RN74

A group of four decided to make a mid-week pilgrimage to RN74 in San Francisco, a destination that had been beckoning ever since I heard about the droves of Burg nuts who descended on the place before and after the La Paulée this year. The wine list is phenomenal, but also pretty much stratospheric in its pricing, although we did manage to find a few “Spring Market” wines that were selling for less than $100, including a 1985 Daniel Jarry Vouvray Sec (we got the last bottle). The food was top notch, better than what I expected for some reason (OK, I forgot that Michael Mina was involved)—heavenly foie gras, and a superb leek risotto. And what a layout for their wine bar—spacious, unpretentious, with different types of “space” for the wine geek and the wine neophyte. But on to the wines…

The 1985 Daniel Jarry Vouvray Sec was the only wine we ordered off the list and it seems we got the last bottle. I never did figure out whether this was classified as a "Demi-Sec" or a "Sec", but I would say that the only sweetness that was apparent was a note on the mid-palate that appears as the initial bracing, intensely flavored attack gives way to a lingering sweet note on the finish. Otherwise, this is a wine with a very healthy and vibrant acidity, but not really of the teeth-etching variety as I have seen some notes suggest. In fact, this was beautifully and harmoniously integrated with rich and yet firmly muscled fruit, with the transitions exploring an extraordinary range of flavors while remaining completely seamless. On the nose the characteristic nut and honey notes emerge with time in the glass, but they seem to take on a distinct floral character. This is a fabulously precise wine with all of its elements laid out with complete transparency and harmonious balance. This wine has aged beautifully—a textbook example of why you lay bottles down for the long sleep. Quite a treat...

Then two 1er Cru red burgundies, a 1998 Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin Combottes and a 2004 Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny Fuées. The Combottes started a bit slow despite being opened about 2 hours before dinner, but right about at 3 hours it took off, blossoming to reveal floral red raspberry aromas and broadening and densifying on the mid-palate. Still, this managed to show that signature Dujac weightlessness on the palate despite the ramp up in flavor and expressiveness. Alongside the Combottes was the much younger 2004 Musigny Fuées, which showed surprisingly well when first poured in the glass (the bottle was opened about 3 hours earlier). Briary aromas of wild raspberry, underbrush, and smoke on the nose, with deep mineral-driven flavors somewhere between red and black fruit, this had quite a bit more power and depth than I expected. No real vegetal green notes here at all (despite the 2004 vintage), although the slightly stemmy underbrush aromas and flavors are clear enough and might figure more prominently for some. Unlike the Dujac, however, this one did not really improve in the glass, and in fact seemed to shut down and become more sullen as time progressed. Well, probably all you can expect for such a young wine.

Recent White Burgundies

The visit of my father-in-law recently provided a reason/excuse to open up some wines, mostly ranging from Burgundies (whites, as it turned out) to Bordeaux. I thought it was interesting that the white Burgundies, that have certainly taken a beating recently with all of the premox discussion, showed best of all. In fact, they mostly blew the other wines out of the water (with the exception of a 2001 Cos d’Estournel), which had me remembering that scene in the movie Sink the Bismarck where the big ship ventured on to some hapless lesser vessels.

In keeping with 1) the general problem with premox with older white Burgundies, and 2) the fact that they aren’t available in any case unless from your average retailer (I was away from home for some of the tastings), I went with some younger white Burgundies, 2004 and 2005. I came away with the strong feeling that at least some of the 2005 white Burgundies are starting to show very well, being more forward some of the other recent vintages.

Recommended by a young wine retailer at the Wine Cask in Santa Barbara, the 2005 Bouchard Meursault Genevrières was a real crowd pleaser, impressing a few who don’t normally drink much in the way of white Burgundies. The Genevrières showed an almost Riesling-like juxtaposition of apparently opposing characteristics, something that might have led lead one to guess that it should be an unbalanced wine. In fact, the combination was remarkably successful, with the wine showing slightly bitter quinine notes that seem to ascend into the rich, almost fat mid-palate of sweet ripe fruit like fog rising off warm earth. The result is a remarkably complex wine for one so young, a great expression of Meursault typicity.

After the rich, almost decadent Bouchard Genevrières, I decided it would be appropriate to try something from a nearby appellation with a very different character. A few nights later we had the 2005 Amiot Guy et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets. Lacking the sweet fat mid-palate of the Meursault, this was nonetheless another showy wine, with vibrant citrus notes that sweep across the palate. The mouth feel borders on creaminess without any suggestion of fat, and the stonier mineral flavors only show up to dominate the long finish. Another rich, almost flamboyant 2005, but expressing clearly the tautly muscled style of a Chassagne-Montrachet.

