WTN: 3 Singular Experiences (Cheval Blanc, Guigal, Donnhoff)

[David M. Bueker]

Last night I had the opportunity to share in 3 amazing wines with some dear friends. They just welcomed their newest child into the world (and first boy), and we just relaxed (well Spencer & I relaxed...Sarah was pretty busy) and enjoyed some cheeses & then bacon wrapped lamb chops (mmm...bacon) & great wine.

Of course we first had to make a sacrifice to the cork gods. Sadly it was the 1990 Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile Vendange Tardive that was affected. Underneath the veneer of cardboard there was some essence of the great wine, but sadly it was spoiled.

We also gave short shrift to a bottle of 2004 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Valmur. It was quite delicious - stony and lemony with fine balance - but there were other things to get to.

The first of the truly memorable wines was the 1966 Chateau Cheval Blanc. This had been acquired from someone in our wine tasting group who had purchased it on release. Too bad the price sticker was gone. The cork came out in just a few pieces thanks to some dedicated work by Spencer. I grabbed the largest piece of the cork & took a quick sniff, and I knew right then the wine was in very good shape. A little wine in the glass showed the lovely condition as well. The color was still a deep ruby with notable fade but no browning at the rim. Not surprisingly the wine was a bit closed in for the first few moments, but slowly a silky perfume began to emerge. There's really no sense in trying to tease out the elements of the aromas and flavors, as that would destroy the integrated whole of this bottle. Minute by minute the aromatics expanded in the glass, and the flavors deepened on the palate. I sampled some hard cheese with the wine, and it stood up to the challenge, and really gained in strength with a little bit of food. But really it was all about the wine, the near absence of discernable structure yet complete cohesiveness. As is always the case with this kind of wine, the last glass was so much better thsn the first glass that it was like two different bottles. The aromatics were so much brighter with 45 minutes of air, the flavors were even more persistent, and the finish was gentle but endless. This was a truly memorable wine.

With the lamb (and some killer mashed potatoes) ready to go we made a big shif in wine, as we uncorked the 2005 Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline. There have been scores of negative things written about the Guigal "La La" wines - spoofulated, overextracted, overoaked, overhyped, overdone, but I do not see it at all. Was the wine rich? Yes it was. It was also balanced in every way. The only time I ever really noticed the oak was when I took a nervous sniff of the bottle to check for TCA. After that it was more the total impression of young, ripe Northern Rhone Syrah with a subtle perfume that would seem to come from the Viognier. The wine is not even four years old, but it is already integrated. It's one piece. As with the Cheval Blanc, the La Mouline took a while to come out of its shell, but when it did there was so much fruit and balanced structure that it was nearly impossible to contain it all. The beauty of it is that the wine was open and truly enjoyable. It was also one of a kind, and that's what makes this type of wine worth it. As for how it went with the bacon wrapped lamb chops...take a guess.

I'm always leery about wine with dessert, but strawberry-rhubarb pie tends to have a little less sweetness & a tart edge that can make a pairing work. Some time during the lamb chops/La Mouline, Spencer informed me that there was a bottle of 2000 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Eiswein ready for dessert. I nearly spit the Cote Rotie. I've always wondered about the 2000 Eiswein, as 2000 was not an easy vintage. Many wines did not fare so well with the (mostly ig)noble rot of the season. Of course Donnhoff is Donnhoff. Rich in flavor, the Eiswein was equal to the task of following the Cheval Blanc & La Mouline, and also a fine accompaniment to dessert. This was not an Eiswein of crystalline purity, but more an essence of what was good in 2000. Indeed this was the spiciest wine I have ever tasted from the Brucke, and also the thickest in texture. Somewhere under all that fruit and brown spice there was the base of Brucke, which expressed itself mostly through a finish that was rich, but also bright. I know we finished this off much too fast, but sometimes the sweet wines are like that. They're so easy to drink that they just disappear. Add that they come in half bottles most of the time, and the expericen is usually much too short.

There's really not much else to say, just that this was right there as one of the best wine nights in my experience.

Um... wow. That's all I can say.

(Glad to know that '00 Eiswein doesn't suck btw. Did you happen to see which bottling this was?)

