WTN: 1998 Guigal "La Mouline" & 2005 Clos Pepe Estate PN

1998 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (5/31/2008)
Open for about 2 hours and then decanted for 1 hour. Enjoyed over another hour while we ate. Sharp contrast the Clos Pepe Estate but a fun contrast. The Mouline has tremendous structure and still needs some age. The fruit is on the ripe side but pretty well covered by earth and leather. It is still austere. I would have liked it more if everything was a little more clean but although nothing is off here. My assumption is that time will even things out. Even with the ripe fruit this is still very much a food wine.

2005 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills (5/31/2008)
So I opened this and poured a small glass and then let the bottle sit. I was having company for dinner so I went off to cook. Turns out our guest brought a bottle of wine they wanted to try so I re-corked this baby. So my note is from the next evening. Just a note from memory. The aromatics were powerful and primary. Lots of berries with a small touch of smoke. The palate was ripe and fruity. The wine is still so primary. Tons of fruit yet not out of balance. The wine cut right through with our meal and the acid gave it a lingering finish. Very nice. Everyone at the table enjoyed this. Works well now if you like big fruit. I am going to let my bottles rest as I think this wine will integrate and be more interesting with another 3-5 years of bottle time.

Peace,

Jason

That's interesting. I'm not complaining!! I rarely see such an interesting juxtaposition of bottles that aren't chosen specifically for their differences. Or perhaps I'm underestimating your infinite resource and sagacity?

Here we have wines that are made from different varieties of grapes, a third of the world apart, seven years apart in vintage and vastly different in both bottle age and that which many experts (among whom I do not count myself) consider vastly different in potential -- even if they've never even tasted these particular wines.

And they were treated quite a bit differently after opening.

Yet both notes referred to a thoroughly enjoyable wine and both of them made me wish I had some of that!

Jason, could you try to expand on what you mean by "clean"? Was it the earth and leather that detracted from cleanliness?
(BTW, I had a Cote-Rotie in France, 5 years ago, that was so "unclean" that it was hard to get past my nose. Once I managed that, though, the taste was a bit warm, and the texture syrupy, and the finish long and (may I say?) clean. The nose was like shoveling shit. Sorry, there's no better description. But the finish was like a walk through woods with blackberries ripe in August.

John

That's interesting. I'm not complaining!! I rarely see such an interesting juxtaposition of bottles that aren't chosen specifically for their differences. Or perhaps I'm underestimating your infinite resource and sagacity?

More necessity. The Clos Pepe wasn't in the plan ... but it needed to be drank ... so we did have this interesting contrast and something to please everyone ... or for weirdos like me ... I like both. But under normal circumstances, I probably would not serve them together ... or at least not with the same course.

And they were treated quite a bit differently after opening.

Again ... not really part of the plan.

Jason, could you try to expand on what you mean by "clean"? Was it the earth and leather that detracted from cleanliness?

Probably a bad choice of words as it may imply "brett" or something off. My thought is that the wine was a bit shut down so the earthy elements did come across smooth and pure as they often do. It was kind of rough across the palate. Not sure if that make sense. My opinion is that the wine is just fine but needs to sleep longer.

Not sure if I made things more muddled

Anyway, as you said "Yet both notes referred to a thoroughly enjoyable wine and both of them made me wish I had some of that!" ... that is what really matters.

Cheers!

"Kind of rough across the palate."

Ok, I can see that. Enjoy!

John

Jason, I just looked at the Clos Pepe web page and see that the MSRP on their Estate 2005 pinot is $53 and at that price, I can see why it needed drinking. Can you tell me what you paid for it if you did indeed buy at retail? I suspect that I will have difficulty paying that much even for a single vineyard pinot. Thanks for the report.

Jason, I just looked at the Clos Pepe web page and see that the MSRP on their Estate 2005 pinot is $53 and at that price, I can see why it needed drinking. Can you tell me what you paid for it if you did indeed buy at retail? I suspect that I will have difficulty paying that much even for a single vineyard pinot. Thanks for the report.

For the list members it is around $45. Not cheap ... but if you like SRH pinot, it is one of the best. But if Cali pinot or SRH pinot is not your thing ...

Best,
Jason

Oh ... in case you noticed the wine-makers name ... we are not related.

J