit was round and soft, and the tannins were barely there. Great freshness, and leather, cigar box, and a lot of minerality were all there. My runner-up WOTN last night.


• 1998 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Laurence - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Best Pegau Laurence I've ever had. This wsa just loaded with garrigue and like the Cuvee Reservee, this also has loads of cherry juice / kirsch liqueur. Another taster said black pepper, and I can definitely see that in this wine, too. Spice and a touch of licorice. Phenomenal wine that is in no danger of decline anytime soon. It is drinking at peak though in my opinion, so no need to hold off further. My WOTN.


• 1999 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Just like the day before this was a very Burgundy-like CdP with berry fruit, spice, good minerality and solid structure. What I am missing here is a little more depth of flavors. Very good but not outstanding. Like the 1998 Pegau Laurence, I think this is drinking at peak.


• 2001 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Started out rough for me. Very primary still, and was in a weird place initially. After it had some air for an hour or two, this began to shine though. Classic pencil shavings, tobacco, earth, and some floral notes. Despite being medium bodied, this has very nice flavor intensity, and it ends in a good finish. Although it was delicious with the food last night, this will get much better with time. A definite winner.


• 2002 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
  This wine is still so tannic and acidic that it was a shock to drink after the wines before it. Just massive structure despite low extraction. Has the funk that Olga Raffault is famous for. As with most of her Chinons, this is a finesse wine that has some serious green bell pepper and vegetable notes, so those who can't tolerate that will hate this wine. I predict this will be an amazing bottle of wine in 10 more years. Really not a wine to consume right now. The rest of my bottles go to the long term underground storage.

There were two stickies for dessert, but I barely tried one. I was done with wine and had moved on to coffee. Thanks to Rob and Lauryl for outdoing themselves last night, and thanks to all others for bringing some great wine.

Posted from CellarTracker

Sunday Afternoon Grilling Chez Pelz

We had some friends over yesterday afternoon to celebrate the glorious Austin weather and thoughtful conversation. I decided to grill a variety of foods. It was a very relaxed afternoon with the adults talking while our kids all played. The notes are therefore more informal than usual, but I think they render a reasonable picture of the wine quality. Only thing missing...some Rose...have to do that next time.

As an Aperitif

• N.V. Jean Milan Champagne Blanc de Blancs Spécial Grand Cru - France, Champagne, Oger, Champagne
  As usual, this is a very reliable Champagne to start the evening off with. Fresh zingy acidity, nice apple and some interesting toasty nut flavors. If I would want to complain about something, it is that this bottle showed more advanced than I thought it should have with a light gold color and a bit of creaminess. Overall, still enjoyable to drink, but I'll drink the remaining 3 bottles before the end of the year...I am not sure if waiting will be rewarded with this one.

With the grilled foods

- chicken skewers
- beef skewers
- NY Strip (grass-fed)
- Hamburgers (grass-fed)
- Boudin Sausage (homemade by one of our guest)
- Assorted Sausages (homemade by one of our guest)
- grilled artichoke with EVOO and Fleur de Sel
- Salads
- Creme Brulee, Ice Cream, Watermelon

• 2000 Bosquet des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Chante Le Merle Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  This bottle wasn't nearly as fresh and exciting as the last one. It seemed a touch lighter and more advanced in its development. Very soft and unusually gamey on the palate. Dominated by plum and raspberry. Finish is good and texture is silky, almost a little like an older Burgundy. I really wonder if this bottle was slightly off. Very good, but nowhere near sa good sa the last bottle a year ago.


• 2006 Château de Parenchère Cuvée Raphaël - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur
  One of the guest brought this bottle and despite this being a "lesser" Bordeaux wine (Bordeaux Superieur), this was fabulous in its own right. Nice, ripe fruit, very little tannin relative to the Pontet we drank afterwards, but great freshness and dryness which made this a fun wine to drink with our grilled foods. Finished well. Probably not something that I think will reward cellaring, but it's really solid drinking right now.


• 1994 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Unlike the Bosquet Chantemerle CdP that preceded this bottle, this was significantly better than my previous bottle a couple of years ago. It still has searing tannins that require some decanting and gentle aeration, and it is still very early in the drinking window. The fruit shows tremendously well right now, along with some cigar box. That said, I think this will turn out significantly better with tertiary notes and aromas when they arrive five years or more down the road. This is clearly a very backward wine, but I think there's plenty of fruit to match the structure.

DINNER CHEZ PELZ - (3/1/2008)

Last night, friends came over for a fun evening of food and wine. Most of the wines were to be tasted blind (except for a couple) and were paired with the food. There was also a theme, which I didn't reveal until the end of the night.

