Here’s the next installment in the saga of our drinking habits during lockdown. There were a lot of corked bottles so far this month, but a lot of very enjoyable wines as well. We’ve continued with the mission of clearing singleton orphan bottles from the cellar, particularly those that might be over the hill and, for the most part, have been pleasantly surprised.
I’m sure some people will get up in arms, call me crazy or feel personally offended that I’ve called Produttori Barbaresco a “10-15 year wine.” Let me just say that that’s when I like it best, not intending to suggest it’s dead after that.
Enjoy!
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2005 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Hauts Pruliers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (5/18/2020)
Based on prior notes, gave this about an hour decant before serving alongside a roast chicken. Right out of the gate, this shows powerful black fruit, pipe tobacco, a little earthy funky sweaty thing, perhaps a little ginger. The mouthfeel is serious with dusty edges. I really like how this is showing, after a few ungainly bottles over the last few years. Some bits of barrel toast around the edges don’t detract. So happy to find this finally showing as I’d have it show, with plenty of class and pedigree, as well as power from the vintage. Very good value. -
NV Bérêche et Fils Champagne Rive Gauche Extra Brut - France, Champagne (5/17/2020)
May 2011 disgorgement. When I first had this back in 2013, I didn’t like it much, finding the bubbles much to aggressive and the palate awkward. So glad we decided to give it more time! This was in a great place today, with excellent cut and drive, a more calm effervescence, and a little touch of mature brioche and a hint of oxidation. Still very clean and crisp, and a terrific match with fried chicken. -
2000 Diebolt-Vallois Champagne Grand Cru Fleur de Passion Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (5/17/2020)
This came after some big gun champagnes, so I know my palate was off, but I found something decided wrong with this bottle. It poured beautifully, with energetic delicate mousse and pale creamy yellow, but on the nose I got a strong whiff of malted or sour milk. The others present found something a little off-putting as well, but I was the only one totally turned off. It was nothing like our last bottle at Cagen a year or so ago which showed extremely well. I don’t know what the flaw was, but I’m going to call it flawed. NR (flawed) -
NV Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (5/17/2020)
Okay! After a few slightly awkward, good but where’s-the-beef bottles, this one finally struts its stuff. The bitter almond character is still there on the nose and the finish, but it’s part of a larger and more integrated, balanced profile that really pleases. The lactic thing is not in evidence. Does this need several months of rest after shipping? I’d not be surprised. Glad to see it showing more in line with expectations, and making a case for house rose bubbles. -
2000 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses - France, Champagne (5/17/2020)
Our first bottle of this from a source in the UK. Poured very young looking, pale straw with very energetic bubbles and a sense of viscosity even on the appearance. The nose is deep and dark pinot fruit, some truffle notes, background of spicy flowers - I mean, not flowery cloying flowers, more like wild flowers, with green elements in the background. I think of Clos des Goisses as a wine that needs tons of time and air, and we probably didn’t give it quite enough of either, though I tried hard to keep it in the glass while sipping on something else. I was very impressed with the power here, and liked very much the earthy quality that some other notes complain of, though I didn’t find it the least bit dirty. One of the more impressive young Clos des Goisses I’ve had, as well as an impressive 2000. There’s clearly a ton of development ahead, in my mind, so if you open a well stored bottle now, I’d give it plenty of air and a glass with some space. It’s broad shouldered, not a light starter champagne at all. -
2002 Domaine André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Viré-Clessé (5/16/2020)
Another from the list of orphan “not sure it’s still any good” bottles that are taking up full double slots. The opened up with an explosive nose of honey, lychee, toasted croissant. The color was deep golden, potentially concerning, but nothing was off about this bottle! In the mouth the richness and opulence was very impressive. I might have liked a little more vim and vigor, which I’m sure it had a few years ago. Still, who can complain about an entry level inexpensive bottle still alive and kicking strongly after 18 years? Drank over the afternoon as we got dinner ready, this definitely benefited from warming up, and continued to impress, though it did eventually shift a little tired. Just goes to show that even the most modest bottles, when well made and from a good vintage, sometimes have the potential to become quite interesting and special. -
