1988 Hugel et Fils Pinot Noir Jubilee - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC (12/30/2006)
Not sure if I am capturing the name of this wine correctly. It is labeled Pinot Noir "Hugel" and then under that it says Réserve Personelle.
Anyway, a surprising little beauty. It is bottled in the tall bottles used for Alsatian white varietals. The nose is not terribly expressive, though it may have been masked by that old cork smell. The wine had creeped all the way to the top of the cork, which suggests storage issues... though I am pretty sure it has been resting peacefully till in my possession. The nose had some cherry notes which followed through in the mouth. The palate also had some forest floor and earthiness to counter the cherry. This wine has enough body to stand up to cheese, along with elegance of aged Pinot.
I think there are a few more bottles in the cellar that I will try.
Based on some posts on the eRobertParker Mark Squires bulletin board, I have learned that the Réserve Personelle is from a single vineyard planted in 1966 and acquired by Hugel in 1985. This parcel is the source for the "Les Neveux" cuvée, only produced in 1990 and 2003. It is usually included in the Jubilée cuvée, but in the good years they produced a "Réserve Personnelle" wine from this vineyard.
I am interested in trying other Alsatian Pinot Noirs - my experience has been that they lack the ripeness of US Pinot or the acidity/verve of Burgundy. This makes me want to explore.
Labels: Alsace, France, Pinot Noir, wine
Mom's birthday
My parents visited us in San Francisco and we went to Michael Mina the night they arrived, for my mom's birthday. Unfortunately baggage was late, traffic was heavy, and we had an early reservation. They held our table, but we felt rushed... not ideal for a special restaurant experience.
Overall, the food was very good and the presentations were excellent. I like the concept - for each course they have a theme (like scallops) and then prepare them in three different ways. As a result, some of the dishes are truly excellent while others seem like they are busy and trying too hard... but still tasty.
We brought the two older wines from my parents' cellar.
- 2002 Domaine Louis Michel Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (12/26/2006)
(Bought a glass off the list at Michael Mina.) This wine showed a touch of VA initially, but it blew off pretty soon after. The nose was ordinary - not showing much this time. The mouth had some acidity, lemon, and minerality. I found a little sour note on the tongue, but the finish still lingers for about 15-20 seconds.
- 1962 Château Calon-Ségur - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (12/26/2006)
Brought this wine (with a '62 Suduiraut) to Michael Mina. The sommelier opened this wine about 15 minutes before serving it and decanted it. The cork disintegrated upon opening, but that didn't surprise me because the capsule wasn't close to spinning.
My dad and I talked about our expectations. Clearly we didn't expect a great wine because it was an off-vintage and the cork had fallen apart.
When it came out into the glass, I was immediately surprised by the color and I knew this wine would be better than expected. There was a faint ring around the edge of the glass, but overall the wine was dark ruby red in color... youthful I daresay. The nose was funky, but my concern was minimal. After about 15 minutes, the funk was blowing away and I was left with a wonderful, mature wine from St. Estephe.
There were red fruits (like cherry) on the palate with some blackberries on the nose. The wine had that typical St. Estephe spice, especially once I could taste it. The finish was a little short, but overall I was very impressed with this wine. If this wine had more fruit early on in the attack, I think it would have been been a great wine.
- 1962 Château Suduiraut - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (12/26/2006)
We enjoyed this wine with dessert. It wasn't the best combination of food and wine, but fortunately one of the dessert selections was a good match... a pineapple dish that got it right. The wine was a very dark, deep tan color. And again, the cork disintegrated as the sommelier tried to remove it. The wine had lots of caramel and nuttiness, though I also smelled a whiff of citrus extract. My palate definitely tasted a lot of orange jelly. Again, the finish is short and boring compared to an otherwise lively, tasty Sauternes.
They charged us full corkage even though we generously shared with the sommelier/waiter. Not surprising considering the tariffs on wine, but thought that would be useful information for others.
Labels: Bordeaux, family, restaurants
Italian Tasting with new tasting group
TASTING GROUP - ITALIAN WINES (WITH SOME OTHERS THROWN IN) - Damon and Kathryn's (12/16/2006)
We decided to explore Italian wines, so I pulled a few wines from my collection and some wines from my parents' cellar. It is nice to be able to taste some aged Brunellos and a "super-Tuscan".
The Ropiteau and Fort Ross were drank as starters.
