An Epic Summer Wine Weekend - Year 2
Muskoka, Ontario, Canada
Tasted Friday, June 30, 2023 - Sunday, July 2, 2023 by Wine Canuck with 161 views
Introduction
As is becoming a tradition, a few wine buddies got together for a long weekend in the Muskoka sun and to share some great bottles, mostly tasted blind.
Flight 1 - Day 1 - Pre-Game Wines (4 Notes)
These bottles were consumed on arrival or with dinner on Day 1, and some were left open for a day and followed. They were the casual sippers that filled in the blank moments between flights and while kicking back on the porch or dock.
Flight 2 - Day 1 - Gevrey 07 Showdown (2 Notes)
I supplied the Jadot, and was surprised that the qualitative gap was as small as it was. The Trapet clearly better and more complex, but some tasters had the Jadot pegged at GC and the Trapet at 1er, as least at one point.
Flight 3 - Day 1 - A couple of 85s (2 Notes)
I love a good old fashioned new world vs old world comparison. Unfortunately this batch of Ravenswood I sourced appear to all be flawed. The Gruaud was just stunning and above expectations.
Flight 4 - Day 1 - Italian flight, mostly 07 Brunello (5 Notes)
This flight was totally blind to me so it was fun to take some guesses. Very enjoyable to taste through.
Flight 5 - Day 1 - 1982 Bordeaux (2 Notes)
The 1982 Beychevelle strikes again this time with a different flaw. It's quickly becoming my white whale. The La Lagune was just lovely, classic stuff.
Flight 6 - Day 1 - Nightcap (1 Note)
Flight 7 - Day 2 - Chardonnay (7 Notes)
I always find a blind chardonnay flight enjoyable, and I found this to be a particularly tight pack. Not all agreed, I think, finding some wines dull and uninteresting that I liked moreso. In particular I found the 'Chablis' style to be very in fashion, even in wines form the Cote d'Or.
Flight 8 - Day 2 - Dinner Wines (3 Notes)
We opened a few bottles before and during dinner. In particular the the 97 Montelena magnum was a nice match with the steak.
Flight 9 - Day 2 - Early 80s Beaucastel (2 Notes)
A shame the 81 was flawed as by many accounts it is superior to the 80. But the 80 was no slouch.
Flight 10 - Day 2 - Rhone 85s (4 Notes)
This was a fun flight where I wondered how hard it would be to tell apart the south and the north. The Guigal was obviously Northern Rhone, and the Vidal Fleury clearly leaning that way too, which I think had most of the group thinking the whole flight was Northern Rhone. I thought all of the first three wines showed beyond what I possibly could have dreamt of them. Names like Jamet, Chave, and Rayas were being tossed around the table. While ambitious, this was a testament to the lovely profile these wines had on display and the impressive storage and overall quality.
Flight 11 - Day 2 - 89/90 Bordeaux (4 Notes)
The centrepiece of this flight, the Haut Brion, I've only had once before and I found it to be a perfect 100 Point Bordeaux, and a personal all-time favourite. It was an absolute treat to encounter it again and have it show just as well as my last time decade ago. The following three 89s were fascinating. In some ways there was an interesting John Gilman, William Kelley comparison to be had, with Kelley having higher scores on the Lynch Bages, and Gilman being higher on the Figeac. To me neck and neck but I generally preferred the Figeac's elegance and perfume, to the more iron fisted approach of the Lynch Bages. The Pichon Baron has never been my favourite in this vintage, and while this was another tight, unyeilding bottle, leaving 1/3 of it to the next day proved to be prudent as it did open up a tad more to merit and additional point or two.
Flight 12 - Day 2 - Nightcap (1 Note)
Flight 13 - Day 3 - Casual Daytime Sippers (5 Notes)
We tasted through a few odd bottles over the daytime hours, and pre-dinner.
Flight 14 - Day 3 - Rosé (2 Notes)
We have also developed a bit of a tradition of tasting through some of the more highly regarded rosé in the market. Last year the Tempier and Cibonne stole the show. I enjoyed both of these this year.
Flight 15 - Day 3 - mid-age Pinot Noir (2 Notes)
Needless to say, the Gouges was a huge disappointment here, and in retrospect, Gilman nailed it with his tasting note on this wine. The only nit I'd pick is I didn't detect as much over ripeness as much as this just felt totally primary and undeveloped. I've had this particular Calera once before and fortunately this showing was even better than the already good previous bottle. Initially all tasters were thinking Burgundy but quickly a couple of them moved to California with the sunny, generous fruit profile, low tannin and lightly elevated alcohol.
