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2008 A. et P. de Villaine Rully Les Saint Jacques - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Rully (4/22/2010)
The 2000 vintage of this wine was a Burgundy epiphany at Lucque’s in West Hollywood. After hearing good things about the 2008 vintage, I was primed for another excellent bottle at a Thursday night dinner. I pulled the cork before I went to bed Wednesday night and replaced it the next morning. A sip Thursday morning showed it was tight. I left it in the trunk of my car all day and the temperature didn’t climb out of the low 50s. So I got to dinner and poured some. Still tight. And probably too cold. I warmed the glass in the palm of my hand and did much swirling, but it didn’t seem to open up. Finally I gave up and went on to other wines. At the end of dinner Glenn noticed it had opened up.
I took it home and came back to it two days later. This was the Burgundy I was looking for. Nice, steely minerality. Flinty and some citrus zest. And that wonderful Burgundy nuttiness on the finish. It has the texture you get from fermenting in oak and not in stainless steel but there’s maybe a kiss of oak at most. Excellent minerality. Tasting this you realize how transparent chardonnay can be in the right climate and the right hands.
This seemed to show better served warmer than I usually serve whites. I think it was a combination of temperature and bottle shock/travel shock (fresh off the boat from Kermit Lynch) that contributed to the poor showing at dinner.
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2008 Bedrock Wine Co. Mourvedre Ode to Lulu Rosé - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (4/22/2010)
This was excellent for dinner and still great a couple of days later when I finished the bottle.
Nice depth on both the nose and the palate. Watermelon on both the nose and the palate but it was more prominent on the nose. Maybe some black fruits on the palate too. It was crisp but doesn’t have the acidic bite of say Ameztoi Rubentis. Good finish.It had some nice creaminess on the palate that helped the mouthfeel. This could be paired with a wide range of foods. It rates with Clos Pepe and A Donkey and a Goat as one of the better domestic roses I’ve tried. The wine marker is Morgan Twain-Peterson, son of Ravenswood founder Joel Peterson.
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2005 Kurt Darting Dürkheimer Steinberg Muskateller Kabinett trocken - Germany, Pfalz (4/22/2010)
I tasted this blind. I got some diesel on the nose and guessed riesling. Glenn said the nose was more like fruit cocktail and that seemed like an obvious description then. Definitely a 95-point nose. Balanced and light. Some nice stoniness on the palate. This is a nice summer wine. A Terry Thiese import.
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2006 Bishop’s Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (4/21/2010)
I liked this, which for cabernet sauvignon isn’t much of an endorsement. Pretty simple, fruit forward. The black fruit seems to bury the tannins. Lightly oaked. But unlike most young cabernet sauvignon it won’t clash with the food. The fruitiness makes it more food friendly than a young, tannic cab. -
2008 The Four Graces Pinot Blanc - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (4/23/2010)
I didn’t like this, but it was poured out of a bottle where the wine was sold by the glass, so I don’t know how long it had been open. The primary smell and flavor was burnt sugar like you get with creme brulee. It was also slightly off dry. A touch of oxidation. But nothing that tasted like pinot blanc to me. Too generic. -
2004 Canonica a Cerreto Chianti Classico - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico (4/23/2010)
Dark-fruited Chianti. Maybe a little bit brambly. The flavors are more like boysenberry and tea. The finish turns a little bit bitter. I’m not sure if that will smooth out with age. I’m guessing this needs another couple of years to smooth out. A Kermit Lynch import. -
2004 Domaine Francois et Antoine Jobard Bourgogne Blanc - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc (4/23/2010)
This was a nice Burgundy. Flowers and stony fruit. Nice balance although the acid was a little bit prominent. It might be a weird place right now. Good finish. A Kermit Lynch import.