Dinner with the Jim's
Chez Simo Bistro
Tasted Sunday, September 8, 2013 by tooch with 587 views
Introduction
Jim & Diane Cowan were in town, so a few folks (including the Jim and Gloria Mack from Jemrose) got together to open some wines. We dined at Chez Simo Bistro which puts together some very nice, rustic French food. Stemware sucks, but thanks to Mel for bringing enough for all of us to use. $0 corkage too....VERY interesting!
Had a blast with Jim, Jim, Diane, Gloria, Mark, Jordan, & Mel. It's always fun to drink with the people that make the wine you love. Also, big thanks to my wonderful girlfriend Summer for prepping our apartment for the after party!
2008 Albert Boxler Riesling Reserve 92 Points
France, Alsace
Thought this was just beautiful. Aromas were exotic and pure with lots of fresh peach, apricot, and apple tones and the palate was just stony riesling goodness. A really enjoyable bottle of wine with lots of balance and class. Time to find more Boxler's.
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2007 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d'Or 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
Delicious chardonnay. Definitely heady, bready, and textured. Loved the brioche, almond, and general nuttiness of the palate. Had great acidity too.
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2011 Liquid Farm Chardonnay Golden Slope 91 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
Sweet, oaky nose always gives me pause. Jim even said to me, "after smelling this I wasn't sure I'd like it." Sad, but true. This does have an overty oaky, sweet nose. Luckily, the wine itself is far more balanced than the nose would suggest. Great lemon and lime notes with stones, peach, and flint. About half of this bottle made it to day 2, and what I have in my glass now is gorgeous. Hitting that Puligny-meets-Montee de Tonnerre mark for me. Yum.
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2012 Cowan Cellars Ribolla Gialla 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Was very excited to try this and was glad that Jim and Diane brought some with them. Fresh and lithe, this also has a nice tropical note to it that I really enjoyed. I'll be buying some of this and will be eager to see what happens to it with some age.
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1996 Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coulée de Serrant 89 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières-Coulée de Serrant
A wooly, nutty nose, this had smoked almonds, some melon, and some edgy herbs on the finish.Thought this was pretty good...some of Joly's wines can be a bit too severe for me, but this was nice.
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2012 Cowan Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 92 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Big Valley Lake County
When you think about the qualities of great Sauvignon Blanc, I always think about strong minerality with elegant fruit (like what Edmond Vatan does). This delivered that type of experience. Crisp, bracing acidity, lovely floral elements, with some very nice underlying melon character. Super good stuff.
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2012 Cowan Cellars Pinot Noir Rosé 90 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma
Crisp, mineral-driven and delicious. Had a lot of nice pinot character, too, with some subtle spice, cool red fruits and soft floral notes. Drinking very well.
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2010 Cowan Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Isa 90 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Lake County
Oh Isa...how I adore thee. Aromas of peach, nectarine, oranges and fresh blossoms. Gorgeous perfume...you can sniff it for days. The palate was delicious, and firm. Found this quite appealing and a bit more exciting than the bottle I tried about a year ago.
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2011 Jemrose Viognier Egret Pond 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
Another enjoyable Viognier from Jemrose. With an ocean of hot, gummy viogniers it's great to have a bottle like this that shows the precision that can be achieved with the varietal. Subtle honey flavors, with nice spice and peach tones. The finish is clean and precise...no lingering heat.
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2010 Cowan Cellars Pinot Noir 88 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
A really great Sonoma Coast pinot, and definitely speaks to its locale. The fruit was elegant and brambly with some subtle mushroom notes underneath. Very nicely balanced wine with a lot of character.
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2004 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie La Chavaroche / La Péroline 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
This is unlike many regal, silky, broad shouldered Cote Roties. I think that's what I love about it. This is a wild, meaty, syrah that fits more into the Cornas bucket. GREAT.
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2010 Jemrose Syrah Cardiac Hill Bennett Valley 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
Lots of good stuff going on here. Beautiful aromas of meat, spices, and dark fruits. Its core of fruit was lean and cool - harkening to a somewhat tamer version of Cornas. This should age well for quite some time. Great bottle.
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2010 Cowan Cellars Syrah Moaveni Vineyard 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
Perfectly balanced Sonoma County syrah. Combination of meaty elements, dark berries, and spices. Finish is clean and smooth, no heat, no issues. Was a perfect match with some duck.
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2010 Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos la Néore 91 Points
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre
A beautiful, edgy sauvignon. Some really nice herbal tones, melons, and tropical fruits all with lots and lots of minerals. A long distance runner, it was fun checking in on this.
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2008 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 92 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Threw this in the decanter for about 40 minutes before drinking and it just wasn't enough. Nose was muted, but there was greatness buried down deep. Very silky dark fruits, a nice earthy element and the wild Cornas meaty notes are great. People talk poorly about the 2008 vintage in the Northern Rhone and it just totally hits the mark for me. Fruit is lithe, meat is pronounced and Matt is happy.
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1995 Montevetrano Rosso Colli di Salerno IGT Flawed
Italy, Campania, Colli di Salerno IGT
oxidized.
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