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The last few
months have been hectic here at Gang Central, but in the midst of
the madness, we found time to enjoy some very nice (or at least very
interesting) wines. There was no particular focus on a single theme, but a few
sub-plots did develop, more or less on their own. Wine finds a way. The only
solo selection, from a great Piedmont producer, turned out to be very
memorable indeed, so let's start with that one. Imported by Vin Divino, Ltd., Chicago, IL We received open bottles of each of the following two Chassagne-Montrachets from a local distributor rep who’d been tasting them around that day, and being young wines, the air certainly hadn’t hurt them. He was trying to sell the wines of course, but he was just as interested in hearing our take on them, so we poured glasses and this is what we found. |
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 2005
Château de la Maltroy Chassagne-Montrachet “Morgeot Vigne Blanche,” 13.3% alc.,
$67.99:
Medium gold color; mostly soft oak on the nose, with some restrained, waxy crème
brulée and butterscotch that doesn’t exactly jump out of the glass. There’s
plenty more of the same to be found on the palate over a core of moderately ripe
apple and pear, accented with a note of praline and mineral underneath it all.
At one point, Kim called it “a little flat,” asking “where’s the kick,” to which
I almost agreed, but there is a deceptive acidity that provides adequate cut.
Despite what develops as a “praline perfume” as it opens, the wine lacks a
certain dynamic and piddles out on the finish, and while interesting, it’s
ultimately not a style that I favor. It may well develop some charm with bottle
age, and in that regard, I’d be game to try it again in 2012 or so, if
only for scientific purposes; as it is, it did drink a little better on the
second evening. I’ve seen this listed on a few Internet retail sites in the low
to mid $40s, but to be fair, I’ve also seen it at
similarly higher prices online to that posted here as well, and that’s not exactly good QPR
in my book.
Find this wine 2005
Château de la Maltroy Chassagne-Montrachet Clos du Château de la Maltroy, 13%
alc., $52.99: Clean, clear ruby color, with clove and black cherry aromatics
that almost remind of some Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs, but this also has an
underlying earthy minerality to it. Not nearly as engaging on the palate; young,
tight and barely hinting at any charms that might develop with time. Medium
bodied, with excellent acids and drying tannins on the finish. As Kim commented,
“it starts out smooth, and then the tannins just suck the saliva right out of
your mouth.” I’d let this one rest until at least 2012-2013 to see where it’s
at, because it’s just a baby now, but like it’s white counterpart, it’s being offered for
low to mid $40s by some online
retailers out east.
Find this wineChâteau de la Maltroy imported by Peerless Importing Co., Jackson, Michigan We’re always happy to sample any of Kermit Lynch’s “Gang of Four” Morgon producers (any resemblance between their tag and ours is purely coincidental). We’re unabashed fans of Jean Foillard’s "Cote du Py" (can’t wait to try the 2006 version of that one) and we’re liking Guy Breton’s wines more and more as well. This was the first time we’ve had the chance to sample anything from J-P Thevenet.  2005 Guy Breton Morgon Vieilles Vignes, 13% alc., $25.99: Ruby red, almost light
enough to read through, with an earthy red currant and cherry nose shaded with a
hint of red licorice; the pretty, almost perfumed flavors echo and expand on the
promise of the aromatics on a medium to medium full bodied frame. Deceptively
well structured for at least three to five years of development and improvement;
silky textured, almost delicate and exotic in character, and while our
experience with Cru Beaujolais isn’t all that extensive, this is unlike any we’ve
had before and quite different from
Breton’s earthy 2002 Morgon.
Find this wine2005 J-P Thevenet Morgon Vieilles Vignes, 13% alc., $26.99: Ruby red, with a smoky tinge; very Gamay in character, with attractive earthy cherry and cranberry flavors and aromas and just a hint of the barnyard on the nose. Medium to medium full bodied, with fine balance, silky tannins and good acids. I’m not sure I’d want to age this more than a few years, because it’s pretty much right there right now. Find this wine Guy Breton & J-P Thevenet imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA We’ve never met a Domaine Tempier Bandol that we didn’t like; we drink them when they’re young and we drink them with some age on their bones, and they never fail to exhibit that distinctive character that could only come from Tempier.  2001 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuvée Speciale, 11-14% alc.: Deep, dark garnet
color with a purple tinge; typically delicious Tempier personality,
offering earthy, leathery black plum, prune and berry, all with an undertone of
the barnyard. Big, rich and expressive, well structured with a good dose of
tannins and more-than-adequate acids to keep everything moving along. Quite
approachable now, but its best days are yet to come, as this is a solid 10-15
year wine.
