We had a Pinot Noir event at our home recently, a follow-on to an event we had a couple of years ago called "Le Grands Pinot Noir." That means this event was "part two" or "La Deauxième Partie." Like all our events, it was great fun, learning about the wines and pairing them with food. We selected five Grand Cru Burgundies, one Premier Cru, and one California Pinot Noir from a producer who is known for nicely balanced, elegant wines. The tasting was blinded with stems color-coded.
We discussed the Burgundy classification of wines (see previous blog post), considered the difference between Burgundy and Clos Pepe Vineyards in Santa Barbara County, California, studied a map of Burgundy, discussed subtle differences in terroir, then got down to the serious business of wine tasting. Later, we took a break to prepare a fabulous dinner of cedar plank salmon, seasoned generously with freshly ground rosemary and other herbs and spices, cauliflower gratin from Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking," and fresh garlic spinach. Mary prepared a generous portion of romesco sauce to go with the salmon. It is more Spanish than French, but complemented the meal nicely and did not overwhelm the wine.
Check out these photos from the event and the next morning.
Domaine Jean Raphet et Fils Charmes-Chambertin 1996. The Raphet Charmes-Chambertin was better than good, had complexity, balance, and length, but was in the second tier of wines. It had good varietal character, especially a nice earthy, autumnal quality that showed its maturity after 14 years. It still had some fruit character of red berry and cherry and a smoky quality from the barrel. I'd be delighted to drink it again, but it's rather expensive in my own QPR assessment. 13.0% alcohol. Average retail is $90.
Maison Nicolas Potel Clos de la Roche 2001. This was in the top tier of the evening and Sheryl's favorite with food. Medium garnet, delicate in color, with mostly secondary aroma characteristics that spoke of the vineyard. Herbs, tobacco, earth, and smoked meat aromas kept us coming back for another sniff. The palate showed well integrated, medium acidity, body, and silky smooth texture. The flavors were linear, showing the same herbal, earthy, meaty qualities, along with some pepper spice. It had moderate length and good complexity. 13.5% alcohol. Average retail is $120.
Domaine Rossignol-Trapet Latricieres-Chambertin 2004. A consensus favorite of the evening, the wine was classic pinot noir, from the first sniff to the last sip. The aromas showed wonderful floral rose petal, herbal notes, autumn leaves, and spice. The palate showed medium acidity, silky texture, and medium body, all in balance. Red berries, strawberry and raspberry, along with cherry, flowers, and a nice minerality were knitted seamlessly. It was long finishing, complex, balanced. My first or second choice, with and without food, very close to the Bouchard wine. 13.5% alcohol. Average retail is $100.
Domaine Francois Bertheau Bonnes Mares 2004. Mary and I both think this wine was flawed, probably corked. Had I another bottle, I would have opened it. The aromas and flavors were muted and a bit soured, not classically the "wet dog" or "musty basement" of a corked wine, but not the wonderful Bonnes Mares experience we've had in the past. It had a little cherry fruit on the palate, anise, and mineral notes and was reasonably balanced. It did better with food than without, but it was a big disappointment, especially considering the expense. 13.5% alcohol. Average retail is $189.
Clos Pepe Vineyards Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills 2004. This was the only California wine of the evening. Wes Hagen's wine held its own, was well regarded, but I was able to pick it out of the crowd before it was unblinded. It had the density, extraction, and weight that set it apart from high-end Burgundies. That is not necessarily a negative quality, but it doesn't have quite the precision and delicacy of many of the wines of the Côte d'Or. It had lots of primary fruit character, a beam of cherry and berry, as well as some darker plum and currant, almost jam. There was a subtle earthy quality, which might express itself more with age. I'm glad I have a few more of these to see how it evolves. Pepper spice and smoke round out the aroma profile. The acidity was low to medium to me, although most of the other attendees thought it was higher in acidity. The tannins are still settling. It had a fine sandy texture. It was nicely balanced, moderately complex, had good length. Mary loved it, I liked it. 13.9% alcohol. This wine retails for $52.
Maison Louis Latour Corton Grancey 2005. The wine performed just fine, a wonderful wine of complexity and density, yet still balanced and elegant. Interestingly, there was a bimodal distribution in preference ranking. I liked it very much but Mary ranked it sixth. It had lots of great fruit flavors and floral notes. The palate was linear with the nose and also included an exotic mineral quality. It was medium in body and acidity with a beautiful, smooth texture. Nicely balanced, moderately complex, medium length. 14.0% alcohol. Average retail is $90.
Domaine Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune Greves Vignede L'Enfant Jesus 2006. The star of the show for Mary and me. This was a consensus favorite of the evening along with a couple of the other wines. The aromas were classically Pinot Noir with a wonderful fruit profile along with earth, smoke, and spice. The palate was wonderfully smooth with medium acidity and body. Strawberry, dark cherry, smoked meat, a bit of pepper spice, all beautifully integrated. Complex, balanced, long-finishing, an excellent wine that is drinking well now and promises to continue to improve for several years. Performed as well or better than the Grand Cru wines. 13.5% alcohol. This wine retails for $97. Worth every penny on a special occasion.
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That's our post for today. We hope you keep coming back to check out our wine and food adventures at Cèpage et Cuisine. In the meantime,
Cheers!
Brian and Mary
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