WTN: Seven

Seven Hills 1994 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Klipsun Vineyard, $15
A fair amount of funk on the nose but not too much to spoil enjoyment of the wine. Beyond that, there is some mellow cassis, cedar and earth. Mature, balanced, nuanced, decent acidity, some tannins still left but well-integrated, very fine wine. Excellent match with garlic/rosemary/lemon roast chicken and potatoes.

Nikolaihof 2002 Wachau Grüner Veltliner Hefeabzug, $19
Wonderful, expressive nose dominated by flowers, with some lentil, white pepper and mineral accents. On the palate, there is nice citrus fruit, accompanied by intense minerality, some lentils and plenty of white pepper. Nice, bright acidity, vibrant texture, tremendously enjoyable wine. Outstanding match with homemade orange flavor tofu and broccoli. The next day, it’s similar but less fruit and flowers, replaced by more minerals, herbs and spices. It’s excellent on its own, but not a good match with salmon chowder; the bitterness of the soup accents the bitterness of the wine, making both less pleasant. Importer: Michael Skurnik, a Terry Thiese Selection.

Andre Neveu 2003 Sancerre Le Grand Fricambault Rouge, $17.40
Great nose of cherry, roses, cinnamon, earth and sage-like herbs. On the palate, it’s richer than it appears from the nose, with cherry, cinnamon, dark earth, some herbs and a little cola note I don’t usually get in Sancerres — presumably a product of the vintage. Very smooth, with decent acidity, and quite enjoyable. A bit more fruity with a bit more body than a typical Sancerre, but no way does this get mistaken for a California PN. Excellent match with goat cheese pierogies.

Chateau Bonnet 1996 Bordeaux, $5.50
Classic mature Bordeaux mellow cedar and graphite nose. On the palate, something seems off on the first taste, but then it goes away. Instead, there is surprisingly alive cassis fruit, with cedar, graphite and earth. Very smooth with integrated tannins and decent acidity. Excellent match with leftover roast chicken.

Andre et Michel Quenard 2004 Vin de Savoie Chignin Vieilles Vignes, $16
I had bought this thinking it was made by Raymond Quenard, whose bottles have been highly reviewed here; turns out Quenard is a popular name among Savoie producers. Anyway, the nose starts out with a fair amount of barnyard, which gradually gives way to raspberry, herbs and earth. On the palate, there is sharp, tart raspberry fruit accented by some herbs and earth. The texture is a bit prickly, though I don’t see obvious bubbles, and the acidity is quite strong. More than anything, this reminds me of gamay, though I believe this is made from Mondeuse. Excellent match with a potato/onion/broccoli/Jarlsberg omelette. Importer: Simon ‘n Cellars.

Domaine Viret 1999 Cotes-du-Rhone-Villages St-Maurice Cosmic, $12
The first smells are cardboard and funk — uh oh, could this be infected by both TCA and brett? After a few minutes, though, the cardboard disappears and while the funk remains, it’s not too strong. Overall, this has a mix of blue and black fruits on the nose and palate, with some flowers, earth and black olives. A little spirity, too, which is a drawback. There are some decent tannins remaining as well and enough acidity for structure. Enjoyable, complex wine but also a bit of a powerhouse. Excellent match with a lentil/feta/tomato pasta. Two days later, it’s mellower and now has a delightful herbal/garrigue note on the finish that really hits the spot. Importer: Louis/Dressner.

Château d'Oupia 2001 Minervois, $8
Superb. A bright, attractive herbal/garrigue note dominates the aromas and flavors, mixing with high-toned, bright, red berry fruit to produce a delightful combination. There are some earth, mineral and pepper nuances as well. Smooth and superb acidity. Some tannins remain, so this could be aged further, but it’s great now. Outstanding match with leftover lentil/feta/tomato pasta. Importer: Louis/Dressner.

[Jenise]

Had that Viret about two years ago myself, and you brought back the wine back to life for me with your perfect description. I didn't care for it--that extracted, blue-black fruit is just not what I'm hoping for in a Rhone wine. Didn't give it a chance to morph like you did, though.

Thanks, Jenise. I've gone through four or five bottles of this so far (spaced out over a period of several years) and each one was a little different. It's more fruit forward than my usual preference, as well as yours, but it's got enough interesting things going on -- rich earth, black olives, sometimes some garrigue -- and enough acidity to make it enjoyable for me. I've got two bottles left; it has been fun seeing how they change with a little age and I'll probably try these sometime over the next two or three years.

Nice notes, Bruce and I like the suggested food pairings. I may have to take notes on your menus.

Thanks for the nice words, JC, but I didn't list the food pairings as suggestions -- they're just what happened to transpire on a given night, often with as little as 30 seconds of forethought (on what wine to drink, not what food to make). In most cases, these pairings tend to work out for me mostly because I'm an easy mark -- I tend to like most wine with most food regardless of what's what -- but I have no doubt others' mileage will vary.

Andre Neveu 2003 Sancerre Le Grand Fricambault Rouge

Bruce- I thought a recent bottle of this was starting to shut down compared the first one I tried about a year ago. From your note the wine still sounds pretty expressive. I didn't pick up the cola thing. I have one more bottle and I'm not sure when it would be best to open it.

I have some of the '05 Neveu Sancerre blanc on order, but it hasn't arrived yet. I also have some '05 Quenard Chignin to try, but it is white wine made from Jacquerre grapes, from JP et JF Quenard. There are a lot of Quenards, apparently.

Enjoyed the notes as usual.

Bruce- I thought a recent bottle of this was starting to shut down compared the first one I tried about a year ago. From your note the wine still sounds pretty expressive. I didn't pick up the cola thing. I have one more bottle and I'm not sure when it would be best to open it.

Now that I think about it, I believe it was a previous TN you posted that made me decide to give this wine a try -- normally I'm nuts over Sancerre rouge (or just plain nuts, depending upon your perspective and palate) and they're rare enough that I'll buy any I find, but because this was 2003, I was exercising rare caution. I don't have the earlier reference point you had, so I can't say whether it's closing or not, but I did enjoy it and certainly found it expressive enough for my tastes. But like a lot of good Pinots, Sancerre rouge can be subject to bottle variation and unpredictable changes over time.

As for the cola thing, it was minor -- I find it a major thing in California Pinots which is one reason I rarely like them -- and for me, it didn't spoil things.

Anyway, a belated thanks for the recco. And maybe I'll give my other bottle some time in the cellar to see what happens.

I liked the red 2003's from the Loire better than the white wines I tried, and after tasting a few, bought a mixed case of Cab Franc based wines from various producers. The only white I tried and bought more of was the 2003 Pepiere Muscadet, although I may be the only one that liked that particular vintage. The few '03 Sauvignon blancs and Chenins I tasted didn't do it for me.