Our dinner group enjoyed another fabulous evening, this time at one of Santa Barbara’s finest and newer restaurants, Loquita, who feature authentic Spanish food including hot and cold tapas, wood-fired grilled seafood and meats and seasonal paella. They have been impressive enough to be listed in the “new discoveries” of the MICHELIN Guide California.
Our wine theme in addition to the usual request for champagne and white Burgundy was Right Bank Bordeaux.
Eight of us sat at a perfectly arranged table next to an outdoor fireplace in a beautiful courtyard setting overlooking the large patio that was completely occupied throughout the evening.
We started out with 5 champagnes:
2008 POMMERY GRAND CRU ROYAL- for the past year or two, I’ve concluded any champagne from 2008 has just got to be good and opted for a few bottles of this one solely on that basis and after this sampling am now happy to have done so; this is really good and unlike many of the other 08`s, this has more elegance and sophistication and less of the more often found power, high energy and uber richness; it started off with notes of orange marmalade and honeysuckle before moving on about mid palate in to a citrus laden fruit profile of lemon and lime; it was round and seamless with a mellow mouthfeel and had exquisite balance throughout; I’d drink this anytime, anywhere.
2012 FRANCK BONVILLE LES BELLES VOYES BLANC de BLANC- the color was a mature gold and the nose had notes of herbs, straw, hay and once tasted, some lemongrass tee and hazelnut with all continuing on through the finish; my first thought was that it was more like a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc.
NV KRUG GRANDE CUVEE BRUT 169 eme- this a blend of 146 wines from 11 different years, the youngest coming from 2013, the base, and the oldest from 2000; it is comprised of 43% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 22% Pinot Meunier; this was my first ever bottle of this edition and if this is typical, it`s one I will buy and cellar for a few years before revisiting it as is has all of the stuffing to be stellar; it just needs some time to evolve and express; it had some richness and lots of finesse and charm with mild saline accented honey lemon notes; it was medium bodied and seemingly pretty mellow with everything in balance; there’s some bright acidity that comes through suggesting some support for quality aging before it reaches its apogee.
1995 CHARLES HEIDSIECK BLANC de MILLENAIRES- I’ve enjoyed many a fine bottle of this gem which for me was one of the stars of the 95` vintage and it still is after this fabulous bottle; the first release of this BdB came in 1993 when the house offered the extraordinary 1983 and in the years it has been made, IMHO, it has held its own against the Grande Marques; the fruit is sourced from 5 major crus from the Côte des Blancs, Oger, Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, Cramant and Vertus and it was aged for over 20 years prior to being released; all of these factors were quite evident once poured by its golden color and intense aromatics, followed the wondrous taste profile, depth and mouthfeel; the serious amount of citrus fruit was embellished by a touch of anise, licorice and wood spice; at the end of the night, this got the vote for the #! “white” WOTN.
NV AR LENOBLE ROSE TERRIORS MAG 14 EXTRA BRUT- 93% Chardonnay from Chouilly, 7% Pinot Noir; they use 35% of reserve wines and it’s based on 2014 as noted on the label= Mag 14; it is dosed at 2.5 g/l; this is a lovely rose that is more like fresh strawberry short cake in liquid form; the nose also had some fresh cut rose petals and the taste included some bright citrus notes; it was really light and easy on the palate and exuded finesse, charm and elegance. I`m a fan.
2 white Burgs:
2003 CHATEAU MONBOUSQUET BLANC- a Semillon/ Sauvignon Blanc blend; our bottle had a darker gold color followed by a nose of butterscotch and mature apricot which also made up the taste profile while being delivered in a creamy, oily textured medium; it was full bodied with layered complexity and very enjoyable; if this bottle is any indication where others are, it’s time to open them.
2015 CAROLINE MOREY LES CAILLERETS CHASSAFGNE-MONTRACHET- I had tasted the 2014 of this with Caroline, daughter of Jean-Marc Morey and wife of Pierre-Yves, at a trade tasting in LA 3 years ago and it was so good, I trusted the 15` to be worthy of a purchase; this is my 3rd bottle and all have been really good; it was so easy on the palate and had subtleties that demanded paying attention to the details; it was seamless, balanced and perhaps showcasing the feminine aspect of what this wine is about; mild hits of flint and minerals provide just the right accent for the citrus fruit that carries the light load to the back end; it’s just super pleasant and one could miss its treasures if not approaching with detailed interest.
There’s been some conjecture about Caroline’s wines being made by her husband Pierre-Yves, but he refuted such when I met them at this trade tasting; she has been styling her own wines since 2014; across the board hallmarks of Caroline’s wines are that they have lots of charm and finesse and subtly and yet have enough stuff to please even the most discerning of palates was true for this wine.
We moved on to 5 Right Bank wines:
1990 CHATEAU LA CONSEILLANTE POMEROL- 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; we got off to a great start with this beauty that just had to be good from such a stellar vintage; leather and earth laden mature red and black currant dominate the nose and continued on to rejoined by a nice dollop of fully ripened plum and blackberry while being delivered in an almost creamy like texture; it was medium to full bodied and yet had lots of finesse. Tied for the #1 red WOTN
1998 CHATEAU PAVIE DECESSE SAINT EMILION- what a great follow up to the 90` Conseillante; it was certainly as good IMHO; cedar and leather provided just the right accents to the black currant, plum, blueberry and blackberry that prevailed all the way through; it was medium to full bodied, had layered depth and a long, welcomed finish while at the same time, exuding grace and charm.
2005 CHATEAU MONDOTTE COMTES DE NEIPPERG SAINT EMILION- made from certified organic fruit with 75 % Merlot and 25 % Cabernet Franc; this soft textured wine had earthy black currant fruit all the way through finishing very dry; it may have been better with a long decant.
2010 CHATEAU PAVIE SAINT EMILION- 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; here`s another fabulous Pavie and although quite young, it was ready to share many of its treasures from the nose through the tail as it had lots to share; the nose was so inviting and even suggested this would be smooth and velvety which it was; it had depth and lots of energy and yet had some elegance amidst its power and strength and all the while it seemed obvious this will probably need another 15+ years to evolve to get to its best place; chocolate and tobacco provide just the right accents to the plum, black currant and blackberry fruit, but I kept coming back to the mouthfeel as it really was so exceptional. Tied for #1 red WOTN.
2008 CHATEAU PAVIE MACQUIN SAINT EMILION- I loved this one and even voted it above all the other reds as it had everything I could ask for; first the color was a dark vibrant purple, then the nose offered inviting aromas of milk chocolate laden black currant which continued on to be joined by a touch of fresh, ripe blackberry; it was full bodied with layered complexity and at the same time, so easy on the palate and if that was not enough, everything was in perfect balance which was the key factor in my vote.
Another great night with the gang. Recently, many of our dinners have had a “reasonable” amount of wines that has allowed for hanging out with each wine a bit longer and being able to track it over time as opposed to pouring, tasting and dumping which has been more the norm. Eight people and 12 wines may be close to our all time low and I’m good with that.
Cheers,
Blake