We revisited Meursault a few nights later with a 2004 Bouchard Meursault Perrières, a wine with a distinctly stonier and more austere profile than the 2005 Genevrières. Doubtless this reflects to some extent both the vintage (2004 versus 2005), but also the characteristics of the Perrières, which tends to be stonier and more backward. Nontheless, if was handing out points, I am not sure I would have ranked this wine any lower, since the tightly wound energy conveyed by the fusion of sharply defined citrus and mineral notes rendered the impression of a chiseled, crystalline wine that will only get better with time.

The last (or was it our first) of our white Burgundies was a 2001 William Fevre Chablis les Clos, which seemed to show very much like the wine recently described by Bill Nanson. This wine did not show premox, and therefore was drinking well, but it is well advanced now, probably drinking pretty close to its peak. Like many of the other 2001 and 2002 Fevre Chablis I have sampled recently, this has a rich mid-palate of softened citrus with notes of both quinine and tidal pool. I was a bit surprised to see that the 2001 showed petroleum aromas I have found in some of the 2002 Fevre Chablis. The mid-palate lacks just a little bit of energy and definition to make this a really great wine, but it is drinking enjoyably now.

Two 10 year old wines

Four of us got together at the last minute for a dinner on Saturday, another effort to deplete some of our wine inventory. We went slightly off our normal track, which recently has tended to emphasize Burgundies and Barolos (who can argue with those choices?) and sampled two wines with some Cabernet Sauvignon, the 1999 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT, and the 2000 Chateau du Tertre from Margaux. The Tignanello (apparently 80% Sangiovese, 10% or so Cabernet Sauvignon) was a bit subdued, perhaps due to late opening, but with some time in the glass it strengthened, developing balsamico aromas that framed the more subtle Cabernet notes on the nose. First taste and I actually thought Cabernet, but subsequent tastes brought out the tarry Sangiovese character that seem to dominate the wine at this stage. While clearly not fully mature, the wine shows good, sharp mid-palate definition, with that Sangiovese acidity bringing clarity to the wine on the finish.

The du Tertre was also caught in transition, with secondary flavors perhaps even dominating primary at this stage. Not hugely long or complex or structured, this nonetheless shows nicely detailed Cabernet and Merlot flavors, with complementary green and dark cassis flavors showing the richness of the vintage and the floral elegance of the Margaux appellation. This gives me some measure of relief that the highly touted 2000 Bordeaux vintage is going to deliver...

Italian Eclectica in the Hills

The usual suspects, plus Steve Pride and spouse, convened for some eclectic Italian wines deep in that cul de sac Moraga. I have to confess that the theme was perhaps chosen in part to find a set of wines that were as far as possible from the Cult Cabs that Steve is used to, and in that we certainly succeeded.

First up were a couple of Arneis from Piemonte, the 2007 Vietti Arneis and the 2008 Giacosa Arneis. The preference for the Arneis split very nicely along gender lines, with the ladies going for the slightly more full bodied 2008 Giacosa Arneis, which showed sweet tropical fruit along with fainter mid-latitude orchard fruit flavors. The men seemed to prefer the 2007 Vietti Arneis came across as much crisper, higher in acidity than the Giacosa, and with more northerly white flower aromas. Perhaps I was influenced as well in my preference for the Vietti by the pairing with the soft La Tur cheese that seemed to demand a more bracing wine.

Next up was a 1999 Valentini Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, the very definition of an iconoclastic wine. The nose is dominated by a whole array of nut aromas, the most easily identifiable of which was probably almonds, along with yeast. On the palate the leesy character is very apparent, with roasted red apple and yeast flavors, made slightly picquant by the faintest hint of carbonation. Probably a crazy comparison, by somehow this reminded me a bit of an Aubert Ritchie Chardonnay, even if the match in the grape variety was not perfect. Paired beautifully with Nilla’s signature veal tonnato.

Then to pair with the main course, four distinctive reds that were paired with Osso Bucco. A 1999 Paolo Bea Sagrantino de Montefalco Secco was opened up 3 hours before dinner, which helped to blow off some of the volatile acidity it showed. While this and other Bea wines are reported to take years to come around, this has not been my impression from tasting this one, the 1999, and a 2001 last summer. Who is to say what maturity is, but certainly this was showing secondary flavors that seemed to literally dance on the palate, with lush port-like fruit that exploded on the palate as inner mouth perfume. We had some discussion about how to describe this wine, with Steve suggesting the terms “porty and raisiny”, while others of us holding out for the distinction between these two. I guess this was a big one in its own way, but I was struck by how light it was on its feet, like Port without the high alcohol and sheer density, an acrobatic version of Pegau’s Cuvee da Capo. Certainly a highly original wine by probably anybody’s standards.

