NV Vilmart ''Grande Reserve' [Champagne] This is 30% chardonnay, with the balance pinot noir, with 10 mos in wood. This was disgorged in 2015 and the 12.5% abv sparkler is lithe on its feet. The bead is fine and there is lots of flavor density; it paired well with the starters from the sea.
2001 Maximin Grunhauser Spatlese Abtsberg [Mosel Saar Ruwer] This is light - 7.5% abv - but showing good petrol and fruit notes. All my 2001's are now drunk up, but I put away some of their lower vineyard Herrenberg kabi in the 2019 vintage and I actually tend to prefer that pradikat level more. A real testament to the ageability of German wines and quality of the 2001 year.
1996 Haut Bages Liberal [Pauillac] this reminded us of Pappadoc, since he had introduced some of us to this smaller house. I seem to remember 1982 and 1986 courtesy of his hand. This 12.5% abv'er is cut from a leaner, slender fabric and shows better by itself. Acid is a touch higher, but its tannin is resolved. I was actually keen to try it since HBL has only become more available with recent vintages (last dozen or so) in my area.
1996 Cos d'Estournel [St Estephe] A real classic, 13% abv, and less amped out than modern ones, whether due to winemaking or weather. Merlot heavy - relatively - so not as stern as the Pauillac but it has blossomed with the years. A couple years ago we had the 1996 Montrose and Cos against each other side by side which was fun, and this brought back some memories of that.
While we set up the next round of grilling - sous vide NY strips, miso brushed asparagus - along with Linda's roast cubed Yukons, we sent around a Pomerol.
1998 Nenin [Pomerol] This is Michel Deleon's (Leoville Las Cases) expression of how a right bank should be - it's ageworthy, stern, and takes a decade or more to soften up. It's drinking well now, and it's stated as 13.5% abv, which for this era sounds rich, but it's hard to know if that figure is accurate, and it is well balanced. This is very much NOT in the Janouiex or Rolland camps of right banks, so if one wants to track down a different style, give this a go. NB: older ones can be coarse.
2001 Arrowood 'Speciale' Cabernet Sauvignon [Sonoma] This is a 14.4% abv back when Dick Arrowood was still involved with this house. It was their flagship, and was made with a lighter hand than most Cali Cabs, although this example presented jammier/bigger than the Bordelaise it was up against. Props to CabFan for introducing some of us to this 250-500 case bottling. Vexing bottle shape, but worth the cellar space and time.
2001 Coutet [Barsac] I'm very fond of this house and vintage, but this example wasn't as lovely as I'd expect. I found a touch of soap here, which can be a sign of oversulfuring, but it was still very good, full of honeyed stonefruit. The color is mahogany, full bodied, acidity feels like its losing that massive zip it had a decade ago, and it remains a yardstick for other vintages.
Marco - who some of you have met at other BWE events - is supposed to be around this summer visiting family, so perhaps we shall have some pretexts to get the grill out, and polish the crystal. I hope you can join us, and I'll post details here.
Until next time!
