Burgundy and Piedmonte in Tucson with WB Ackerman

WINE TALK
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WB Doug and Michelle Ackerman (Armstrong Vineyard and urologist extraordinaire) made their way to Tucson from Oregon recently and Jon Favre and I hosted a couple of dinners. We also were able to get out on the golf course one day and it’s always fun to show off the wonderful vistas of our course. I don’t think Doug liked the rough that much, however I tried to make up to him with some fine wines at the dinners. Doug had sent down some wines, so we all contriubuted, making for a fun time.

The first evening at Jon’s focused on the 1998 burgundy and champagne vintage. Jon prepared a beautiful delicious beef bourguignon prepared with a half bottle 98 Dujac MSD (keeping with the theme) and a 750 of Patty Green Balcombe. No question, good wine makes a difference in the results! Here goes with my notes.

1998 Gosset Celebris Blanc de Blanc Extra Brut - Nice brioche and toasty aromas with a bit of apple…very nice fresh racy acidity and minerality. Pleasant finish. Quite nice!

1998 Dom Perignon - Quire nice. Apple and pear with hint of brioche. Nice acidity.

1998 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - Jon brought this out of the cellar after I had previously opened one a few months ago. I was a bit dissapointed at the time and thought perhaps an off bottle since there are some stellar CT notes, so was quite interested in tasting this again. In the prior tasting I know provenance was excellent since it was cellared since release at 56 degrees… it was dark yellow-gold in color with some butterscotch and stone fruit aromas, lush, big structured. It just appeared a bit tired to me and perhaps on the decline. On this occasion, again the dark color and stone fruit aromas. Oily and quite viscous with some fruit peaking through. Not a lot of difference to me from the previous encounter, so there is obviously a lot of bottle variation in this wine.

1998 M Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De l’Orée - Quite anxious to taste this as I had tasted a coupld of vintages of this at Chapoutier last Fall and loved them. Unfortunately, this wine was very advanced and off. One could tell on tasting, that a good botte of this would be fantastic…bummer.

1998 Ghislaine Barthod Les Cras - I really enjoyed this wine, which was quite a contrast to the following Chevillon. Red fruited, fresh minerally notes. Rich with nice lift on the palate…some drying tannins on the back end. NIce.

1998 Robert Chevillon NSG Vaucrains - Dark cherry fruit and licorice on the nose in contrast to the Barthod. Rich, soft tannins (which was unexpected for a Vaucrains), nice depth and lush mouthfeel and soft tannins….long sweet finish. This is ready to drink and very enjoyable. Rated a notch above the Barthod for immediate pleasure.

1998 Louis Jadot Clos St Jacques - Corked

1998 Dujac Bonnes Mares - Now we’re talking! Of course I don’t think I’ve met many Dujac that I haven’t liked and this was no exception. Dujac did so well in 98, my favorite being the CSD. Both red and dark fruits and typical stem, floral notes in the nose. MIneral and red fruits on the palate. Very nice mid palate depth and lift. Not as showy as this CSD at this stage however should develop well with several years in the cellar.

So for a final wine, off to the cellar…we decided to not go with another 98, but in keeping with the same numbers, went with an 89….

1989 Remoissenet Chambertin - Quite dark in color. Meat, iron dark fruits with secondary sous bois notes. Moderate depth. Not particularly complex, but a treat to drink.

A couple of nights later Doug and Michelle were joined at our home with good friends from Portland, who have a second home here in Tucson, Michael and Pam Shanahan and a spectacular meal prepared by my bride Diane, sittling outside with beautiful nightime views of Tucson and the Catalina mountains.

Hors d’Ouvres - a lovely homemade truffle duck liver pate and a nice demitasse cup of lemony shrimp with pine nuts and currants.

1993 Philipponnat Réserve Millésimée- My last bottle and seems as if it’s the best one. Medium yellow-gold. Nice toast/brioche aromas. Mild oxidative notes in a good way. Citrus and very nice cut on the finish.

NV Jacques Selosse Brut Initiale (disgorged April 2009) I’m a big Selosse fan and love this wine. Nice yeasty, apple, citrus, complex aromas. Rich, creamy palate with nice depth and lovely finish.

First course - a beautiful treviso, endive and shaved snap pea salad with parmesan dressing.

2000 Raveneau Butteaux - The nose was very closed for the first hour, then blossomed beautifully with time in the glass into the typical Raveneau citrus, waxy, truffle tropical aromas. Rich, fresh, and again very classic Raveneau flavors. This wine needs more time in the cellar providing the pox doesn’t get it.

Entree - Orange-fennel Osso Bucco with Fagioli all’Uccelletto

1989 Aldo Conterno Pderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Colonello - Wonderful complex bouquet of red fruits, menthol, tobacco, tar, leather and dried roses. Red fruits and minerals on the palate, that went amazingly well with the osso bucco. Some dusty tannins remain on the finish…a great barolo imo that is in no hurry to drink up.

1990 Elio Altare Barolo La Morra - I brought this bottle back with me from Piedmonte in the early 90’s. Dark in color…tar, licorice nose. More lush than the Conterno with great depth, sweet fruit and grippy tannins on the finish. Lovely.

