Weekend drinking 25/26/27th June

The most splendid of duo's this evening.

Salus Chardonnay 2018 - Classic Napa yet an element of restraint, great acid, balance of ripe mango and zest lemon. A little floral , well integrated oak, and hiding it's 14% very well indeed. Just one of those wines where the last glass was the best. Just lovely!

Kalkriff Spatburgunder 2015 - Second bottle of a case. Super meaty and concentrated, cherry and brambly fruit with a streak of vanilla coming through.......lots of savoury on the finish. In a slightly muddled faze compared to the last bottle. Hoping these improve a little with another year or so. Cracking value though at £20 a bottle



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If asked, and I haven't been in a long time, I would always put Musar as one of my favourite wines. That said I haven't had one for a couple of years and that was a 2005 that wasn't corked or oxidized but was completely undrinkable, However, tonight's '03 was bang on song! Fully mature, browning at the edges, the nose took me back to Peckhams deli in Glasgow which used to have an annual cheese and wine do where I first came across Musar. Red and black fruits, tangy, tart, smoky and utterly delicious in a way that only Musar can deliver.
 
I bought this bottle of Abtsberg Kabinett 1995 that was from a flooded cellar from Seckfords. It has now been subjected to smoke and heat in the recent Big Yellow fire. The condition is remarkable. It is still so youthful. It gives me hope. It is simply a great wine from the golden period of Maximin Grunhaus. Such refinement and poise.

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This is another smoke affected bottle that tastes (at the moment) as though it hasn’t been affected at all. It is drinking well now, but ultimately I am not Leroy’s biggest fan, although I am a huge admirer of Madame Leroy’s white Burgundies from her own estate. This Vosne is at its peak now, and I don’t have much to grumble about, but, believe it or not, the Grunhaus is the finer wine.

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  • 2012 René Geoffroy Champagne Blanc de Rose Extra Brut - France, Champagne (27/6/2021)
    Clearly a saignée rose from the colour, co-macerated in oak but elevage in stainless steel. Dosage 3g/l. As with all such roses, an edgy, contemplative sort of wine edgy very much unlike the normal BdB that I tried previously that was more immediate in pleasure. Tightly coiled still but well-balanced, very expressive fruit of raspberries and grapefruit. Haven't enjoyed most saignée champagnes but this was a lovely sip.
  • 2017 Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) Chambolle-Musigny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny (27/6/2021)
    First time having Bertheau, supposedly the most Chambolle of Chambolle producers. Needed time get going, after a couple of hours it showed a floral, red-fruited nose and on the palate it was light and delicate. However there was a whiff of nail varnish on the nose and the alcohol on the palate made it appear rather disjointed at the moment. Awkward stage perhaps but given the lightly extracted style I'd be hesitant to leave this for longer. Anyone with experience on how they do with a bit of age?
  • 2018 Beau Rivage Chenin Blanc - USA, California, Central Valley, Clarksburg (27/6/2021)
    Not the best bottle I think. An off-putting nose of rotten eggs but on the palate it was still drinkable. Just lacking in acid and fruit, with some greenness going on.


 
After a splendid Wimps I popped into L&S and chose a bottle of pink champagne that I had bought from them previously and had really enjoyed.
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This was for Debbi in particular as she had missed out on our Friday Fizz whilst I recovered from Wimps.
Nothing like as much class or fruit as the previous bottles and a bitterness creeping in which for sure wasn’t there before.
Hang on though those previous bottles were pre lockdown and that means I should look at the back label.
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Oh, shoot!
Having banged on in posts this week about the sometimes critical window for pinkies I had just bought a low dose grower pinkie that was based on a (imho) pretty crappy vintage and now over 2 yrs post disgorgement…….doh!
 
Paul Day said:
I bought this bottle of Abtsberg Kabinett 1995 that was from a flooded cellar from Seckfords. It has now been subjected to smoke and heat in the recent Big Yellow fire. The condition is remarkable. It is still so youthful. It gives me hope. It is simply a great wine from the golden period of Maximin Grunhaus. Such refinement and poise.

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This is another smoke affected bottle that tastes (at the moment) as though it hasn’t been affected at all. It is drinking well now, but ultimately I am not Leroy’s biggest fan, although I am a huge admirer of Madame Leroy’s white Burgundies from her own estate. This Vosne is at its peak now, and I don’t have much to grumble about, but, believe it or not, the Grunhaus is the finer wine.

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Of course Riesling often surprises with its endurance and fortitude . Glad to hear that potentially some bottles at least will be ok,
 
After the SA Wimps with Sunday lunch I opened a 2012 Sadie Pofadder. This is great. Sweet and savoury sappy finish but a lovely mature, easy to like cinsault. Lovely light style with decent power and touch of spice.

Might pop open a Rose Champagne for the football and afternoon.
 
BCF2A20A-C72C-4341-8737-FF1F1AAFD096.jpegBBQ at a friends house tonight. Stuck a Yvon Metras Beaujolais Fleurie 2015 and 2016 in the fridge for an hour and just opened them. Yuck! What filth! They smelt of turps! And they were super fizzy to boot! Down the sink they go. Backup of regular Metras Bojo from 2016 was the same! What on earth. So went for a Jadot Moulin-a-Vent 2009 which was yum upon opening and will brood nicely for an hour or so before being (hopefully) lovely with some steak.

