Some wines at Chevalier

A group of five gathered at Chevalier Restaurant in Lafayette to further pare down our cellars on a night of unseasonably cold and foggy weather. First up was the 2002 Huet Vouvray Brut Pétillant, a sparkling wine that has attained a near cult status on at least one wine discussion board. Here one is advised to relax one expectations a bit, not in terms of quality, but in terms of the characteristics one might look for in a high end sparkling wine (AKA, Champagne). The profile is distinctive here, with the Chenin Blanc evincing a distinct profile from what one finds in a Chardonnay-based blanc. Golden yellow in color, the wine shows aromas of chalk and orchard fruit, with a fainter yeast note lingering in the background. Finely beaded, vigorous, and intensely flavored in the mouth, the wine spreads over the entire palate despite its almost austere dryness. Sour red apple flavors provide a counterpoint to the palpable chalky character that carries through from the nose, with the dry extract of the chalk lingering on the palate for minutes. A very distinctive and original rendition of a sparkling wine, with a trace of crisp fruit sweetness emerging only on the chalky finish. This should improve with some additional bottle age, rounding those slightly sharp edges and bringing out the incipient complexity in the wine.

Next up was a wine that was corked when we tried it earlier, the 1993 Chevillon Nuits Saint Georges les Saint Georges. Tonight the bottle was pristine and showing beautifully, with dominantly dark but soft fruit aromas wafting from the glass, rendered more interesting by underbrush and damp soil notes. In the mouth this is surprisingly full and round, almost unctuous—a surprise because somehow I had the impression (based apparently on unsupported anecdotes) that this was a leaner, even acidic vintage. There are still some substantial tannins left here, and a healthy acidity, but the richness and purity of the dark brooding fruit more than stands up to it. Outstanding now, maybe even better in five years.

And then a wine in a style that I do not normally care for, with the label showing 15.6% alcohol, the 2001 Peter Michael les Pavots. And yet this 47% Cabernet Franc, 45%(?) Cabernet Sauvignon, 8%(?) Merlot wine shows none of the heat that one might expect, giving off instead blackberry, blueberry, and cool mint aromas that somehow come across as exceedingly elegant and refined. None of that bruising, testosterone-laden style that one finds in a Foley or Switchback, for example. In the mouth this is incredibly dense and satiny, covering the palate with almost impenetrable but slowly volatilizing compendium of dark fruit, tar, and mint that provides the inner mouth perfume on the finish. I found I sipped rather than drank this, but that is really all one needs for the complete palate and aromatic experience.

Last up was a unprepossessing QPR from the old days, a 2000 Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvée Prestige. The last bottle in my cellar, this showed well, with fragrant, airy Grenache aromas interwoven with spicy garrigue on the nose. In the mouth this is medium weight, with a healthy acidity and delineation that intensifies the red berry and licorice flavors of the Grenache. At peak now, or perhaps a year or two past, this wine came into its own in the last five years. A nice wine, but it could not help but suffer in comparison to its competitors on this evening.