1. Robert Parker rating of 95 points or higher
2. Wine-Searcher price of at least $250
1959 Huet Le Haut Lieu Vouvray Moelleux (Jack). As always Huet wines never disappoint and they seem to live for ever. Made from 100% Chenin Blanc, the Moelleux is sweeter than the Clos du Bourg, but less so than the Moelleux Premier Trie, which is specifically a desert wine.
The wine soared from the glass. It possessed a gorgeous translucent yellow hue. It was pristine and pure on the palate with a long elegant finish. At 57 years of age, this wine has many years in front of it.
NV Cedric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne Côte de Béchalin Blanc de Noir Pinot Noir Champagne (Ian). Cédric Bouchard has become one of the fastest rising stars in Champagne. He began producing his own wines in 2000 under the label Rose de Jeanne. In 2008 he was awarded the title as Champagne’s finest wine maker by Gault Millau. His philosophy borders on the revolutionary in Champagne, as he insists on bottling single vineyard, single varietal (Pinot Noir or Chardonnay), and single vintage cuveés rather than blending different sources to make a single cuvée. This is a highly unique concept in Champagne, where so many of the Grandes Marques have made their reputations for many centuries on the high art created in blending various wines and various vintages to make a consistently excellent bottle of bubbly year in and year out. Today’s bottle is a non-vintage made exclusively from 2009 grapes and disgorged in 2016. The fruit comes from a 1.5 hectare vineyard in the lieu-dit Cotes de Bachelin, consisting of 100% Pinot Noir. Cédric gives the grapes from this site the longest aging regimen of all his wines. This wine is unfined, unfiltered, and aged for 80 months. It is an amazing Champagne that must be sipped from a large wine glass to appreciate the incredible depth and focus of the wine. Decanting his wines is always a good idea as they really open with air and time as this one did. I did not enjoy the first sip, but within thirty minutes I was smitten by the complexity, balance and finish of the wine. Truly a wine with soul!
2000 J.L. Chave Hermitage from magnum (Jack). Some experts feel that the greatest maker of Hermitage (100% Syrah) is Jean-Louis Chave (you will get no argument from me). The Chave family has been growing grapes at Hermitage since 1481. They have a reputation for making good wine in poor years, and excellent wine in good ones. They use low yielding vines (average age 60 years) and a late harvest to produce the ripest fruit, and there is virtually no intervention in the winemaking and bottling with no filtration. There are a dozen or so named vineyards in Hermitage, and Chave owns vines in most of them. They vinify each separately, which allows them to blend for greater complexity before bottling.
My last bottle of this was 6 years ago, and the wine was simply too young at the time. Cellar time has been good to the wine. The wine has entered the beginning of a drinking window that should last for a couple of decades. Gorgeous terroir laden bouquet with terrific balance and focus on a palate of ripe black fruit. Destined to be a monster in another 3 or 4 years.
2012 Santuvario Lozio Vino Rosso (Gino). The wine is made by Ivano Barbaglia in Boca, a region of Northern Piedmont. The wine is a blend 85% Nebbiolo/15% Vespolina. The farming is organic and the harvest is by hand. The fruit is destemmed and fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks with a month-long maceration. The wine is aged in a single 300-liter oak barrel for three years, followed by a year in bottle. Production is but 100 cases in years that Ivano fells the grapes merit the wine. It is one of the finest wines I have tasted this year (today was my second experience). It possessed a gorgeous bouquet of red berries, with a seductive palate of white pepper that displayed terrific balance, complexity and a long and velvety finish. The wine has the acidity to age for a couple of decades.
2014 Mondavi Reserve to Kalon Vineyard (Tony). Served blind. I had no idea what it was. No one guessed California. As for the wine, it was a good example why I do not buy or drink California wines, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was completely one-dimensional with an insipid palate and zero finish.
2006 Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino (Jeff). Superb! In my opinion Gianfranco Soldera is the master of thes 100% Sangiovese wines, and this wine solidly supported my feelings. I had the wine 3 years ago at a Soldera tasting and found it to be tight and a bit green but with great potential. Today’s bottle, while still young, as matured quite a bit in the past three years. The palate had marvelous balance, complexity and elegance. The finish is still a bit short, but in a few more years this will be a magnificent wine…in my opinion.
1999 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin (me) and 2001 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin (Ian) were poured side by side. Beaucastel is one of the few wineries that blends all 13 permitted grape varietals in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The “Hommage” bottling is made only in exceptional vintages, and that means only when the Mourvedre grape reaches sufficient ripeness to merit a special bottling and thus the Hommage contains a higher proportion of Mourvedre. I felt that both wines drank ok with the 1999 having a softer and slightly more elegant palate than the more fruit laden 2001. The group was pretty much divided on their preference.
1996 Chateau Latour (Tony) was poured alongside a 1996 Chateau Lafite‐Rothschild (George). Two first growth Bordeaux that for me underscore the comments of wine importer Kermit Lynch regarding these first growths. He writes in “Adventures on the Wine Route”, “As a Bordeaux proprietor, you do not even need a good winemaker…you need only have been included in the classification of 1855. Most of the Bordeaux wine trade is quite happy keeping everybody’s eyes on labels instead of wine.” My limited experience with Bordeaux, especially first growths, leaves me with the “I don’t get it” feeling. These two did that again. Some thought the Lafite was corked. I didn’t. I simply thought it was not a good wine. I had similar feelings about the Latour. These were very, very expensive wines that receive high critic scores and will continue to do so as long as the people who buy them keep their eyes on the labels.
1994 Dal Forno Amarone della Valpolicella (Emil). Dal Forno’s wines are usually over the top for me. I find they lack the balance and complexity of Quintarelli. This drank better than most I have had however. It displayed more balance and elegance that usually.
2001 Chateau Climens (Gino). This was superb. Beautiful golden hue, palate of tropical fruit with good balance and complexity.
1975 Chateau d’Yquem (Joe). I felt this bottle was off, which was a shame as this is a great year for Sauternes. It lacked the depth, balance and complexity of the Climens. Hopefully just an off bottle.
As my readers know I do not subscribe to the points rating system for wine. For the curious my top wines were in order:
2006 Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino – 95+, $600
1959 Huet Le Haut Lieu Vouvray Moelleux – 98, $350
2000 J.L. Chave Hermitage – 96; $650 (Magnum)
NV Cedric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne Côte de Béchalin Blanc de Noir Pinot Noir – 94, $120
2012 Santuvario Lozio Vino Rosso – not rated, $70.
My bottom wines:
2014 Mondavi Reserve to Kalon Vineyard – 95, $125
1996 Chateau Latour – 95, $800
1996 Chateau Lafite Rothschild – 98, $1,100
1975 Chateau d’Yquem – 98, $1,100
Fortunately, the wines were really secondary. The company and lively conversation along with the excellent food made for a great afternoon. You just can’t put a number or price tag on friendship.
Thanks Tony for putting it together.
Saluté
Great info...... Happy New Year to all.....
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