A new year and a new decade

Saturday is the start of a new year; it is also the start of the second decade of the 21st century. If your first decade has been lost this a time for optimism, renewal and a fresh start; it is time to put right things that have gone wrong and throw away bad habits. One also has to be mindful that the future is uncertain and could be bleak as Thomas Hardy described 110 years ago in this hauntingly emotive poem.

The Darkling Thrush
Thomas Hardy

I leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-gray,
And Winter’s dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.

The land’s sharp features seemed to be
The Century’s corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.

So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware

Never give up when the outlook is seemingly bleak. You never know when your lucky break might arrive.

Dinner at Gola on the Fulham Road with some hardcore burgundy aficionados

I was supposed to fly home for Christmas on Sunday 19th December but my flight was cancelled owing to the bad weather (i.e., the fact that the UK has under-invested in infrastructure again, this time in up-to-date snow moving equipment). This meant that I missed our Tuesday Ledbury macro/wine dinner organised by Jeremy, and it was cancelled in the end.

So last night Jeremy organized another group of hardcore burgundy aficionados to show up for dinner at an Italian place called Gola, right in the depths of the Fulham Road in southwest London (not far from Chelsea FC). Tom is so hard core he only drinks burgundy. And they all know an awful lot about the subject to. We also had a couple of Italians - barolos/barbarescos - the only other wine that burg aficioandos accept as a potential and worthy competitor.

The protagonists:

Jeremy Carne, known as JC
Tom Blach (TB)
Paul Day (PD)
Angus Duncan (AD)
Ian Amstad (IA)


Flight one - whites with sword fish

Champagne Billiot 2002 (AD) - This is the best champagne I have tried in 2010. It is really gutsy, meaty, expansive and full-bodied. I am going to source some of this when I get back to the US. 93 points

Coche Dury Meursault 1996 (PD) - We were all half expecting this to be premoxed...but it wasn't. It had a super complex nose with faint hints of the most exotic fruits and quite a bit of oak. On the palate it was silky prodigious and structured; it was caressing and had a thrillingly long finish. Triumphant and WOTN it would put many a grand cru white burgundy to shame. 97

Flight two - golden oldies with pasta

Thomas Bassot Griottes Chambertin 1970 (JC) - Nobody held out much hope for this given the state it was in. The ullage was a good inch and a half while the cork was absolutely saturated. This had quite a lot of stink on it but a wonderfully pure core of complex fruit.

Proddutori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Ovello 1970 (AD) - A shouldered bottle it was pretty alive and lively with quite a bit of VA but the fruit is holding up well.

Maria Feyles Barolo Riserva Speciale 1978  (IA) - This had even more bottle stink and funk; underneath the wine was holding up and was not dead, but the amount of lavatorial stink was off-putting. (This is a very rare wine: picture of another vintage here):

Flight three - red burgundies with lamb

Lafarge Beaune Greves 1995 (TB) - Really tight young, fresh and bracing. An illustration of the backwardness of the 1995 vintage. Intellectually challenging it had an alluring tension, like an elastic band at full stretch. The vinuous equivalent of sitting naked on a snowy moutain top and beating your back with a birch. A maschochist's delight.

De Montille Pommard Pezerolles 1998 (TB) - A very fresh nose, this wine had a raciness about it and some more overtly attractive raspberry fruit, bit it too was taught and wound up like a coil. An excellent wine, it should evolve well over the next few years.

Faiveley Echezeaux 1990 (IA) - Stubbornly backward and tannic, but with first class raw materials. It did not want to open at all - downright obstreperous and recalcitrant. Frustrating but somehow invigorating. Don't touch for ten years, otherwise it will bite you. Let sleeping dogs lie.

I am going back to Gola tonight for another dinner - about the only place that is open.

Wine of the night:

Rocking down the highway with 1990 Bordeaux

Look out! The Martin brothers are in town! Lock up your daughters…

…so a group of ten of us gathered at ‘our local’ – Fabios for themed tasting of 1990 Bordeaux.

