WTN: 42nd Birthday Drinks (German, Burgs, CdP...)

[David M. Bueker]

The hosting rotation for our wine group enabled me to have a wine tasting at the house for my birthday. Recent expansion of hte group, plus having fellow forumite Salil join us, meant that 11 people crowded (!) around the dining room table for a tasting bsaed on the theme of 2001 (no monoliths were harmed in this tasting).

We started with an off-theme Champagne:

1996 Egly-Ouriet Brut Grand Cru
I have no idea what this was like young, as I bought two bottles or release and stashed them deep in the cellar. I'm glad I did. It's all about apples - fresh and cider, maybe even the aroma of the cider press house. Long finish. Very good Champagne and with plenty of room for improvement.

Flight 1:
2001 Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese
2001 Schmitt-Wagner Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese
Both of these wines offered more evidence that the 2001s are starting t come into their own. The Schmitt-Wagner is much drier than it was on release and still displays citrus and sassafras notes along with minerals. The Selbach-Oster was sweeter, but still not really sweet in the current idiom. It was more lemons and apples with a creamy aspect that I really liked but others were not so fond of. While neither wine garnered any 1st place votes there was nothing left in the bottles at the end of the evening.

Flight 2:
2001 Müller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spätlese (the 2134 bottling)
2001 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese
A study in contrasts - the Catoir being more a wine for pure pleasure and the Dönnhoff a deeper, more intellectual pleasure. The Catoir was still all about its fruit, with peach, grapefruit and an overall engaging personality. It's lovely wine that is also significantly drier than on release, but still holds a moderate amount of sugar in reserve for further aging/development. The Dönnhoff is a rock. It's a mass of minerals with fruit scattered over the top. It's not closed, but a mining survey is required to drink this wine. These were my second (Catoir) and third (Dönnhoff) favorite wines of the night, and the Dönnhoff garnered two first place votes from the group. I think Salil is still trying to coax the last drops of the Dönnhoff out of the bottle.

Flight 3:
2001 Domaine Louis Jadot Beaune Clos des Ursules
2001 Domaine Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin Estournelles St. Jacques
Best flight of the night. The Ursules is just about ready to go. It is still full of red fruits and spice, but has also evolved a little earthy/leahtery character. It's one of htose wines that I don't really need to drink, but rather just smelling it is worth the price of admission. The Estournelles is less evolve (no shock there), but has obvious potential. Blacker in its fruit expression and tighter/more tannic, it's more informative drinking than enjoyable drinking at this stage. It's good information though. I'm very glad to have more of both of these wines in the cellar. The Ursules was my WOTN and garnered the same from the group with 5 first place votes (not to mention the Thunderbird prize for first bottle emptied). The Estournelles also received one first place vote, and I bet if I were to present this flight again in 5 years it would win the day.

Flight 4:
2001 Domaine de Beaurenard ‘Boisrenard’ Châteauneuf du Pape
2001 Domaine de Pégaü Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Laurence
Hard act to follow, those Burgundies. The Boisrenard was muddy and non-descript. Somewhere in there was a core of dark fruit, but it was too raisined and just buried in a cloud of prune jam. The Pegau was much better, though the Cuvée Laurence always shows too much "old wood" character for my taste. The group was much happier with the Pegau, and it did in fact get one vote for wine of the night, but the Boisrenard was left wanting.

Sauternes Flight:
2001 La Tour Blanche
2001 Suduiraut
Another study in contrast, with the La Tour Blanche all about elegant (but still rich), proportioned grace and the Suduiraut showing power but also a little touch of overwrought VA. I could drink the 2001 La Tour Blanche every night, while the Suduiraut requires more dedication. It's a wine to sample in small doses due to its size and power. Both are marvelous Sauternes, and both have never really closed down - they are delicious in their relative youth. I'm sure they will be amazing wines in due time, but they were also amazing on this night. The La Tour Blanche even grabbed a first place vote for its efforts.

Off-theme Port
2000 Smith-Woodhouse Vintage Port
It was just short of criminal to open this, but it was too early to call it a night. Middle-weight, fruity and not even thinking about evolving at this stage, this wine was very drinkable in a lush, fruity way. I won't revisit for at least 10 more years, and 15 probably wouldn't hurt. There was about a 1/4 of the bottle left, so I can revisit it tonight.

A pretty good birthday!

Happy birthday! Very motivational for getting older...

Was a pleasure to meet your wine group David, and thanks for putting that evening together. That was a fantastic lineup of wine, and the Rieslings in particular were outstanding across the board. My thoughts on the wines:

1996 Egly-Ouriet Brut Grand Cru
Probably the most complex Champagne I've had so far - there was a lot going on here with baked apple, nutty, creamy and faintly oxidative (in a good way)/malty notes that reminded me of a dry sherry.

