WTN: Brisbane Cardigan Club meeting, Dec 2008: Burg + German

The Cardigan Club is a small group of Brisbane winelovers who used to get together as often as weekly, but this became monthly and now its almost an annual event as we get older and busier and our diaries just refuse to align.

However four of us did get together just after Christmas to drink wine, eat tapas and home made pizza, and play Wii golf. We drank rather well. No notes taken at the time, but here's the list and some brief impressions.

06 Bouchard Pere et Fils Corton Charlemagne: Lovely wine. Slightly reductive and closed, but will open a little with time.
04 Louis Jadot Mersault Perrieres: Very advanced colour and development fro an 04. melon and wet hay. I liked it, others didn't.
07 Donnhoff Oberhauser Liestenberg Kabinett: Joy. Bliss. Lovely.
04 William Fevre Chablis Grand Cru Valmur: corked
04 William Fevre Chablis Grand Cru les Clos: Nice wine, still tight but just beginning to develop.
06 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin 1er les Cherbaudes: Ripe and jubey particularly on the nose but still nicely structured palate, less rpe and more sprightly than the nose woudl indicate. Some though that perhaps this would drink sooner rather than later. Over time and with air some exotic eastern spice emerged I realy liked this.
02 Louis Jadot Chambolle Musigny 1er les Fuees: Lovely wine. I have Fuees from Jadot and Leroy now, I think I like this vineyard. Finely but well tannined, nice fruit, lovely wine.
06 Bouchard Pere et Fils Grand Cru le Corton: Buttery texture and flavour, and then the slightly woody tannins. Robust and slightly rustic.
05 Albert Morot Beaune Marconnets 1er: oops, no real memories of this, apart from it being a nice wine but perhaps not to thstandard of the wines around it. And then...
98 Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin Grand Cru Clos de Beze: This should have been wine of the day by a margin, but it somehow didn't shine. Earthy and savoury, but not showing the fruit, power or complexity you mgiht expect of a wine of this standard and reputation.
00 Artadi Grandes Anadas: Mmmm, Spain. A change of pace ofter the burgundies, and a tasty one at that. Rich and dark fruits, earthy complexity. nice.
06 Schloss Lieser Niederberger Helden Auslese Langhe Goldkapsel: Lock the door and take the phone off the hook. This is mindbogglingly good. All sorts of stonefruit and citrus going on here, some spicy notes underlying, perfect balance incredible intensity and goes on forever. I must have some, my precioussssss. :twisted;
06 JJ Christoffel Urziger Wurzgarten Auslese ***: Should have had this before the Lieser. I'm sure this is an outstanding wine, but the Lieser put it in the shade.

Apparently there was also an 05 Christian Moreau AC Chablis that I missed - I've had that wine before. Rpe for Chablis, but put it in a new world Chardonnay contextand it is a very tasty citrussy wine.

Overall impressions: Too many wines. I had lost focus by the time the Artadi appeared, and it took the Lieser to bring me back to planet earth. However not a poor wine among them, I'd be happy to own any of these.

I'll elaborate if I can (and if anyone is interested),
cheers

Andrew

07 Donnhoff Oberhauser Liestenberg Kabinett: Joy. Bliss. Lovely.
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Pretty much sums it up!

Re '04 Jadot- advanced notes are scary
If you like Fuees, try to find the Mugnier
I really iked the '98 Rousseau CCDB, tastes (and bottles) differ!

The CCDB was surely a substandard bottle Dale, and to be frank, I've never seen one of the top flight Rousseau's show so ordinarily. The Fourrier and Jadot (red) were both better on the day.

Andrew

07 Donnhoff Oberhauser Liestenberg Kabinett: Joy. Bliss. Lovely.

Pretty much sums it up!

Interesting. I had a bottle the other night and found it too broad and simple without enough precision, definition, or much character at all.

I know there have been lots/some threads about people like me unfairly imposing Müller Scharzhofberger concepts of precision and defintion on the Nahe and Donnhoff but I don't think that is what was going on. I was prepared for Donnhoff goodness. But it just seemed dull. Maybe it needed air to wake up and we didn't stay around long enough.

I should add that I have not been a huge fan of this bottling in the past, but for different reasons because I often found it too sour and crisp for the somewhat broad structure.

Thanks for the notes, Andrew.

I would definitely expect more of the Rousseau (bad bottle?). Might I ask where you sourced the Fevre, Fourrier and Rousseau from?

Hi Ben,

Only the Fourrier was my bottle, it would have come from either the Wine Emporium in Brisbane or direct from the importer (I bought from both). I suspect the Fevres may have come from Wine Emporium as well, but they may have come from Europa or Winestar, both Melbourne. The Rousseau may have been an auction purchase,

cheers

Andrew