What are we drinking in the Omicron ominous?

[s*d*r]

Stu, how mature is the 95 Monte Bello? I have a bottle or two floating around, but I just assumed it needs more time.

It’s probably at peak, no need to wait. It could possibly develop more complexity with additional age but maybe not. As you know I like ‘em old but I’m more confident with Bordeaux than California.

Stu

[Claudius2]

Blanquito
I’m not familiar with that producer but I am very partial to Gevry Chambertin.
My cellar (actually a storage unit) has quite a lot of GC, NSG, Volnay, Pommard, Beaune, SLB, Santenay and a few outliers such as St Romain and Givry.

I do not have a single bottle of VR or CM as they have become so expensive that I can’t justify the price. And good Bordeaux is good value these days Other than the very most expensive.

[JCNorthway]

Last night I pulled something from the "attic" of my cellar - a last bottle of a vintage set aside to try in the future, subsequently forgotten, and then not opened out of fear it was over the hill. Back in the 90's, I discovered a California producer by the name of Matanzas Creek. They made a chardonnay (very good), sauvignon blanc, and a merlot which was consistently top notch. They also grew a lot of lavender on their property which was sold as a sideline business. The family sold the winery and property a number of years ago to Jess Jackson of Kendall Jackson, and the wines were never the same.

Anyway, the wine I opened was a 1995 Matanzas Creek Merlot. Back in the day, this sold for around $40 a bottle, and it was one of the better merlots that came out of California. I approached this with some trepidation given its age. But sometimes wines surprise you, and this one certainly did. Had I not known what it was, I would have guessed it to be a Bordeaux wine with some age. It seemed much younger than its age would have suggested. Lots of dark fruit, noticeable tannins, and crisp acidity. It was much better than I expected, given its age. I still have one bottle from 1991, 1994, and 1997, which were all better vintages than the 1995, so I am hopeful of having a few more nice surprises in the near future.

I love it when a wine turns out to be better than expected and this one certainly was.

[JimHow]

Well done JC.

[DavidG]

Great result Jon. One of the joys of a cellar.

[Blanquito]

With dinner last night — 1982 l’Arrosee, 1990 Jaboulet Thalabert Crozes-Hermitage, 1990 Ridge Jimsomare Cabernet, 1990 Filhot Creme de Tete.

[JCNorthway]

Nice little assortment of wines. All 1990 with an outlier 1982. Is the Filhot still going strong at this point?

[Ianjaig]

2015 Réserve de la Comtesse: Surprisingly approachable. Rich, luscious blackberries. Soft - polished. Rustic elegance. Lovely.

[stefan]

2003 Sociano-Mallet with flat iron steak. Well balanced and fine. Much better than the 2005 for drinking now.

[jal]

With vegetarian lasagna (bolognese, bechamel and Beyond Beef, a first for us) we drank a 2006 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino. Nice nose of cherries, lighter color, soft resolved tannins, easy drinking without too much complexity or grip. Went well with the lasagna.

[AKR]

With dinner last night — 1982 l’Arrosee, 1990 Jaboulet Thalabert Crozes-Hermitage, 1990 Ridge Jimsomare Cabernet, 1990 Filhot Creme de Tete.

Whoa nelly! heavy duty stuff....please expand on these....

I didn't even know Jimsomare had cabernet plantings.

What was up with all that extravagance?

[Blanquito]

With dinner last night — 1982 l’Arrosee, 1990 Jaboulet Thalabert Crozes-Hermitage, 1990 Ridge Jimsomare Cabernet, 1990 Filhot Creme de Tete.

Whoa nelly! heavy duty stuff....please expand on these....

I didn't even know Jimsomare had cabernet plantings.

What was up with all that extravagance?

It was a grand, balmy evening in Denver, maybe the last of the season with highs hitting the low 70’s, and I had 3 of the local wine crew over for some socially-distanced vino on the back deck. I provided all the reds (blind) and the sauternes, and the crew brought whites and bubbly.

2010 Musar Blanc
Served blind. A slightly oxidative nose, but mostly fresh and quite peachy. Clean, balanced, perhaps like a Rhône white without any sweetness or RS. Good and food friendly. 90 pts.

2009 Pape Clement Blanc
A little mute on the nose, but quite delightful to taste with vanilla bean, incense, spice. Some oak but not oaky, ripe but not overripe. Very nice. 91 pts.

Lasalle Rose Champagne
My first from this producer, and I am quite taken. Redolent of blood orange and white ginger, balanced, long, simple. Impossible to put down. 92+ pts.

