Pinot and Pate matching

Death by duck next weekend means that wines had to be chosen to match the duck liver parfait. 28 were chosen for the challenge. Wines were tasted solo then against the pate. Yes, complete overkill but, hell, why not!

With the addition of the pate the JF Mugnier just sang - the acidity is soften by the richness of the pate.

• 2006 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay Vendanges Sélectionnées

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay

  From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of red currant, almost rhubarb, slight biscuit, little forest floor, leather. Red currant on the palate, lightweight, less overtly herbaceous or sour than I remember this with a little heat on the back palate.

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• 2011 Domaine Michel & Joanna Ecard Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Serpentières Vieilles Vignes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

  From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of red berries, slight wild strawberry and toast. Slightly stalky on the palate with wild strawberry again. Medium plus length. Nice.

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• 2000 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

  From Coravin. Medium plus intensity broad, elegant, rich without being overtly weight. Slight cranberry fruit. Juicy to the point of sourness, cranberry fruit, fine silky tannins…I want to say gossamer for some reason. Quite good other than the sourness...

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• 2011 J. Confuron-Cotetidot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Derrière La Grange

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  From Coravin. Cranberry and stalks, very fruit and the fruit smells crunchy if that is possible. And so it proves on the palate. Some tannic burr joins in and it travels long. Yum.

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• 2011 Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru Les Chevrets

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

  From Coravin. Blackcurrant; dark hued berries as well, earthy spicy. Juicy with some gritty tannins. The fruit is a little muted here though. Hmm.

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In this bracket it was the Gouges that shone with the pate, which subdued the sulphur and allowed the fruit to shine out a little more.

• 2007 Domaine des Perdrix Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Perdrix

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  From Coravin. Pretty red berry fruit over meaty, gamey, slight charcuterie and plentiful spice. Raspberry and peppery spice on the palate with silky though slightly drying tannins. Bit of non intrusive alcohol warmth on the finish.

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• 2011 Mongeard-Mugneret Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  From Coravin. Wet dog initially then new oak, sweet spice, slight THC as well on the nose. Tannins are broad and bolshy fruit is cherry sweet but that cork taint here as well. It's not fully corked yet but I think I should probably drink it up!

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• 2010 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos des Porrets St. Georges

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  From Coravin. Slight struck match with red berry fruit, savoury spice and a little bit of gaminess. Juicy, that sulphur note still makes the fruit a little on the palate. Tannins are fine by drying Hmm

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• 2009 François Parent Morey St. Denis

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis

  From Coravin. Blackberry, sweet spice, Autumn leaves, toast, slight leather. Slightly sour on the palate, tannins are talc textured and dry things out a bit.

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• 2008 Hubert Lignier Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Blanchards

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru

  From Coravin. Cream, berries, struck match, almost Asian five spice and a meaty quality on the nose. Slightly tart on the palate with silky tannins. Medium plus length.

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• 2009 Domaine Bruno Clair Morey St. Denis En la Rue de Vergy

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis

  From Coravin. A melange of Autumn berry fruit backed by spice. Quite Christmas on the palate with berries and spice, fine tannins. Nice.

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Even with some very pleasant wines in this bracket none of them shone with the pate

• 2011 Domaine Denis Mortet Fixin Vieilles Vignes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Fixin

  From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of muted black fruits, slight barbecue sausage (oddly enough). Juicy, black fruits, quite short but nicely balanced. Yum.

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• 2012 Domaine Denis Mortet Fixin Champ Pennebaut

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Fixin

  From Coravin. Black hued fruits, surprisingly polished, toasted oak, slight candied elements but very controlled. That oak is quite to the fore on the palate. Fine tannins, black fruits and a bit of warmth. Okay.

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• 2009 Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  From Coravin. Funky farmyard, spice and black fruits, some gamey notes, touches of cream. A little tight and sour on the palate, fruit is a little muted, tannins close things down and it's a bit 'wet'. Hmm, for me, today.

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• 2009 Domaine Rossignol Trapet Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Etelois

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  From Coravin. Slightly sour cherry, slight crushed almonds (?), dusty notes, sweet spice, very slight stalks. Palate is a reflection of the nose, slight sour cherry, very slight stalky hardness to the tannins and a little sweet spice on the finish.

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• 2011 Nicolas Rossignol Pommard Les Vignots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard

  From Coravin. Black berry and almost plums, black tea. Savoury spice. Juicy black fruits to the fore as well as that tea note, it's tannins are quite bold, feels quite youthful. Nicely done.

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• 2011 Bernard Dugat-Py Pommard La Levrière Vieilles Vignes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard

  From Coravin. Struck match over concentrated black fruits and, oddly enough, marzipan. On the palate the tannins are very much to the fore, tight and grippy, densely structured though the fruit does persist beneath this. Woof.

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this were all a bit big for the Pate…I thought the Drouhin might come to the party but it was still very youthful for me…

• 2012 Kendall-Jackson Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Outland Ridge Anderson Valley

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  From Coravin. Spice over muted, jammy, black plum, some polished oak. Tight tannins, the fruit is over ripe and there is a little bitterness.

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• 2012 Rex Hill Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  From Coravin. Hmm, a slightly reductive note, black berry, plentiful spice. Juicy acidity but quite reductive again on the palate. Hmm. I wonder if this is how it is meant to taste. Alternatively time may help or, at least, a decant…

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• 2012 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  From Coravin. Blackberry and cherry backed by meaty spice, liquorice and slight stalks. Very pretty on the palate, a lot nicer than the last few times I've tried this wine.

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• 2012 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Mount Richmond

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

  From Coravin. Cream, blackberry and cherry compote, spice. Juicy with slightly savoury cherry fruit, fine silky tannins that dry things out a little but pretty splendid.

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• 2005 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurène

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  From Coravin. Polished oak, cream, cherry, sweet spice, berry compote. Juicy, smooth, fruity, long, lovely, not showing much age.

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A funny little bracket of randoms...these are both examples of German wines that I like and, a little surprisingly, showing the oak, they went well with the pate

• 2014 Domaine Matrot Meursault Rouge

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  From Coravin. Ripe, almost jammy, red currant fruit and spice. Again that strange combination of fruit sweetness applied to slightly sour fruit…Hmm.

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• 2012 Domaine Dominique Mugneret Vosne-Romanée Alliance des Terroirs

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

  From Coravin. Perfumed and polished red cherry. In the mouth there are slightly sour cherry notes with fine silky tannins. Rather pleasant.

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• 2009 Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  From Coravin. Cream with slightly meaty, red berry spice, dusty notes. Red berry , sweet spice, fine tannins. Simple but nice.

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• 2011 Fromm Pinot Noir La Strada

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  Quite polished with cherry, cream and sweet spice. On the palate it's all ripe cherry, sweet spice and fine silky tannins.

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• 2012 Friedrich Becker Spätburgunder Herrenwingert

  Germany, Pfalz

  From Coravin. Polished oak, slight cherry, sweet spice more of the same on the palate, silky and exceedingly quaffable

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• 2012 Knipser Spätburgunder Kalkmergel

  Germany, Pfalz

  From Coravin. Coffee, spice, polished oak over slight red cherry and berry fruit, quite perfumed. Juicy and fleshy, slightly gritty tannins, rather nice.

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In the end the four wine that went through to the final were the Mugnier Chambolle Musigny, Gouges Clos des Porrets St George and the two Germans…Returned to them a few days later and the French wines were the final victors…Total overkill...ha ha ha, great fun.