Anyone else have any experience with Yvon Metras? I know he is very much in the natural camp but having bought a mixed case of 15s and 16s I was hoping for better. I see the 15 is now available at £75 a pop in France. Wowzers! Should have just sold the lot.
 
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Gareth Powell said:
Stuck a Yvon Metras Beaujolais Fleurie 2015 and 2016 in the fridge for an hour and just opened them. Yuck! What filth! They smelt of turps! And they were super fizzy to boot!
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Gareth,

I suspect that the “turps” odour is probably ethyl acetate, which is the most common ester created in the fermentation process. It is a compound which comes about due to a reaction between acids and alcohol. It is produced by yeasts during fermentation, creating by-products that react with ethanol to form esters. However, ethyl acetate can also be produced by acetic acid bacteria, especially under low oxygen conditions (i.e. maceration carbonique). There are also a number of indigenous yeasts that produce more ethyl acetate than those from the Saccharomyces family, which may have contributed to the problem.

Given that the Métras wines are ‘natural’, it is not beyond belief that the ‘turps’ aromas are a result of these two issues.
 
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Continued the English wine week theme:

Balfour Hush Heath Leslie’s Reserve Rose NV - Pale pink with delicate bubbles. Fresh strawberries. Nothing complex or special but nice aperitif.

Tillingham White 2018 - Light golden colour with waxy citrus and apples. Balanced with good acidity, nice mouthfeel and quite long. Found this pretty challenging, partly really liked and partly struggled with the flavour combinations.

Hoffman & Rathbone Pinot Noir NV2 - Lovely ruby colour and movement in the glass. Lots of fresh red fruit. Super smooth and very polished, though stylistically I probably preferred the Davenport from Friday.
 
1624823352938.jpegGreat line up of wines last night to match the delicious dishes at Llewelyn’s in Herne Hill.

The Boxler was so drinkable already, open for business, and disappeared very quickly. Mineral-laden, sappy fruit.

The dauvissat was my wotn. So classy. Oyster shell, mushroom, apricot, lemon acidity and more. So much going on and very long.

The Gerin was decanted for about 45 mins and was in a great spot at 20 yo. Wonderful nose of a metalworks workshop. Graphite, iodine and iron. So good with the lamb.

The dard & ribo acted as a brisk refresher to finish. Packed with tart berry fruit and spice. A slight fizz of energy really lifted the palate.
 
Christopher Piper said:
Gareth,

I suspect that the “turps” odour is probably ethyl acetate, which is the most common ester created in the fermentation process. It is a compound which comes about due to a reaction between acids and alcohol. It is produced by yeasts during fermentation, creating by-products that react with ethanol to form esters. However, ethyl acetate can also be produced by acetic acid bacteria, especially under low oxygen conditions (i.e. maceration carbonique). There are also a number of indigenous yeasts that produce more ethyl acetate than those from the Saccharomyces family, which may have contributed to the problem.

Given that the Métras wines are ‘natural’, it is not beyond belief that the ‘turps’ aromas are a result of these two issues.
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Thanks for the explanation. Very interesting. Presumably this is a fault? Or is it intentional? would the wine maker have known about it prior to bottling?
 
Gareth Powell said:
Thanks for the explanation. Very interesting. Presumably this is a fault? Or is it intentional? would the wine maker have known about it prior to bottling?
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Gareth, it is a fault that can appear is a number of natural wines and is part of the risk/ edgy factor when buying off the likes of Métras. Some of his wines that I have tasted are sublime whilst others have been anything but... it is a fault that often develops over time. A fizz/ spritz issue would imply a lack of SO2 as well but then that is another part of the deal. I must say that I wouldn't pay £75 a bottle to take the risk!
 
  • 2017 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Bourgogne Pinot Fin - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (6/27/2021)
    Beautiful nose showing wild strawberries in abundance, cherry compote and woodland undergrowth. The palette is super fresh and balanced yet showing a concentration of absolutely delicious red fruit continuing with the wild strawberries and cherries. Medium bodied with fine tannins that are very well integrated. There isn't really a finish because you are taking your next sip already, and before you know it, the bottle is disappearing in no time. My favourite Bourgogne Rouge in the lighter style by by a country mile. This is elegant, ethereal and beautiful. Consumed over two evenings from a Conterno Sensory glass, showing better on day 2 and scored higher accordingly. 12.5% ABV natural cork. (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
 
Been doing a fair bit of travelling this weekend so limited opportunities, but after driving home Saturday, a half bottle of Ch Batailley 2008; cassis, cedar wood, vanilla, attractive, fairly long. Travelling by train Sunday, so didn’t have to restrict myself to drinking at dinner, and a half bottle of d’Arenberg Dead Arm 2002 seemed appropriate at lunch; slightly meaty, gamey, pepper, nicely developed, but no hurry to drink up on this showing.
 
Mike Holliday said:
Been doing a fair bit of travelling this weekend so limited opportunities, but after driving home Saturday, a half bottle of Ch Batailley 2008; cassis, cedar wood, vanilla, attractive, fairly long. Travelling by train Sunday, so didn’t have to restrict myself to drinking at dinner, and a half bottle of d’Arenberg Dead Arm 2002 seemed appropriate at lunch; slightly meaty, gamey, pepper, nicely developed, but no hurry to drink up on this showing.
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Where in its evolution might you place the Batailley, Mike?

With one thing and another I'm moving my start dates to nearer 15 years now!

'06's up on the block next time I can access them.
 
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