Sunday Dinner at Formento's
Chicago, IL
Tasted Sunday, May 17, 2015 by acyso with 471 views
Introduction
A small group of us hit Formento's for some good ol' red-sauced action. The food (especially the quail saltimbocca) and service (thank you Steve and Andrew) were top-notch. This is easily going to become another of our regular spots. The wine list, too, is very well put-together, and we snagged a bottle of the 2010 Rougeard Breze off of it (sorry, last one).
2005 Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Avizoise Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
This is quintessential blanc des blancs with a clear mineral and citrus nose. There's a slight richness as well, but it's really the racier elements that come to the forefront. Intense, with great minerality on the finish. This is definitely a leaner champagne -- delicious now, but a few years should loosen things up a bit.
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NV Jacques Selosse Initial 93 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Disgorged December 24, 2013 (they work at Christmastime?). 33,000 bottles produced each year. Extremely dense and powerful, with a nutty, bready note, and pronounced salinity. There's a huge baked apple component as well. You gotta be a fan of the style (I am). This finishes off with a fair bit of chalkiness. The last glass of this was best though. These wines truly benefit from extended air.
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2010 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur Blanc Brézé 93 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur
Off the list at Formento's. This is an exceptionally hefty bottle of wine, showing immense density and power but so much grace. This shows a lot of smoke from oak, but to be honest, it's really not obtrusive here at all. Good tart fruit and very ripe vein of acidity. A very singular expression of chenin -- not like any I've ever had before.
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2012 Richard Leroy Chenin Les Noëls de Montbenault 90 Points
France, Vin de France
Clean as a whistle, this is a very different expression of chenin than the Rougeard alongside. Lovely acidity and very prominent minerality, with just a hint of sweet spice that just gives this an extra kick. The finish is where things get just slightly hazy, but all-in-all, this is a very lovely wine. I'm very curious to see what will happen to these with age.
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2012 Cameron Blanc Clos Electrique 90 Points
USA, Oregon
There's something about this that kind of makes me think of a Jura chardonnay... not exactly sure why. Maybe it's the freshness coupled with just a very slight bit of funk. There's a honeyed pineapple quality about this wine that makes it a bit weird, but it's got good acidity and is pretty fun to drink. I'd be interested to see if it gains further complexity with aging, though I'm pretty certain it will.
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2007 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ-Canet
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
I'm not sure if I'm comfortable calling the pox on this bottle or if it was something else, but there was something that didn't sit right with me. There's definitely some signs of reduction (and it's not so much the sulphur as it is a slight mustiness) on the nose, but the palate has just begun to develop a tinge of sherry character. I also felt that the palate wasn't quite there... I had higher expectations for what I've always thought of as a great producer (premox issues notwithstanding). I forgot to check in on this later in the evening.
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2003 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Very pale in colour (a good sign). Definitely a softer, fatter Raveneau, with a bit of stewed fruit on the nose. This doesn't hold the same tension and acidity as Raveneau in the good years, but there's certainly a lot to like here. The lemon and chalk qualities that I've always expected are still present, if the salinity is a bit dilute. This is very well made in the context of the vintage, and when all is said and done, still a very good bottle of chardonnay in and of itself. Now, with that out of the way, I really wouldn't be holding this much longer. I don't see any upside to doing that.
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1967 Enologica Valtellinese Sondrio Valtellina Superiore - Grumello 90 Points
Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore - Grumello
This is definitely showing its age, though it's in no way past its prime or undrinkable. A bit of rust character on the palate is the giveaway, but there's a surprising freshness and herbal lift that made me inquire as to whether this was whole-cluster-fermented or not (though I'd bet the answer is in the negative). Mushroomy and dusty, with still a fair bit of red fruit character. A really fun wine to try.
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1974 Prunotto Barolo Riserva 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
(Initially) Transparent and bright red. Quite a bit of leather on the palate, as well as some nice tart red fruits. We'll see how this opens up with dinner. (Double decanted, with three hours in a decanter) This is spot on old nebbiolo. Classic tar, florals, red raspberries and cranberries on the nose, with a very lithe attack and midpalate. The leather and tannins show up a bit on the finish, and truth be told, could use some more time to unwind.
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1987 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
On the heels of the recent Produttori dinner, it was an eye-opener to try a wine from such an unheralded vintage. My expectations were, admittedly, low. But to my surprise, there's nothing outright wrong with this wine, and in fact, it's drinking quite fine right now, thank you very much. There's clearly some unripe elements going on, but at the same time, there's fair bit of red fruit still. Definitely not one to hold for any longer, but if you pop one now, I think you'd be in for a very pleasant surprise.
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1990 Allegrini La Poja Veronese IGT 93 Points
Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT
Corvina, not subjected to passito? Colour me intrigued. There are some elements in this wine that I could associate with an amarone, such as the immense stature of the dark fruit here. There's a slight bit of sweetness, with a lot of sappy black fruits. At the same time, there's an interesting element of dustiness on the palate. Moderate acidity, but this still comes off as quite elegant.
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1997 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT Flawed
Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT
Corked. There was definitely some good stuff underneath though...
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1996 Silvio Grasso Barolo Bricco Luciani 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
We popped and poured this one as a backup to the corked Flaccianello. So my initial impression of this was a bit less bullish than my note here, as I thought it was somewhat brutish for a Barolo, especially one at almost 20 years. There's some perceptible oak on this wine, but it is well-integrated. A much larger Barolo than I'm accustomed to, a bit more thought led me to a 1990 Corino which I believe was made in a similar vein, and if the Corino is any indication, I think this has a very, very promising future in another 10+ years, when the raw power decides to settle down.
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2014 Stolpman Trousseau Combe 93 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Ballard Canyon
Basically a rose in colour. I'm going to hate myself for using this word, but if you look up the term "glou-glou" in the dictionary, this is the wine you're going to find. Tons of juicy strawberries on the nose and palate, this almost comes off as only partially-fermented, there's so much juice here. This is just silly delicious, and if you have a taste of this and don't burst out into a smile at the very least, there's something seriously wrong with your head. Yummy stuff.
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