Find this wineOne good Tempier Bandol deserves a few more, so here are three “snapshot” impressions from a recent tasting: 1986 Domaine Tempier Bandol La Migoua, 11-14% alc.: Ruby garnet color, with little, if any rust as of yet; earthy leather and smoke in both flavor and aroma, much more tertiary than primary, and deliciously so. Tannins mostly resolved, with excellent balance, depth and presence. This is what great Bandol is all about. Find this wine 2002 Domaine Tempier Bandol La Tourtine, 11-14% alc.: Good, dark color, with earthy beet root and black fruit flavors and aromas; well structured for several years of further development, but drinking surprisingly well, at least on this occasion. Find this wine 2004 Domaine Tempier Bandol, 11-14% alc.: Deep, dark color, with a coffee and black fruit nose that follows through nicely on the palate; deep, dark, earthy and impressive, this is well structured and in need of some years in the cellar, but shows excellent potential. Find this wine Domaine Tempier imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA  We LOVE good
Muscadet at our house, especially those from the Sèvre & Maine
sub-appellation, and while we think that these crisp Loire whites made from the
Melon de Bourgogne grape are deserving of greater recognition, we’re not in any
hurry to see that happen, as it leaves more for us and our friends (Larry Meehan
and Putnam Weekley immediately come to mind) who love them so well. Luneau-Papin
is among the very finest producers from Muscadet Sèvre & Maine, and we’ve voiced
our enthusiasm for their wines again and again. Here are the most recent ones
we’ve tried; the L d’Or, their top cuvée, is an old favorite, but this is our
first taste of the Excelsior. 2004 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre & Maine Sur Lie Le L d’Or, 12% alc., $18.70: Rich and austere at the same time, with a smooth, lovely texture that belies the crisp acidity, this medium straw colored wine offers textbook flavors and aromas of wet stone, under-ripe apple, quince and a little chalk. As good as it is already, this cuvee has a brilliant track record for extended aging, so we’ll try to keep our hands off our remaining three for several years. Find this wine 2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre & Maine Sur Lie "Semper Excelsior Clos des Noëlles," 12% alc., $22.95: This medium straw colored rarity spends a full year on the lees, rather than the usual six months, and it shows. It offers wet stone and rainwater on the nose, and is richer and less angular in the mouth than the L d’Or, with a green apple, quince, green melon and mineral mélange of flavors. With excellent depth, cut and character, this is another one that should do well with some years in the cellar, but don’t be afraid to try one now if you can find any. Find this wine Imported by LDM Wines, New York, NY Spurred on by recent tastings of Joseph Swan Zinfandel and Pinot Noir reported in these pages last month, we upped the ante and tried a couple more, and once again, we weren’t disappointed with what we found.  2005 Joseph Swan Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Cuvee de Trois, 13.6% alc.,
$35: Ruby red color, not too dark, not too light; fragrant perfume of smoky
black cherry and plum shaded with a bit of cola, all of which echoes and expands
on the palate with a certain spicy character and a hint of rhubarb. Medium to
medium full bodied, with nice length, a silky texture and adequate structure for
at least three years of further development, and just as likely five. This has a
slight green streak that in another wine might detract, but in this case, adds
to the complexity, especially as it opens with air. Very nice indeed.
Find this wine2001 Joseph Swan Russian River Valley Zinfandel Frati Ranch, 14.9% alc., $29.99: Clean dark color, with rich raspberry and cranberry flavors and aromas; like the ’01 Mancini, this has a slightly Pinot Noir-ish quality to it, but this time, it owes that to the cranberry-like element rather than any mushroom-y quality. This is pure Zinfandel, with no frills or pretensions; it shows fine balance and structure and it’s hitting on all cylinders right now. Just one more reason why we love these J. Swan wines. Find this wine Finally, we've enjoyed some very nice Michigan whites lately. We only had one bottle of the following Chardonnay left, and hadn’t tasted it since 2005, so buoyed by our memory of the ’98 model some months back, we made it count, opening it with our friends Sally and Joel Goldberg.  2000 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore Chardonnay Avonlea, $30, 14.6% alc.: This pale
gold is all about bananas, pineapple and other tropical fruit, being extremely
ripe, and yet finishing totally dry. It’s well balanced, has very good viscosity
and acidity, and there’s some minerality underneath all that ripe fruit to add
interest and complexity. Joel enthused, “It’s a very bizarre wine, not what one
would expect from Chardonnay, (and) so exotic for Michigan.” It’s a mutant all
right, but a lovely mutant, and these don’t taste like this until they have some
age on them; just compare these notes with our impressions of
our first taste
back in January of ’05.
Bastardo
Other Recent Wine Explorations
More Red Wings & Red Rhônes 2007: Champagne Tablas Swan Zin (a real mixed bag of goodies) Chateau Grand Traverse: Where Riesling is King
A Bunch O' Whites (& One
Pinky)
Back to the Underground Index
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