1982 l’Arrosee
An imperfect bottle, probably ever so slightly corked, but still drinkable and it improved with air. Lacks the explosive, exotic aromatics the best bottles of this can show. Leathery, earthy, deep, silky, and just slightly off. NR.

1990 Jaboulet Thalabert Crozes-Hermitage
Another excellent bottle of this, showing classic old school northern Rhône notes of bacon, cured meats, earth and rubber. Fully mature but still vigorous and layered. Lacks the complexity and length of the best, but quite excellent. 93 pts.

1990 Ridge Jimsomare Cabernet
100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Spicy and fruit-first with cassis and licorice and a kiss of American oak, but wonderfully balanced. Ready but has a lot left in the tank. New World meets Old. Always a treat. 93 pts.

2013 Ridge Geyserville
Opened as a late supplement for the off l’Arrosee, the crowd got new world but couldn’t believe it is 73% Zinfandel. Cool fruited and almost cab-like, but an extra gear of richness. Quite seamless and wonderfully balanced, I can’t think of a ‘young’ Geyserville that can hold a candle to this vintage. 92+ pts.

1990 Filhot Creme de Tete
Rich, deep, with caramel and lemon, more like a Tokay or even a TBA, but that’s the vintage showing. This is sweet, decadent, super bright yet heady, filled with toffee and power. Terrific but I think these are better finished sooner than later. 92 pts.

[stefan]

Very interesting assortment there, Patrick. Like Arv, I did not know that there are Cabernet grapes in the Jimsomare vineyard. Like you, I think the fabulous 1990 Filhot Creme de Tete is now on the downslope.

[Comte Flaneur]

Nice selection Patrick.

[Blanquito]

Ridge used to make cabernet (and still makes zinfandel) from Jimsomare, a vineyard in Santa Cruz quite near the main Monte Bello vineyards. In the late 90's (CellarTracker has the final vintage of Jimsomare Cab as 1998), Ridge stopped making Jimsomare Cab and it sounds like they instead began bottling some of the cab from this site as the Ridge Klein Cabernet. It also sounds like since Ridge purchased Jimsomare outright, they are using some of the cabernet fruit in the Monte Bello Historic Vines, Torre Ranch, and Steep Terraces bottlings.

The vineyard was called Jimsomare by the prior owners the Schwabacher family as an amalgam of their firsts names Jim, Sophie, Marie.

From Ridge on the Klein Cab:
"Pierre Klein, an Alsatian, purchased his Mira Valle property on Monte Bello Ridge in 1888. He planted cabernet sauvignon— possibly other Bordeaux varietals as well—and aspired to produce wines as great as those of the Médoc... Prohibition led to the demise of Mira Valle and the abandonment of the vineyard. The Schwabacher family of San Francisco bought Klein’s land in 1936, renaming it “Jimsomare.” At our suggestion and with our support, cabernet was replanted in the early seventies; Ridge produced a small quantity of Jimsomare Cabernet from 1978 until 1997. When Ridge took over the vineyard in 1996, it became part of the Monte Bello estate vineyard. This year, we selected a limited number of barrels for a separate bottling. This excellent cabernet sauvignon will develop its full complexity over the next fifteen to twenty years."

[AKR]

That's really interesting - it's like you were drinking a component of the 1990 Monte Bello.

Beringer sells some of their components to their PR cab too, mailing list and tasting room only, but sometimes they pop up in the secondary market. They could be lesser vats that don't make it into the top blend, or maybe their blending prowess is additive, but it doesn't seem like critics ever like them as much as the PR.

[Blanquito]

That's really interesting - it's like you were drinking a component of the 1990 Monte Bello.

Beringer sells some of their components to their PR cab too, mailing list and tasting room only, but sometimes they pop up in the secondary market. They could be lesser vats that don't make it into the top blend, or maybe their blending prowess is additive, but it doesn't seem like critics ever like them as much as the PR.

Yeah, I think most of Ridge's smaller production cabs (Jimsomare and York Creek before, Klein and the other bottlings now) were/are on sold via mailing lists like their ATP program or at the winery. I bought mine via auction years after the fact. And as much as I love the Jimsomare cabs (usually more than Monte Bello, FWIW), I prefer their York Creek cabs.

[JoelD]

1964 fontanafredda barolo. Light, floral, beautiful. Almost like a tea. Subtle, but still a touch of cherry. Funk blew off after 30 min in decanter. Bottle was perfect, everything in great shape. Great color. Glad I have a few more of these and some 71/74. Great value at $85 recently. 94pts

[JimHow]

Got a shipment of 2017 Felsina Beradegna chianti today, sipping on it now. This is nice!

