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Steve Sigmond's 50th Birthday
Minneapolis, MN
Tasted November 6, 2021 by Eric with 210 views
Introduction
A group of four of us from the Eastside (of Seattle) Tasting Group made the pilgrimage out to Minneapolis to fete Steve on his 50th. This was night 2, just a small affair with the ESTG members present. A perfect Provencale braise accompanied by mushrooms, potatoes, salad and a lovely Bundt cake for dessert.
Flight 1 (3 notes)
With delicious gougeres and crostini/cucumber with salmon and cream, yum, thanks Candy!!!
White
2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes
Mmmm, smoky and mineral on a pungent nose moving to an INCREDIBLY salty palate. Just pure mineral and steel, almost unyielding in is lovely precision.
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White
2014 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ancegnières
Fortunately a bit softer and easier than the 2013 Chenevottes tasted just before. Quite mineral but nicely balanced with more citrus, a bit more round but still a laser of a wine.
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White - Sparkling
N.V. Jacques Selosse Initial
Mmm, Selosse, funky, freshly bloomed yeast on a palate that is young and explosive. CW suggests a certain marmalade character on the nose--not sure of that for me, but the citrus suggestion was a good one. Delicious and an absolute knockout with fresh, warm gougeres.
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Flight 2 (3 notes)
Steve's Beef Daube Provençal, roasted potato and onion, sauteed maitake mushrooms, and a delicious salad with lightly spiced delicata squash. Just the perfect way to enjoy Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Red
1999 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins
Classically Bonneau, rustic, seemingly quite mature with baked fig notes but also a purity of fruit that gained more energy and clarity the longer it aired in the glass.
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Red
2001 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins
Dark, brooding, smouldering intensity, Steve suggesting a certain soy character. And certainly this had a savory, umami personality that kept gaining weight and intensity as the night went on. Powerful, brooding, fascinating wine.
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Red
2001 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Mmmm, I loved this. Just the basic appellation wine from a fantastic vintage. This was screaming with precision and purity from the moment it hit the glass, cleaner and less weighty than the Celestins, less complicated, but also more direct and revealing. Just gorgeous.
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Flight 3 (3 notes)
And slowly continuing with the meal.
Red
2004 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve
Oh boy, Rayas, Rayas, Rayas. This has all of the white pepper, pine needle and searing cherry that I associate with this magical wine. It really is as if Burgundy was somehow transported to Châteauneuf-du-Pape or somehow Grenache were planted in a Burgundy vineyard. There is just nothing else like Rayas, and this was a textbook example. Remarkable.
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Red
2006 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve
Lighter in color than the 2004, more mature, less of the sharpness and precision yet also with more secondary, wandering, wafting notes of garrigue. The pale color belies the simultaneous power of the wine and the purity of the cherry-esque Grenache fruit. Also stunning.
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Red
2004 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée
It's not really possible to compare Pegau to Rayas, but I thought this held its own incredibly well. Laurence blended all of the white grapes into the Cuvee Reservee in 2004, and I have always found this to be an usually soaring, vibrant and energetic vintage of that wine. This was a perfect bottle with textbook garrigue and savory, bloody, plummy notes echoing on a peppery, vibrant and explosive palate. Delicious, absolutely delicious.
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Flight 4 (1 note)
A freshly made bundt cake, whipped cream and ginger/pear compote.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1988 Château Climens
Compared to some 2001 Rieussec and Suduiraut we had an evening earlier, THIS wine is what I like in Sauternes. Precise and clean, of course with a massive fireworks display of botrytis, apricot, shower curtain, sharp/peppery notes and absolutely no burned sugar or creme brulee character. As light and precise as this region can get.
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Closing
Such a joy to see our very-Eastern ESTG members in their home element on a wonderfully sunny and mild weekend.