Re. Guigal - I've only been able to try a LaLa once (from a pretty mediocre vintage; that was the 93 La Landonne) but it was a lovely experience - as I've had with Guigal's less obscenely expensive Cote-Rotie bottlings. Regardless of what people say about spoofilation and the wines not being 'authentic', they're phenomenal wines.

[David M. Bueker]

I was too busy enjoying to look at the AP number. It was imported by Dee Vine though.

Edited to add: it was the regular eiswein, not an auction bottling.

Of course we first had to make a sacrifice to the cork gods. Sadly it was the 1990 Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile Vendange Tardive that was affected. Underneath the veneer of cardboard there was some essence of the great wine, but sadly it was spoiled.

Even from afar, that made me wince! Ouch.

With the lamb (and some killer mashed potatoes) ready to go we made a big shif in wine, as we uncorked the 2005 Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline. There have been scores of negative things written about the Guigal "La La" wines - spoofulated, overextracted, overoaked, overhyped, overdone, but I do not see it at all. Was the wine rich? Yes it was. It was also balanced in every way. The only time I ever really noticed the oak was when I took a nervous sniff of the bottle to check for TCA. After that it was more the total impression of young, ripe Northern Rhone Syrah with a subtle perfume that would seem to come from the Viognier. The wine is not even four years old, but it is already integrated. It's one piece. As with the Cheval Blanc, the La Mouline took a while to come out of its shell, but when it did there was so much fruit and balanced structure that it was nearly impossible to contain it all. The beauty of it is that the wine was open and truly enjoyable. It was also one of a kind, and that's what makes this type of wine worth it. As for how it went with the bacon wrapped lamb chops...take a guess.

Having just returned from the Rhone, and having spent a day tromping through the vineyards and slurping in the cellars with Phillipe Guigal, I would agree with all your comments here, David. And this was one of the wines we were privileged to enjoy.

I can't see all the negatives on this wine (these wines) either. They most decidedly do not come off as over-over, and your are right in that the 2005 is remarkably ready to drink right now---although I suspect that is simply a likable/approachable phase due to that specific vintage, and it will likely go through some shut-down phases over the next few years. Still, the impressive fruit fully integrated with the good acids, coupled with the essential sturdiness of this wine, tells me this will be a great bottle in a few years, with all the attributes of a storied vineyard in a storied AOC.

The La Turque, on the other hand, while deliciously exotic and spicy (hence the name???), was truculent, stubborn and unyielding at this early phase. Which is of course in keeping with its history and track record at this point.

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks for your thoughts Hoke. Love them or hate them, I cannot imagine what the Northern Rhone would be like without the influence of Guigal.

David,

My guess is that many people who trash the Guigla single vineyard Cote Roties have never tasted them. I had the good fortune to taste many when a dear friend worked for BLM/Classic Wine Imports and I can't imagine anyone arguing that they're not great. They may not be to everyone's preference but that doesn't mean they're not great. I'm really happy that I have several bottles in the cellar.

Salil,

The Donnhoff was AP #21.

[David M. Bueker]

Salil,

The Donnhoff was AP #21.

That's all you have to say for yourself?

There have been scores of negative things written about the Guigal "La La" wines - spoofulated, overextracted, overoaked, overhyped, overdone, but I do not see it at all. Was the wine rich? Yes it was. It was also balanced in every way.

The young ones I have tried I have rather disliked. I have found the oak obtrusive and such that it hides the wine's typicity. So yes, people have different sensitivities to such matters, so I think we're both right. If, however, they turn out to be like the '86 La Turque I won't complain when they reach maturity. But I would go so far as to say the young ones have been unpleasant to me. Sorry. You don't have to see it my way but I would hope you would accept my take on my experiences.

[David M. Bueker]

Otto,

You're wrong! Hopelessly, hopelessly wrong!!! What the heck are you thinking???

Disliking them I can understand. Characterizing them as bad wines or bad winemaking I cannot. I think you are doing the former, not the latter. Of course the thing that stood out the most for me was the characteristic of Northern Rhone Syrah, so at least with this bottling in this vintage I have a different take.

That's why we talk.

Otto,

You're wrong! Hopelessly, hopelessly wrong!!! What the heck are you thinking???