2001 Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese
2001 Schmitt-Wagner Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese
I didn't enjoy the Selbach as much as the other Rieslings - the creaminess stood out for me (the main reason I'd guessed it to be a Vollenweider), and I found it a little lower in acid than I'd have liked. The Schmitt-Wagner was stunning, and it seemed to be opening out even more when I revisited it later in the night. Just incredibly beautiful fruit with flavours that kept unravelling and building up with each sip and a really light, pure, spring water-like sensation to it - pretty much summed up everything I love about Mosel Riesling.

2001 Müller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spätlese (the 2134 bottling)
2001 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese
My third and second favourite wines of the night respectively (and my favourite flight of the night). I couldn't believe the Catoir was an 01 when it was opened - it felt incredibly young and primary, but was just incredibly delicious with tons of fruit and spice to it. The Brucke was just spectacular. Flamboyant, minerally, floral, salty, amazing balance and length - I'm really glad I have some of this in my cellar.

2001 Domaine Louis Jadot Beaune Clos des Ursules
2001 Domaine Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin Estournelles St. Jacques
The Ursules was my wine of the night (yes, ahead of even the Brucke). Just an unbelievable nose and incredibly seamless and drinkable. I need to be careful - any more like these and I may start actually buying Burgundy! The Estournelles was much more primary and darker in flavour with some interesting meaty and black cherry notes (just curious, is this a common flavour difference between Gevreys and Beaunes?) - when these were served blind I had guessed them to be the same wine but with B (the Estournelles) from a much more recent vintage than A (the Ursules). And I'd also shown off my blind tasting prowess by guessing both to be Chateauneufs.

2001 Domaine de Beaurenard ‘Boisrenard’ Châteauneuf du Pape
2001 Domaine de Pégaü Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Laurence
I didn't enjoy either of these much - I found the Boisrenard a bit alcoholic (although I didn't find the same pruniness/jamminess that you did), and the Pegau quite dull and a little bitter at the back end (was quite disappointed to see what it was once unveiled, as I've had some amazing experiences with Pegau in the past and it's by far my favourite producer in CdP). On an aside - after guessing the Burgs to be CDPs in the last flight, I ended up pegging these two as Cabernets/young Bordeaux.

2001 La Tour Blanche
2001 Suduiraut
I really struggled with the Suduiraut, which I found to be too heavy for my liking with the VA spoiling it for me. The La Tour Blanche on the other hand was just amazing, and I can't say much more beyond "See David's note". Absolutely stunning.
Around this time I revisited the leftovers of the Schmitt-Wagner and the Brucke and was blown away - the Schmitt-Wagner was getting better and better with air, with some red fruited flavours emerging and the Brucke went down within a minute. Was a real treat to sit down with some of the 01 German Rieslings - a vintage I've never really had the chance to explore beyond the odd bottle every once in a while when others have opened them for me - this was the first time I was able to sit down and enjoy a number of them at once and the wines truly are sensational. A really fun and eye-opening evening - thanks again for having me over (and look forward to opening some fun wines from my end with you and Laura on Saturday).

David, sounds like a great way to celebrate another year down. Dawn's Birthday is Monday and I know we are starting off with a '96 Champagne (probably Moncuit BdB); '96 was a great year for the bubblies. And I might have to follow up with a burg. Nice to know that the '01 Jadots are showing so well.

First of all, David, Happy Birthday! Great lineup of wines you had there. I was particularly interested to read that you felt that the '01 Jadot Ursules was ready. I haven't touched the '01s in my cellar, as I felt that it was a vintage that was going to take a long time to open up, but mine are all CdN, so perhaps that explains it. I do have a trio of '99 Ursules that I got at auction a year or so ago, but again I haven't touched them.

Mark Lipton

[David M. Bueker]

Mark,

I tried a '99 Ursules not that long ago & it needed a lot of time. The '01 shocked me, but I had opened it (and the Estournelles) because I have a good bit of both. The Estournelles is not nearly as open.

Happy Birthday, David! Congratulations and best wishes.

Nice tasting and as usual, great notes--thanks. To begin, thanks for the note on the '96 Egly-Ouriet. I had it near release and again one year ago today, I believe. It was all about apples in both those instances, as well!

1996 Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru. This is a delightful deep golden yellow color, with fine, densely packed bubbles. On the nose, one is greeted by aromas of caramel, rich butter biscuit, dark ginger, copper kettle and poached spiced apples. This is a really mouthfilling sparkler, sporting full body and a texture alternating between creamy and fascinatingly mealy. It has outstanding length from beginning to end and features a very expansive mid-palate. Flavors of spiced apples and pears and warm pie crust are prominent. The finish is particularly long and finely balanced, with strong ginger notes. Classic Egly-Ouriet style dialed up to 11.

Too bad about the 2001 Boisrenard. The "regular" Beaurenard from 2001 was pretty darned good earlier this month, but I can sort of see the "muddy" comment applying a bit to that, as well. Perhaps the elevage or other differences between the two cuvees allows the Beaurenard to develop more quickly? My passive cellar could also be a factor, I suppose...

