Dinner with Andrew and Elena
Columbus, OH
Tasted December 16, 2005 by psmith with 883 views
Introduction
Jen and I got together tonight with our friends Andrew and Elena. Andrew and I drink together once a month or so, and always find some unusual and interesting wines, occasionally even good ones. No exceptions tonight.
Flight 1 (1 note)
We had some cooking to do before the guests arrived, and wanted some wine to enjoy with it. Dagueneau is always good, though this one was really too young.
White
2003 Didier Dagueneau Silex
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé
Stern, mineral-laden nose, with an unsweetend grapefruit juice-like quality. Frightfully acidic on the palate, austere and youthful with a bit of spritz. Will, of course, last and tone down - despite the vintage not lacking in acid at all. A characteristic viscous undercurrent here, presumably from Dagueneau's oak treatment.
Flight 2 (3 notes)
We had something of a viognier battle planned during the pre-meal snacks. I fully expected the Chateu-Grillet to be little more than an experiment while the Rostaing should have been wonderful. Not really the way it worked out. Apparently '84 was a particularly high acid vintage for Chateau-Grillet which might have contributed to the longevity of this one. The Ramonet was enjoyed while the others chilled a bit, though the Chateau-Grillet was definitely better at room temperature.
White
2001 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumées
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Creamy, while still quite acidic, with clear oak influence along with lemon curd and pure wintergreen notes. Quite austere on the palate, more than other bottles of this I've enjoyed, with lots of '01 acid and good minerallity.
White
1984 Château-Grillet (Neyret-Gachet) Château-Grillet
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Château-Grillet
Very young looking by color. A bit musty and acetic, with a distinct pine resin note on the nose and some odd, almost autolysis notes. Little if any viognier character, a bit honeyed in a chenin blanc sort of way with a mineral backbone. Full of acid, and changes little in the glass over several hours. Interesting.
White
2003 Rene Rostaing Condrieu La Bonnette
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu
Characteristically bright, perfumed, and like crushed flowers on the nose; however, like mineral water on the palate - really spritzy and not at all enjoyable. Simply not good. Didn't blow off after several hours. If the "follow the nose" adage is to be believed this has potential, otherwise, really disappointing.
Flight 3 (4 notes)
Good wines all around here, enjoyed with lamb rib chops and wild mushroom risotto. The Pepe in particular benefited from food. The Clos des Papes and Chambertin were served with cheeses afterwards.
Red
1977 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Like brandy-macerated black cherries on the nose. Dusty and with plenty of Italian character but also has a Rioja-like quality. Quite acidic with some more volatile notes which don't necessarily detract from the class this shows.
Red
1988 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Plenty of Pomerol character on the nose, some tobacco, plum, and dark chocolate qualities. A bit green and under-ripe. Coarsely tannic in the mold of the vintage. Enjoyable but nothing special here.
Red
2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Cherry liqueur on the nose, where it comes across as quite robust and shows some alcohol. Darker, black cherry notes on the palate. It does remind me a lot of a Clarendon Hills grenache. Focused and clean if a bit monolithic. Fine tannins, low acid, and some overt heat. Tasty.
Red
2000 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
Classy, masculine black cherry and sappy strawberry notes on the nose. Darker, and quite austere on the palate - harder to get a grasp on. Weighty and textured, plenty of character with coarser tannin. Good for years.
Flight 4 (2 notes)
The desert course consisted of a pear torte of some kind, some dates, and a couple (or at least one) Tokaji. A really interesting flight, with lots of history in the old Monimpex.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1996 Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Tokaji Stanza III
Hungary, Tokaji
Pure botrytis on the nose - a distinct orange marmalade character. Initially quite spongy on the palate, but hideously sweet, like drinking honey with motor oil consistency. Balanced, I suppose. Finishes long, with mouth-gripping intensity, but not particularly complex, just intense. A fine enough sip, but not really wine. No rating.
Closing
Great wines, lots of fun.
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