Nice wine week

[Nicklasss]

Two dîners this week, wit my bro and later with some friends, needed some good drinking company.

2012 Goisot Sauvignon de Saint-Bris Exygora Virgula : a Sauvignon blanc made in Bourgogne. I liked a lot that wine. With the herbal characteristics of the grape, and the minerality/fat coming from the terroir, the cross is very nice. Limestone, cassis plant, green lemon, light acidity, seems like a perfect drink for a warm day. A super wine for that low price. TN: 90.

2011 Ridge Vineyard Merlot Estate: i bought that in New Hampshire, less than 2 weeks ago. Can Ridge make a bad wine? This was just very nice, with dark red color, proeminent nose of blueberries, rasberries, light chocolate cake, cherries and light vanilla. In mouth, stay very nice, medium concentration, no rough edges, light tannins, strong blueberry flavors, Merlot berries and grainy oak. Young but very nice. Only 12.9% alcohol, when St-Émilion in these days, like to produce 15.5 % alcohol Merlot. Tell me what is wrong? TN: 90.

2011 Louis Jadot Chambolle-Musigny Les Drazays : a nice convenient Chambolle, very easy to drink, with it light medium red color, nose of flowers, strawberries and creamy brown sugar burned oak, and very easy in mouth, light structure, with same flavors than on the nose but add some red berries. Correct but far from excellent. I preferred the " regular" Jadot .chambolle I had in OOB. TN : 86.

2005 Delas Seigneur de Maugiron Côte-Rôtie: dark red color, nose typical with rasberries, minerals, burned fat, light Black pepper. In mouth, not as balanced than on the nose, with wood, dark red berries, medium tannins and that smoky wood final. I don't know If Delas has some hectares in Côte-Rôtie, but this seem made of grape/wine they bought. Ok but I was expecting something more refined and complex. TN: 88.

2008 Château de Fonsalette : I liked all previous vintages of that wine. This 2008 is like the others. A very distinctive wine, very complex all the way. The color is like clear red wine mixed with a bit of beef broth, kinda starting to dry blood red. Nose is insane, in that 100 % grenache: cocktail of spices, célery salt, barbecue spices, white pepper, kirsch cherries, lavander, tomato paste, red currants. Strong nose. In mouth, a vibrant wine, full of glycérines, with kirsch cherries and lots of spices taste. Very strong attack but very elegance at the same time. Long taste, of Provence herbs, some meat, more rasberries on the long final, that ends up on some sandy minerals. Not everyones liked it, but for me, a very special wine. The extreme spicy character don't Please everyones. TN : 93.

2010 Château Cantemerle: just a perfect young Médoc. Nice color, nose, mouth, all balanced. Super nose of blackberries, blackcurrants, light Margaux berries, light vanilla oak, light cedar. In mouth, a perfect balance between fruit (blackberries, dark red rasberries), oak ( santal wood, vanilla, very light cinnamon), acids and tannins. Everyones agree that is a superb wine to drink even now, but with potential. Final is long with medium fine tannins and long berry, grape and light austerity. Even If less complex than the Fonsalette, the présence of this wine in mouth is probably impossible to spit! TN: 94.

So a very nice week. tonight, a dinner at my parent's place with my brother, should be something! My father brought back a Lacramy Del Christi from Italy, that he wanted us to have in family. I don't know yet what I'll bring, but we're having fondue bourguignonne.

Nic

[Comte Flaneur]

I have been beginning to think that the Cantermerle ten is a shoe in for BWE WoTY 2014.

However, take a look on cellartracker. Patrick was not bowled over by it, and Salil, the greatest young palate never to join BWE, was not a fan either.

I must go out a snag one in the name of science.

[Nicklasss]

I respect Blanquito's palate (met him once at a BWE convention in DC), and Salil, but the statistics on Cellartracker are an average rating of 90.7 % for the 2010 Cantemerle, and 94 % of the Cellartracker members who tried it, liked it!

Personnally, i like it very much, but it is in a Margaux style, very balance. I understand that some will not be as impressed as me, as they like more concentration, but to me, very "claret" wine.

Nic