JD Friday Wine Group Hosting

City Club had a flood, so we had to scramble to find an alternative location. Thankful for friends who helped make connections, and got us in at the Modern.

All wines served double blind.

General Theme was Tesseron's Biodynamic Era

Champagne or not? Really no clues given here, other than this bottle sort of went with the whites them - of grapes we don't often drink. This champagne uses mostly the unknown grapes of Champagne.

Served with Truffle Fries

• NV Perseval Farge Champagne Premier Cru Les Goulats Brut Nature

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  Beautiful bubbles, really fruit forward with loads of green apple. Refreshing with the slightest hint of oxidative style. Served it blind and most thought it was not champagne, because it was so fruit forward. I thought it was delicious and complex, with just the right amount of sweetness, and did change in the glass as it warmed. Went amazing with truffle fries.

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Theme here was white wines we don't often drink.

Smoked Salmon Brioche Toast, Caviar, Cured Egg Yolk, Dill Creme Fraiche

Herb-Crusted Halibut, Charred Cauliini, Carrot-Ginger Puree, Blood Orange

• 2020 Jean-Claude Ramonet Bouzeron

  France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Bouzeron

  Clear in the glass, with a slightly reductive nose, but in a good way. Gave a complexity to the wine. Tons of acid, and some stone fruit plus lemon. Tasty and went really well with the first course at dinner. Has some time left in the bottle. No one went to Burgundy when guessing - a few thought a semillon.

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• 2019 Alban Vineyards Viognier Alban Estate Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

  Fairly deep gold in the glass, especially next to the aligote. Nose of orange peel, oak, and alcohol. This wine was really big and rich following the high acid Bouzeron. I couldn’t get past the heat when drinking without food and thought it was a little clunky, but with the halibut, it was delicious. Most at the table though pegged this one as their favorite white.

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• 2022 Fattoria della Talosa Pietrose Bianco

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Wow this one was fun. A bottle we brought back from Italy. The tasting room/winery was in downtown Montepulciano, and had a long, really deep cellar under the town. Was a great find that we stumbled on while waiting for dinner. The wine is a blend of several grapes (I think) and had a bit of skin contact judging from the color. More of an orange wine style, but barely. It was really beautiful in the glass. Floral nose, which makes me think the Traminer was the predominant variety. It was really balanced, mostly dry, and quite aromatic. A really fun and delicious wine.

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Clue given here was that this was a consecutive vertical of one wine - except for one vintage that I didn't have, where I substituted a wine I thought was similar.

Rohan Duck Breast, Polenta, Blackberry, Thumbelina Carrots & Baby Turnips, Fig Duck Jus

• 2006 Château Pontet-Canet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  I had this one not long ago, with just a quick splash decant. It was a little rough then. But this bottle had some time in the decanter and more slow ox, and showed really well. Fruit forward, integrated tannins, and barely a hint of its age. Most guessed it was a 20 year old Napa cab.

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• 2007 Cain Vineyard & Winery Cain Five

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District

  This bottle took the place of the 2007 Pontet Canet I didn’t have. It was a great fill in, and no one picked it as the outlier. The nose on this bottle worried me at first - almost a corked nose, but that seemed to blow off in the glass. I didn’t notice it when I tasted in the morning, but did when I smelled at dinner. The flavor wasn’t as good as I remember either. I think the bottle was a little off, but in the middle of the lineup, not enough to be noticed. But the wine was not necessarily noticeable either.

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• 2008 Château Pontet-Canet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  This wine has a lot of time left. The bottle spent time in the decanter and was open with the cork loosely in the bottle for most of the day, and it showed as fresh as could be. Tannins still evident, but not cumbersome, and lots of fruit. Really no tertiary. Tasty, but a bit hidden in the middle of the lineup.

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• 2009 Château Pontet-Canet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  This wine is strange to me. I had it blind a few weeks ago, and called it a Syrah. It is so big and jumbled right now. It has some clear markers of Bordeaux, but disjointed tannins and big burly fruit. This is a hold for a long time. This bottle was decanted for over an hour then slow ox with a loose cork all day.

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• 2010 Château Pontet-Canet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  When I first had this 4 years ago, it was a top 10, and maybe top 5 wine for me. This bottle kept it at least in the top 10. Was open all day with a decant, back in the bottle, then time in the glass. It can handle and needs that air time right now. But with it, the tannins are perfectly integrated, and fruit is smooth and delicious. This wine has a long life ahead, but with lots of air, is also good now.

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Peach Crostata, Ricotta, Granola, Whey Caramel, Yuzu Whipped Cream Fraiche

• 2005 Château Coutet Barsac

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  Light gold in the glass, did not drink like it was 20 years old. Very fresh, lots of apricot, honey, stone fruit. Went really well with the dessert.

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A fun time, with delicious food and wine. The vertical was really fun, and interesting to tasted the differences in Bordeaux vintages. And the Cain Five really did fit in.