Sunday lunch: Champagne, Burgundy, Médoc, Spain - and Canada
Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2017 5:43 pm
Champagne Brut Réserve : Billecart Salmon, an excellent brut : dry, fruity refreshing, and with some depth.
1999 Delamotte: Quite a disappointment. Lacking in personality and had a strong vanilla component more than any fruitiness. So-so aftertaste. I preferred the previous.
2005 Corton Blanc, Chandon de Briailles : Well, this was a properly aged white Burgundy, from a well-reputed vintage, and without any premox, but it was quite undewhelming. Medium-bodied with an elegant, but not particularly good or long aftertaste. A fine wine, but nowhere near great.
2010 Osoyoos Larose, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada: As opposed to the previous 3, this was served blind in honor of a Canadian guest. Good color, with some bricking and a classic bouquet, but without much depth. Good on the palate as well, with dynamic fruitiness and decent length. Most of the 7 of us at table were from Bordeaux. All of us thought it was sturdy mid-range claret… This bottle was given to me by friends of Nic's who came to my house for dinner. It certainly held up the reputation of B.C. wines, although it was perhaps not quite up to the bottle of Burrowing Owl that Nic gave to me.
2005 Gruaud Larose (also served blind): This had people thinking it was quite a bit younger. It showed its age to some extent, but certainly not all 32 years. Lovely nose with decided truffle aromas and just a hint of lead to show its origins. Deep, subtle, fruity, and penetrating aftertaste. Fully worthy of its 2nd growth ranking. In its prime. A delight.It kind of followed on logically from the Osoyoos Larose since the owners of G.L. are also major shareholdsers in Osoyoos Larose.
2001 Cava- Malvasia 2001, Freixenet, “Especial per a Postres” – This 16 year-old Cava was meant to be served with dessert, and so it was (a raspberry and pistachio cream tart). The color was quite fresh and the carbonation under control. There was some oxidation there, but it was not annoying. The wine was certainly sweet, but the acidity kept it from taking over the palate. As its label suggested, it was a fun wine to have with dessert
Best regards,
Alex R.
1999 Delamotte: Quite a disappointment. Lacking in personality and had a strong vanilla component more than any fruitiness. So-so aftertaste. I preferred the previous.
2005 Corton Blanc, Chandon de Briailles : Well, this was a properly aged white Burgundy, from a well-reputed vintage, and without any premox, but it was quite undewhelming. Medium-bodied with an elegant, but not particularly good or long aftertaste. A fine wine, but nowhere near great.
2010 Osoyoos Larose, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada: As opposed to the previous 3, this was served blind in honor of a Canadian guest. Good color, with some bricking and a classic bouquet, but without much depth. Good on the palate as well, with dynamic fruitiness and decent length. Most of the 7 of us at table were from Bordeaux. All of us thought it was sturdy mid-range claret… This bottle was given to me by friends of Nic's who came to my house for dinner. It certainly held up the reputation of B.C. wines, although it was perhaps not quite up to the bottle of Burrowing Owl that Nic gave to me.
2005 Gruaud Larose (also served blind): This had people thinking it was quite a bit younger. It showed its age to some extent, but certainly not all 32 years. Lovely nose with decided truffle aromas and just a hint of lead to show its origins. Deep, subtle, fruity, and penetrating aftertaste. Fully worthy of its 2nd growth ranking. In its prime. A delight.It kind of followed on logically from the Osoyoos Larose since the owners of G.L. are also major shareholdsers in Osoyoos Larose.
2001 Cava- Malvasia 2001, Freixenet, “Especial per a Postres” – This 16 year-old Cava was meant to be served with dessert, and so it was (a raspberry and pistachio cream tart). The color was quite fresh and the carbonation under control. There was some oxidation there, but it was not annoying. The wine was certainly sweet, but the acidity kept it from taking over the palate. As its label suggested, it was a fun wine to have with dessert
Best regards,
Alex R.