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WTN: Some Wines w/ Matt...(long/boring)

PostPosted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:21 pm
by TomHill
We had MattLatuchie and Summer over for apps and a few wines:
1. MichelGahier Chard LesFollasses WW AC: Arbois (VendangesManuelles; MeBalP; 12.5%) Montigny-Les-Arsures/Jura 2009: Med.gold color; rather strong stony/mineral/earthy slight nutty/phenolic (skin contact?) very slight grapefruity/Chard nose; very tart/lean/austere/tight/bracing very stony/earthy/mineral/granitic slight lemony/grapefruity/Chard flavor; long lean/tart/austere/almost screechy strong stony/earthy/mineral/granatic very slight lemony/Chard finish w/ slight oxidized/nutty/wet dog fur aftertaste that detracts; a very austere/stony wine that speaks strongly of its terroir and only whispers of Chard; a teeth-chattering acidity that speaks strongly of a mountain-grown white; maybe w/ a bit of skin contact.
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2. ForlornHope TheFaufreluches GWT HillFamilyVnyd/RRV (13.0%; 27 cs) MatthewRorick/Fairfield 2011: Deep gold/bronze color; some light/hair oil/lychee/GWT rather phenolic/orangey/waxy/orange peel rather complex nose; rather tannic/astringent/bitter some phenolic/orangey light GWT/lychee/hair oil tart/tangy; very long/lingering somewhat phenolic/orangey some astringent/tannic light GWT/lychee/hair oil complex finish; somewhat phenolic in character and needs to be served at room temperature to show its best; not a GWT for wusses and quite different from any other GWT; quite an interesting/savory wine. $23.00
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3. Trimbach GWT VendangesTardives AC: Alsace (13.5%) Ribeauville 1999: Deep gold color; very strong spicy/GWT/hair oil slight piney/pungent/smokey lovely complex old GWT nose; soft very rich/lush near dry intense spicy/nutmeg/hair oil/old GWT/cinammon quite complex flavor; very long/lingering strong GWT/hair oil/spicy/nutmeg very rich/lush complex finish w/ a trace of bitterness; not overly sweet like most Alsatian VT GWT's; a beautiful example of a fully mature old Alsatian GWT at a great price. $32.00 (AV)
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4. FamillePeillot Mondeuse AC: Bugey (MeBalP; 12%; Louis/Dressner) Montagnieu 2010: Med.dark purple color; strong black cherry/grapey/Mondeuse/licorice/plummy some earthy/dusty/forest floor slight floral/lilacs classic Savoie Mondeuse nose; fairly tart bit rough/tannic/rustic/earthy/dusty some black cherry/plummy/licorice/Mondeuse flavor; fairly long rough/tart/rustic/earthy/dusty some black cherry/Mondeuse/plummy/forest floor/piney finish; not a lot of Mondeuse fruit and lots of rough/rustic mountain red character; probably not going to get dramatically better; enjoy w/ hearty fare for its rustic character.
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5. JeanBourdy AC: Cotes du Jura (12.5%; Garagiste; Poulsard/Trousseau/PinotNoir) Arlay/Jura 2006:Med.dark color w/ slight bricking; slight bretty/barnyardy/gamey/horsecollar light licorice licorice/plummy/bing cherry little fruit quite earthy/dusty nose; quite tart slight bretty/unclean rather rough/tannic/coarse/earthy/dusty light bing cherry/plummy/spicy/licorice flavor; med.long some bretty/horsecollar/unclean rather earthy/dusty somewhat rough/coarse/tannic very slight bing cherry/plummy/licorice finish; a rather rough/rustic/coarse peasant mountain red.
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6. BernardBaudry LaCroixBoisser AC: Chinon/Loire (MeBalP; 13.5%; CabFranc/CoteauCalcaire; Louis/Dressner) 2006[/b]: Med.dark color; classic herbal/licorice/CabFranc somewhat earthy/loamy strong Loire CabFranc nose; fairly soft/smooth some herbal/CabFranc/smokey/plummy rather earthy/loamy slight tannic flavor; very long/lingering slight herbal/CabFranc/licorice smooth somewhat earthy/loamy finish w/ a slight wet dog fur/buttered popcorn/funky aftertaste that distracts; a very nice example of a mature Loire CabFranc but the funky aftertaste is distracting.
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7. Ryme Amphora Aglianico PasoRobles (13.1%; www.RymeCellars.com) Forestville 2010: Dark golden/orange/bronze/slight reddish color; light floral/phenolic/orangey some spicy/cinammon/cranberry rather low-key quite exotic/attractive nose; rich tart dry slight phenolic/orangey quite lush rather low-key/spicy/cinammon/floral/cranberry flavor w/ light tannins; very long rich/lush/tart somewhat spicy/cinammon/floral/cranberry slight phenolic/orangey finish w/ light tannins; very light phenolic character and no signs of oxidation; a rather quiet/low-key rose that is quite exotic/interesting.
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8. Dom.Labet AC: Macvin du Jura (18%) DomaineLabet/Rotalier NV: Deep golden/burnished bronze color; very exotic vanilla/oak/Bourbon orangey/nutty some herbal/thyme/pungent/Kansas hay mow/tea leaves slight woodsy/earthy/soy sauce/smokey/BarBQue sauce somewhat alcoholic quite perfumed very exotic/beautiful/complex nose; very rich/honeyed fairly sweet intense honeyed/orangey almost Vermouth/woodsy some nutty/herbal/thyme/tea leaves/fresh hay mow/dried straw bit alcoholic very complex/exotic flavor; very long/lingering rather sweet/honeyed/rich/grapey some herbal/tea-like/dried straw/thyme/pungent slight Vermouth/woodsy bit vanilla/Bourbon very exotic/complex finish; a very unusual/exotic wine that go best w/ blue cheese and sweet condiments. $37.00
