Week 5 Virtual Tasting Series for Charity - Hipster Wines for Mechanics GoFundMe - Dec 25 - Jan 3

WINE TALK
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instead of opting for some champagne as planned, i decided to go for the 2014 sepp muster graf morillon that was in my fridge. morillon is austrian for chardonnay apparently and this one is kept in barrel for 44 months with little to no sulphur. clocking in at 10.5 degrees it is decidedly in the hipster camp.

this wine pours a pale gold color not dissimilar to a jura chardonnay. initially it is quite reduced and perhaps a touch volatile but opens up on the nose with hazelnut and apple butter scents. in the mouth it is quite broad and a touch creamy from the extended elevage but also a lot brighter than one would suspect with chablis like salinity to the electric finish. overall this is a rather intriguing drink of merit with no real flaws to speak of. an excellent accompaniment to food, in my case a pork chop. perhaps this could even benefit with a couple more years of age.
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NV Segura Viudas Cava Brut Rose’

Salmon to orange, fast legs. Plenty of bubbles. First red fruit aromas: strawberry, cranberry, raspberry, cherry. Defined aromas of biscuit; a bit of coconut, yeast. On the palate, red fruits continue to dominate, biscuit lingers. Light body, bright & juicy texture. Short finish, medium + acidity. Pleasant, fresh, and friendly. Accompanied a variety of New Year’s Eve foods perfectly. And, just a great value at well under $10/bottle. Frugal one found it on sale. Drink now.

Happy New Year! Cheers!

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Lots of friends and family over from Christmas to New Years. Consumed many wines and some fit into Brian’s “category”. Just a few simple thoughts on each as there was too much fun happening to take serious notes.

2014 Dirty & Rowdy Old Vine Mourvedre, Evangelho Vineyard: This was a special bottle when released and it still is. Power, concentration and grace wrapped up in one wine. Unlike any other Evangelho wine from D+R or others. Decanted 3 hours. Delicious but sadly my last bottle.

2016 Ryme Cabernet Franc, Alegria Vineyard: Fresh fruit, herbs, earth and floral notes. Persistent and food friendly. Whats not to like.

2018 Leo Steen Chenin Blanc Peaberry, Mendocino County: Tiny concentrated berries thus the name. A real mouthful, apple, lemon, creamy sweet melon combined with bracing acidity get your attention. Great value.

2016 Leo Steen Chenin Blanc, Jurassic Vineyard: Current release and its a beauty. creamy lemon, almond, acacia flower and a touch of honey. Bright acidity accents the fruit and makes for a long finish. Reminds me of the mind blowing 2012 version of this wine. If you want domestic Chenin, see Leo.

2015 Jolie Laide GSM, Rossi Ranch Vineyard: With roasted goose, very fresh cherry - raspberry fruit, spicy and earthy with a good amount of acid and some tannin ties it together… Like all Jolie Laide wines outstanding balance.

2017 Sandlands Refosco, Napa Valley: Here is something different. Very floral (violets), combination of black and red fruit, some green herbs and lots of acidity. Paired pretty darn well with a red sauce pizza.

NV Benanti Noblesse Brut Metodo Classico: If you think Benanti makes great still wines, give this baby a whirl. 100% Carricante. Green apple, almond, apricot pit with lovely acidity, fine bubbles and mousse. This is excellent, glad to have several more bottles.
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Forgot the Jolie Laide GSM
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Look at Tom, coming in strong! Thanks Man! [berserker.gif]

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Low dosage rose made from 100% Pinot Meunier. Ok, hipster.

  • NV Laherte Frères Champagne Rosé de Saignée Vieilles Vignes Les Beaudiers - France, Champagne (1/1/2020)
    I guess I just like Pinot meunier based wines. I tasted this blind and guess the varietal correctly. I have no idea who the producer might be. This is such a great wine with a low dosage. One of my favorite roses. It had a very nice sourdough bread note permeating from the glass, you don’t get that in a Rose very often.

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Posted from CellarTracker

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A little bird told me I should stop by Bottle Barn and try this wine. Probably not Hipster but fuck it, it’s my thread.

  • 2014 Marie Courtin Champagne Resonance Extra Brut - France, Champagne (1/1/2020)
    Drinking a toast to our German Shepherd who passed today. Sucky way to start the year off. Day 1 the first whiff was of tropical flowers like Plumeria along with sweet Pear but just the first whiff. After that the nose leaned green apple and brioche. Rich lemon-lime but at the same time steely minerality, intense tiny bubbles. Day 2 the nose turned to green apple juice, still lots of citrus in the mouth, creamy with a hint of chalk on the finish. Really interesting and shocking that it is 100% Pinot Noir.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Hey Brian, its kinda funny. California has garnered a reputation for big overblown high ABV wines and I don’t think any of the wines consumed were even 13%… plus they are delicious.

Tom

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Rat, my thoughts are with you and Dava. Losing a dog hurts like hell, as I know that feeling well. I know too how much you both make your dogs part of your family. Hang in there pal.

I excluded the Krug and Comtes below, leaving just the hipster grower stuff. Thank you for taking week 5.

