WTN: Boillot, Guion, Saintsbury and......Shafer?

Monday after work I picked up Betsy at airport, then we went home for leftover chuck roast, leeks, and salad.
2013 Henri Boillot Caillerets Volnay 1er
In a good place, rich black cherry fruit, a touch of mocha, good acids, bit of tannin but a smooth texture. The mocha notes are likely from oak, I don’t think you could call this classic, but I didn’t find it intrusive. B+/B

No wine Tuesday as I spoke at a hunger banquet on Long Island and then swung through Manhattan to drop off a few things.

Wednesday Betsy made curry chicken katsu, rice with furikake, and slaw.
NV Guion Cremant de Loire
I didn’t really love a Guion rose bubbly recently, but this is pretty fun, and the bubbles and bright acidity made it a good match with the fried chicken. Rainier cherries, raspberry and orange.Tangy and fresh with a minerally finish. B/B+

Thursday salmon marinated in kaiseki sauce, garlicky spinach,sunchokes with parmesan, and salad.
1997 Saintsbury Reserve Pinot Noir
This was a long shot, but 20 years ago I was a Saintsbury fan.And the long shot pays off. There’s some autumnal notes, but there’s sweet red cherry fruit and nice underlying acidity and zip. With some air it gets herby & mushroomy. I enjoy for an hour or more and then it starts to feel a tad hot (listed at 14.2).B+ for first hour.

1999 Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay
OK I didn’t expect this to be alive, I don’t usually think of most CalChards as candidates for 20 year aging. . Might as well not have in cellar, opened one last night. To my shock, it was fresh and young, if you told me it was 6-8 years old I would have nodded. Oh, but wait, it's a REALLY sucky young wine. Canned pineapple, raw oak, and imitation vanilla extract. Shudder. C-

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was the only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

Wow! Saintsbury PN, a blast from the past. IIRC, the Reserve bottling was always heavier (oak, extract) than the regular cuvee. Carneros PN at its best had a lightness of character that made for good short-term drinking.

I never had a problem with oak or extract with the Reserve, it was the Brown Ranch that was too extracted for me.

[David M. Bueker]

That Shafer Chardonnay was always a beast regardless of vintage. Disgusting stuff.

[Jenise]

That Shafer Chardonnay was always a beast regardless of vintage. Disgusting stuff.

True, and that way for years. The '22 or '23, which I've had recently, is a different animal altogether. Pale, light and seemingly oak-free. Quite a change.

I'm a big fan of Saintsbury's Carneros pinot noir. I usually drink it up in the 5-10 years old time frame, but some years ago I found a stray bottle in my cellar that was 15 years old. It was a dead ringer for a Nuits St. Georges. I hadn't thought that California pinot noir could develop like that.

-Paul W.