2001 Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This is much darker and deeper in color than the 2000 Guigal served right before it. It is also more tightly-wound on the nose, and certainly veers more toward aromas like tapenade and olive brine, bay leaf, tar, menthol smoke, black shoe leather and black cherry. Although it opens up tight, it comes on strong after about 30 minutes in the glass. It is smooth in texture, but at times allows its chalky, dark chocolate-tinged tannic edge to take precedence. It is medium-bodied but has plenty of presence. Overall, it is still a bit young, but can certainly be enjoyed now.

I was quite interested in the '01 LTB vs. Suduiraut comparison. I agree that both are great and that the La Tour Blanche is relatively fresher and perhaps intended to be more elegant, but personally I would take the Suduiraut over it 95 out of 100 times. I've had the '01 Suduiraut 4 times in 2008 and the La Tour Blanche twice (including 2 weekends ago). Indeed, at this stage, I prefer the 2001 Suduiraut over the 2001 Climens (though I think I would feel differently in 10+ years!). Below are some reproduced notes for context:

March 2008: 2001 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes. Fine aromas of crème brulee, orange zest, honey and spices get richer and more layered with time in the glass. It is unctuous and creamy in the mouth, with sweet mango fruit, raw sugar, and fine acids. This was a lovely end to a very nice dinner.

April 2008: 2001 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes. On this night, I actually preferred the Suduiraut, though it is not hard to see that the Climens will surpass it down the (long) road. For now, though, the Suduiraut is drinking gorgeously. The nose jumps out of the glass right away with its creamy botrytis notes and complex aromatics of crème brulee topping, sugar cube, lime zest and caramel apple. It is unctuous, yet well-balanced in the mouth. Flavors of light caramel, crème brulee and deep honey carry through to another very long finish. There are some nice spicy accents to the sweetness, as well. At times, the texture feels leesy and at other times it almost finely sugary, which will hopefully integrate with some more time in the cellar. Overall, though, this is rather easy to enjoy right now.

October 2008: 2001 Château Suduiraut. Right off the bat, it is clear that this is a top-notch Sauternes. The nose if beautiful and sumptuous, with aromas of burnished apricot, fresh peach flesh, marzipan, nutmeg, brown sugar, dried pineapple cubes, and crème brulee topping. It just gets better and better and more deeply layered the longer it sits in the glass—showing off its complexity and class but also its youthful exuberance. In the mouth, it has a flowing viscosity, with flavors of mixed marmalades, caramel and baking spices. It totally coats the mouth with flavor, but has a potent acidic balance at the same time. It is long, juicy and perfectly sweet—it has been a real treat to have this wine 3 times this year, and it may have been just a tad better each time.

January 2009: 2001 Chateau La Tour Blanche Sauternes. Wow, does this ever come across as fresh and uplifting at this point of the night. Aromas of nectarine flesh and pit, dried apricots and yellow pixie stick are lively and youthfully exuberant. It is very fleshy and opulent on the palate, coating the whole mouth with unctuous flavors of caramel, crème brulee, and apricots in a sugary-sweet but finely-pitched package. It all hangs together with a languid texture but exhibits excellent lift when it needs to. Yes, it is young, but I am happy to drink it right now.

Thanks also for the update on the '01 Jadots. I am bringing one to a tasting next week and hope it shows well.

Best,
Michael

Sounds like a great time with some fun wines. Happy Birthday!

Out of curiosity, why was the 2001 theme chosen? Was that by any chance riesling-driven?

[David M. Bueker]

Out of curiosity, why was the 2001 theme chosen? Was that by any chance riesling-driven?

I wanted a theme, but didn't want to stuff 10 Rieslings down the throats of my tasting group. I own a significant amount of 2001 from many regions, thus a theme was born.

Out of curiosity, why was the 2001 theme chosen? Was that by any chance riesling-driven?

I wanted a theme, but didn't want to stuff 10 Rieslings down the throats of my tasting group.

Why not? Aren't they worthy enough to enter paradise?

I own a significant amount of 2001 from many regions, thus a theme was born.

Sounds like a good reason!

[David M. Bueker]

Out of curiosity, why was the 2001 theme chosen? Was that by any chance riesling-driven?

I wanted a theme, but didn't want to stuff 10 Rieslings down the throats of my tasting group.

Why not? Aren't they worthy enough to enter paradise?

Worthy - yes.

Willing - no.

I wanted a theme, but didn't want to stuff 10 Rieslings down the throats of my tasting group.

Why not? Aren't they worthy enough to enter paradise?

Worthy - yes.

Willing - no.

I think you underestimate the group. We could have suffered through 4 flights of riesling.

Thanks again for hosting a great tasting.

I went out and bought the Jadot Urseles today to see if it was really that good. So far it is doing very well. I opened it at 3 to breath and at that time it was very angular and all about earth and leather. Since then the fruit has started to show through and become more complex.

I went out and bought the Jadot Urseles today to see if it was really that good..

It is still sitting around your local retailer?

Good for you.

[David M. Bueker]

I wonder which retailer that is. I bought my bottles essentially on release.