Cheese

1999 Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin - Moderate burgundy funk initially. Sous bois, dark fruits, spice notes. Full rich, well balanced palate with dark cherry and earth. A bigger wine than the 01.

2001 Rousseau Clos de la Roche - More red fruited, strawberry jam aromas. Silky, balanced and seductive. Vibrant with good acidity. Needs time.

1996 Maison Leroy Volnay Santenots - popped and poured. A ‘wow’ nose from the get go. Sous bois, red fruit and secondary notes. On the palate, a wonderful wine. Lush, silk, soft tannins, spice, minerals, and with air it developted some smokey notes. Very seductive. Long on the palate with excellent cut, but not excessive that one might expect from the vintage.

Dessert - Rustic pear tart with sauternes sauce and vanilla gelato

2002 Baumard Quarts de Chaume - Apricot and citrus aromas. Nice balance, acidity and sweetness. A treat, as I have never had the wine…Thanks Doug.

So a great week had by all and look forward to visiting Doug and Michelle in Oregon this summer.

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Great notes Roger - can’t change any of your thoughts! I loved the '98 Burgs - especially the Dujac BM… I have more so maybe 3-5 years from now again? Talk to you soon.

FYI Doug - here are the notes from Thursday night of this past week :astonished:) – https://wineimport.discoursehosting.net/t/bbq-wines/59635/1

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Roger,
Thanks for having us (and our kids!) over to the magnificent Casa Nellans—a remarkable night of camaraderie, wine and Diane’s marvelous cuisine. I’m glad the Shanahans were able to join us as they get settled in Tucson.

Regarding the golf, I enjoyed the rough slightly more than I enjoyed the rattlesnake. ‘Nuf said. Great, great golf course; next time I’ll try to polish my game a little bit before heading your way (though it’s tough this time of year in Oregon, as you know).

As far as the wines go, there isn’t much to add to your excellent notes (or Jon’s). All I can do is share my individual preferences: The 98 Dujac Bonnes Mares was the real deal—at once rich and primary, yet with layers of complexity that mandate another 5-10 years in the cellar. This wasn’t infanticide, but it was close.

I think I liked the 89 Remoissenet Chambertin a little better than you did. As it warmed from the cellar (pretty quickly—Tucson, remember) there was a bright verve of boysenberry and lemon that carried me back to Burgundy. This was not a power hitter; certainly not a Pujols-wine. More like Derek Jeter circa 2002 with gravitas yet lithe and showing more than subtle strength.

The Ravenau 00 Butteaux, the 89 Aldo Conterno Colonello and the 96 Leroy Volnay Santenots were also favorites. I was a little disappointed with our Rousseau duo, but only because expectations run so high. Your notes, as usual, are spot on.

Look forward to seeing you guys up in the great NW.
[cheers.gif]
Thanks a million.

Best,

Doug

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nice notes, to bad about the 98 jadot CSJ, that wine was really showing last time i opened it.

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Nice notes. How does one earn the title “urologist extraordinaire”?

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No doubt - haven’t sampled the '98 of this wine yet and was really looking forward to it!

Ken - Doug will have to answer that question neener… FYI (just noticed this) - Doug is actually in my avatar picture - upper left. Just in case anyone notices him as their “urologist extraordinaire” :O).

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What is he doing behind you there? [shock.gif]

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Warm hands

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Hehehehehe. Not 50yo yet [tease.gif]

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[rofl.gif]

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Roger,

Your assessment of the Chave Blanc seems about right to me - I haven’t cracked a '98 yet, but nothing your wrote says “off bottle” to me. I would offer taste preference over bottle variation to explain the divergence of your notes from others on CT.

I loved the '98 Chevillon Vaucrains and Les St. Georges last year…both really showing great poise and balance then. Glad to see it performed in context with your lineup. Thanks for the note on the '96 Leroy; I’ve been waiting on those since an early note showed promise, but not a lot of pleasure.

Cheers,
fred

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Hysterical.
BTW if I am a ‘urologist extraordinaire’ that must make Roger the Supreme Prostate Pontiff…and Todd Waldmann the Emir of Erections …or the Secretory-General…I better stop.

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Nice job guys! Looks like Doug was treated well.

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What exactly are “Erectons”? Sounds like a hybrid, somehow involving electricity.

BTW, Doug kept texting photos of the wine bottles during the week. I believe is was to provoke envy. It worked! It sounds like a great time (except for that golf thing…) [cheers.gif]

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Haaaaa - love it! You have to get down here at some point Todd [cheers.gif] grouphug.

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Have’t you heard…“Erectrons”…the new electronic penile prosthesis…works like a charm!

Look forward to seeing you in Tucson one of these days Todd. Great time with you at La Paulee.

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I remember an old WKRP in Cincinnati where Venus Flytrap explained the basics of an atom and how the erectrons buzzed around the nucleus.

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Nice wines Roger, thanks for the notes.

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I’m sorry, if you’re cooking with Dujac, you have too much wine.

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Yeah, but it was the Patty Green Balcombe that made the dish [cheers.gif]