Monday Night at Ripple

What a night. It was great to get together with a bunch of good friends and catch up before the year ends. Of course, there were way too many wines and way too much food, but it was an excellent time. Chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley cooked us up a wonderful family-style tasting menu that included roasted beets, fluke crudo, smoked sablefish, crispy pig head, spinach tortellini, potato gnocchi, slow cooked lamb shoulder and roasted Amish chicken. The food was superb, some of the best I've tasted at Ripple, which is a tall order. Wines detailed below.

• NV J.L. Vergnon Rosémotion 90 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Bright, full of strawberries and oceanic elements. Brisk but biscuity, full of tart strawberries and minerals.

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• 2004 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  Nose of salted biscuits, pears, some honey. Intense on the palate with brisk acid, rich whipped butter notes, lemon pudding, biscuits, nuts, mixed with lots of pear skins and minerals. Seems tightly balled up at this point though and could use some serious cellar time.

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• 2006 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons 92 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Bright orange peels and biscuits on the nose. Creamy but tart, brisk with solid intensity, tart green apple, green pears, some sea salt and biscuit notes add complexity. Gorgeous minerals and some gingery spice as well. Deep, long, lingering, ageworthy.

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• NV Vouette et Sorbée Champagne Fidèle 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  Nose of orange peel, coconut, sea breeze and red apples. Intense and bright on the palate, very oceanic and tart with saline and sea breeze mixed with nutty and dried honey elements. I get lots of apricot and strawberries in here too. Slight oxidative approach, working well.

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• 2011 Jean-François Ganevat Grusse en Billat 91 Points

  France, Jura, Côtes du Jura

  Seaweed and briny on the nose with orange peel and intense white tea. Needs time, and when I revisited this after two hours it was much better albeit still wound up. Intense on the palate, mouthwatering but wrapped up and a bit hesitant. Nutty, saline, waxy, white tea, salty lemons and apricots. Despite the youthfulness, it’s a gorgeous wine.

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• 2012 Weingut Keller Abts E® Riesling Großes Gewächs 93 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  So rich and young with honey, papaya and white peach on the nose. Lots of tropical fruits on the palate, but so nervy and fresh as well with intense acid and intriguing minerals. Glazed peach, guava and honey complement the salty, seashell and crushed rock elements. Needs a ton of time, but a beautiful Riesling.

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• 2005 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Spätlese 92 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  Honey, oil, waxy, sweet but intense nose with apricots and ginger. Love the minerality and acid to balance out the sweetness. Peachy, honeyed, slatey, complex and beautiful. I revisited this with a beet salad and the pairing actually worked. 2.5 years since the last time I tried this wine, and, while I think this can age, this bottle didn't seem as bright and elegant as I remember. Still gorgeous though.

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• 2008 Cameron Blanc Clos Electrique 96 Points

  USA, Oregon

  My favorite wine of the night. Just intoxicating with its aromas: pineapple, lime, mixed nuts, white flowers, whipped honey, crushed chalk, sea salt, quinine, endlessly complex. Palate shows lots of melon and lime, plus crisp, racy acid. Salty, chalky, lots of seashells, a mineral-driven but it's also full and creamy. Balanced but intense, deserving even more cellar sleep. 3.5 years since I tasted this and it's just as amazing as it was then, if not slightly more complex and nuanced. An amazing Chardonnay.

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• 2011 Jean-François Ganevat Trousseau Plein Sud 90 Points

  France, Jura, Côtes du Jura

  Spritzy as hell but once that passed the wine was fine. Tart red apples and orange peels on the nose, along with rhubarb and pickles. Some light grip to the tannins but tart as hell. Lots of strawberries, wild cherries, topped with crushed vitamins and chalk, drizzled with pickle. Not for everyone, but I love it.

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• 1979 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Smells of tobacco, wet leaves, cola and herbs, underneath there’s still some black cherry and currants. Fine tannins, crisp acid, smoothed out and refined on the palate. Plum fruit still going, laced with pickle, dusty earth and spicy cedar. Holding up very well.

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• 2005 Domaine Chapuis Corton-Languettes 87 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Light ruby color. Briny nose with lots of spice, red berries and red apple peel. Tight tannins with brisk acid, flavors of wild strawberries, raspberries and roses. Refreshing and interesting, but not the deepest or most complex wine. Tasty stuff, but I wouldn’t have guessed Grand Cru.

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• 2009 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Nose of sweet plums, black cherries and red currants. Rich and creamy but refreshing as well. Juicy raspberries, cherries and some blueberry, laced with earth, floral, spice and cedar elements. Lovely, pure Sonoma Coast goodness.

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• 2001 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Lots of pickle, peppercorns and bay leaf on the nose, still plenty of red currants. Great mouthfeel, just a smooth and tingly wine, the acid and dusty tannins combining well. Pickles, moss and plenty of horse barn and leather on top of the red plum and currant fruit. Funky but delicious. I loved this paired with the “crispy pig head.” Almost four years since my last bottle (wow, time zips by), and I got a lot more funk out of this than previous bottles. Not sure how much longer I’d cellar this if I had some.

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• 2012 Domaine Jean Tardy et Fils Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Argillas

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru

  Bright and fresh, actually showing quite well despite the firm tannins.

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• 1994 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 93 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Love the nose: spice, leather, pepper, bright red fruit. Juicy and ripe on the palate with tart acid and dusty tannins. Flavors of orange peel, red apple and strawberry blend well with notes of earth, tobacco, pepper and beef broth. So fresh and easy to drink, I love these “current” releases from Heredia and how lovely they are right out of the bottle. Still plenty of stuffing for the cellar though, as this wine has a lot underneath to come out.

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• 2011 Cayuse God Only Knows 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  Dark and deep on the nose with plum cake, baked cherry, red licorice and white pepper. Fully and high octane on the palate, a gushing mix of red and black berries, laced with caramelized sugar, candied apple, but also some underlying mineral, green olive and pepper notes. Just too young and intense now, though. It was opened hours before and I tried it at the end of the night, and it was still tight.

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• 2004 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  More than a year since my last tasting, and this one is still kicking. I get beef jerky, tons of green and black olives, as well as pickled beet and soy on the nose, not to mention the blueberry and bright cherry fruit. The blueberry, blackberry and wild cherry fruit is juicy and creamy, but the non-fruit flavors steal the show: green olive, smoked meat, crispy pork belly, roasted peppers, did I mention olives? Still showing dusty tannic structure and the acid helps tame the velvety mouthfeel a bit. Just a gorgeous wine.

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• 2004 Cayuse Syrah En Chamberlin Vineyard 95 Points

  USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  Deeper and darker on the nose than the 04 Cailloux tasted side by side. More plum cake, baked berry pie, more black olives. I also get a meat and seaweed note. Plummy and rich with blueberries, almost cough syrup-like presence, but it’s actually very pleasant and precise at the same time – somehow. So many complex flavors to unpack: fall leaves, bacon fat, teriyaki jerky, also some dried rose potpourri and lavender notes. A feast for the senses and a beautiful accompaniment to the slow cooked lamb shoulder.

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