[Blanquito]

1994 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
From half bottle... this is a deep, dark wine. The nose is rich and a bit port-like showing stewed plum, dark chocolate, macerated black cherries, mint and mineral undertones. The palate is dry, fully resolved and basaltic, and leans on the bright and tart end of the spectrum. This renders it very food friendly despite the rich bouquet, but it would better with a bit more sweetness. The finish is long and tangy and shows a distinctive and compelling flavor of black cherry juice. This is fun and unusual and I enjoy it a lot, but in the end it’s ‘merely’ a very good one. 91 pts.

[Blanquito]

1964 fontanafredda barolo. Light, floral, beautiful. Almost like a tea. Subtle, but still a touch of cherry. Funk blew off after 30 min in decanter. Bottle was perfect, everything in great shape. Great color. Glad I have a few more of these and some 71/74. Great value at $85 recently. 94pts

Love these old fontanafredda wines. Mine have been from the 70’s, and they’ve punched way above their weight and price tag.

[stefan]

Tonight with beef stroganoff we drank 2000 Lagrange (St Julien). The wine matched well with the food--both were pretty blah, with few overtones. The Lagrange also was thinner than I remember from the last time we drank it.

[Racer Chris]

Last night, 1986 Rausan-Segla went with roast beef panini on chiabatta bread.
Forest floor on the nose. Cherries, herbs, and tea leaves on the palate. Almost too delicate for the very hearty sandwich, but a great pleasure throughout.

[jal]

Tonight with beef stroganoff we drank 2000 Lagrange (St Julien). The wine matched well with the food--both were pretty blah, with few overtones. The Lagrange also was thinner than I remember from the last time we drank it.

More often than not, I am disappointed by Lagrange of all vintages

[Comte Flaneur]

I find Lagrange frustratingly inconsistent. Which is why I don’t own very much of it, apart from the amazing 2016. But otherwise lucky to be pegged as a third growth..

[stefan]

The 1990 Lagrange is also outstanding.

[Blanquito]

The 1990 Lagrange is also outstanding.

Easily the best vintage I’ve tried of Lagrange. I believe the 90 was my nominee in a one-hit-wonders thread years back along with the likes of the 96 Lafon Rochet, 90 Louviere, etc.

[Nicklasss]

I think Chateau Lagrange is a big property, producing a lot of bottles of wine (like 700 000 bottles for first + second wine), maybe this is not helping.

The 1990 is surely one of the best vintage of that wine. 1988, 1996, 2005 are well made and satisfying for these vintages, but not top.

[JoelD]

Last night, 1986 Rausan-Segla went with roast beef panini on chiabatta bread.
Forest floor on the nose. Cherries, herbs, and tea leaves on the palate. Almost too delicate for the very hearty sandwich, but a great pleasure throughout.

Jealous of this Chris, I have been looking for one of these. The 1990 had one of the best bouquet's on a wine that I have ever had. Worth seeking out in comparison to other 80's Bordeaux that can be had in the same current price range?

[JoelD]

1964 fontanafredda barolo. Light, floral, beautiful. Almost like a tea. Subtle, but still a touch of cherry. Funk blew off after 30 min in decanter. Bottle was perfect, everything in great shape. Great color. Glad I have a few more of these and some 71/74. Great value at $85 recently. 94pts

Love these old fontanafredda wines. Mine have been from the 70’s, and they’ve punched way above their weight and price tag.

This was one of the best old Barolo's that I have tasted this year, and I went to La Festa in New York. I also have the 64 la delizia which will be an interesting comparison. Time for that Vaccine so we can all share!

Any other values in old Barolo that you've found Patrick?

[Comte Flaneur]

How is Chambers Street these days?

[Comte Flaneur]

Clos Floridine, 2010, Blanc, 13.5% ABV has 56% semillon in the blend and has a deep golden colour and is fully evolved. It has a heady, complex, rich, ripe, bouquet and palate of quince, stone fruits, passion fruit, grapefruit, elderflower herbs and minerals. An excellent wine but it will not make old bones. Drink up, pronto.

Thierry Glatenay Volnay 1er Cru Santenots, 2010 13% ABV, from the same year, by contrast is just entering its drinking window, and it is the epitome of this versatile and brilliant red burgundy vintage. It is full of lively crunchy red fruits, cherries, spices; it will of course develop more nuance and complexity but once opened you just can’t keep your hands off it.

Michel Niellon Chassagne Montrachet, 1er Cru Chaumes, Clos De La Truffiere, 2017, 13.5% ABV, is too young, and the oak is not properly integrated yet. I am putting the rest of these in storage for 2-3 years. The 2014 Clos De La Truffiere, is a special wine.