NV Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Extra Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (5/16/2020)
This goes in the category of very-good-despite-not-being-Egly rose champagnes. Classy and with character, a little too much toasted bread on the finish, but a clean and balanced rose, very good foot match. A lot better than many of the value roses we’ve tried recently and more interesting that Billecart - I can’t get my head around why so many people love that rose so much. It’s good, but to me it’s pretty boring and a bit fatiguing. -
2001 Fattoria San Lorenzo Il San Lorenzo Bianco Marche IGT - Italy, Marche, Marche IGT (5/14/2020)
There’s been some inconsistency in these bottles in the last year or so - and with 20 year old verdicchio, who’s surprised? - but this one was spot on. Dried orange peel, honey, saline elements, a little meatiness, something akin to brown butter with herbs. Great depth through the mid and a finish that fades only slowly away. Such a strange creature, this wine, but there’s almost nothing that can do what it does with food. It wasn’t actually as great a pairing with our crab pasta as the Borgo del Tiglio also opened, but it was the more complete wine. -
1995 Borgo del Tiglio (Nicola Manferrari) Collio Friulano - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Collio (5/14/2020)
Finally a non-corked bottle! While not as stunning as some other aged Borgo del Tiglios I’ve had, this was very nice indeed. At this age, it’s largely about the mouthfeel, with an unctuous, slow creeping texture in the mouth that coats the tongue without apparent weight. Subtle honeysuckle and waxy notes take your tastebuds on the proverbial ride through very fine layers. Perhaps this is a little past absolute prime, but the mature elements are so very enjoyable it’s hard to notice any flaws. Really nice to have mature, elegant white wines in the cellar! This was not quite as good as the 2001 San Lorenzo drunk alongside, but was a very good accompaniment to the crab pasta. -
2008 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru (5/13/2020)
Having been burned by more than a few Niellons over the years, there’s always some trepidation when opening one. This bottle poured a rich golden color, which was initially indicative of the danger zone. Based on previous sound bottles, I gave this about an hour decant before serving, which proved to be not quite enough! A beautiful nose of peaches, white flowers and fresh baked pastry, shy at first, was coaxed out with some swirling. A slightly waxy mouthfeel rounded out into something much more plush, with gently firm acidity. I liked the body on this very much, and it had character to spare. An excellent match with a classic Blanquette de Turbot et St. Jacques. Next bottle gets another 30 min decant at least. When sound, this wine is in a great place and should have plenty of time ahead of it. -
2008 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (5/12/2020)
First of a nice parcel purchased in France a while ago. Opened 15 min before dinner, served in Riedel vinum burg stems, allowed to open in the glass. This poured a gorgeous true burgundy red, not a hint of purple, clear and vibrant from core to rim. The nose was delightful - cherries and raspberries, some exotic spices, a light floral note. In the mouth the balance was very impressive, with great acid verve and drive. More medium bodied and restrained than Beaux Monts sometimes is, very compelling crunch and snap to the mouth feel. I have more of this, thank goodness, and expect it has some good upside and will be beautiful for at least another 10 years, probably a lot more. Drank over the course of almost 2 hours, over which time it spread out a bit and softened, but retained that vibrant acid and exuberant finish. Excellent burgundy for the price. Old school but not harsh or austere. Loved it. -
2014 Weingut Knoll Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Ried Kreutles Loibner - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (5/12/2020)
Not really my cup of tea, though correct for what it is. Simple green herbs, a little white pepper on the nose. Nice enough to sniff and swirl, but there’s just not enough there there on the palate for me and the finish crashes. Had a glass before dinner and will try some again later, but for now, it’s perhaps a good tool, but not really that enjoyable a drink. -
2006 Château de Maligny Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (5/10/2020)
Pulled this bottle as part of our cellar cleaning sweep - bottles we think could possibly be past prime, singles, bottles we’re not sure why we have them…that kind of thing. I think this might have been a Garagiste purchase once upon a time. Expectations were low, and were very pleasantly exceeded. Quite an impressive nose, typical of warm vintage chablis with some age on it. The palate was totally intact with good acidity and nice some weight to it. At first, the mid-palate kind of ran into a wall where the finish should have been, but a little air brought it around. Overall quite a nice bottle, really, and a check in the positive column of this exercise. -
1996 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Latricières-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru (5/10/2020)
