WTN: Great Rhône, Great Languedoc, Brilliant Burgundy!

Ive Marx was in town for a congress, so we met up for a dinner at a favourite restaurant in Helsinki: Carelia. With a starter of arctic char and a chantrelle salad we had the Gonon (great with the fish, but the salad was a touch too vinegary); with the reds we had reindeer osso-bucco with beetroot risotto - good, but not great match, as the wines were both tannic enough that I thought some bloody meat would have been ideal. But as always, Carelia proved a great place to dine with its imaginative and very fairly priced wine list and good food as well.

• N.V. Vilmart Champagne Grande Réserve Brut - France, Champagne (9/18/2008)
  Crisp and pure with much red apple and floral scents - exactly as expected of a well made Pinot-based blend with no malo. Really quite a lovely drop!
• 2001 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph Les Oliviers - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (9/18/2008)
  Quite simply a wonderful white Rhône! The scent is floral, summery yet delicate and extremely elegant. The palate is bright and amazingly refreshing for a Rhône white with citrussy acidity and good grip, very elegant fruit. The long aftertaste is mineral but does show some of the typical oiliness of the Rhône white varieties. It isn't often that I can say a Rhône white is elegant, but this is. Great stuff!
• 1995 Domaine de la Grange des Pères Vin de Pays de l'Hérault - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Vin de Pays de l'Hérault (9/18/2008)
  A meaty wine, it smelled like the blood of game birds. Sweet fruit, but tangy. Big, meaty, with bright tannins and acidity reminiscent of good Barolo, wonderful purity - it may be a big wine, but it is impeccably balanced and a joy to drink. It still seems very young. Very good.
• 2001 Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru (9/18/2008)
  Lovely purity, brightness and transparency: pure Pinosity. Tannic, understated, elegant, bright and pure - excellent wine even though it is very young.

Posted from CellarTracker

Pierre Gonon is a wonderful grower and a charming, straightforward guy who is obviously passionate about his job.

Otto, I am interested that you like Grange des Pères, I have several bottles of 95, 96 and 98, which are languishing. I found one or two bottles a few years ago too New World for my taste and have forgotten about them. You encourage me to take another look now that they have more age.

thanks, I've only had the Gonon reds, which I enjoyed.
Volnay was variable/spotty due to hail in '01, but this is most positive note I've seen.
thanks

Volnay was variable/spotty due to hail in '01, but this is most positive note I've seen.
thanks

Remember, Otto likes tart wines

Not that I've tasted the wine in question or anything..

Tim, new world is certainly not something that came to my mind when drinking the G des P! I don't remember tasting younger ones, perhaps when young it can seem like that, but I really enjoyed what this wine had become.

Dale, Rahsaan, despite the spotty performance in Volnay in '01, I would imagine that Montille got lucky or did everything right when selecting the fruit since it wasn't tart - it was simply pure and restrained like so many of the red '01s I've so far tried. '01 is really starting to seem like a vintage I should have bought as much of as possible.

I'm a huge fan of '01 in CdN. My experiences in CdB have been more measured. Some good wines, but I haven't run across great. I do have some Angerville, Lafarge, and Courcel that I'm holding on to.