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Less Celebrated France WIMPS #164 28th April 2023
La Trompette, Chiswick
Tasted April 28, 2023 by Vinumming & Ahhing with 113 views
Introduction
Great lunch with friends old and new
Flight 1 - Pre-starter fizz from a friend on another table (1 note)
White - Sparkling
N.V. G. Tribaut Champagne Premier Cru Grande Cuvée Spéciale
Sourdough bread crumbs, some lemon zest and a subtle florality. Palate is well balanced, sweetness levels right up my strasse. Lovely fizz and great value.
Flight 2 - Aranchini (2 notes)
Rosé
2019 Château Simone Palette Rosé
A game of two halves here, on pouring I don't really get much here, there is a pleasant strawberry / raspberry character in a minor key. Clearly serious and not at all sweet with but subdued. Not sure if exposure to air or it warming in the glass did the trick but half an hour later it's singing. There is redcurrant pastille quality, some lemon juice and a little sliced cherry tomato / sweetness / savouriness. Very good.
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Comment
White
2018 Albert Boxler Pinot Blanc
Slatey, mountain stream nose. So pure. With air the faintest suggestion of smoke and a little thyme herbiness. Palate is beautiful, refined, delicate perfectly balanced. Don't recall many Pinot Blancs I've enjoyed as much.
Flight 3 - Mackerel tartare oyster cream, kohlrabi, apple and lovage (4 notes)
White
2012 Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang
Sherbet pip and lemon oil nose. Not obviously sauvignon blanc. There is some struck match and a little celery leaf. Palate bracing and transparent. Very youthful. Classy stuff.
White
2019 Domaine Arretxea Irouléguy Cuvée Terroir Grès
This is charming there is a spot of honey and some stickleback / forest glade. Some Chlorophyll as my neighbour rightly suggests. Palate has fabulous prickling acidity with a suggestion of gooseberry and some savoury herbiness. Later on the nose the faintest suggestion of lemon barley squash. Yum.
White
2006 Domaine Le Soula Le Soula Blanc
Talc and lime oil. Tarragon a pipette or two of pineapple juice. Palate is totally dry and cool with a twist of lemon and a lovely minerality too. Consistent with other joyful bottles.
White
2008 Domaine François Cotat Sancerre Les Monts Damnés
A generous pour from another table. This is terrific. Pure, cool, transparent. Lovely limey acidity and mountain stream minerality. There is an oh so subtle spiciness as well. Palate similar with touch of popcorn and a suggestion of custard apple. Love it.
Flight 4 - Chicken breast, chicken mousse stuffed morel, (outstanding) chicken velouté (1 note)
Red
2003 Charles Joguet Chinon Clos de la Dioterie
Charming greenness to this unmistakable Cab Franc. With time some tomato stalk and thyme, just a suggestion of mint. Palate fully resolved and very more-ish. Not showing any ill effects of the 2003 effect for me.
Flight 5 - Confit duck leg, petit pois a la français, duck fat galettes (5 notes)
Red
2006 Mas Jullien Terrasses du Larzac
From magnum. Savoury, meaty, bright and youthful. A little bacon fat interest. Palate has good acidity, some pepper and spice. A tiny tannin prickle remains for me. Has held up very well and a great example of its terroir.
Red
2015 Le Clos du Caillou Côtes du Rhône La Réserve
70% Grenache & 30% Mourvèdre. A producer I have a soft spot for. Cool fruited, spicy, meaty with some lavender hints and just a little lift. Good persistence on the palate with a little aniseed and some bresaola. Powerful and deep. Might bring my mag of 2011 next year.
Red
2010 Domaine du Gour de Chaulé Gigondas Cuvée Tradition
flawed
Corked. Sham as there was lots to like behind the TCA curtain.
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Comment
Red
2002 Château de Pibarnon Bandol
From magnum. A generous pour from another table. Nose is meaty, savoury and spicy with a lovely plum and almond tart sweetness to it. Palate, perhaps showing some of the effects of the wet vintage, is not quite as giving. There is a richness there and a drop or two of soy sauce but not the complexity or length this producer can achieve with better conditions. Lovely to try.
Red
2003 Château Pontet-Canet
Very generously opened by my neighbour in replacement of the corked Gigondas. Fitting the less celebrated theme. This was splash decanted and served cool. The nose shows dark fruits and some cigar box, a little green bell pepper too. Plenty to like. I think a better bottle than at the recent 2003 horizontal. Palate has interest but there is still that 2003 slightly clipped thing.
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Comment
Flight 6 - Pineapple tatin with lime ice cream (2 notes)
White - Sweet/Dessert
1985 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon
Has that MT sweet / savoury thing that is so lovely. Some garrigue like herbs and an almost Irn-Bru-like sweetness with some crushed pistachio in the mix. With air that Baklava character comes to the fore somewhat. Palate long and interesting. Some perfectly balancing acidity complements the subtle Madeira cake character. Love this.
White
2016 Wolfberger Gewurztraminer Les Festives
From magnum. A useful format (unless you need to have anything else in your refrigerator). This is on the drier end of Gewürz and has a lovely lemon and passion fruit nose. Good refreshing acidity, not too sweet. The producer confirmed RS of 19 g/l (chapeau to them for 90 minute reply to an email!) might have worked better with the chicken than the pineapple tarte tatin.
Closing
Thanks to team Trompette for a fabulous lunch