Alongside the Bea was a 1997 Casanova de Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova, certainly the most backward and reserved of the wines that evening. This wine seemed to have barely budged from its primary flavors despite its 12 years of age, with aromas of tar and black cherry coaxed only reluctantly from the glass. While not showy at this stage, I was nonetheless impressed with the depth of material here, with not insubstantial tannins balanced well at this stage by the density of dark fruit. I think this will drink very well in eight years or so, and is no particular danger of drying out as some have warned.

And then a 1995 Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Steve Pride’s favorite of the tasting, which was chosen by Lou for its almost Burgundian style that contrasted with the 1995 Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Vigneto Alto that followed. The Brigaldara might be described as another Port-like wine (or it was by some) except for the darkness of the fruit and its strong mineral and dry extract finish. Intriguing camphor aromas on the nose added to the complex, exotic raisiny aromas and flavors that came across as almost as light on its feet as the Bea. Then the Bussola, which was another beast (or should I say monster) with the dark fruit and dry raisiny extract ratcheted up to a whole another level. This one probably just needs more time for its full complexity to emerge.

Last up was a 1988 Rieussec Sauternes, that while it paired well with the poached pears, did not do much for me. Slightly on the simple side, and missing some of the acidity and extra botrytis I look for in a really energetic Sauternes, this just could not compete with the Italian fireworks tasted before.

2002 Fevre: The Agony and the Ecstasy

A group of wine geeks concerned about the reports of prem-ox affecting the 2002 Fèvre Chablis in particular assembled to taste through many of their Grand Cru and a couple of Premier Cru from the vintage.

Some conclusions first:

• The 2002 Chablis, and the Fèvre in particular, are fragile. They apparently need to be treated with kid gloves.

• Mistreatment in shipping or storage prior to their retail sale for some of the wines seems pretty clear to me at least. Some batches of the wine are affected at a very high rate, while other batches are almost unaffected. This is incompatible with a 100% random process as one would expect with bad corks, for example.

• Lining all the wines up in the same kind of glass with the same fill, subtle differences in color were apparent, with the palest wine being the Preuses described below.

So first, a suite of 2002 Fèvre purchased through Premier Cru on the gray market from an importer in Denmark (the labels on the back are in Danish).

2002 Fèvre Montée de Tonnerre
Very pale yellow, this gives off faint chalky aromas laced with quinine. In the mouth, this is missing just a touch of the richness and complexity that shows up in the Grand Cru that follow, but the weightlessness and overall balance are convincing. This bottle has that almost feminine delicacy and elegance that are the hallmarks of the best Montée de Tonnerre. In fine shape…

2002 Fèvre Vaudésir
Just the faintest darker hue than the MdT, this was nonetheless another bottle in great shape, with a lively acidity on the palate framing richer, sappier, more complex fruit. The bracing citrus notes on the palate are fading here and there is just a touch of caramel appearing, but it all seems in the right proportion. This kept expanding in the glass, with new floral notes and texture emerging with time.

2002 Fèvre Bougros Côtes des Bouguerots
Another richer style of Chablis (within the Fèvre fold), but with even more bracing acidity than the Vaudesir showed, with notes of quinine tempered by the faintest touch of more volatile sherry aromas. This again seems to be in a good place on the aging curve, although I don’t know if it will make it to 20 years. A fine effort, but maybe not quite as compelling as some of the Bouguerots I have had in later years.

2002 Fèvre Preuses
I have had an advanced version of this wine in the past that was still quite good, with softer floral and tropical fruit aromas that made for a very different style from what appears here. This bottle had the palest color of any in the lineup, with only the faintest trace of straw yellow. On the nose the seductive aromas are of oyster shell, chalk, and tidal pool delivered with great delicacy and detail. On the palate this is not the most powerful wine that you will encounter, but it is hard to imagine a more weightless one, or one with greater crystallinity, detail, and transparency. This is like looking into a crystal clear tidal pool, with details at depth showing remarkably in focus. It is not often that mere mortals get to see Newton’s Law of Gravity flouted so brazenly and successfully. The long seashell and saline notes linger on the palate with an almost ghostly presence. This was a great bottle that I could not get out of my mind (or off my palate) as I mistakenly drove west instead of east on leaving the tasting…

2002 Fèvre Valmur
The strongest color of any in the original six, and also the most advanced, with distinct sherry and almond notes on the nose. This would be relatively easy to drink and enjoy under normal circumstances, but it suffered in comparison with the more crystalline and pristine examples that preceded it. The palate has lost some of its clarity as well as the sherry flavors are starting to obscure the underlying structure of the wine.

