Josefa & Mark's House - Chicago, IL
Tasted Saturday, September 20, 2014 by tooch with 729 views
I regret never having the opportunity to meet Joe in person. Having read his thoughts on wine for a number of years now, he was, without a doubt, one of the most passionate, intelligent, and encyclopedic individuals in our humble little world of wine. A number of folks in Chicago had known Joe, so we all got together to tell stories, cook some food, and enjoy an early Autumn night in Chicago. There were tears, many bottles of wine, and many more stories about Joe. He had been this giant in the wine world for me and I came away learning so much more about who he was as a person. I feel good about that.
Big thanks to our hosts Josefa and Mark. Also, thanks to Lars, Phil, Nathan, and Mark for providing awesome food and wine. I liked this quote that Josefa recited from English humorist P.G. Wodehouse...seemed to really capture the mood of the evening.
"As we grow older and realize more clearly the limitations of human happiness, we come to see that the only real and abiding pleasure in life is to give pleasure to other people.” ~ P.G. Wodehouse
2005 Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Avizoise Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Lots of zip with deep and layered fruit. Thought this showed really well...I think this was my first time trying their L'Avizoise cuvee.
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2002 Domaine Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie "L" d’Or 90 Points
France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie
The first time I had this I liked it a bit more. This bottle wasn't as fresh and zippy but still had beautiful floral and rocky tones to it.
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2004 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie Vieilles Vignes Clos des Briords 94 Points
France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie
Another great bottle of this. If there's a lesson that can be learned about Ollivier's Briords is that air is really needed to make these wines comes alive. This was a bit muted when we cracked it open, but it blossomed beautifully with time. Lots of citrus, and minerals. Great cut and acidity too...so it can go longer, but it's delicious right now!
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2013 Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme Vin Rosé 90 Points
France, Vin de France
Fresh and lively bursting with strawberries and raspberries. Very good rose.
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2006 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur Blanc Brézé 92 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur
There's a lot of sulphur here...a lot. I didn't go back to try this later in the night, but I liked it a lot. Had some waxy lemons and lime notes and some wooly notes. The palate was plush and decadent...big fruit bursting from all the seams. Put these away for a while...good days in its future.
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1997 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
This had been opened earlier in the day and showed very nice. Classic, funky, meaty, are what came to mind when drinking this. Please pass the bottle.
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2007 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph
In a beautiful spot with exotic meaty and floral tones. Dark fruited with a lot of floral and a very feminine profile. Great.
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2002 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 93 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny
Lots of rich fruit and floral notes. Mostly cherries, cranberries, and earth with touches of tobacco and leather. A great example of 2002 cabernet franc from Saumur..rustic/edgy/complex.
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1998 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
This poured a dazzling raspberry color in the glass. Aromas of floral notes, wet earth, cranberries, and spices filled the glass...just gorgeous bouquet of flavors. The wine was drinking very well - more feminine and floral than what you'd find in a new release Foillard, but all the flavors seemed a bit more complex and deep. I was really impressed by this bottle. It is the oldest Foillard I've tried and it gave me great hope for the bottles I own.
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2005 Emmanuel Houillon (Maison Pierre Overnoy) Poulsard Arbois Pupillin 93 Points
France, Jura, Arbois Pupillin
Overnoy's red have been somewhat of a hit-or-miss for me. At times they can be a bit too veggie/acidic for me, but this was in a great place. The fruit was rustic and ripe with dark cranberry, cherry and soil notes. The palate was thin and packed a big punch of floral and fruity tones with sizzling acidity and cut. There are probably people that would not like the body of this wine (too thin), but gosh, it really struck a chord with me. Great showing.
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2003 Emmanuel Houillon (Maison Pierre Overnoy) Arbois Pupillin Vieux Savagnin ouillé 92 Points
France, Jura, Arbois Pupillin
Nose of smokey nuts, some sweet lemon, and lots of florals. The palate was a bit tight at first and fleshed out a lot with time. The nutty profile was gorgeous and while some of the lemon and limes were a bit fatter, they still had nice balance and depth.
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2013 Anne et Jean-Francois Ganevat Cuvée Madelon Nature 91 Points
France, Vin de France
This was my first try of Ganevat's foray into Beaujolais...and it's kinda what you'd expect from the combination of those two. Lots of zippy cranberries, and raspberries balanced with some nice earthy and floral tones. Hopefully someday this is imported into the states.
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2012 Domaine Belluard Mondeuse Vin de Savoie 90 Points
France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie
I hadn't had a Mondeuse in a while. Boy these are good. Has the weight of a gamay and the meatiness of a syrah. I've really only dug into Belluard's sparkling wines so this was a real treat. I bet this will get better with 4-6 years aging.
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2012 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Mont 91 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
This was the vintage that Budd & Kissack weren't allowed to taste, so it felt a bit weird getting my chance. It's a gorgeous young Vouvray with a nice vanilla, floral, and citrus mix of flavors. This is going to be a very good Le Mont with time.
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