Another on our list of Singles in the Cellar. Gave this a bit of air before consuming alongside roast chicken. Very old school Gevry nose with darker fruits, wood spice, some barrel toast, a little dustiness. The palate is lean and on the dry side. There’s a good deal of burgundy goodness here, but in a very austere style that a lot of people who don’t think they like burgundy think of as typical. And it is typical, just not the only kind of typical. I think this wine is one of many 96’s that simply don’t have the fruit to ever blossom into something I’d consider balanced maturity. The structure continues to dominate as the fruit fades. We enjoyed drinking this, but did not find a great deal of joy in it. The toasty notes combined with the dryness was a challenge, though the nose remained compelling. If you’re waiting for magic here, I don’t think it’s every going to happen. -
2007 Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (5/9/2020)
This was an absolutely beautiful showing for this wine, which I thought could very well be premoxed. Clear, bright, no signs of oxidation. The body was impressive, with a creamy mouthfeel and great flavor profile of peaches and cream, with a touch of lemon. The finish needed some air to come into line with the rest of the palate, but got there eventually. A true pleasure to drink. -
NV Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (5/9/2020)
Did not find this bottle as enjoyable as the last. It had a lactic aspect to the attack that I didn’t like at all, and seemed disjointed throughout. Not in keeping with our first bottle, didn’t get the bitter almond thing this time. We finished it, but it kept reminding me a little bit of baby spit up. -
2006 Tenuta Grillo Barbera d’Asti Igiea - Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d’Asti (5/8/2020)
Forgot we had a few of these in the cellar, truly don’t remember buying them. Opened this to go with a late night pizza indiscretion, but found it so brett laden that we couldn’t drink more than a couple of sips. Don’t know if there would have been much fruit there even without the brett. I’ll try another one soon to see what’s up here, but this bottle was not enjoyable. -
NV Lilbert-Fils Champagne Grand Cru Perle Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (5/8/2020)
Very different from our first bottle. No sweetness showing this time, clearly blanc de blanc, but still a bit…I’m not sure. Jonathan still finds it coarse. I thought it was nice for the most part. Needed to be a little on the warm side for the flavorful aspects to come out. Turned tropical after a while. I think the first bottle we had two months ago was a little boat goofy. Could this be too young? Or is it not really our style? Did the job pretty well with some sausages. Again I liked it better than Jonathan, but I would not buy it again. -
2005 Lucie & Auguste Lignier Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (5/8/2020)
Firm gripping tannins, fruit on the nose is more pronounced than palate. Focused acid, a bit of a dip in the middle. Aromas as plush, very pretty red cherry candy, not totally born out on the palate. After 20 minutes: fruit in free fall a bit, but flavors are great. Mouth feel through the mid with air is very nice. Everything pleasant, nothing off. Nose spread and became much more earthy sous bois mushroomy. Nose stayed nice, palate goes all acid and tannin. Waited a few years too long, I think. Had our last glass just after eating some first attempt mozzarella and most of the faults faded against a little salt and fat. It’s 15 year Bourgogne, what do you expect? For fruit to be just diminishing now means you did everything right. -
2016 Domaine Brana Irouléguy Harri Gorri Rosé - France, Southwest France, Pays Basque, Irouléguy (5/7/2020)
Opened to have a glass with braised chicken drumsticks for lunch. Tomato was showing more clearly than previous bottles, especially on the nose. Maybe serving in smaller glasses (what Riedel calls riesling glasses) helped it? In any case, it was just what we wanted for a civilized family lunch on a sunny day. -
2010 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (5/7/2020)
With Flannery rib cap (which was f’ing amazing) - opened about 15 minutes before serving and poured into Riedel burg stems. Wow. Classic roses and tar, excellent balance and body. Nothing sticking out. Nose and palate both in delightful stages of development for me. This confirms yet again my feeling that the normale from Produttori is a 10 -15 year wine for me, give or take. I have no doubt this will hold for a long time, but I don’t think it’s going to get more enjoyable to me. Age the crus for 20 years, not this. Started to shut down a bit in the glass and become more firm after an hour of air. Just beautiful right now, especially the nose. A very special wine. -
2011 Groebe Westhofener Kirchspiel Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Rheinhessen (5/6/2020)