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9. Holredge PinotGris LateHrvst Grace'sCuvee RRV (13.98%; SaH: 38.5 Brix; RS: 12.2%; www.Holdredge.com) John&Carrie Holdredge/Healdsburg 2006: Deep gold/slight browning color; intense botrytis/peachy/apricotty slight volatile slight herbal/hay mow quite honeyed bit toffee fairly complex nose; rather sweet intense botrytis/peachy/apricotty very slight volatile/pickle juice slight herbal/Kansas hay mow fairly tart quite lovely/complex flavor; very long/lingering rather sweet tart very strong botrytis/peachy/apricotty nslight herbal/haymow finish; will easily go another 10 yrs; starting to show some complexity; a lovely dessert wine.
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10. OneHandClapping PinotBlanc LateHrvst BienNacidoVnyd/SantaMariaVlly (13.5%; SaH: 47.2 Brix; RS: 23%) Jim/Morgan/Isabelle/Knox Clendenen/SantaMaria 2005: ark gold/brown/some browning color; very intense apricotty/peachy/peach syrup/fruit cocktail/botrytis very ripe huge botrytis nose; tart quite intense peachy/apricotty/botrytis/canned fruit cocktail fairly sweet flavor; very long/lingering rather sweet huge botrytis/peachy/apricotty some toffee/creme brulee/butterscotchy finish; huge degree of botrytis and not much else; should go another 10-20 yrs; not as interesting as the Holdredge and needs more age to develop that complexity.
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And the usual bloviations from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. I've known MattLatuchie on several wine boards for a fair number of yrs....followed him from the very start..I did/I did. He was going to be in SantaFe over Christmas to see family and suggested we get together over a glass of wine or two. He was accompained by SummerNelson. Joining us was SalmanHabib and Katrin, two who used to be in my LosAlamos wine group until they moved to Chicago (where Matt&Summer live). Matt brought a bunch of wines I hadn't seen before and was interested in trying. So we spent almost 3 hrs eating/drinking and getting acquainted.
I was aware from his posts that Matt had a blog (http://www.terroirist.com) but had never bothered to look at it. So a spent several hours browsing thru it the next day. Lots of very interesting stuff in it.
With 10 wines for 6 people, there was plenty left over. These notes reflect them after retasting that evening and over the next two days. It's not easy tasting wines at 7:00am in the morning.
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2. MacVin du Jura: This is a rather rare wine..one that I'd never tried before. It is grape must that is/may be allowed to ferment a bit and then fortified by local brandy ("mac" in the dialect they use in Jura) up to around 18%, leaving a fair amount of RS in the wine. Exactly as is Pineau de Charentes (PinotNoir), Ratafia (Champagne version), Angelica (traditionally from Mission grape), and Quady Essensia (OrangeMuscat) or Elysium (BlackMuscat). One reference stated that the wine is made from boiled-down must (mosto cotto), but I saw no evidence of that in this wine.
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3. ForlornHope: This is, of course, a wine from MattRorick...who specializes in wines made from off-beat (and not so off-beat) varieties that are a "forlorn hope" for any kind of commercial success. He makes his wine at TennbrinkWnry in the SuisunVlly...the same place that AbeSchoener makes his ScholiumProject wines. This GWT was made w/ skin-contact throughout its fermentation...than made in a reductive manner thereon-out. When I first tried this wine upon release, I was struck by its lack of any/much varietal GWT character. It's been my contention that white/gris wines made w/ extensive skin-contact have their varietal character obliterated.
What struck me about this '11 this time around was that it was starting to show some GWT varietal character. Maybe that's a character of skin-contact white/gris wines?? Need to take more data points I guess.
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4. Bourdy: His WebSite doesn't identify the cepage on this Cotes du Jura wine. First time I've had this wine, so wasn't sure what to expect. I found it rather amusing that, on his WebSite, he asserts that this wine can be kept 50-60 yrs. Is he kiddin'??? Doesn't have enough oak, doesn't have enough gobs of hedonistic fruit, doesn't have enough alcohol...no way will it go 50-60 yrs.
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5. Ryme: This is, of course, Ryan & Megan Glaab. They also produce more conventional wines under the Verse label as well. Followed them from the very start.
They are quite interested in use of Amphorae in making wines. They had a friend who's a potter craft them some amphorae to make this wine. In '10, they made both RibollaGialla (a la Gravner/Radikon) and the Aglianico, from LunaMatta grapes in PasoRobles.
This wine was quite a bit different from what I was expecting. Not quite sure exactly how it was made. I would guess that it was drawn off the skins after a few days and then allowed to ferment in the amphorae. It was not nearly as phenolic in character as I expected. And I picked up little oxidation, so it was clearly not a Gravner/Radikon wanna-be. Whatever they did, it was quite an interesting wine. Will be interesting to see what it ages into.
Tom

