2001 Chardonnay Magnum Tasting
New Jersey
Tasted Saturday, April 16, 2016 by oldwines with 460 views
Introduction
We finally had our long awaited and once postponed 2001 Chardonnay Tasting Event with 20-25 of our friends, some sophisticated wine drinkers, some not. We had 6 Magnums of 2001 Chardonnay based wines, including... Mount Eden Estate Santa Cruz Mountains, Chateau Montelena Napa, Thomas Fogarty Santa Cruz Mountains, Hanzell Sonoma County (Estate), Talbott Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands and E. Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs-Canet. Half of the bottles had been in my cellar since many years ago but half were acquired in the last year, two from the wineries but one from a retailer. The evening can be broken into 3 parts/flights.....First, during prep time some of the group had a variety of wines, some used in cooking some of the dishes. In addition we had two whites for early arrivals. Second came the main event...all 6 wines were decanted at 3 pm into magnum decanters and blinded then stored back in the wine cellar until served around 6. Lastly, we had some red wines for part of the group who were more interested that genre. All of the food was prepared by one of the group. The fare was tailored to the Chardonnay wines and included Coquilles St. Jacques, Grilled Sardines with Crostini, Lemon and Olive oil, Sicilian Polpette with Pecorino, Lemon and Bay leaves, Lobster Mac'n Cheese, Crab cakes, Potato and Black Truffle Pizza, cold Vegetable and Seafood Spring Rolls, Tuscan White Bean Salad and a variety of cheeses. The group effort on the food was nothing short of FANTASTIC!
Flight 1 - The Prep (5 Notes)
Flight 2 - The Main Event (6 Notes)
Flight 3 - On to some Reds (5 Notes)
Closing
As far as the Chards were concerned they were all quite tightly packed in terms of quality and surprisingly young looking and tasting. That said, I LOVE aged Chardonnay and these wines all aged amazingly well. In magnum they have aged very slowly and while I think all are at or near peak, I didn't sense any need to drink them from magnum right now and was very surprised to see zero oxidation in any of the six. The Mount Eden and the Talbott were the most aged in my mind, the Hanzell the least evolved at this date. While all the food and wine was great and a good time was had by all, there wasn't as much chance as planned to sample all of the chards with all of the food to find the best pairings. In My view the Higher acidity chards went best with the Sardines and Coquilles St.Jacques. The meatballs together with the pizza were great with both the white and red wines especially the Volnay-Santenots. Dessert amounted to a delicious carrot cake with a large bottle of Brooklyn Brewing's Black Ops Stout aged in Bourdon barrels from the 2012 vintage.
2012 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Saint Véran Bois de Fée 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Saint Véran
One bottle used in Coquilles St. Jacques the other drunk while preparing it. Very good for both uses. It was rather warmed up when we drank it and it reflected this as in my previous note. Slightly smokey, lots of mineral and citrus with a medium bodied mouth feel.
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2012 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate 92 Points
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu
light to medium lemon yellow color. On the nose I get butter, minerals and peach with just a hint of lemon. Medium bodied mouth feel with lots of bright acidity. On the palate I get the peach along with some Meyer lemon and ever so slight amount of grapefruit and some "steeliness". I think this will age well. Very nice but just a little less impressive and engaging than the Coddington Bottling, which so far is my favorite from Kumeu River. Friend tell me the Mates Vineyard is the best from this house but I have still not had it, though recently purchased some for drinking shortly.
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2010 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc 91 Points
USA, California, North Coast
Light yellow with a greenish tint. Light fruity somewhat perfumed nose. On the palate there is a nice amount of grapefruit, not overpowering along with some tropical fruit notes including perhaps some guava. Soft rich mouth feel nicely aged but still lively and nowhere near past peak.
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2013 Donnachiara Fiano di Avellino 90 Points
Italy, Campania, Fiano di Avellino DOCG
With extended breathing this bottle really came alive. We used one bottle to make a sauce for Sicilian Polpette and drank the other while preparing it. Medium to full bodied for a white, with a good balance of flavors like citrus, a little grassiness and a little flint. With air the grassiness melted away and the lemony citrus came through in a nice way. I am always amazed at the acidity in most Fiano's... Very bright yet weighty in the mouth. I think better than the previous...
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2013 Venteux Vineyards Fleur Blanc 88 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Medium golden yellow. With a somewhat buttery and lemony nose with some additional stone fruit and a bit of a popcorn scent. At first on the palate it was quite flabby and fat in the mouth but with air it seemed to gain some brightness and acidity. Very chewy mouth feel. The palate reflected the nose but was a bit jumbled in that it was hard to get a clear sense of all the flavors.
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