Mostly Madiran at La Sirene

[Ramon_NYC]

Mostly SW French Wines at La Sirene, NYC
03/19/2012

We did have a Brunello, a Vouvray , a Cotes-du-Rhone, and oh, an Albarino that failed to make it out of the gate even before the 1st flight got started. But our dinner conversation had words, such as Tannat, Irouleguy, Petit Manseng, Bouscasse, Montus, Gaillac that were liberally thrown around as if everybody drank these every other day. I was fortunate to be sitting next to Zach … the guy’s an Irouleguy guy and knows Madiran as well. It was a nice dinner with a small group, 6 of us, at an old, but always food-reliable haunt of La Sirene, while we gladly discussed Brumont, Bouscasse, Tannat and, of course, made a complete obscure-wine-night out of it as we ended with a sweet wine from the Italian region of Lazio. A good night to get together with a good drinking group, while having wines from regions that I don’t normally get to drink often.

White wines:

2010 do Ferreiro Cepas Vellas Alabarino
Corked.

2009 Francois Chidaine Vouvray “Clos Baudoin”
Lean-fruited, but not devoid of mineral and lemony character. Refreshing as it is, but I think more upside is achievable with rounding out harsh edges if given a few more cellar years. B


Red wines:

2010 Dom. Corinne, JP and JL Jamet Cotes-du-Rhone
This one straddled the line between international and traditional. Herb with slight milky notes. Full-bodied, ripe black fruit and good length. Drinkable now. B

1985 Piero Talenti Plan di Conte Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Fresh herb, baked confection and leather within the appealing nose. A smooth and elegant aged Brunello. Went nicely with my cassoulet. A-

1996 Ch. Bouscasse Madiran Vieilles Vignes
Wine is just off its best drinking days. With a nice complex bouquet that has the rustic agricultural smell. Mostly ripe blue fruit with still some amount of tannic layer. For me, this would prove to be the easier drinking Madiran for the night. B+

1995 Ch. Montus Madiran
Very much on the young side. Tannic and pretty much on the rustic side of things. Glimpses of fruit, but there were vegetable notes as well. B

1995 Ch. Montus Prestige Madiran
A darker wine than the regular cuvee (as far as I can tell given the slightly dim ambiance at La Sirene). Cigar and leather on the nose. Just like the regular bottling, this one was fiercely tannic, much like a very young Left Bank Bordeaux would taste. A step up in complexity and structure than the regular. B+

2001 Ch. Bouscasse Madiran Vieilles Vignes
Mouth-puckering tannin and acidity. Very young. Dominant oak. Actually tamed slightly by my cassoulet. B

2000 Clos de Gamot Cahors
A big young Cahors that is dominated by wood and tannin. I’ve had recent vintages of this bottling that I remember to be easier and more approachable. B-

2000 Etxegaraya Irouleguy Cuvee Lehengoa
I don’t know if my mouth was already pretty much dumbed-out by the heavy dose of tannic intake from the last 4 bottles, but this one appeared to be on the softer side of tannat. There’s some lushness, even. Medium bodied. Herb and wet leaves. B

2007 Ch. Bouscasse Madiran
Now I know what it tastes like to suck on wood … with some heavy-duty nails embedded into it. C


Sweet wines:

2010 Causse Marines Doux Grain de Folie Douce Blanc, Gaillac
There’s that crème-brulee taste sensation to it. Quite light and refreshing, too. Never had a sweet Gaillac, but this one was nice ‘n “sweeeeet ”. B+

2009 Andrea Occhipinti MonteMaggiore, Lazio
A red sweet wine produced a few miles of Rome. Lychee notes on this red wine. Perhaps, my palate is still disoriented by the tannic onslaught, but even with the dark red color, this was quite lean, on the light side and easy to drink. B

[Tom In DC]

Thanks for the narrative, Ramon. It sounds like an interesting evening.

As an Italophile, I think it's ironic that you found the Brunello to be the best match for your cassoulet!

Ciao,
Tom

[Ramon_NYC]

Ironic, indeed, that the BdM worked well with my cassoulet. Perhaps, it's because it was drinking very well, nicely-aged and devoid of all those harsh tannin that I got from almost all of the other reds.