With leek and bacon mini-quiches:

• 1995 Duval-Leroy Champagne Femme de Champagne - France, Champagne
  Went great with the mini quiches. Very nice bead, great dryness. Round, zippy, and long. I really liked it.

With Maryland-style Blue Crab cakes:

• 2004 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
  This was tossed in last second, and did not get decanting treatment. Sulphur on the nose with some heavy amount of minerals, lemon rind, and a little oak. On the palate, this was better. Long and light on its feet. Good finish. I would say that as good as this is, I like Varner Chardonnays better, especially considering the difference in price tag.

With vegetarian-fed, air chilled chicken, braised fennel and carrots:

• 2005 Azienda Agricola Montevertine Pian del Ciampolo Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
  Decanted for 5 hours. Light bodied as usual with great finesse. Really light plum, dried herbs, and extremely earthy and mineral-laden. Nose was mute but the wine kept improving in my opinion as the night progressed. Could pass for a Piedmont wine without a problem. Good match with food tonight.


• 2005 Bruno Giacosa Nebbiolo d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Nebbiolo d'Alba
  Opened 5 hours in advance and "audouzed". Showed well, with light color, more of a nose than the Pian del Ciampolo, and nice Nebbiolo flavors of tar, licorice, earth, and rose. Clearly a light bodied wine as well, but with a weighty palate. Solid finish. Great food match.

With coffee-rubbed seared Mahi-Mahi on organic Kale:

• 2006 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Cabernet - France, Loire Valley, Touraine
  Opened 2 hours in advance and "audouzed". Went great with food and showed off its dark fruit while simultaneously keeping a very earthy, leathery, and minerally counter-balance. Medium bodied wine that looks like it should really be a heavy-weight. Has lots of finesse...I love this, but one has to like barnyard notes in wine.


• 2003 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Flax Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
  Oh boy. Decanted for 5 hours. I can definitely see how this wine could, by itself, a great wine. It has lots of fruit, extract, and layers. The problem is that with food tonight, this was a horrible match. Too sweet, too cloying, too much of everything. The pervasive comment was that this ought to be poured over ice cream. 13.8% alc but that's hard to believe, although I will say that this didn't show any heat whatsoever.

With pan-fried local grass-fed beef and creamy brussel sprout leaves laced with goat cheese:

• 2004 Enrico Santini Bolgheri Poggio Al Moro - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri
  This is one of my absolute best QPR buys ever. Just amazing how balanced this is. Dark color and nose of dark chocolate, black currants, blackberry, and plum. Big wine on the palate that, although it seems teeth stainingly rich, shows incredible nimbleness and layered qualities. Great finish and awesome with the steak. If there's a better $18 Super Tuscan out there, I'd love to see what it is.


• 2003 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Opened 5 hours in advance and "audouzed". First off, I think RP has this one wrong. Clearly young, this wine is nevertheless wide-open for business and accessible. Lovely wine with dark garnet color, good extract, great finesse, and absolutely spectacular fruit. Velvety texture and leather, cigar box, and pencil shavings. Superb finish. My first 2003 Medoc, but if this is an indication for how good the '03 Medocs are, I should load up even more than I did years ago. Can't go wrong with this one.

With mini-desserts (tarts and bars) and cheese plate (Tete de Moine, Saint-Agur, Tomme de Savoie, Brezain, Cabra, Fleur des Alpes, Pamplie Butter, Stirato bread)

• 1983 Château Gilette Crème de Tête - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  I love aged Sauternes. This was rich, but with good underlying acidity. Honey and lemon curd with some poached pear. Long and viscous. Lovely effort.

Theme was to pick one inexpensive wine in each of the three main flights and one more expensive one. As usual, this was great fun, and somewhat educational for all participants, I hope.

1995 Château Batailley (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac)

Very musty aromas and extremely earthy on the palate. Needed quite a bit of air to come alive. Right out of the bottle, I thought the wine was damaged. After about 30-60 minutes, the nose lost the mustiness and the palate gained weight, fruit, and structure. Actually a really nice drink, especially when consumed with New Year's goose, red cabbage, and potato dumplings with goose gravy.

1990 Château Lynch-Bages (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac)

What a treat. Thanks Bob. Previously decanted and aired, this wine is the real deal...the reason why we all collect, cellar, and drink wines. The ridiculously smooth texture and mouth feel of this wine have to be tasted to be believed. The dark black currant and plum fruit is still gorgeous, supple, and fresh, and the LB is so polished and viscerally fun to drink that it defies description. There's also an earth side to this wine that shows black truffle, as well as some cigar box. One of the top wines of the night.