Back in mid-July, good friends of ours invited a cast of characters to their home on a roasting hot day to sample our host's world-renowned smoked barbecue and all the fixins. This was our third annual event, and it has become a highlight of every summer. There were tons of wines on hand, including 2 Sparklers, 10 Whites, 11 Reds and ½ a Port.
Two Sparkling Wines:
N.V. Pol Roger Champagne Brut Reserve. This was from a magnum. I knew it was going to be a good day when, with our friend Ed leaning directly over the bottle, the cork suddenly and unexpectedly blew off and hit the underside of his baseball cap visor, bouncing harmlessly away. A big fountain of Champagne followed, but nobody was hurt—except the bottle, which was drained very quickly! The inviting nose shows crisp slate and apple skins up top, with nuttier, more poached fruit elements underneath. In the mouth, it has very good presence and overall lift, presenting a fresh, juicy profile that exhibits fine delineation and very precise balance. Poached pears, green apples, and peach pit flavors all take turns coming to the fore, with everything coming together on a lasting finish that shows just a hint of sweetness. This was a huge crowd favorite.
2000 Chateau Tour Grise Saumur Brut Non Dosé. This is darker colored than the Champagne and features aromas of honeycomb, light quince and old-fashioned ginger ale. Overall, though, the bouquet is a bit tight. In the mouth, it has a tight minerally lift to it, with flavors reminiscent of burnished copper, flat ginger ale, lime pith swirling around. I think this came across as not particularly elegant on the heels of the Pol Roger. I can’t say I loved this, but it was interesting and certainly a fun change of pace.
Ten White Wines :
2007 Erich & Maria Berger Grüner Veltliner Kremstal. This wine comes in a 1 Liter bottle, with a bottle cap stopper. The nose here exhibits some Sauvignon Blanc-like overtones, but also some chalk dust, lemon-lime zest and a hint of lemongrass. In the mouth, this wine is just totally gulpable! It is soft and totally approachable, but not flabby. It is gentle and easy-going, but totally fills the mouth with flavor and really keeps it pumping all the way through to the finish. The texture is approaching the creamy end of the spectrum, but it ends with a bit of a tighter-wound, tingly feel on the tongue. This was really enjoyable. A shockingly good QPR, and perfect for this kind of warm weather.
2005 Domaine Ostertag Riesling Grand Cru Muenchberg. It was really interesting to compare these two Rieslings from Ostertag. The Muenchberg has a very interesting aromatic profile composed of honey, orange blossom, nectarine and faint petrol scents. The wine has a clean entry and then just quickly fans out and fills all the crevices of the mouth with lush and creamy, yet not overly sweet fruits like nectarine, apricot, plum and white currants. There is also a petrol edge and some interesting mineral notes—all carried along by some pleasing tangy acidity. The finish is more on the dry side, bringing the whole package into fine relief. This was my white wine of the day and should be even better in a few years.
2005 Domaine Ostertag Riesling Grand Cru Fronholz. The nose of the Fronholz is a bit tighter, with lanolin, citronella and deisel fuel notes riding atop aromas of honeycomb, copper kettle and overripe mango. It is not as dense or filling in the mouth as its stable-mate, exhibiting a thinner and not as creamy profile that is just not quite as well stitched together. It comes across as younger and not as complete as the Muenchberg, with the acidity a bit disjointed at this time. For all that, there are the makings here of a fine wine, with plenty of pleasant flavors (pineapple, lime and quinine) that veer a bit to the sour side. It needs some time to come together more holistically.
2006 Geschwister Simon Riesling Ayer Kupp Kabinett Mosel Saar Ruwer. I find this wine a bit odd aromatically, with darker-toned scents of dark currants, dark Pez candies, wild honey and a slightly dirty dishwater note. It is better in the mouth, but hardly exciting. It offers some moderate sweetness, not a lot of density or depth, but some pleasing surface flavors of pear and delicious apple. It finishes clean and simple, but with sneaky persistence. It is ok, but not really inspiring or special.
2006 Karl Jostock - Thul & John Riesling Piesporter Treppchen Kabinett Mosel Saar Ruwer. This is tightly-coiled and not showing much on the nose, with perhaps some yellow and green pixie stick and fresh lime juice aromas. It is a bit sweeter than the previous wine, with more depth and a richer bottom note, and just a better all-around mouthfeel. Flavors of poached apple and soft baking spices are nicely textured. The finish is a bit too cloying and syrupy right now, however, so perhaps give this some short-term cellaring.
