Pizza and "wines that don't suck" with Leslie Fisher

Seattle, WA, USA
Tasted Sunday, May 2, 2010 by Eric with 1,087 views

Introduction

Leslie Fisher was in town, so I hosted a small gathering in her honor. Instead of the usual sit-down tasting we did this as more of a "mill about and have fun" pizza party. My thought was that I would have a wide range of toppings and crusts, and people would get creative. As it turned out, the crew was pretty happy to sit back and relax and let me make the pizza which was totally fine as well. And for the fun of it I played with my own white versus wheat crusts from scratch as well as bagged dough from Trader Joe's. And I also played with pizza stones versus grilling and a combination of the above. A lot of fun!

The theme was very broad: wines that don't suck. In attendance: myself (Eric LeVine), Leslie, Roy Hersh, Jason & Jill Domanico, Michael Gordon and Ed Murray.

Flight 1 (1 Note)

As everyone arrived, a little sipper to get us warmed up. Yum!

  • 2002 Domaine Rémi Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Charmes

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

    I had a bottle of this 2.5 years ago, and at the time it seemed young. More recently as I started worrying about whether it was a candidate for premature oxidation. All concern disappeared the moment I popped the cork. This was right on point, drinking absolutely perfectly. A really and truly sublime Meursault that balances mineral, nutty richness and lovely acidity. I could have sipped this one all night, but it disappeared quickly as everyone slurped it down.

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Flight 2 (8 Notes)

I started cranking out a range of pizzas, and we worked our way through an eclectic lineup.

  • 2002 Sine Qua Non Syrah Just For the Love of It

    USA, California, Central Coast

    Wow, wow, wow! I first had a taste of this in 2004 courtesy of Jeff Nowak, and that bottle blew me away. This bottle was every bit its equal and left me wondering if it is possible to find a better domestic Syrah? The nose is intoxicating and insanely complex, oozing blood and rock and flower and tar. The palate at first, after 2+ hours of decanting, was a bit of a letdown. Just so monolithic and not really living up to the nose. However over the next two hours it kept opening and unfolding to show incredible layers of complexity, grace and nuance. Yes I said grace. This is shockingly well balanced with enough acidity to make it all work. A really special wine.

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  • 1997 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric dël Fiasc

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    My initial reaction to this was lukewarm. OK with pizza but I never, ever would have guessed it as Nebbiolo. However when I circled back a few hours later the nose had really come out, and I appreciated the concentration of this obviously modern Barolo.

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  • 1995 Giacosa Fratelli Barolo

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Dramatically more subtle and lighter in scale than the Scavino served just before. More tipicity. This seemed to fade pretty quickly.

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  • 1998 Sine Qua Non Pinot Noir Veiled

    USA, Oregon, Yamhill County

    Really nice and complex nose. This has that awesome Pinot stink and twang, a little underbrush, some smoke, and some floral notes. I loved the palate, gorgeously mature and drinking beautifully. Others though it was fading, but I thought it was going strong. Great bring Leslie!

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  • 2004 Quinta do Crasto Douro Vinha da Ponte

    Portugal, Douro

    A bit tough in this lineup. Roy insisted that we try this on its own. Distinctively Douro. A big wine with huge structure and plenty of depth and intensity to match. Quite a tart profile to it, but I have had enough Douro reds over the past few years to appreciate that this was pretty special. I would love to have this on its own with just a steak. Thanks for bringing it Roy!

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  • 2007 Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve Claret

    USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

    Served double-blind. I guessed it was a Washington Bordeaux blend that was Cab dominated. JasonD responded that I was as effective as the Seattle Mariner's offense, ouch! In a word, this was pretty freaking great, and I cozied up to this bottle for a lot of the rest of the night. In the past I have tended to find the Claret to be too sweet, but this one was quite serious and really showed impeccable balance and fruit profile. The usual candied oak tones of Pride were easily kept in check. Fantastic wine, thanks Jason!

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  • 2007 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    JasonD had me smell this double-blind, and all I could get was searing alcohol on the nose. Jet fuel hot. When I finally got around to tasting it, I was not pleased. Punishingly oaky, dry, hot, dill-laden. Raspy oak tones on the finish. Once the bag was removed I wanted to like it more, but tasted alongside the Pride there was no comparison at all. This was blown away. If I had some of these I guess I would either sell or age them and hope that there is enough there to outlast the oak and integrate the searing alcohol. Sorry.

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  • 2005 Domaine Guy & Yvan Dufouleur Fixin 1er Cru Clos du Chapitre

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Fixin 1er Cru

    A really nice nose moves to a firm, firm, firm palate. Pretty tough to get much out of this right now, but I do love the aromatics. Also pretty tough for a wine like this to do well on a grab-bag evening.

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Flight 3 (1 Note)

Awesome, awesome dessert wine. Just a perfect nightcap to a very fun evening.

  • 1983 Château Guiraud

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    I am not a huge fan of aged Sauternes, especially when they turn the corner to the creme-brulee stage. This one however was gorgeous, really well balanced, not at all burned, more in the tangerine marmalade and coconut direction, very fresh and drinking very well.

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Flight 4 (2 Notes)

Well it's pretty lame, but I was so busy making pizza and trying to sample wines that I missed these two. :(

Closing

Man that was fun! Thanks to Leslie for giving us the excuse, not that this crew needs much excuse. Although personally I have done way too little tasting over the past year.

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