- N.V. Ropiteau Meursault Perrières Premier Cru 1er Cru - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Based on where this wine came from, its color (deep straw color), and the condition of the cork... I am assuming this will was a 1970 or 1971. The capsule was not spinning and the cork disintegrating as I tried to procure it. We decanted it through a funnel. This wine was clearly over-the-hill, but it still offered notes of caramel and peach, with a touch of citrus peel. NR (flawed) - 2002 Fort Ross Chardonnay Reserve - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Not quite Burgundian, nor is it overly ripe/oaky. It was very complex - whiffs of vanilla, toasted oak, and honey. The mouthfeel is creamy and filled with ripe peach and ripe apples.
Lucia is Italian, right? We drank the Lucy with the charcuterie from Cafe Rouge.
- 2005 Lucia Pinot Noir Lucy Rosé Santa Lucia Highlands - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
This is the second time I have tried this wine and very similar results. Fresh tasting with a slight floral nose. Loads of strawberry with a little bit of red cherry. Served with charcuterie and toasts, it served as a nice counterpoint to the saltiness.
Two splits of Billecart-Salmon Rose were paired with one of my favorite flavor combinations - potato pancake, creme fraiche, smoked salmon, and ikura caviar.
- N.V. Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne
Served with caviar and creme fraiche over smoked salmon and potato pancake... after all, it was the 2nd night of Channukah. This champagne is brilliant. Fine bubbles, pure strawberries, with touchers of other tart berries (like raspberry and blackberry). Sweet, but balanced with slight yeastiness. This is subtle but quite nice.
These wines were paired with a mushroom risotto - fresh brown mushrooms, shitaki, and porcini... I was worried the porcini would make it grainy... but all was fine, though a little salty.
- 1993 La Castellina Chianti Classico Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico Riserva
Light and earthy with touches of tart cherry. Okay with food, but clearly mature past its peak. - 1990 Poderi Colla Langhe Dolcetto-Nebbiolo Bricco del Drago - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe
This wine had potential... complexity of herbs and a little mushroom. Bright cherry fruit, but it was overwhelmed by grainy tannins at this point. I don't think the tannins will resolve themselves any further, so pair this with something mushroomy. - 1997 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Old Vine - USA, California, Sonoma County
I don't remember much about this wine... it was opened after the Chianti and Bricco, as folks finished the porcini mushroom risotto. Nice nose of crushed berries and some floral notes. Pretty high acidity for a zinfandel but not much heat on the finish. I bet well-stored bottles are drinking great right now.
The "big wine" flight, accompanied by a boneless leg of lamb... I used smoked bacon to wrap rosemary along the lamb. It created an interesting range of flavors, even though it was a little overcooked.
- 1994 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
This wine was paired with lamb wrapped in rosemary and bacon. We also included the 1997 Fuligni Brunello and 1988 Sammarco in the flight, which made this wine look like a commoner. It was lighter and earthier than the Fuligni, with less concentration. There were touches of cherry and light tannins on the finish. I could see it improving a little, but I would not expect this to become a "wow" wine. - 1997 E. Fuligni (Cottimelli) Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Compared to the '94 Conti Costanti, this was both more powerful and silkier. The nose has more spice and red fruit on the nose; the mouthfeel is much fuller. The finish did not linger like the Sammarco but this was an excellent example of Brunello. I do not remember thinking it would improve much (tannins well integrated) and I would say drink within 5 years. - 1988 Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
I popped the cork about 1-2 hours before drinking. I poured out a little taste and yes, this stuff was excellent. I decided to move it into the flight with the two Brunellos because it was clearly power-packed. This was a big wine - loads of cherry and licorice. The oak and tannins are very subtle in the background, but I got a little chocolate on the finish. I don't like to give points, but I would have rated this 93-95 points on this night.
Again, Rafanelli is an Italian name, right? Just an intermediate wine while we hung out.
- 1998 A. Rafanelli Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
I opened this bottle in McClure's honor... cause I think he digs Rafanelli. It is a more traditional Cali Cab, though they must definitely use some new oak. It is slightly herbal with some green pepper, but plenty of ripe plum and chocolate to support that side of the wine. Looking forward to trying this in the future too.
- 1990 Fattoria dei Barbi (Colombini) Vin Santo del Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Vin Santo del Montalcino
Paired with Chocolate-Cinnamon rice pudding... I thought this was a perfect pairing. The vin santo was nutty and caramelly. It was viscous but not totally mouth-coating.
- 2005 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Moscato d'Asti Bricco Quaglia - Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Moscato d'Asti
I think this is the ideal Sunday morning brunch wine because it is really low alcohol and it is refreshing. That said, I chose to end our dinner with this wine paired with fresh berries and whipped cream. It was a nice way to end - melon, apricot, and really light red berry juice.
My favorite wine was the Sammarco, but I was happy with most of the wines as they paired nicely with food. I think the Italian wines are great for that, and people will begin seeking them out if they continue to be food-friendly and affordable.
