Weekend wines of 26 June...

Thom Blach said:
Report eagerly awaited, Richard, I have plenty of that.
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Well Tom, you're in for a treat. The Clos des Ursules 1999 (well at least this bottle) seemed completely ready to drink although there's plenty in the tank for ten plus years of further drinking pleasure. Plush, long, with good acidity it's the perfect Beaune 1er cru. The Tollot-Beaut Beaune 1er cru Greves 1998 was almost as good - just a tad stricter in character with a slightly darker fruit profile on the palate. Both were outstanding **** wines. The Clos des Ursules tasted more evolved than the bottle we had two years ago courtesy of N P-M at the 2018 Jadotfest. If you like Beaune 1er crus, they don't come much better than either of these two beauties.
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Thanks Richard, I look forward to it. Two vintages that are not by any means universally ready, and which as you show are by no means as divergent in quality as was once thought. Is Clos Des Ursules the quintessential Jadot wine?
 
Thom Blach said:
Two vintages that are not by any means universally ready,
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Good point Tom - it certainly depends how evolved you like this type of wine. Both would age effortlessly for at least another ten years, but on the other hand they were both fully secondary and the tannins were more or less resolved in both wines. I like them at this stage where there is still some energy in the wine and where they are not primarily tertiary in character. Like you, I'm a fan of the 1998 vintage. Such a treat to drink these side-by-side last night.
 
Clusel Roch Cote Rotie 2004 and Lionnet Cornas Rochepertuis 2004 lined up for Ledbury short ribs tonight. Always enjoyed 2004 N Rhones but never saw them as long distance runners and so probably time to drink them up. Let's see though.

I have a growing suspicion that Clusel Roch is the most under-rated producer in Cote Rotie.....so looking forward to another data point.
 
  • 2005 Château Monbrison - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (26/06/2020)
    2/6, excellent cork. Decanted 1/2 hr. Deep ruby core, narrow pale ruby rim. Nose is attractive, inviting - blackcurrant, smoke, lots of gravelly mineral, touch of cedar. Medium/full bodied on the palate, showing blackcurrant, mineral, some rich liquoricey notes, fresh acidity, slightly firm tannins but they are well covered by the fruit which persists on the good length finish. Very enjoyable, drinking well for me. (92 pts.)
  • 2013 Fattoria La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (24/06/2020)
    1/3, good cork, decanted 1/2 hr.
    Medium garnet core, pale garnet rim. Fragrant, floral nose, spicy red cherry also. Medium bodied, red cherries with a lightly creamy edge, notably soft tannins, touch of savour, fresh acidity, good length harmonious finish with a note of leather and just a touch of grip at the end. Elegant, lovely and certainly drinking. (92 pts.)
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Managed to fire up the bbq, between 2 thunderstorms, for rack of lamb from my favourite butcher in Peebles. Had about 3 hours in the garden before the second storm rumbled and the downpour started. Just had to retreat indoors for the cheese.
Started off with pan-fried scallops and some korma sauce from a jar (M&S). Sauce was too vinegary so quickly ditched it and enjoyed the scallops on their own.
Lovely Weinbach Gewurztraminer Reserve Personnelle 2016 accompanied them. Classic turkish delight, roses, lychee and over-ripe apricot on the nose. Full on in the mouth with tropical fruit, spice and an underlying sweetness. Finish is pretty dry and mops up the sweetness to save it becoming cloying. Stuck the cork back in the remaining half for tonight.
Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Reserve Personnelle 2016 Web.jpg

Lamb cooked for about 1 hour high up on bbq until internal temp was 60°C then salted the fat and dropped down closer to the coals for a 10 minute searing and rested for 15 minutes. Ended up more medium than m/rare but was so succulent and tender it didn't matter.
Opened a young CVNE Viña Real Gran Reserva 2012 to have with it. Decanted for an hour and showing notes of leather, blackberry fruit with just a hint of toasty oak in the background. Raspberry, strawberry and spicy oak in the mouth with good tannic backbone but not astringent in the slightest. Lovely clean, fresh acidity on the finish. Its actually drinking very well just now but definitely need decanting and it just opened more and more as the evening went on. I only had one bottle of this but will be going back for more. It could easily keep for 10-20years.
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Finshed off the meal (inside, just before the clouds dumped a load of water) with some 22 month Comté and Cooleeny cheese with a glass of Paul Cluver's Noble Late Harvest Riesling 2014.
What an intense wine!! Dollops of honey and honey wax on the nose with ripe pineapple and peach. Mango, apricot, pineapple and rich honey flavours in the mouth. Clean acidity on the finish.
Paul Cluver Noble Late Harvest Riesling 2014 Web.jpg
 
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Eric Burch said:
A 2007 Barthod Chambolle was so lovely last night that I will open another tonight.
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An example to us all. If one is lucky enough to catch a wine at its zenith then appetite allowing one should plough on until it isn't any more, rather than saving it for a special occasion or hoping for even greater pleasure as it ages-it may very well deliver that greater pleasure but the odds are usually not as high as one would think.
 
Thom Blach said:
An example to us all. If one is lucky enough to catch a wine at its zenith then appetite allowing one should plough on until it isn't any more, rather than saving it for a special occasion or hoping for even greater pleasure as it ages-it may very well deliver that greater pleasure but the odds are usually not as high as one would think.
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I know this is oft-said by you Tom. The trap is to believe that time might just furnish that little bit of extra magic.
I really should practice what you preach.
 
2009 Château Barde-Haut

Only just opened so initial impressions - medium-deep purple-garnet in colour. On the nose plum, cedar, and a hint of game. On the palate plenty of rich concentrated plum. The tannins are big, but relatively smooth. It comes across as quite fresh which for the 14.6% alcohol is quite an achievement. And the taste lingers on the palate so certainly a good length. A big wine for sure, full bodied and plenty of concentration. I am guessing this is what you would describe as a ‘Parker’ wine, but certainly enjoying it, hopefully there will be enough left to match up with steak this evening!

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