Wines Drwine Would Hate

Nopa (SF)
Tasted Wednesday, February 23, 2011 by darvid with 415 views

Introduction

Drwine being absent, a mutual friend and I drank what we thought he might not.

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

  • 1994 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

    Pale gold. Brisk, fresh aromas of wax, white flowers, quinine, and the ineffable quasi-garrigue of white Hermitage. In the mouth, pure, fresh, mineral-inflected, and beautifully balanced with no sense of heaviness or alcoholic heat. This vintage is less heralded than some from the late 90s, but I like it a lot better, especially when I find a bottle like this one. It was also intriguing to compare this with the 1994 Savennieres opened a little later in the evening.

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  • 1994 Domaine aux Moines Savennières Roche aux Moines

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières Roche aux Moines

    Served by the glass to help us muscle our way through another round of starters. Brilliant and minerally, this was another felicitous expression of 1994 freshness. Brighter and more acidic than the Hermitage served alongside (which was far from dull). Not a "sweet/dessert" wine by any means - more of an aperitif that sings with food.

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  • 1991 Domaine Coste-Caumartin Pommard 1er Cru Le Clos des Boucherottes

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

    Clear, bright ruby. Unmistakable Pommard nose -- driving soil character and "horizontal" tannin you can identify by scent alone. And the flavors did not disappoint. Mouth-filling, stony, red and black fruit with wide-screen tannins (not yet resolved, but quite sweet for the vintage) and good acid backbone. Firmness began to unravel a bit by the end of the evening -- but to be fair, this seemed loosey-goosey only when retasted several hours later, after a superb Bordeaux, noted separately. Still, damned good for a recent $65 purchase (inspired by notes from AM and CC; my third bottle from the same source within the past year; consistent.)

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  • 1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Purchased on release and opened by a very generous friend. Classical cedar, cigar box, lead pencil Pauillac aromas. Extraordinarily well balanced in the mouth with fruit (not oak) sweetness married to firm acids and held in place by a delicate framework of tannin. Medium density at most, so there is no sense of weight, yet this wine is utterly authoritative, with a long, clear-as-a-bell finish. The expression "transcends the vintage" usually means a great success from a weak year. Here, it means that none of the limiting characteristics of '82 (e.g., impenetrable concentration, extraction and density) impair the experience. One of the best Pichons I've ever had the pleasure to drink.
    P.S. - When leaving this bottle to try our last sips of the Pommard, I commented that the contrast between the two wines vividly illustrated the difference in social character of Burgundy vs. Bordeaux. More on that subject another time?

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