Last of a six pack and the take away is I should definitely have given these more time. Much more depth and complexity than other bottles. Showing mature aromas and very nice weight and mouth feel, where previous bottles had been more linear. Got some strong melon notes with more air. Jonathan wondered if it might be towards the upper RS limit for GGs, but I didn’t sense overt sweetness. It did, however, match very nicely with our pork chops, which were rubbed with mustard and curry powder. -
2006 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (5/6/2020)
First of a 6-pack purchased on release. Good time to open this - popped and poured, allowed to open in the glass. Not tight at all, pretty aromatics, some baking spices and chewy black cherry fruit. I like the acid here, and the body - medium weight with a strong frame. Might expect more power from the vineyard, but that could be a vintage signature. A touch on the generically pretty side, still quite a pleasing bottle, no complaints. I’ll drink the other 5 bottles over the next 5 years or so, I’d guess. -
NV Piollot Champagne Cuvée de Reserve Extra Brut - France, Champagne (5/4/2020)
First bottle of this since 2018 and I wasn’t sure what to expect. We had liked, but not loved it before. On opening, the nose showed much more expressive than previous bottles, with some nice mature notes, classy rather than elegant I’d call it. While still clean and straight forward as you’d expect from the tank versus wood, and the natural yeast fermentation is starting to come through in its complexity and richness. It’s showing a lot more character than I recall from previous bottles, though still a bit on the simple side. I would be delighted to be served this at a party as an aperitif, and will not hesitate to serve it to guests in my house (when guests are allowed again). I will happily drink my remaining bottles soon as I think it’s in a nice place. Served in GGG stems, nice match with leftover capon. -
2005 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Morey St. Denis Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis (5/4/2020)
I’ve been a few years since my last bottle of this MSD and wow, what a difference it’s made! Very impressive, very correct. Love the black cherry and nice clean snap of the fruit. Some spicy notes on the finish add a fun flourish. Structure is firm but not hard edged in any way. The nose outperforms the palate, which is totally fine with me. This was an expressive bottle, easy to enjoy with enough real burgundy character and seriousness to raise my eyebrows once or twice. Glad I have a couple more. I think it’s in peak drinking window and, though it will certainly stay happy for years to come, there’s no point in waiting as t’s in a great spot with fruit and structure nicely balanced. For those to whom “mature” equals total absence of primary fruit, then maybe wait. I think that would be a shame. A great effort, and punching above its weight class for sure. -
2002 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (5/3/2020)
I had very low expectations for this bottle, which I bought ages and ages ago when my knowledge was less and my tastes were different. I expected it to be premoxed or, if not, then a oaky mess. It was actually a surprisingly nice bottle, in a richer style than I usually like, but not objectionable. We drank it along with a substantial dish of fricassee of capon, and found it provided a good foil to the richness of the sauce and vegetables. Sure, there was some oak going on, but not buttery or unpleasant. It even improved with some air as things went along. It’s nice when bottles surprise you to the upside. -
1995 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (5/2/2020)
Decanted this about 30 minutes before dinner, then allowed to open in the glass. Immediately recognizable nose with blackberries and cassis, some leather, a little earthiness. Structure is strong, but not overpowering. Decent amount of fruit left to keep it balanced. Quite enjoyable,everything in its place. Not terribly expressive and a little austere. A little more air probably would have been good if I could have made it last longer. I wouldn’t have opened it sooner, though, as I really liked seeing those early stages. -
2013 Jean-Jacques Morel Saint-Aubin 1er Cru - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru (5/1/2020)
Another JJ Morel with a weird sour milk smell on the nose. The others that had the same smell were different vintage and different bottling, so it wasn’t just a particular wine. They weren’t even shipped at the same time. The sour note dissipated somewhat, which was good, but with air it got simple and not very interesting. -
2013 Weingut Keller Bürgel Spätburgunder - Germany, Rheinhessen (5/1/2020)
We drank this after dinner on its own. Popped and poured, though if I’d thought about it in advance I probably would have given it a bit more air. In any case, it was just beautiful. And emotional wine. Powerful for sure, but also soft and gentle in a lot of ways. It flowed rather than announcing itself, came up behind me with a soft kiss, that kind of thing romantic as it sounds. Much brighter fruit profile than my last bottle. There was still a lot tied up here that I think will come out with a little more time. What an elegant and expressive wine.
Posted from CellarTracker