Hochar Père et Fils Blanc 2003
Dried flowers (like hawthorn) and honey on the nose. Slightly oxidative but not going too far either. The nose is actually quite like a red wine with almost almond/cherryish aromas. The palate is minerally and even a bit sanguineous, has high acidity and quite some tannin for a white. This really is like a red wine disguised as a white wine. I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about it on its own but, as expected, with food (BBQ pork ribs and a cold salad of griddled Med veg) it was very enjoyable.
I’m not much of a Loire Cab Franc fan, but over the last year I’ve been trying to see the light. Last week I had Catherine et Pascal Avril’s Chinon Champ du Pin 2000 – the nose was nice but the palate disappointed a bit. Joguet a good rep so I thought I’d try something of theirs this week. I’ve had Joguet’s Clos De La Dioterie (1999, which grew on me as I drank it) and La Cure (2004, which I didn’t think much of in comparison) before but decided to go for something at the lower end of the range this time.
The Joguet Chinon Cuvee Terroir 2002 has a pale medium red colour. The nose shows aromas of mushroom, dry wood (lying in a forest), forest floor (decomposing leaves), tomato, and a slightly animally note too. It smells a lot like Scottish undergrowth! There’s not much fruit here (not a negative IMO) - maybe something light and red but not exactly redcurrant. It really has a lovely nose; almost Burgundian in style. The palate is light and very smooth – the tannins are all resolved – with a lovely mouthfeel, and a kind of acidity that’s soft on the mid-palate but seems to freshen up in the finish a bit. The more I drink it, the more I like it! It occurs to me that I can really enjoy Loire Cab Franc, as long as the wine isn’t too herbaceous and it has some complexity on it due to age. The tannins (in the Avril and this) are so beautifully fine and resolved too.
Ying Kee Tea House (Hong Kong) Special Old Pu-erh Cake
Brewed at ~95 C for about 3 mins, with at least a ritual pre-rinse (even if not the whole Gongfu job).
A lovely rich medium-brown colour. It smells umami (I realise that doesn't technically make sense so maybe "light chicken broth" or "light-soy sauced stir fried pork" would be clearer - except that it's not really that "meaty" either), and is almost bready too. This is not exactly earth/damp-leaf orientated Pu-erh, though there is something vaguely dark-leafy/barky underneath too. On the palate it's fantastically smooth. Actually, the tannins are astoundingly smooth and plentiful and it occurs to me there's a parallel here to what many look for in big red wines these days. Next to no bitterness either - well just enough in the finish to keep it interesting. It's full and rich in the mouth, and warmingly mellow, with a pleasantly iodine-like earthy finish. Fantastic.