Nomadic Wines

Dinner at Oliveto with Jon Favre and friends

Jon Favre came to the Bay Area to check on our wine, the 2006 LeFavre Alder Springs Syrah. He got in Friday afternoon and fortunately, his buddy Forrest was able to pick him up at the airport. We all met at Oliveto where Jon generously brought some great bottles. We met the rest of our party - Veronica, Shelley, and Shelley convinced her mom to stay for dinner.

The dinner was excellent - most of the dishes exceeded expectations and I am not even sure if we ordered well. The wine service was good, though not great. The waiter refilled the glasses and brought out new glasses, though he didn't take much interest in the wines. I think the highlight was the steak tartare, though I forgot its name on the menu.

The wines were excellent across the board, from the memorable Syrahs (La Chapelle and Reva) to the interesting Barolo comparison... it was a very successful evening. It was interesting to hear about everyone's travels and to talk about the Hospices du Rhone. Hopefully I will attend next year! After dinner we had a great discussion about the organic cotton market - I hope that Shelley's business is successful in building more demand for organics.

The wines (in order):

• 2000 Weingut Josef Högl Riesling Smaragd Ried Bruck - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (6/29/2007)
  A really nice wine to start with - it presented a combination of honeyed peach and sour apple, alternating between sweet and sour... with enough acidity to cut through the salumi appetizer.


• 1999 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (6/29/2007)
  Wow, this was a much better wine than the other vintages I have tried. Less oxidation and less vegetal notes, even though there were some herbaceous notes that added complexity to this wine. Lots of peach fruit upfront, with notes of wax, honeysuckle, and spice. Excellent.


• 1995 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (6/29/2007)
  Of the two Barolos, this was the feminine, more lady-like version. It initially showed bright fruit and it was a touch sweeter. Like a coy lady, it slowly revealed more layers of earthiness, roses, red cherry, and anise. It continued to improve, but it was not a big bruiser.


• 1995 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (6/29/2007)
  This was a masculine example of Barolo, at least compared to the Clerico from the same vintage. There was more tar, darker cherry, more tannins, and a gripping finish that defined it as the better wine on that night.


• 1989 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (6/29/2007)
  Just before we got to the modern Reva, it was nice to be able to taste this wine and to enjoy its many layers. It was meaty but not lacking in the fruit department, with berries all-around. It clearly was the crowd favorite, as everyone shifted gears after the two Barolos. Some preferred the Reva for its modern fruit forward, but this was a more nuanced wine. It had a long, beautiful finish that made it one of my favorite wines of my 2007 year.


• 2004 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley (6/29/2007)
  Blackberry, blueberry, pepper, smokiness, tobacco, coffee - this is a wine with lots of layers but great upfront fruit. I like this modern-styled wine... it is definitely fruit-forward but I believe it will get better. Much more complexity than the Saxum and Pax wines.


• 1994 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese *** - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Mosel (6/29/2007)
  This was a nice light wine to finish a meal. I am not sure if, as an Auslese, I would have expected it to be light and refreshing... but it ended up being a good way to finish off. It had citrusy notes and some petrol that blew off. Not a ton of acidity - almost Moscato-like, but not as cloying.

Labels: Crushpad, Jon, Oliveto, wine

posted by nomadfromcincy @ 8:58 PM