TNs: What goes with Persian food? Apparently, everything...

[Michael Malinoski]

Charles arranged for 9 of us to BYO at a Persian restaurant in Watertown a little while back, and we pretty much took over the small space with our table of overflowing dishes and bottles. There was a ton of food and way too much wine, and it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all.

Sparklers and white wines:

2001 Westport Rivers Blanc de Blancs Brut Massachusetts. According to Charles, this is a fairly recent release after having spent 10 years on the lees at the winery. It’s a bit dark in color and the bubbles are relatively relaxed, but it’s fairly lively on the nose with aromas of struck match, lemon, green apple, pear and almond dust. In the mouth, it’s relatively full-bodied, big and round, but with some sour acidity and citric fruit flavors that make your face squinch up a bit. The bead is quite weak, though, so despite some interestingly bold features, this particular bottle never really pulls it all together, it seems.

NV Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Brut. As with other bottles of this I’ve sampled over the past year or so, this is foamy, flowery and easy-going on the nose, with aromas of chalk, apple, lilac and toasted bread. In the mouth, it’s a tad sweet and soft-focused, but has genial and welcoming toast and fruit flavors that go down easy.

2002 Henri Goutorbe Champagne Special Club. This is lovely, layered, and delightfully nuanced on the nose, delivering outstanding notes of pear, apple, chopped herb, chalk and citrus aromas with a good deal of class and distinction. It’s delicious on the palate, showing some red fruit nuances on the entry before opening up to a richly-layered mid-palate of pear, white peach, apple and toast flavors that are leesy and free-flowing, with occasional fireworks popping, too. This is really nice, I could drink a lot of it quite easily.

2007 Château de Sancerre Sancerre Cuvée du Connetable. Here one encounters a nose of grapefruit, pineapple, lime zest, kiwi, peach pit and green herb aromas that are at least moderately interesting. In the mouth, it’s too flabby or soft-styled for my tastes, and there may even be some hints of light residual sugar atop the core flavors of pineapple, pear, green melon and lemon pith. For all that, it ends a bit watery and dilute, making the whole thing just a bit weird to drink. I don’t care for this, I’m afraid.

2008 Villa Sparina Gavi Monterotondo. I didn’t get a chance to try this one.

2010 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura Les Grands Teppes Vieilles Vignes. Dark and stony on the nose, this delivers cool aromas of granite rock, lemon oil and gently funky earth that combine quite nicely. In the mouth, the wine shows great structure, refined power, excellent control and balance, but also cool intensity to the bursting flavors of apple, pear, lemon, hazelnut and flinty minerals. It has a leesy-textured finish that leaves a lasting but decidedly stony, rocky impression. I like this a lot.

2012 Sandlands Chenin Blanc Amador County. This is well-made and nicely-controlled all around, starting with the reined-in but very appealing nose of apple blossom, light honey, pear, white peach and linen aromas. In the mouth, it is earthy and pithy-textured, with modest concentration and focused flavors of pear, peach, lanolin and light honey that stick a bit to the teeth on the finish. Despite its youth, there’s a certain restraint and even-tempered personality to the wine that really shines through. It is rather well-liked around the table.

2009 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Bournais. This is intriguingly inviting on the nose, showing off fascinating aromas of funky wool, wax, lanolin, stones, steel, slate, lemon rind, pear and pit fruits. In the mouth, it’s oily-textured and rounded with gently demi-sec flavors of pear, peach juice, honey and stones. It’s quite open and welcoming, but with excellent overall balance and juicy flavors that make the wine wonderfully drinkable right now.

Red wines:

2010 Jean Foillard Fleurie. This seems quite vibrant and outgoing on the nose, with big juicy aromas of black cherries, blueberries, wild herbs and pink peppercorns pouring forth. It’s juicy and directed on the palate, with a big burst of pure mixed berry fruit and mineral flavors. It can be a bit chewy at times, though not really tannic or overly-structured. I think it’s going to improve in the cellar, but there’s no harm dipping in now, either.

2010 Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet (Hervé Souhaut) La Souteronne Vin de Pays de l’Ardeche. This Gamay-based wine is very smoky and earthy-smelling, showing intensely gamy aromas of ground peppercorns, blackberries, smoked meat and charred earth on the nose. It’s intensely primary on the palate, with dense flavors of fudgy black fruits galore, smoke, pepper and dark undergrowth. It’s zesty, almost tingly in feel, and clearly needs more time in my opinion. The 2011, for my money, is far more approachable.

NV Frank Cornelissen Magma 9 Sicilia. I believe this is from the 2011 vintage. Unlike the previous set of wines, the nose here is decidedly warm and red-fruited, with aromas of dried cherries, red currants, roasted herbs and worn leather that are not at all crazy like some Cornelissen wines I’ve had. In the mouth, it’s a bit wilder, with fun zesty flavors of cherry candy, licorice rope, raspberries and fun spices at the core. The jangly acidity provides lift and vibrancy to drive the warm, chewy flavors along to the bold, spicy finish. I think I enjoy it more than some who were opining that it still needs more time to come together.