2004 Weingut Josef Leitz Riesling Rudesheimer Klosterlay Kabinett Rheingau. The cork and capsule showed signs of being a leaker, but the wine overall seemed fairly healthy. It pours with a tiny bit of fizz, but that seems to blow off relatively quickly. On the nose, it is intensely fruity, but also accents that with some slate and chalk dust aromas. In the mouth, it is solid, with reasonable density and a bright, amped-up, but finely-tuned sweetness that is tempered by good amounts of juicy acidity. The tingly finish is fresh and engaging, leaving an impression of a fun, sweeter-styled Kabinett with great vivacity.
2006 Meyer-Fonné Pinot Blanc Vieilles Vignes. The nose of this Alsatian Pinot Blanc is tight and not yet overtly expressive, giving some mild hints of peaches, white flowers and lime pith. It is gently oily on the palate, perhaps even waxy at times. It is soft and fleshy, with no hard edges whatsoever. Indeed, it could use more bracing acidity to freshen it up a bit. It features primarily tastes of pit fruits (seemingly including the pits themselves) and chalky quinine-tinged minerals, but the whole package is a bit too easy-going at this stage of the game. This might be another one to wait on for some short-term cellaring.
2004 Huët Vouvray Sec Le Mont. There is a lot of class showing on the nose of this beauty, with aromas of candle wax, lemon peel, complex minerality and just general funky Chenin Blanc characteristics. In the mouth, the attack is both bitter and sweet at the same time, opening up and rounding out through the fairly rich mid-palate that shows no hard edges, but fine structure. There are fresh grapefruit, earth, mineral and other interesting flavors that are persistent and lend a sense of character to this young wine. It is very good and ought to be put away for a while, but shows signs that it can rest comfortably without too much worry. This was my runner-up white wine of the day.
2005 Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard Home Block Santa Cruz Mountains. This must have been good as it was completely empty by the time I got to it. Gerry quite thoughtfully opened another bottle at his poker tasting a month later, so I’ll post on it at a later time.
2007 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough. When I finally saw this, I was thinking it was crazy to try and drink this after all these other whites, but it actually worked out well—serving as a very effective wake-up call to the olfactory senses and the taste buds. The nose here is classic NZ Sauvignon, with very fresh, very lively aromas of gooseberry, citrus and botanicals. It is quite refreshing and zippy in the mouth, and may be even a bit too razor-sharp for me to relax with it. Lemongrass, gooseberry and fresh melon flavor sensations are all packaged up in a racy but slightly jarring package that nonetheless is perfect for outdoor sipping on a hot day.
Eleven Red Wines:
2005 Dominique Piron Morgon Cote du Py. This was a great way to kick off the reds. I love the bouquet of this wine, which features all kinds of clean farmyard aromas, like saddle leather, dusty earth, clean horse stable, tobacco leaf, dark licorice and black currants. It is a bit too primary on the palate right now, with the fruit a bit too overt and obvious, but it clearly exhibits a lot of promise. Flavors of dark raspberries, black tea and dark licorice are framed by pretty big tannins that clamp down fairly hard on the drying finish. I suggest stocking up and checking in on it regularly over the next several years. It should just get better and better.
2003 Georges Dubœuf Juliénas Prestige. The nose of this Beaujolais, on the other hand is a bit clunky and obvious, with a lot of meaty dark fruit, spiced plum and dark tire rubber aromas. This sensation carries through to some degree on the palate, where this wine is a bit syrupy with crushed black cherry fruit. It features fine but abundant tannins really dry out the mouth, kicking in especially hard on the finish. It is far from elegant or charming at this stage, feeling a bit large-boned and rigidly-structured. Maybe time will be good to this?
2004 G.D. Vajra Barbera d’Alba. This wine is in a good place right now. The nose is really interesting and full, with aromas of fine raspberry-tinged cocoa powder, toasted herbs, grape stems, and a hint of creosote. It is very fresh in the mouth, but with fine density and presence. A big squirt of fine acidity carries it along and provides a sense of solid drive. Despite coming across as fresh, lively and pretty, it shows good structure for some short-term cellaring. Still, I would opt to drink this now and over the next year or two to enjoy its current charms.