Chateau Calon Segur, 1996, 12.5% ABV, is an old school claret which is fully ready to drink. The nose and palate is dominated by earthy, gravelly notes, with dark fruits, cedar and leather. It is not as impressive or as powerful as the 1995, but more approachable. Neither is it a match for Montrose 1996. I would imagine there is quite a lot of green matter in the mix here, and more fastidious sorting and another half a degree of alcohol might transform this into something special...now of course this estate has moved too far in that direction with colossal alcohol levels. However I really enjoyed this old fashioned claret: it has nice balance and sufficient amounts of ripe fruit. It was a dream match with rack of lamb.

[Blanquito]

How is Chambers Street these days?

This is where I used to get most of my old Barolo and barbarescos from, given their impeccable provenance, electric selection and reasonable tariffs, but the prices have gone from painful-but-fair to absurd. That said, I have LOVED the old Produttori's I've purchased from them over the years, especially the ones from the 1970 and 1971 vintages. The 1974 Fontanafredda Barolo Vigna La Rosa was also great last year.

[AKR]

1964 fontanafredda barolo. Light, floral, beautiful. Almost like a tea. Subtle, but still a touch of cherry. Funk blew off after 30 min in decanter. Bottle was perfect, everything in great shape. Great color. Glad I have a few more of these and some 71/74. Great value at $85 recently. 94pts

Love these old fontanafredda wines. Mine have been from the 70’s, and they’ve punched way above their weight and price tag.

Probably before their debt/ownership travails.

[AKR]

Clos Floridine, 2010, Blanc, 13.5% ABV has 56% semillon in the blend and has a deep golden colour and is fully evolved. It has a heady, complex, rich, ripe, bouquet and palate of quince, stone fruits, passion fruit, grapefruit, elderflower herbs and minerals. An excellent wine but it will not make old bones. Drink up, pronto.

I've had the 1990 and 2001 blanc's of theirs, both at maybe age 20 or so, and they were incredibly youthful & vibrant. Bafflingly so! It's one of very few white Graves I'll buy, and even cellar. I've put some 2010 down for the kids, and will take a chance that they can keep on running....

In general I think the whole category is a scam though.... (I'm enjoying a 19 La Pepiere 'La Pepie' at the moment, which I'd pick every over those every time....)

[Racer Chris]

Last night, 1986 Rausan-Segla went with roast beef panini on chiabatta bread.
Forest floor on the nose. Cherries, herbs, and tea leaves on the palate. Almost too delicate for the very hearty sandwich, but a great pleasure throughout.

Jealous of this Chris, I have been looking for one of these. The 1990 had one of the best bouquet's on a wine that I have ever had. Worth seeking out in comparison to other 80's Bordeaux that can be had in the same current price range?

As a top ten left bank wine of the vintage it's definitely worth seeking out.

[AKR]

How is Chambers Street these days?

Their older wines get picked over very fast, and the reality is, if one is reacting to an email offer, they probably won't get anything they're clicking on. They also have a pipeline into old Rioja - mostly from struggling Spanish restaurateurs - but unless one is constantly prowling their site, its tricky to actually buy.

Still props to Chambers St for finding genuine differentiated product, and getting it into the hands of consumers all over the US.

[AKR]

Any other values in old Barolo that you've found Patrick?

If you have Amazon Prime, you can watch Barolo Boys on Prime Video for 'free' which is a pretty good value! I thought it was ok, not a wasted 1.5 hour or anything, but its not super educational or anything. Roberto Voerzio still looks so youthful; a friend poured us a very nice 2000 a while ago that was my first experience with his creations.

[stefan]

With 3 cheese soufflé we drank 1983 La Lagune. This bottle tasted very fresh; youngish even. "Really nice!" exclaimed Lucie, "the taste lasts forever," and I agree. 1983 was fine early and fine now. I was lucky to stumble on well stored bottles at an auction in 2019.

[Ianjaig]

With 3 cheese soufflé we drank 1983 La Lagune. This bottle tasted very fresh; youngish even. "Really nice!" exclaimed Lucie, "the taste lasts forever," and I agree. 1983 was fine early and fine now. I was lucky to stumble on well stored bottles at an auction in 2019.

I'm seriously green with envy. I love La Lagune but its hard to find over here. I had to convince my preferred retailer to bring in the 19 by EP and I rarely (if ever) see it at auction. Another retailer told me last week he's getting in some 14 which I'll snap up if he does.

At the moment I'm having Mommessin Beaujolais-Villages 2017. It must pale in comparison to the above but I must admit, I'm quite enjoying it..