Wine Impressions 4-15-19

Wine Impressions - 4-15-19

Bubbles:
2008 Andre Clouet, Champagne Le Clos (magnum) - fresh, balanced, crisp and deep. If more champagne tasted like this, I’d drink more champagne. Spectacular!
N/V Ulysse Collin, Champagne Rose de Saignee - the best of the three Collin wines and quite acceptable but not in the same world as the Clouet.
N/V Ulysse Collin, Champagne Blanc de Noirs - a touch sweet for me.
N/V Ulysse Collin, Champagne Blanc de Blanc - also sweet

Whites:
2016 Louis Michel, Montee de Tonnerre - powerful, sappy wine with huge cut and a structure etched from stone. Tremendous future but still tasty now.
2016 Hirtzberger, Riesling Steinterrassen Federspiel - glorious, fresh, vibrant, structured and long. Yum.
2013 Stony Hill, Chardonnay - painfully young but showing promise and certainly atypical for Napa Valley.
2016 F.X. Pichler, Riesling Durnsteiner Smaragd - special juice; concentrated, rich, electric acidity and greater than the some of its parts. Wow.
2013 Puffeney, Arbois Chardonnay - typical of the Jura and well made, always a pleasure.
2010 F.X. Pichler, Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd - sensational, of a piece and rich. No rush but so good now . . .
2016 Terre Nere, Etna Bianco Santa Spirito - my expectations were high but this could not live up to them. Probably fine but less than what I wanted.
2008 Dauvissat, Les Preuses - sort of in pieces, nothing I want more of
2008 Dauvissat, Les Clos - better than the above but one taste was enough
2004 Fevre, Les Clos - racier than the above but not better

Roses:
2017 Tempier, Bandol Rose - young and peppery; needs a year or so in bottle (tasted out of 750 and magnum)
2016 Tempier, Bandol Rose (3 liter) - this is more like it; calmer and more integrated than the 2017 and everything one could ask of Bandol Rose. Wonderful!
2015 Cowan Cellars, Jack’s Rose - more clariet than rose; full of wild cherry flavors and sustain. ‘Love this wine.

Reds:
2017 Dom. Coudert, Fleurie Cuvée Christie - forgettable
2011 Alain Verset, Cornas - approachable now and delicious; juicy, balanced, good structure and significant complexity. Very fine.
2012 Puffeney, Arbois Pinot Noir - firm, deep and also clearly from the Jura.
1966 Chat. Lynch Bages - alive but barely; an interesting intellectual exercise but no more
2011 Rossingnol, Pommard 1er Fremiers - firm at the core but lots of fleshy fruit and mineral tones too, great structure and finish. A treasure and even though it has lots of time left, pretty damn good now.
2010 Rivers-Marie, Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge (magnum) - the scent and flavor of whole-cluster is significant and it’s hard for me to get past the green and into the fruit. Nice textures and balance but the green is more than I can handle.
1995 Calon-Segur - adequate Bordeaux
2003 Pontet-Canet - adequate plus Bordeaux
2003 Lafon-Rochet - adequate plus Bordeaux
2003 Chat. Saint-Pierre - really good Bordeaux; a textural delight and great verve
1995 Pichon-Longueville - way too early; hold.
1989 Pichon-Longueville - resolved and showing well, nice wine
2004 Tempier, Bandol La Tourtine (magnum) - soulful, complete wine that I kept coming back to. Nice.
2008 Jamet, Côte Rotie (magnum) - angry about being opened and sulked all night; hold.
1995 Pruduttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco (magnum) - open and pretty resolved but not as deep as expected.
1995 Dom. Pegau, CdP (magnum) - good, for Grenache
1995 Fisher, Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia - showing young but integrated and complete
1995 Silver Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley - falling apart, the overwhelming oak has destroyed what might have been wine; DNPIM
2010 Ponsot, Morey St. Denis 1er Cuvée des Alouettes - very nice, good textures and balanced and showing its place. Yum.

Stickies:
2002 Donnhoff, Riesling Eiswein, Oberhauser Brucke (375) - medium brown color, rich and powerful but not showing much complexity. I’m guessing we are too early to this.

Best, Jim

The Donnhoff being medium brown suggests poor handling at some point. My early 2000s stickies are all still quite light in color, maybe to golden at most.

I’m surprised that you found the Ulysse Collins too sweet, as they tend to be very low dosages.

That’s a lot of chardonnay!

Surprising Dauvissat notes. But then again, maybe not. I’m finding that some 2008s have not been showing well lately.

I had looked forward to tasting these three side by side.
And was disappointed. Not at all what I had read about and heard.
The Clouet, OTOH, was completely unexpected and utterly sublime.
Maybe my expectations are skewing my assessments - stranger things have happened.:sunglasses:
Best, Jim

Yeah, it is.
Truth is, I love the grape but there are so few producers who I truly enjoy.
Mostly Chablis, some Jura and the occasional outlier from elsewhere. I’m just too picky.
Best, Jim

Any thoughts about the Tempier La Tourtine’s future aging prospects (in magnum)? I got some of all three 2004 Tempier cuvees in magnums as birth year wines for my daughter, so wondering how long they should last.

“2008 Jamet, Côte Rotie (magnum) - angry about being opened and sulked all night; hold.”

I loved this…

Had that 95 Fisher Coach Insignia with a juicy rare steak a couple years ago and it was a damn good pairing.

Tom

They should last as long as you need them to. A 2004 Migoua a couple of weeks ago was enjoyable but still quite young. I hosted a tasting of 1993s and 1998s in 2013 and the Migouas, Tourtines, and Cabassaous from each vintage ranged from having plenty of life left to needing more time.

John,
What Mike said.
Some wines are not like the others - the 2004 La Tourtine is nearly bullet proof. And it’s Billie Holiday today. Hard to go wrong.
Best, Jim

Love notes like these. Seems like the whites showed better than the reds — Austria!

At the Magnum party last week someone brought a Clouet Magnum and I easily preferred it to the 2009 Dom Perignon. It needs to have chill though.

George,
Was the mag party at GGYC?
The Clouet Clos is expensive but most of his other Cuvées are pretty reasonably priced. A look on Wine-Searcher was enlightening.
Best, Jim

It was the GGYC crowd at a deli in Oakland. Pix in Offline section of Berserkers but no complete list of wines.

Jim/George,
It was the Clouet Rosé No. 3 NV, 100% PN. (I brought it.) And definitely my favorite among the bubbles too (not just biased.) Love those wines. High QPR across the board.