#ALTERNATIVEPAIRINGS - Chicago, IL (2/2/2017)
There is a (possibly apocryphal) story of Robert Parker advocating 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (en magnum) as a pairing to sushi. As this is the tenth anniversary of the vintage, and since Robert Parker is a critic of such great renown, we decided to follow his sage advice and try this pairing.
Real Wines
A few Champagnes and a dessert wine were served at this dinner – they were all reasonable beverages.
-
NV Bérêche et Fils Champagne Reflet d’Antan - France, Champagne
2009 base, 6 g/L dosage, May 2014 disgorgement. It’s odd. I had had this exact same disgorgement before, and thought it disappointing, but this bottle was showing very well tonight. This had a great balance of freshness and oxidative character, and there was plenty of white fruit here. Lots of taut acidity and chalkiness rounds out a really full-bodied champagne. (93 pts.) -
2007 Roederer Estate L’Ermitage Brut - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
This is a surprisingly sweet bottle of sparkling wine. There’s some pronounced red delicious apple flavours here (but also with a fair bit of acidity), as well as a biscuity character. It’s not bad, but the sweetness really throws me off a little bit. (85 pts.) -
NV Agrapart & Fils Champagne Grand Cru Terroirs - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Hah, twice in three days. This is pretty much the same as the last bottle I had – good taut acidity and white fruit. Super dense chalkiness on the palate, but I feel that a little bit more density as far as flavour is concerned would do this wine well. (88 pts.) -
1991 M. Chapoutier Banyuls Vin Doux Naturel - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Banyuls
From half bottle. This is like a Madeira without all the nice things that make Madeira Madeira. It’s got a little bit of that shiitake mushroom quality on the nose from the oxygen, but it feels more like oxidation that was done accidentally than on purpose. The palate shows moderate sweetness, with some golden raisin and date flavours, and the alcohol pokes out quite a bit. The necessary acidity to balance out the wine isn’t quite here either, unfortunately. (85 pts.)
2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
At age 10, the 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape “wines” tasted here are a complete and utter disaster. They are laughably bad. I remember having tasted the vintage early on and being impressed by the luscious fruit on that wine. A decade later, none of the “wines” tasted today could reasonably count “luscious fruit” as a descriptor. Those that haven’t otherwise been ruined but the modernist dogma of heavy oak treatments now suffer from flavours that evoke rotting fruit on an orchard in late October – that sickly, rotting flavour is really quite vile. After that, there are two separate issues. Many of the wines actually suffer from extreme emaciation. With ten years for the baby fat to dissipate, the midpalate has just dropped out completely, leaving a wretched husk with weedy and astringent tannins on the finish. The riper “wines” suffer from alcoholic bitterness on the back end. The hyperbolic and hysterical pronouncements of Parker, Suckling, and their ilk reminded me a little bit of the current ambient climate, and I have endeavoured to render my notes to these “wines” with contemporary suitability.
-
2007 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Deux Frères - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Usseglio is charging over $200 for this wine! There is so much oak on this! Paying tremendous cost for blueberry milkshake, when so much cheaper at Mcdonalds. Need to renegotiate the price! (60 pts.) -
2007 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The failing wine advocate reports that this wine should have 95+ points! Clear bias for excessive ripe and alcohol wines, but thin weedy tannins! Why do these wines always score so well. Unfair! (80 pts.) -
2007 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
MSM says this is good wine but I know better than that. Brown and pruney stuff. They are trying to sell wine that doesn’t have much acid too. We are getting killed here, need to stop them scoring wines like this! (80 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Origines - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Trying to buy wine and getting rotting fruit and poop. And it’s showing bigly. Not what I expected. What a bad deal. We are getting killed here! Should be safe to expect red flavors not brown. Sad! (60 pts.) -
2007 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Clos du Mont olivet is really candied and flabby. It has gained a lot of weight and this is a real problem! But the palate is still thin and tastes like bitter greens! (70 pts.) -
2007 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
I am FORMALLY putting Clos Saint Jean on notice for this terrible wine! It should never have been made! So unbalanced! Tastes bitter! (60 pts.) -
2007 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This is only 10 years old wine, why is the fruit on this decaying already? Tastes like rotting! And bitter on the finish too, and heat shows bigly. Bad wine! (70 pts.) -
2007 Bosquet des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Chante Le Merle Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Boring wine, tastes like plum. MSM keeps trying to make people like these things, but they are WRONG! Wine should not taste rusty and bitter. (80 pts.) -
2007 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
So many of these bad wines coming out of Chateauneuf and they are absolutely taking us to the cleaners! Should subject these wines to extreme vetting to keep all this alcohol from reaching AMERICA. These wines are bitter and thin. (70 pts.) -
2007 Domaine de la Graveirette Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Listen. I respect Chateauneuf du Pape. Nobody respects it more than I do. I have tremendous respect for it. This is a good wine. It has red fruit and also some acid. I know plenty of Chateauneuf that don’t have acid. This one has acid. It’s great. (83 pts.) -
2007 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Terrible wine. Tastes like rotting fruit, and such a nasty palate. Gasoline and rubber. Really bad. (60 pts.)