Flight 16 - Day 3 - Musar (1 Note)
One attendee brought this and it didn't really fit in any flight so it was simply opened on its own. Blind to two tasters and nobody went to Musar, but they did recognize the obvious juxtapositions. This bottle didn't quite have the wildness I sometimes associate with Musar (VA and Brett), but was absolutely captivating all the same. In fact this was a very balanced and complete wine that felt as if it was only beginning its journey on the aging curve.
Flight 17 - Day 3 - Aged Burgundy (3 Notes)
The 55 in this flight was tragic. After all these years to be corked but otherwise intact was true heartbreak. Especially considering that underlying we could all tell there was something special hidden behind the massive wall of obvious TCA. The Remoissenet was an awesome surprise, as I'm often skeptical of their library releases. This particular bottle appears to have been a library release of 20+ years ago. the Royer was reasonably far down the development curve but had some charm left.
Flight 18 - Day 3 - mid-70s California Cabernet (2 Notes)
What a polarizing flight this was. A voice at the table hated the massive eucalyptus of the Heitz, but in my view this is just an attribute typical of the site which adds complexity. Disappointing the Mondavi wasn't on form.
Flight 19 - Day 3 - late 60s / 70 Bordeaux (3 Notes)
I really enjoyed tasting this flight single blind. There was one clear and obvious winner, and the Gaffelière was the last bottle I would have expected. In retrospect, the Angelus' fill level was a bit lower than you might hope, close to low shoulder, while the Gaffelière was into the neck. So I think bottle condition played a significant role here. The Pape Clement, while good was behind expectations and I'm told by the person who brought it that he had better bottles out of the lot he purchased. But the bottle condition appears to be perfect with a high fill. Such is the gamble that is wine.
Flight 20 - Day 3 - Nightcap (1 Note)
This was opened late evening on the last day. Perhaps a bit of a waste, but I did have the opportunity to follow it over the subsequent days, and have to say it was quite spectacular. Such a pleasant surprise, and while I've read great things about the 71 vintage for Sauternes, this was a chance to experience it firsthand.
2018 Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc 89 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur
(6/30/2023)
First warm-up wine of the weekend before everyone arrived, sipped on the dock while going for a swim. This pours light straw in the glass. The nose is fresh and airy with the fruit very green apple and lime driven augmented with notes of pool toy, white peach, and slate. The palate enters on white peach, quickly turning to high, sour acid with significant green apple and lime notes. The finish closes on quite green tinged acid. Perhaps a vague hint of RS. All in all I found this quite riesling-like with the very high green tinged acid and seemingly a pinch of RS. Not my personal preferred style of Loire Chenin Blanc, but I can fully understand and appreciate why others love it. Perfectly serviceable stuff.
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2002 Union Champagne de Saint Gall Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Orpale Blanc de Blancs 94 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
(6/30/2023)
From magnum. This pours light gold in the glass. The nose is lovely showing a very traditional rich and autolytic prototypical 'tete de cuvee' profile. One I am personally very fond of. High complexity and moderate intensity, the nose is of yeasty bread dough, lemon zest, earthy burlap, cardamom, and just a touch of toffee. The palate is immaculately balanced with creamy mousse, medium plus, precise acid, dosage which feels like 5 or 6 g/l, and the finish while a bit sour showing some green fruit also replays the richness of the nose. Others didn't like this as much as me, finding the dosage and richness to be too dominant, but for me this was squarely in my wheelhouse and just lovely.
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2018 François Raveneau Petit Chablis 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Petit Chablis
(6/30/2023)
From magnum which I believe is the only way this is bottled. This pours light gold in the glass. The nose is exprssive and shows the classic Raveneau profile of waxy lemon, earthy soil, dried lemon peel, fresh crisp pear, sea spray, and light touches of mixed brown spice. The palate is bright and precise with a lovely mixture of crisp orchard fruit and a nice chalky and waxy, texture. Just really pretty stuff and a good glimpse of the Raveneau house style.
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2019 Fletcher Barbaresco Recta Pete 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
(6/30/2023)
This pours a gorgeous super light ruby in the glass. Overall there is an immediate impression of a lifted, floral, and elegant style and while not really all that complex, the profile is hugely appealing. The nose is of rose petals, red cherry, perfume, fresh rosemary, earthy tar, perfume, and black truffle. The palate enters on very pure red fruit also recalling some of the perfumey notes of the nose. It is youthfully structured with fine grained medium plus tannin and medium plus acid. The finish is clipped a touch by the youthful astringency. All in all this is super classic stuff. Really pretty, and very impressed with what I'm tasting here. Almost 93
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