Re: WTN: Some Wines w/ Matt...(long/boring)

PostPosted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:40 pm
by Matthew Latuchie
Thanks again to Tom for organizing a fun afternoon!

SANTA FE OFFLINE - Susan's House - Santa Fe, NM (12/26/2012)

Shot an email to Tom Hill about meeting up for some wine after Christmas and he rounded up some folks in the Santa Fe area. This turned out to be a truly great afternoon of food and wine. Tom and Susan prepared a number of wonderful dishes, assembled an impressive selection of cheeses and cured meats and were great hosts. We had a great time meeting them along with Salman and Katrin and are looking forward to connecting with them again soon!
  • 1994 Régis Cruchet Vouvray Sec - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
    The color was a gorgeous golden and the it had classic aged vouvray notes of honeyed pears, soft vanilla, lemon curd and apples. The palate was sexy, floral and silky on the palate. Lanolin tones integrated nicely with apple, pear, and peach notes. Finish had good crispness and structure. Drinking well now. (91 pts.)
  • 2011 Forlorn Hope Gewürztraminer The Faufreluches Adam and Eve Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    A very unique expression of Gewurztraminer. This reminded me of the Gewurz that Abe Schoener puts together through his Scholium Project...turns out the two winemakers are blending buddies. Very raw and herbal nose that has some exotic salt and floral elements that stop you in your tracks. I agree with Tom's assessment that there aren't many classic Gewurztraminer characteristics at play here...and that's ok with me. The palate had nice peach and pear tones with some cherry and fresh herbal tones to it. (90 pts.)
  • 1999 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
    Sweet and perfumed nose of peaches, mangos and lanolin was pretty nice and inviting. The palate was accessible but still well structured - nice combination of rich tropical fruits, a stoney minerality and soft floral notes. Didn't find this overly complex, but showed nice secondary Gewurztraminer elements. (87 pts.)
  • 2009 Michel Gahier Chardonnay Arbois Les Follasses - France, Jura, Arbois
    Another beautiful bottle. Very stoney, cool and full of citrus. Great acidity throughout the wine made it pair well with some hard cheeses and crackers. (91 pts.)
  • 2010 Franck Peillot Vin du Bugey Mondeuse - France, Savoie, Vin du Bugey
    Very pretty nose of violets, sweet plum, crushed stones and mushroom. Palate was soft and inviting with lithe violet, and dark cherry tones nicely integrated. Like last time, this didn't blow me away like other Mondeuse has, but certainly a heck of a value. (88 pts.)
  • 2006 Jean Bourdy Côtes du Jura Rouge - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
    Nose is composed of dusty red floral notes, cranberry, pomegranate and fresh tilled soil. Great combination of juicy red fruit on the palate with rustic and savory elements like mushroom, dry-aged meats, and spices. Nice structure and tingly acidity...great stuff. (90 pts.)
  • 2006 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon La Croix Boissée - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
    Slow oxidized this for about 2 hours before serving. Nicely spiced nose of red fruit, dried red florals and green peppers. Palate was spicy and ripe with nice integration of red fruitiness, floral notes, and an elegant brambly underbelly. Really enjoyable now, but built to last. (92 pts.)
  • 2010 Ryme Aglianico Amphora - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
    A new one for me. Very pretty soft pink color in the glass with inviting aromas of strawberry, crushed rock, roses and herbs. Palate was incredibly lithe and sexy with beautiful combination of florals and stones. We drank this around the table with a fire roaring, but imagine this would be sublime on the patio in the summer. (90 pts.)
  • NV Domaine Labet Macvin du Jura - France, Jura, Macvin du Jura
    What a great wine. Incredible depth on the nose with deep, layered tones of almond, apple, pear, truffle and earth. The palate was lithe but powerful with loads of fresh apples, almond, mushroom and peach. Gorgeous length...this had a real presence without much weight. Great stuff. (94 pts.)
  • 2006 Holdredge Pinot Gris Grace's Cuvée - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    A pretty nice desert wine. Nose was a tropical fruit melange with peach, mango, passion fruit and cherry. The palate was very fruited and clean, but with a touch more acidity, would have been more inviting to my tastes. Seemed a bit gummy. (86 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker

Re: WTN: Some Wines w/ Matt...(long/boring)

PostPosted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:06 pm
by Rahsaan
TomHill wrote:BernardBaudry LaCroixBoisse 2006: a very nice example of a mature Loire CabFranc


Come again!