Got a bunch of bottles open this past Saturday, with some of them being available for re-taste a day later. I often enjoy the idea of doing the leftover wines on a second day, as it allows aeration, my palate to focus better, too. And, as I get older, I just don’t seem to have the acuity of my senses when I am faced with 10 wines in one setting. And, whether or not we should give a cadre of wine critics the latitude to do this, to taste 20, 30 or more wines in a sitting/day, then publish results and ratings and then let the market be influenced by these reports, I just don’t believe it it. In sum, I speak through my own lens, with notes written from care and passion, and like the critics and scores, you should deem my notes with whatever credence you feel. I simply thank you for reading them, and for whatever value you can get from them.
Below are my notes, from an outside table shared with some good friends, many who I have not seen in several months. Just sharing these bottles from my cellar (I was the host, and had the bully rights to pick and pour what I decided), to see some joy from people who mean a great deal to me, that was worth it. Note–the 2012 Cristal was brought to the table by one of my guests, and was also poured blind. That was a generous way to start the flights. I also blinded a 2013 Rivers-Marie Summa OV, but didn’t take any notes.
WINES DONE BLIND - (6/15/2020)
-
2012 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne
Had a brief taste of this, about 3 ounces. We poured it at a temp of about 68f, too. Lime skin, citrus, rainwater quality with a honeyed tone around the fruit with some mineralogy in the finish. Reminds me of the 2009 with the opulence arrayed with the minerality.
-
2014 Marguet Champagne Les Saints Remys - France, Champagne
Disgorged February 2019, 100% Pinot Noir, no dosage. Some debate about this wine at the table. Some called it lean, and while I do find it structured and powerful, I don’t think of it as lean. Some berry notes (some did not get these but I did, especially as the wine warms up) of black cherry and raspberry, crips apple and a lot of salinity in this bottle. With Marguet, you’re not going to find big textures or expansive palate impressions. For me, and this wine is no different for Benoit’s style, I find the wine more linear, more racy–I enjoy this style. Of note, the 2014 range is just a more wound up vintage for Marguet, and I have found this to be true in mostly the entire range. My advice on this vintage is to let the wines breathe in the glass, and also to not serve them too cold. The beauty of these is then allowed to come through. -
2015 Jérôme Prévost Champagne La Closerie Extra Brut Les Beguines - France, Champagne
Just cannot find any label info to report, which seems odd to me. Smoky, excellent palate weight, expansive and pure. Finishes creamy and tangy. I realize these are broad references, without any real flavor markers, but as a testament to the wine, it was drained at the table and I had nothing to retest the following day.
-
2013 Rémi Leroy Champagne Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne
Disgorged October 2018, 2 g/l dosage and 100% Chardonnay. Tasted over two days (and I actually have enough for a third day, to be finished tonight). Aromas of lees and lemon verbena with fresh cut apple. Lemony, clean and balanced and when warmer gets creamier, reminding me of a well-built, pure still Chardonnay. We poured this next to the Ulysse Collin Pierrieres, and I found the Leroy to be juicier and more racy than that wine, too. -
2015 Ulysse Collin Champagne Les Pierrières - France, Champagne
Disgorged March 2019, a blend of 2014 and 2015. Wow, this is the real deal. The best Chardonnay bubbly I have had so far in 2020, and a wine headed for my WOTY list. Tasted over two days. On Day 1, this is intense, concentrated with flinty lemon curd and a long intense finish. The citrusy lemon has an opulent quality, not racy. Even a touch of caramel came through. On Day 2, it now adds some grapefruit, glossy yellow apple, peach and a gorgeous concentration of a long, lemony finish. This is just an amazing bottle of Champagne, one that left me very impressed. If this is the quality of wines made by Collin, I am thrilled. I still have Maillons to open, and I will be adding more of the range to my cellar over the coming year.
-
2007 Marcassin Chardonnay Three Sisters Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
I poured this blind, next to the Rhys 2017 Horseshoe Chard. The contrast was stark, as the Rhys seemed to receive the most positive praise, head and shoulders above. For my POV on the Marcassin, I simply found it too oaky. So much so that I am not sure how this wine can be enjoyed. The color is a bit golden, with a lot of toast both in the aroma and palate. It’s just off-putting. As I think about the palate, this is so much better and satisfying, with yellow apple and good tension, with some additional lemon. I wonder then what this wine would be like if the oak was far less and the fruit was allowed to shine through. As a postscript, I tasted another bottle back in 2015 and my note says essentially the same thing so if we think that 5 years could even tame the oak from that point to now, I just don’t see the oak changing nor going away. -
2017 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
The last time I had this wine was this past Summer at the winery, when I was extremely impressed with how it showed then. So, I had some expectation again as to whether it would deliver the same experience. Tasted over two days. On Day 1, this showed pineapple, lime, wet stone and an elegant, middle weight. For Day 2, this has really come together nicely. There is a light whiff of oak on the aroma, but nothing like the Rhys Chards of many vintages ago, when I found the wines too oaky. Now, I would say the winery has the oak checked and it’s doing a wonderful job of seasoning the wine lightly and beautifully. Back to Day 2…flavors of pear, banana, pineapple, fennel followed by a citrusy finish with a light touch of vanilla. The acid, fruit, weight and oak are all in harmony, with the wine finishing with a light minerality. Wonderful Rhys Chard, for sure.
-
2017 Big Basin Vineyards Pinot Noir Old Corral Estate Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
I had this open for about 36 hours so it got good breathing time. When we tasted it on the first day, a few at the table (it was poured blind, although not to me) thought it was an older wine. Interesting remark, but as I think about it when tasting it on the second day being open, I can understand that sensory comment. There is a cigar leaf, tobacco note in the aromatic, perhaps from the stem inclusion or perhaps in part or attributable to the vineyard–not sure. A solid depth of spicy fruit with a tangy, herby dark cherry that carries with it some power (FYI…this is labeled just over 13%). A unique wine for me, with the tangy, kind of rustic charm. -
2015 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain
This saw about 4 hours of air before we poured it. I was kind of surprised with this wine, as I poured it blind for the group and I heard guesses like Petite Sirah or Syrah. For Cabernet, I would argue that would be guesses I would not be seeking as a winery with my craft. And I think the table felt some shock when I pulled off the bag and they saw what it was. This is full of dark red fruit, dense and concentrated, very modern. I enjoyed it but I am not sure how I distinguish this bottle from another high-end Napa Cab, especially from a winery like DC that has such a rich history and reputation. Maybe it was the vintage, maybe it was the style being sought, maybe both? -
1999 Stags’ Leap Winery Ne Cede Malis - USA, California, Napa Valley
I opened this at the end of the tasting, without the same air the other wines had enjoyed, and it was poured blind. Of note, this was my oldest stored bottle in my cellar. I have to think maybe 15 years? There was a definite sediment layer on the side of the bottle as it had been laying down for so long. Drank over two days and this wine shows no signs of fading. It does though have a contrast as the aromatics do smell of an ‘old’ wine, with the cigar box note and tinge of brown. The color of the wine is nearly opaque, which is not surprising given it is mainly petite sirah that is woven through some other field blend varietals, planted in 1929. It is a little pruny, which I picked up on the second day, along with roasted coffee. Powerful, the fruit is very much alive, showing no signs of leaning up or getting thin. So, you have the aromas of something older, married with fruit that is crushing right along. An interesting stroll with a wine that has always been kind of iconic for me, with previous great memories of past bottles.
Posted from CellarTracker