  • 2008 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d’Or - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (1/1/2020)
    80% Chard, 20% PN. 7 g/l dosage. Alongside the 167eme Krug last night, this Vilmart was nearly as good. It has a distinct dried lime note, with terrific structure and intensity, finishing with a honeyed apple note. I bought these bottles 5 years ago, first one I have opened and it was fantastic to drink. Great future ahead for this vintage of GCdO…and I was fortunate to retain about a glass under cork overnight, with the wine today showing the same tension and beautiful honeyed pippin apple from yesterday. Lovely stuff.
  • 2016 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Côte de Val Vilaine - France, Champagne (1/1/2020)
    Disgorged April 2018, 100% PN and zero dosage. Raspberry, red apple, creamy lime and a texture that really worked for me…retasted 24 hours later from the bottle that had gone still overnight. The wine exhibits a distinct spiciness today, which gives it a good kick.
  • NV Laherte Frères Champagne Rosé de Saignée Vieilles Vignes Les Beaudiers - France, Champagne (1/1/2020)
    Disgorged 01/2017, 100% PM. Dosage says .5 to 5 g/l. Aromatics remind me of the NV Vilmart Rubis. Flavors of tangy, bright strawberry, like biting into a ripe piece of the fruit. Lime, green apple and a tangy, zesty finish…saved about 2 ounces in the bottle that simply sat out overnight. It has a racy cherry inside of the wine today, joining the strawberry.
  • NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (1/1/2020)
    Disgorged June 2017, 70% Chard, 30%PN. I’m finding the more recent bottles of the GC more to my liking, and has been my recent experience with the wine, last night’s bottle showed the same citrusy intensity married with a candied apple and lime fruit impression. This particular disgorgement seems to have the right mix of pure, citrusy fruit and a seductiveness…and from a retaste 24 hours later from the bottle that had gone still, the wine shows a salinity that I had not sensed yesterday. This June 2017 disgorge is a really strong version of GC.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Here are a few:

2015 La Grange aux Belles Vin de France Brise d’Aunis - France, Vin de France (1/1/2020)
Captivating celery salt and white pepper with crunchy red fruit, a brilliant Pineau d’Aunis. (93 pts.)

I discovered this from a friend who owned a local store focusing on, for lack of a better term, natural wines. I’ve long lived Pineau d’Aunis for its distinctive celery seed and pepper spice and have found Brise d’Aunis to be comparable to Clos Roche Blanche’s brilliant L’Arpent Rouge.

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2010 Marie Courtin Champagne Efflorescence Extra Brut - France, Champagne (1/1/2020)
An excellent combination of nutty, bready richness and lively lemony tartness and a fine wine with which to toast the new year. (92 pts.)

A friend opened a prior vintage of this at a New Year’s Eve party several years ago and I fell in love with it. While I love a lot of austere whites, I find that carbonation affects my perception so low dosage sparklers don’t always resonate with me, but Marie Courtins have a richness and body that rings my bell. It was a pleasure to share this one with the friend who first introduced my to them.

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2014 Laherte Frères Champagne Rosé de Saignée Vieilles Vignes Les Beaudiers - France, Champagne (12/31/2019)
I kept coming back to this, with its tart red fruit but substantial backbone and compelling vinosity. (92 pts.)

I met Aurelian Laherte at an in-store tasting at the same place mentioned above and was struck by his passion and humility but also by the quality of his wines so I was thrilled when a fellow Berserker pulled this from his bag on New Year’s Eve.

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  • 2018 Bedrock Wine Co. Ode to Lulu Old Vine Rosé - USA, California (1/2/2020)
    Phenomenal rose. Salmon colored. Bright and full of energy. Lots of complex floral notes on the nose. Strawberry, apple grapefruit on the palate. Medium length finish.

Was also great for the last glass on day 2, no obvious change.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Perhaps a tannic, non-carbonic Beaujolais Nouveau would qualify? I think only hipsters drink Nouveau nowadays.

2018 Domaine des Terres Dorres (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais cuvée L’Ancien Vieilles Vignes

“Surprisingly serious bojo with great QPR. Dark fruited attack, quickly yielding to mouthwatering crancherry acidity, chalky tannins, some iron, and dried flowers. The black fruit (dried figs) make a reappearance on a long finish. Surprisingly tannic for a base bojo. 12.5% and did not go through carbonic maceration. Wait, this is a Nouveau??? Gosh, need more of this.”
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Nerd alert.

  • 2014 Michel Gahier Chardonnay Arbois Les Crêts - France, Jura, Arbois (1/1/2020)
    Nose of marcona almonds, fresh cut lemon and white vinegar. Fresh with some weight. More nutty flavors with dry sherry. Tart lemon. Bright acids. Some more white vinegar. Strong fruit density means this might be one for aging. It’s open now though. Probably best with some fatty foods. Gahier seems to find complexity in a lighter way than other wines from the region. Very nice.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Why do you think this is a Nouveau?

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Ahh, my bad. A previous CT reviewer had said it was a Nouveau and a quick google search popped up the Nouveau version of L’Ancien with some details. Turns out Brun makes both a Nouveau and a regular:

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Wind Gap Wines Fox Hill Vineyard Red, Mendocino County
Picked this up from Casemates as part of the ongoing Wind Gap liquidation. Pax isn’t hipster, but this particular brand of his wine seems to be: low alcohol, odd varieties, especially in combination, and also odd for their growing location.
40% Dolcetto, 30% Negro Amaro, 30% Nero d’Avola, 12 ½% alcohol
It’s got a slightly funky streak, but this is a solid wine in the lighter Wind Gap style. Lots of red fruit, crunchy notes of sticks and herbs, and nice acidity to give it structure.
Day 2 it’s gotten more plummy, but still fresh and lively. Not oxidized at all. There’s more heft on the palate as well, while somehow also remaining very light-bodied.

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  • 2018 Carboniste Albariño Extra Brut - USA, California, Central Valley, Sacramento Valley (1/3/2020)
    Pop the star cap and pour. Simple, bright, tangy, sweet Albariño fruit, persistent stream of bubbles, fun, easy to enjoy (chug) on a hot day. 12% ab. Chuckled at the Extra Brut notation on one side of the label and the 5g/l dosage on the other side. Went great with grocery store baby back ribs smothered in bbq sauce.

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i got $265 which I will round up to $300, add $125 in other donations and we added $425 to the coffers for the displaced mechanics. Thanks guys and gals!