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A Friday Afternoon at Domaine

Domaine Wine Storage, Chicago IL

Tasted July 6, 2012 by KeithAkers with 536 views

Introduction

The general theme for this one was austrian whites and beaujolais. I didn't get to much of the beaujolais and instead focused on the austrian wines.

Flight 1 (14 notes)

White
2009 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Clisson France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
90 points
nose: very aromatic with nice depth and fresh tones of crushed rocks, melons, white fruits, white florals and a good amount of pears.

taste: light bodied with a really good feel. Medium+ acidity that is more crisp than it is biting with tones of crushed rocks, white fruits, and pears.

overall: This was a really good muscadet. I was wanting slightly more acidity, but the aromatics were really good and there was nice depth on both the nose and palate.
White
2005 Jean Bourdy Savagnin Côtes du Jura France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
92 points
nose: utterly evocative and nearly perplexing nose of navel oranges, butterscotch, spice tones, pears and some sherry tones as well. Very good depth with a very aromatic quality to the nose.

taste: full bodied with some very noticeable tart medium+ acidity. There is a good polished feel to this as well with tones of navel oranges, butterscotch, pears, and sherry tones.

overall: This wine was almost confusing as it was interesting. But, it was confusing in a good way as it was hard to fully pick out everything that was going on. Easily one of the more unique wine experiences I've had and one I look forward to again.
White
2007 Prager Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
92 points
nose: succulent and aromatic nose of white fruits, pears, loads of florals, oils, and a good dose of minerals. Very well balanced with good depth, but it does seem like it's wound a bit tight.

taste: full bodied with noticeable medium/high acidity and tones of white fruits, minerals, oils, and pears with a touch of apples as well. Very good depth with the acidity showing off the youthful structure.

overall: This was young, but still a wonderful riesling. This really could use some time to trim the fat and let it fully bloom. The structure is there and there is a lot to like about it.
White
2009 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Dürnsteiner Hollerin Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
91 points
nose: fresh and aromatic nose with tones of lemon zest, minerals, pears, white peaches and floral tones. Good complexity but lacking some depth.

taste: full bodied with medium+ acidity that is somewhat sharp, but not too overpowering. It does seem like it's holding back a slight bit on the palate with tones of lemon zest, minerals, pears and white peaches.

overall: this was a really good fx pichler. Balanced, but it was lacking some depth on both the nose and palate. This could definitely use some sleep time to fully show itself.
White
2006 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
88 points
nose: balanced and citrus based nose of pears, peaches, tropical citrus and mineral tones. Not too much depth either

taste: medium bodied with medium+ acidity and balanced tones of pears, minerals, and peaches. Lacking on both the mid and finish as well.

overall: I doubt this needs more time. Just didn't seem like it will fully come together on the palate as it is lacking depth on both the palate and nose. Still, it's a very good riesling that is enjoyable with good balance to it.
White
2007 Prager Riesling Smaragd Klaus Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
91 points
nose: pristine aromatics with focused tones of pears, white fruits, mineral tones and a lot of apples. Nice depth with good balance as well.

taste: Medium/full bodied with medium acidity. Balanced with nice depth and tones of pears, white fruits, peaches, and minerals.

overall: This was really good. Well balanced with good depth on both the nose and palate. This seemed to be in full form as there was a nice roundness to the tones and the acidity being in nice balance.
White - Off-dry
2004 Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Spätlese Germany, Nahe
93 points
nose: deep and aromatic nose filled with tones of green apples, figs, pears, white fruits and a lot of white peaches as well. There is nice layering to it as well though there is still youth to the tones too.

taste: Medium/full bodied with medium+ acidity. Plush and succulent with tones of green apples, figs, pears and loads of white peaches. Very suave and polished with the acidity being noticeable.

overall: This was great from the get go. Once it fully opened up it really blossomed and showed itself to be a lovely riesling. Still had some youth to it, but was showing the class that some age can bring.
White
2002 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Loibner Berg Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
flawed
badly corked
Red
2001 Château La Mission Haut-Brion France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
I don't know what was up with this bottle. It just didn't seem like any la mish that I had ever had. It was completely blunted by oak on both the nose and palate with any other tones being muted. This was in a decanter, but I don't know how much air it had (though I did get to the tasting after many wines had been opened for 2 hours).
Red
2001 Château Montrose France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
92 points
nose: very horsey right off the bat, but does unwind into tones of cedar, tobacco, spice box, dark red cherries, and cassis tones. Excellent depth, though it is wound up a bit tight.

taste: full bodied with rough and coarse tannins along with medium acidity. Certainly shows off it's youth, but has some great tones of cassis, tobacco, cedar, and dark red cherries. Very good depth underneath the tannins right now.

overall: Still quite young. It's class is starting to show, but this could easily use another 5 years. This does have the power that one expects from montrose, but it isn't that large scaled of a wine.
Red
2001 Château Cantenac Brown France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
90 points
nose: elegant nose with tones of saddle leather, dark red cherries, floral tones, and cranberries. Balanced, but lacking some depth.

taste: medium bodied with medium acidity and nice supporting tannins. Very good balance to it with tones of cassis, cedar, saddle leather and dark red cherries. Also lacking some depth on the palate, but does come off as refined.

overall: This was a very nice margaux. Shows off a more refined style to it but does lack some depth on both the nose and palate. This was coming off as being into it's maturity and is a nice mid-term bordeaux.
Red
2009 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
91 points
nose: very aromatic and berry driven with tones of red fruits, roses, perfumes, red berries and some varied floral tones as well. Very good depth with a nice plump quality on the nose as well.

taste: Pretty and silky medium body with noticeable medium/high acidity. Very silky with a good red fruit core along with tones of roses, red cherries, berries and red fruits.

overall: A very well balanced and really damn good morgon. This could use some more time for extra depth and layering, but is certainly lovely right now with some air
White - Sweet/Dessert
2002 Alois Kracher Chardonnay TBA #9 Nouvelle Vague Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee
91 points
nose: nice polished and succulent nose with tones of caramel, red apples, pears, and nectarines. Good depth, but the tones aren't very complex.

taste: full bodied with medium acidity. Well balanced with good tones of caramel, red apples, and nectarines. There is good depth as well with some polish to the tones too.

overall: this was a quality kracher. This felt like it was hitting it's stride as there was good polish and roundness to the tones. It isn't a great kracher, but very enjoyable right now.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2006 Weingut Knoll Riesling Beerenauslese Loibner Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
92 points
nose: well balanced and aromatic nose of white fruits, nectarines, apples, and pears. Very good depth on the nose as well.

taste: very well balanced medium/full with medium acidity and fresh tones of white fruits, nectarines, and apples. Good depth to this as well, but it's lacking just a slight bit.

overall: very enjoyable. This had real good balance on both the nose and palate. Wasn't as heavy as I would expect, but it wasn't light on it's feet either. This possibly could use some more time to fully round into form, but had a nice youthful take to it

Closing

It was insanely hot out. One of the hotter days of an insanely hot summer, but the wines made it bearable. There was a lot of wine and I got there later, so I missed out on getting to all of them. Still, there were a lot of good wines to work with.

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