2004 Chateau Montelena Zinfandel Estate Napa Valley. Another one that was gone before I had a chance to sample it.
1997 St. Francis Zinfandel Old Vines Sonoma County. I had threatened to bring this to both the inaugural and the second of these BBQ tasting events, and the third time was finally the charm. Upon pouring, this shows some browning (or at least bricking) at the rim, which made me a bit nervous. However, the bouquet of the wine just absolutely soars up out of the glass with crazy levels of complexity. First off are notes of deep rich crème de cassis, soft earthy dust, red currants, brown sugar, American oak overtones, peppermint dust and a sort of VA-tinged toasted caramel. Later, there are aromas of cloves and incense, cinnamon and gingerbread. Fun stuff! In the mouth, it has a pleasant sweetness to the warm, slightly roasted red fruits and toasted marshmallow flavors. The tannins are largely resolved, but there are tons of toasted spices that seem to tickle the tongue a bit. For all that, the wine still tastes fresh and vibrant and reasonably balanced, with lots of character. Drink now and enjoy.
2004 Alesia Syrah Chileno Valley Sonoma Coast. Now, for something completely different… This wine offers up a very savory and raw-edged nose full of roast beef, pan drippings, bacon fat and shepherd’s pie aromas. It is fleshy and layered in the mouth, with primary red fruits leading the way. It is on the dry side and overall is drinking pretty well, though I probably wouldn’t want more than a single glass until it opens up and the tannins get more integrated. I would hold for a few years and try again then.
2001 Rosemount Estate Syrah Balmoral McLaren Vale. As is often the case, this presents an entirely different perspective on the Syrah grape. Here we have a decidedly Aussie nose of cool darker mixed fruits, spice cake, warm caramel apple and nougat aromas. There is also a little nail polish remover overtone that sneaks in and out from time to time. Something like caramel-coated blueberry fruit is the first thing one tastes in the mouth. Other blue and purple fruits blend in and there are lots of spice box notes throughout. At times, the fruit seems to turn to the warmer side of the spectrum and a faint alcoholic warmth also seems to set in later on in the day. Otherwise, it drinks pretty easily, with soft dusty tannins not really getting in the way. Indeed, the wine pumps the fruit out pretty well, giving this wine a nice sense of flow.
1996 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley. This BV is aromatically dense and chocolaty, with notes of black cherry, cola nut, soft red currant, grape stems and faint oak. Occasionally, one also senses some herbal streaks sneaking in. It is softly structured and easy-going in the mouth, flowing effortlessly from entry to finish. It could show more edginess, but this is really more about the fruit and gentle spices right now than about structure of definition. It goes down easy and offers a perfectly pleasant drinking experience.
2003 Bartholomew Park Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Sonoma Valley. I can’t say I cared at all for this wine. The nose is not really distinctive, showing oak and some black currant fruit. It is a bit jammy in the mouth, with darkly toasted oak poking out all over. Very dry, raspy tannins are very distracting and there is some alcoholic warmth toward the finish. The fruit is a bit treacled and the whole package is overly-blowsy.
2002 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Pauillac. As usual, the 2002 Pichon Baron presents a cool, dark and serious aromatic profile. This particular bottle features black currants, fruit cake, dark cherry, and some leafy notes. It has a sense of class and restraint, with a promise of more complexity to come down the road. In the mouth, it is fairly dense and yet satiny-textured, with flavors of blackberry and black currant fruit. Again, though, it is young and serious and a bit primary-structured at this stage. The finish is leafy-edged and allows the acidity to show its more ferocious side. Still, I really enjoy drinking this wine right now for some reason! Nonetheless, the prudent thing to do is let this age.
1996 Château Haut-Batailley Pauillac. I’m really glad Andy dropped this one on us at the end of the day, as it turned out to be my red wine of the day. It features a gorgeous, silky nose of red currants, red licorice rope, raspberries, tobacco leaf, gardenias, toasted walnuts and tomato leaves. In the mouth, it is finely-delineated, silky and fresh, with great balance between the acidity and the cool dark fruits. There is a fine tensile structure, as well, and the overall impression is one of class. It is drinking beautifully right now, in my opinion.
Half of a Port :
2000 Graham Vintage Porto. A few brave souls headed back outside after the rains with cigars in hand to enjoy some night air and a very fine half bottle of port. This Graham’s seems like a great, early-drinking vintage port based on the performance of this 375 ml bottle. I don’t seem to have any notes on the wine’s aromatic profile, but in the mouth, it is sweet with wild berry flavors, but delightfully approachable, without much in the way of spirits notes. It is neither overly-structured nor too soft. Tannins seem pillowy and approachable and the whole thing just seems so nice for current drinking. Great with the cigars and a fitting close to a full day of outstanding wine, food and company.
-Michael