2005 Château de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Vigne Blanche ([Chardonnay], Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France) 13.3% – my first approach to this wine did not impress, candy and oak, lots of things moving around, not settled and not that impressive, but, oh, did it blossom, after the less-than-thrilling intro (good color, pleasant smells, disjointed on palate), I dove into enjoying it with herb and garlic-roasted chicken and potatoes, first, I must say the chicken and potatoes were among the most amazing I have ever had the opportunity to enjoy—it is amazing what one can do at home, the wine experienced three distinct phases when paired with this wonderful food: first, a bit of tartness as the pleasant light acidity of the wine cleansed the oils from the food off my tongue and refreshed my palate, second, an almost-too-much dose of candied tangerine and butterscotch danced on the tongue, very pleasant even though I’m not sure that is exactly my thing, third the finish of long lasting and interesting savory spices recalling the taste of the food comes in, this was a phenomenal experience with an already incredible meal—so I didn’t save much for after dinner, but, what I did was far more impressive than it first had been: plenty of oak and butter, but also some greener fruits, felt very alive and changing as I drank, some elements of herbs and fennel, refreshing yet sweet at times, candied yet some sophisticated spices, a divine wine I enjoyed immensely, a splurge at 39 euro, but absolutely worth it for me, even though I don’t think the candied and oak elements are my preferred style, here, in this context, they were charming
2002 Reininger Walla Walla Valley Mr. Owl's Red (Walla Walla Valley, Columbia Valley, Washington, USA) 14.2% – appears medium dark purple, little orange rind, quite viscous, smell very warm fruit, warm toast rich, dripping in fruit, background herbs, taste thick on tongue, not intense flavor, bit reserved, spice fades in cocoa, coffee, tart coolness, but tons and tons of spice and oak on finish quite parching, I left it for a day to see if it would integrate better, got more vegetal (indeed rather like that point when vegetables are so fresh and bursting with juiciness and flavor that they are so sweet to almost be fruit) which I enjoyed immensely and found delicious, but alas, pairing it with a superb steak did more harm than good (wine was hot and burnt oak was main impression), and even alone the parching finish really detracted from my enjoyment of the wine even on the second day, does it need more time to integrate? $27 for the bottle and the flavors in there were immensely enjoyable (especially the second day) but the finish was not--wondering if it needed more time on that front, certainly an additional day did not help. From producer: 91 percent merlot, 5 percent cabernet sauvignon, 2 percent syrah, 1 percent cabernet franc, 0.5 percent carmenere, 0.5 percent sangiovese