2011 Perticaia Montefalco Rosso. I didn’t get a chance to try this one.

1998 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili. This is quite lovely on the nose--with refined and beautifully floral aromas of rose petals and other dried red flowers, saddle leather, sour cherries, baking spices, classy wood and subtle fireplace ashes. It’s gorgeous in the mouth, as well, where it shows off flavors of dried cherries, soft spices and mushroom-tinged earth that offer outstanding drinking pleasure all the way through. There’s excellent freshness here, great weight, fine structure and distinctive flavors that are a pure pleasure to drink.

2000 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape. CORKED.

2000 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau. This is kind of meaty, fudgy and dense on the nose, but delivers some lovely aromas of black and blue berries, leather, dusty earth and garrigue. It’s still pretty meaty on the palate, with thick-bodied and concentrated flavors of black fruits and dusty earth elements supported by rich tannins. I expected it to be a bit more mature, but this bottle would seem to indicate that it’s still a few years away from reaching its ideal drinking window.

2006 Domaine Jasmin Côte-Rôtie. Wow, this is wonderfully feral on the nose—delivering all kinds of animal fur, horse barn, saddle leather, dried mud, singed iron, porcini mushroom, smoke and blackberry aromas that I really enjoy. In the mouth, it’s still pretty tight, focused and sinewed at this early stage of the game. It presents cool, dark, iron-laden flavors of black cherries and cranberries nicely counterbalanced by a fine inner mouth perfume that starts to develop as the night goes on. It needs a few more years to truly open up, for sure, but it’s still very tasty, rewarding and engaging for my tastes on this night.

2005 Domaine du Tunnel (Stéphane Robert) Cornas Vin Noir. This is utterly opaque in appearance, and the nose is similarly inky black in tone—giving off aromas of pen ink, iron filings, black olive brine, soaked mushrooms and dense blackberry fruit. In the mouth, it’s easier-drinking than the nose would have you be prepared for, with a sleek, slippery, effortless flow to the flavors of black currants, blackberries and black cherries. There’s a nice backbone that becomes increasingly apparent throughout the evening, and the wine does get chewier the longer you stay with it. It’s pretty engaging right now, but this is an impressive specimen that promises a long, long life ahead.

2010 Dard et Ribo Hermitage. This is a dense purple-black color. On the nose, it smells very strongly of cracked pepper, skunk fern, salumi, smoked herbs, meaty pan drippings, pen ink and inner tube lining. It’s quite distinctive, if at times a bit unfriendly. In the mouth, it’s pretty similar--loaded with intense flavors of peppercorn, blackberry, tapenade and meat that are still pretty primary and pasty. It’s not particularly tannic or anything, but it’s clear this will be more approachable later on down the road.

1995 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. This is right in my wheelhouse aromatically, showing lovely old-fashioned aromas of black currants, leather, tobacco leaf, clean horse barn and loamy dirt pile. In the mouth, it can be a bit more austere-edged than the nose would suggest, but with delicious black currant, blackberry and earth flavors that linger on nicely on the gently tannic and pliant finish. I really enjoy it, but could easily see holding it a while longer.

1992 Ridge Petite Sirah York Creek Spring Mountain District. This is quite healthy on the nose, giving off aromas of cedar, eucalyptus, blackberry and leather. It’s moderately tannic in the mouth, but with plenty of blackberry, chocolate fudge, leather and earth flavors. It’s a bit rustic at times, but otherwise offers solid drinking right now.

Sweet wines:

2001 Fritz Haag Riesling Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkapsel #12 Mosel Saar Ruwer. This is a real pleasure on the nose, with lovely rich aromas of star fruit, pineapple, grapefruit, slate and petrol leading right out. In the mouth, it displays easy, effortless balance and fine flow, with sweet pineapple and grapefruit flavors accented by a white flower inner mouth perfume. It drinks easy, smooth and luscious, seemingly right in the zone—a real winner.

2002 Joh. Jos. Prüm Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkapsel Mosel Saar Ruwer. This is intensely expressive on the nose, featuring gorgeous aromas of dried pineapple, grapefruit, apple, pear, blue slate and kerosene. I just love the intensity allied to beauty that this wine exhibits in absolute spades. It totally rocks in the mouth, as well, delivering luscious and lovely tropical and citrus flavors to go along with peach cup and slate accents. It has beautiful texture and body, perfect balance, ideal sweetness and a great even flow. I could really drink a lot of this beauty.

1999 Château Rieussec Sauternes. Here one encounters a beautiful nose of crème brulee topping, spun sugar, caramel, dried ginger, apple blossom, apricot, marmalade and botrytis spice aromas that are really lovely in tone. On the palate, it’s bold and spicy, full of apricot, marmalade, ribbon candy and baking spice flavors that are dense, rich and deeply sweet. It could maybe use just a tad more acidic lift on the finish, but in general it’s delicious and giving stuff.


-Michael

[JCNorthway]

And this was one dinner? Michael, can I join your dinner group? I would need a driver, of course.

[Michael Malinoski]

I'll admit, it got a bit out of hand...

[dstgolf]

Boy I thought that some of our events get out of control. 9 guys 22 bottles. What is this last man standing!

[AKR]

Its so hot out here. I should be drinking more things like that Fleurie.