Birthdays are a great excuse to spend times with those that matter most and time spent with those that matter most is most often more special than the wines we share.
Night #1: It’s been too long since we got to hug these amazing humans! So we went all out for this weekend.
This mini-vertical was tasted in reverse order starting with the 2013, a bout 30 minutes later we opened the 2012, and about an hour later we opened the 2011; leaving enough in each to taste them again the day after. Initially I preferred the 2013 as it was a little less “weighty” than the 2012. It was interesting tasting these all the same night.
2011 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons - leaner, a bit more linear, and still a lovely bottle of Champagne. However, it was not in the same league as the other two vintages. Having said that, I’m glad I bought this, and I still loved it.
2012 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons - Exceptional and a wine I’m glad to have more bottles of as I think it will be interesting to follow over the next few years.
2013 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons - The total package, restraint, verve, and depth. It was splitting hairs, because both the 2012 & 2013 were such exceptional wines.
2017 Emrich-Schönleber Halenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs - Oh $hit. This was really freaking amazing. Well, it looks like I’ll need to be buying this wine now. This was elegant, poised, beautiful, and reminded me of the Wittmann Morstein, yet a bit more reserved & more about finesse than the power that Morstein sometimes shows.
2019 Emrich-Schönleber Halenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs - This was lovely, and I really liked it on day two as well. However, it was not as complete as the 2017.
2019 Goodfellow Family Cellars Chardonnay Richard’s Cuvee Whistling Ridge Vineyard - Well this is flat out lovely. One of the best Chardonnays I’ve had from the US. It will be interesting to see what this is like with some age on it. I hope to age one of these bad boys for the 20 year anniversary.
2010 Cameron Rouge Clos Electrique - This was so funky, I loved it. It was in a sweet spot, and was firing on all cylinders and for my thoughts it was in a prime drinking window. If I had more bottles, I’d probably open one tonight. Yes, it was that good.
2010 Domaine Castagnier Clos St. Denis - This is one producer that’s new, but I’ve enjoyed the wines I’ve had. Sadly, for me there was a bitterness that I’m going to attribute to sediment and a long car ride. It was good, and the quality was obvious, but I’ll not be bringing one of these to open after it’s been on a 5 hour car ride.
Night Two - Leftovers and
1989 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Demi-Sec - This worked so well with our Ramen dinner that had a bit more heat in it than expected.
1964 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Reserva Especial - If all aged bottles showed this well, we would be very happy folks. This was opened by Doug for my 45th birthday. It’s in such a lovely condition. In some ways it reminds me a bit of an older Musar, with dried red fruits & decaying floral tones, it’s just silk & elegance for hours. It’s also a wine we got a chance to taste back in June of 2017 as well.
2008 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut - Believe the hype…and yes, it’s worth every penny at the current asking price. This might have been my favorite wine I’ve had from the 2008 vintage.
2017 Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc Brézé - If you don’t know, these are super special. However, I’ve had some pre-mox problems with them in the past. So I try to drink them within a year from purchase…but damn I love this wine.