2002 Fèvre Clos
I thought this one initially was more advanced than it was, with soft honey notes on the nose and a sappy mid-palate low in acidity. This wine was much more richer than I recall from earlier tastings, but also less advanced than previous recent bottles that showed more like the one described below. With time in the glass, this actually firmed up, holding its own for the rest of the evening.

Now a couple of 2002 Fèvre Chablis from my own cellar, which have been affected in the recent past by prem-ox:

2002 Fèvre les Clos (from the Wine House in Los Angeles, directly imported by Cliquot Inc.)
This bottle shows a more pronounced caramel –sherry notes than the preceding gray market Clos, although the bottle is still drinkable for those with some tolerance for this character. The ghost of quinine and oyster shell flavors can still be detected through the encroaching oxidative flavors, but the detail is beginning to blur.

2002 Fèvre Bougros (from Premier Cru, with a label in French on the back)
Even stronger sherry and caramel notes here with only the ghost of acidity and Chablis character lurking in the background, like those ruined cities of bygone eras now overgrown with vegetation that you read about in fantasy novels. Very much in keeping with at least some of the recent 2002 Fèvre Bougros I have had from the same source, although out of five sampled earlier, two were still good.

2002 Fèvre Vaillons (from Premier Cru, with a label in French on the back)
This bottle was again similar in style to the last 5 or 6 Vaillons I have had over the last year, except this was even further gone. One would be hard pressed here to even identify it as a Chablis.

To conclude, a beautiful 1986 Climens Sauternes, with apricot, almond, and botrytis aromas in perfectly orchestrated balance. Ethereal, with delicate acidity and fantastic length, this was as good as a bottle I tasted a few years ago.

Two Great 1986 Bordeaux: Different Styles, Different Palates

Last week we had a chance to taste some perfectly cellared 1986 Bordeaux among four of us, including Board member Lou Rittenhouse: the 1986 Pichon Lalande and the 1986 Léoville las Cases. Two great Bordeaux showing distinctive styles that turned out to resonate differently with the palates.

To start, we shared a 2005 Albert Mann Riesling Schlossberg, a wine that we had tasted at Thanksgiving. This bottle was opened mid-afternoon, a good 2 to 2.5 hours before tasting. This extra bit of air evidently made quite a difference in the profile compared to an earlier bottle tasted at Thanksgiving, where granitic soil and dust seemed to dominate the profile. Here the granitic mineral component was in the background behind a complex array of tropical and more northerly fruits and floral aromas. I am always amazed that these Riesling (when successful) can capture such a range of apparent climates in their fruit and floral character. The sweetness from the evidently 8-10 g/L of residual sugar was a bit more apparent as well, dominating the initial attack while the soil and floral notes emerged more clearly on the finish. Drinking well now with some air, but should be interesting to track over the next 10 years or so...

The 1986 Pichon Lalande has to be drinking close to its peak, with airy, high-toned aromas of olive, green aged tobacco, and cassis showing very expressively on the nose. On the palate, the presentation from initial attack to its long finish is horizontal, meaning it seems to spread across the palate, with inner mouth perfumes emerging as the spicy wine reacts vigorously on the palate. This wine manages a weightlessness that is not common among many top notch Bordeaux, and without sacrificing any richness of fruit on the palate.

The 1986 Léoville las Cases does not show the same signature crème de cassis mouthfeel of the 1982, 1990, and the young 1996 Léoville las Cases, but it does show that even more characteristic palate expression of layers unfolding vertically, or with depth in the wine. The nose shows aromas of cool menthol, rich aged dark tobacco (no green note), and a smoky undertone that is reluctantly coaxed from the glass. In the mouth, the wine is impeccably balanced, with an impressive muscular structure that shows no sharp edges, even if that creamy note is not there. Now the brooding suggestion of vertical layering here might well lead some to say the wine is simply not ready, I can’t help but feeling this is really the quintessential Léoville las Cases expression. This wine did nothing for Lou, but I still find myself beguiled by that intoxicating sensation of descent one gets with a great las Cases, as if plumbing the depths of the Marianas Trench. This seems to me a clear case where distinct styles of wine resonate very differently with different palates.

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.