Cru Bourgeois Tasting 26 November 2018

Cru Bourgeois

November 26, 2018

George Erdle and Robert Rostan

"Pinot From Around the World"

Whites

2014 Meursault Blagny - Louis Latour 1er Cru

2016 Soave Corte Sant Alda

2010 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne

2013 Kistler Chardonnay Cuvee Cathleen Kistler Vineyard

First Flight - George Erdle

1) 2015 Rene Cacheaux Les Champs d'Argent 

2) 2015 Gabriel Tortochot - Gevrey Chambertin "Les Corvees"

3) 2013 Felton Road - "Calvert"

4) 2015 Domaine Bart Marsannay Les Ouzeloy (favorite)

5) 2014 Escarpment Te Rehua (2nd favorite)

6) 2014 Burn Cottage - Burn Cottage Vineyard

Second Flight - Robert Rostan

1) 2003 Roco: Private Stash

2) 2006 Kosta Browne (2nd favorite)

3) 2008 Archery Summit: Arcus Estate

4) 2009 Kistler Cuvee - Catherine Occidental Station Vineyard

5) 2011 Martinelli - Blue Slide Ridge (favorite)

6) 2012 Cirq - Treehouse

2015 Chateau de Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône Les Deux Albion

Double decanted and enjoyed over a couple of days. Some fine grained sediment. (14.5% abv) 

Reflects the fine structure of the 2015 vintage. Raised in a combination of wooden vats and concrete tanks. Whole cluster Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre (and a dollop of Clairette contributes a nice lift to the blend). 

Attractive violet and garrigue on the nose. Peppery ripe raspberry palate with a hint of marmalade on a mildly tannic finsh. This has a couple of years yet till peak.

At less than $25, a solid value and an exciting interpretation of Côtes du Rhône from the inimitable Louis Barruol.

Paired nicely with grilled rack of lamb.

2017 Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Spätlese

I am way too much of Mosel novice to offer an adequate appraisal of this wine, so I'll let The Mosel Report provide some background...

Cracked this puppy too young, but , holy smokes what a stunner !🥂 There is some kind of feinherb thing in the piquant nose that is fascinating.  Incredibly savory salinity on the palate,  yet overall remarkably balanced at this youthful stage...

-------(sourced below from The Mosel Report )------

2017er Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Spätlese

 AP 06 18  

rating  95 pts 

The 2017er Euchariusberg Spätlese (known internally as the “Klaus Lang” cask) comes from fruit harvested at 92° Oechsle in the prime Gross Schock sector of the vineyard and was fermented down to 65 g/l of residual sugar. This offers a gorgeous nose of pineapple, apple, coconut, pear and herbs. The wine develops the delicate presence of a light and creamy Auslese on the palate and leaves a comparatively dry and elegant feel in the long finish with almost Kabinett-like focus. This is a stunning Spätlese in the making. 2027-2042 

-------

Notes from The Mosel Report on Falkenstein in 2017 vintage:

"...The Webers are quite upbeat about their 2017s: “We would have loved to have more wine of this quality. The wines are elegant, with the depth of the 2015s and the acidity of the 2013s. In many ways, they remind me of the 1971s and 1973s in the Saar. While 2016 was dramatic, with much pressure from diseases, the 2017s were easy … except for the late frost at the end of April, which costed us 40% of our yields. Fortunately, the remainder of the season was quite fine. We started our harvest extremely early, on September 23. This sounds like southern Europe but that was how the weather turned out to be. We finished on October 11. The quality of the fruit was great. There was nothing with less than 80° Oechsle. Despite the dramatic losses of yields, we were able to not only produce our usual portfolio, but we even added some casks from newly acquired vineyards and by bottling casks ourselves which we had sold to the trade so far.”  The Estate was able to produce its usual portfolio of wines, with the exception of the Euchariusberg Kabinett AP 13, which was not produced due to low yields. The Estate has added a new vineyard situated in a prime, south-facing part of the Niedermenniger Sonnenberg called im Kleinschock, which delivered a fruity Kabinett in 2017. It also added another cask of Niedermenniger Herrenberg Spätlese Feinherb (AP 23), whose fruit was sold so far to the local cooperative...."

"....What is there to say: We remained speechless in front of such a high quality collection. The wines may not have the ethereal lightness of 2016. The 2017er Falkenstein wines are, as at all Estates, denser. But they retain this utter finesse which has been the hallmark here since a few years now. The dry wines are stunningly pure, the off-dry wines as good as ever, the fruity ones deliciously zesty and the sweet Auslese a little beauty in the making. If we had to hint to “the finest among the finest”, we would draw our readers’ attention to the Estate’s two marvelous fruity Spätlese bottlings. But it would divert their attention from other beauties. Simply put, if you are in the luxury position to buy everything (the Webers told us that they start to get allocation headaches as they can no longer satisfy all demand), then buy everything. The wines are THAT impressive! ..."

2010 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert

13.5% abv... pop and pour... this took several hours to open up, shedding some of its youthful  tartness and showing a savory blackberry minerality, accented by coffee, anise and goudron notes. Attractive nose with hints of iodine and olive. There is a fair amount of tertiary development that makes for an interesting flavor profile. The tannins manifest an inner sweetness with extensive exposure to air (perhaps an influence of the older vines ?).  There is quite a bit of fine-grained sediment at the end of the bottle.