Disliking them I can understand. Characterizing them as bad wines or bad winemaking I cannot. I think you are doing the former, not the latter. Of course the thing that stood out the most for me was the characteristic of Northern Rhone Syrah, so at least with this bottling in this vintage I have a different take.

David,
I would hope that none but the most dogmatic traditionalist would trash Guigal's wine as the product of bad winemaking. They clearly know what they're doing and even the redoubtable JLL speaks well of Guigal's Côte-Rôties. Whether they're "bad" wine is, of course, a subjective judgment. What I can tell you is that my standard of comparison for C-R are the wines of Marius Gentaz and, by comparison, the C-Rs of Guigal (those that I've had the chance to taste) are heavy, overlain with an oaky patina and not very reminiscent of the wines of Gentaz-Dervieux. Even the older Guigal wines that I've tried (a small sample) have had a mouthfeel that was completely different to me, though they had very pretty aromatics. To me, Côte-Rôtie is the most perfumed and "feminine" of the N Rhône Syrahs, ideally. I should add that virtually no one currently making Côte-Rôtie measures up to the lofty standards set by Gentaz. The Jamet boys and Ogier Père used to come close, but I'm no longer so sure about their current output. And with prices spiraling upward, the chances of my trying many more to investigate are slim.

Mark "Côte-Rôtie is dead to me" Lipton

[David M. Bueker]

I've never had a Gentaz wine, so we share no common frame of reference.

I hope you didn't miss my winking guy?

Mark "Côte-Rôtie is dead to me" Lipton

From what I hear, there are some new producers making Cote Rotie in a finer fragrant delicate style. They may not yet be imported to the States and when I was in Paris a few weeks ago I focused my purchasing on other regions but I heard a few names tossed about as promising beacons. If only I had written them down! Perhaps someone here who travels to the region has more insight? But we can always keep hoping!!!!

I've never had a Gentaz wine, so we share no common frame of reference.

I was fortunate to grow up in the shadow of Kermit Lynch's retail outlet (not that I paid any attention to their wares until I was about 23) so I got relatively early exposure to his Rhonistes such as Clape, Verset, Chave and Gentaz (I missed out on Trollat, though). In retrospect, I was spoiled for life, as all of those names are now accounted as the masters of Syrah in their respective AOCs. I was doubly fortunate in that I discovered those wines at a time (mid '80s) when even an impecunious student could afford them. Nowadays, if it weren't for a few bottles of Clape Cornas and a '99 Chave Hermitage that I won in Dale's Katrina raffle (generously donated by Robin, bless his bippy), I'd be priced entirely out of their wines (those that still produce 'em, that is). Graillot I discovered on my own, and Faury, Faurie, Gonon, Allemand and Texier have all been recommendations gleaned from the Internet over the past decade, so not all hope is lost. And more and more I console myself with bottles of Steve E.'s Syrahs, which are a distinct, yet not unrelated pleasure.

I hope you didn't miss my winking guy?

Of course, not, David! And I hope you didn't infer any criticism of your own tastes in my post? I was merely trying to make clear, like Otto, how one could not appreciate Guigal's wines. (Actually, I've some perfectly acceptable Brune et Blondes in the distant past, but they didn't speak of Côte-Rôtie much either) In all seriousness, they might not be Bretty enough for me

Mark Lipton

Mark "Côte-Rôtie is dead to me" Lipton

From what I hear, there are some new producers making Cote Rotie in a finer fragrant delicate style. They may not yet be imported to the States and when I was in Paris a few weeks ago I focused my purchasing on other regions but I heard a few names tossed about as promising beacons. If only I had written them down! Perhaps someone here who travels to the region has more insight? But we can always keep hoping!!!!

Indeed, we can, Rahsaan. In many ways, the trend in the N Rhone is a positive one. Look at all the quality producers now in Cornas and St. Joseph. It has a lot to do with a generational change, with a lot of young winemakers looking to people like Verset as their guiding lights. Additionally, you have the slightly older winemakers such as Villard and Cuilleron who may be toning down their manipulation a tad. I'll keep my eye on new names on the KL import list and those other importers whose wines I pay attention to. Do pass on any names you may encounter in your travels, though. Jean has already made it clear that, for her 50th we're heading back to France.

Mark Lipton