Not the last word in complexity but nice. There are echoes of the Jaboulet style found in the Hermitage La Chapelle cuvee...

A very tasty wine.... too good to have any left over for day two comparison.  :) 

Bravo to Jacques Desvernois, oenologist, and Caroline Frey, owner at Paul Jaboulet Aínê since 2006.

Here is a bit of background on this cru...

"...The Thalabert vineyard sits on the rocky plain of Les Chassis on the left bank of the Rhone River, sandwiched between Tain l’Hermitage to the north and Pont de l’Isere to the south. In a large appellation such as Crozes, the quality of terroir is heavily varied, with preferred sites found on the stone-heavy, less clay influenced sections of Les Chassis, close to the riverbed. This area is where many of the appellations top producers grow their vines, including the famed Alain Graillot. In his book ‘The Wines of the Northern Rhone’ Jonathan Livingston Learmonth describes the soil as “a gravel couch (20-30 meters of gravelly stones), with around half a meter of alluvial stones of Alpine origin on the surface.” It is this so-called “French drain” that sets Thalabert apart as the benchmark terroir in the southern Crozes-Hermitage...

• The first ever vineyard owned by Paul Jaboulet – purchased in 1834. Also holds the distinction as the oldest vineyard of the appellation. Considered the benchmark for Crozes-Hermitages with the ability to age for decades.

• 60-80 year old vines

• Biodynamically farmed

• Vines grown on pebbly terraces that are glacial in origin, with the bedrock close to the topsoil. These small, round pebbles store heat during the day and release it at night, providing optimum and regular maturity.

• Very low yields of 25 hl/ha

• Aged in French oak, 20% new

..."

2006 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva

Double decanted and aerated for 2 hours prior to dinner. One of my favorite wines from Italy. While the Radici normale is quite good, the Riserva takes it to another level in terms of elegance and complexity. 

100% Aglianico sourced exclusively from estate vineyards in Montemarano. Raised using a combination of larger Slavonian oak casks and French barrique. 

Supremely food friendly. Satisfying in a way that echoes great Burgundy. The nose exudes a soulful inner perfume with an irresistible melange of dried flowers and sous bois. Vibrant red berry on the palate complemented by nuances of anise and tobacco. Just starting to manifest some tertiary character, accented by savory balsamic influence. 

Paired with lobster bisque first course and grilled bone-in Berkshire pork chop main course. 

AG penned an outstanding article a few years ago on Mastroberardino...

https://www.vinous.com/articles/mastroberardino-defining-the-greatness-of-taurasi-1928-2006-dec-2013

2007 Ulises Valdez Pinot Noir Lancel Creek Vineyard (Russian River Valley)

Very nice to enjoy this in remembance of Mr. Valdez, a fine gentleman and contributor to so many great wines through his renowned vineyard management skills.

A big wine made from Pommard and 777 clones. Slow-o'd for half day. Dark in color with robust black fruit. Intense but not overbearing. Food friendly acidity. Just hinting at tertiary stage of development with interesting melange of forest floor and spice. This is a wine that will hit its peak in another 5 years possibly and easily show well for another 10 to 15 years. 

If I were to draw an analogy,  think of Rochioli on steroids. Not as finessed but lovely Russian River pedigree. 

Sturdy enough to stand up to a spicy Shrimp Creole dish. 

2014 Varner Pinot Noir Spring Ridge Vineyard Picnic Block

Double decanted and aerated for an hour. Drinking well from the start and opened up nicely over the course of the evening.  Smooth ,fine tannins make for a very approachable wine at this young stage.

 Aromatics are highly pleasing with a sous bois component that reminds me of a fine Volnay. Savory red fruit , tobacco, and forest floor. No angular edges on this one. There are intriguing  hints of complexity that will continue to develop. 

I like what Bob and Jim Varner have accomplished with both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Santa Cruz Mtns. Their Chardonnays have reminded me of a fine Meursault on occasion. 

2008 Produttori del Barbaresco Muncagota Riserva

This was a beautiful showing from the start. Double decanted and aerated for a couple of hours prior to rebottling and serving with dinner (home made mushroom and pancetta pizza with scratch made dough). Minimal sediment. While this is at the beginning of its drinking window, it is worth opening a bottle now if you have several. Will develop additional savory tertiary components in another 3 to 5 years. 

Full bodied strikingly pure black fruits with enchanting flower, truffle-y tar, anise and leather elements. Just a mouthful of delicious fruit right now that exhibits the best of traditional winemaking. A wine that is just entering a contemplative phase. It develops over the evening providing fascinating glimpses of what is to come. 

Notes from the website on the vineyard...

VINEYARD
MUNCAGOTA

Vineyard size: 4.5 ha (11 acres)
Exposure: South East
Elevation: 250 - 300 meters (820 – 980 feet)
Vineyard Owners: Bellora, Lignana, Viglino.

This single vineyard looks South/East, facing the cooler morning sunshine instead of the warmer afternoon sun. Because of that, the Muncagota vineyard shows beautiful floral characteristics and often a specific mint character on the nose. Calcareous soil and a low level of sand gives to the wines of Muncagota extremely focused fruit and firm, stylish tannin. Muncagota is a perfect example of the elegant and intense qualities that make Barbaresco one of the most interesting and unique wines of the world. First produced by Produttori del Barbaresco, as Moccagatta, in 1967. Muncagota is the piedmontese dialect version of the word Moccagatta, same vineyard, different spelling.