To wet the whistle:

Jobard Meursault Blagny 2001 – not premoxed – (hurls hat up in the air…yeeeh!) – nice chablis-like chalkiness and lemony-chalky. 91

Amiot Puligny Montrachet Les Desmoiselles 1990 – Norwegian blue (dead parrot). Hello Polly! Anybody home? The only reason why it was sitting on its perch was because it had been nailed there. NR

Trrimbach Gewurztraminer Cuvee Des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre 1990 – TCA on the nose but this was otherwise vibrant, voluptuous and lively with exotic fruits – guava, lycees and melons 91

Flight one

La Fleur De Gay 1990

A bit of brett on the nose, which soon blew off. Then this wine started to unfurl with meaty, smokey, gamey notes allied to an exotic Pomerol plumminess. It slides across the palate with more cured meat and is a touch bumptious and rustic. It really delivered a lot of pleasure. 93

La Conseillante 1990

Very complex nose of beets, cured meats, game, mushrooms, cigar box and tobacco leaf. On the palate it was incredibly silky, smooth and voluptuous with rich Belgian chocolate and lots of burgundian tertiary nuances. Quite low acidity. Drop dead gorgeous wine. It unfurled like a silk scarf this foxy wine is the equivalent of Angelina Jolie in the Tourist. Marvelous. 98

Flight two

Rausan Segla 1990

Nose initially shy and then became sweet and candied. Nicely perfumed, silky refined and sophisticated but somehow it somewhat flattered to deceive. It lacked stuffing. 89?

Mouton Rothschild 1990

Sweaty horse saddle and coffee nose – then downhill from there right? Wrong, because there is a lot going on here and while it is quite austere on the back of the palate it had an impressively long finish. And it was vibrant on the palate with complex mushroomy notes. While this is not a ‘great’ Mouton, this was the best showing of this wine yet. It is a lot better than Pichon Lalande in this vintage based on our June tasting. 90

Sociando-Mallet 1990

This was similar to wines in the next flight. It had a young colour, and was somewhat monolithic on the palate, which made it less interesting than the Mouton but this is clearly the superior wine. Re-tasted at the end of the night it had come out of its shell and was quite delicious. In 5-10 years this will be superb. 94+

Flight three

Pichon Baron 1990

Disappointing somewhat bretty and yoghurty nose. This wine was awkward all night perhaps because it hadn’t been open long enough. I just don’t think it was a great bottle and it may have been flawed. NR

Montrose 1990

Rather than go into a detailed analysis, everything about this wine is perfect. The nose is intoxicating (no brett) the palate is expansive and delicious with a lot going and the finish was long and luxurious. However this wine is still primary. It lacks secondary/tertiary development, so the best is yet to come. I should imagine that in 20 years time this wine will be a legend. It lays a strong claim to be wine of the vintage. 99+

Cos D’Estournel 1990

Actually a very similar wine in many respects, not far behind the Montrose and also still primary. It opened beautifully over the night, keeping pace with - but a respectable distance behind - the Montrose. 96+

To finish...

Chateau D’Yquem 1990

(It was funny that seven out of ten on the table went out for a smoke before this…not including me)
Needs 30 years, incredibly unevolved. But a treat to taste. 96+++

And then…

Off down to the pub for a (few) cleansing ale(s)

Then off to catch the last train home

We had a brilliant night with the hard core of Patrick, Brendan, Ramon, Sandy and myself batting on. Sandy…the (tall) thin white duke.

Pinot at Kittle

My good friend Jacques organised a dinner at Kittle House with seven of his local Chappaqua friends (alas Bill couldn't make it) and me. The theme was 'pinot noir from the 21st century.'

Flight 1

2000 Robert Groffier Chambolle Musigny les Amoureuses Burgundy

Maroon, perfumed sweet nose, just entering a funky stage on the nose with hints of sous bois, hint of licorice on the palate, smooth, complex with a lovely texture and finish; a delicious and very satisfying red burgundy. It is beautifully balanced and light on its feet. It is in a good place right now and will remain so for another decade when it should become funkier and even more complex. This was mine and the group’s WOTN (not often that happens when the first wine is WOTN). ******

2004 Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin Combe Aux Moines Burgundy

Vibrant and lively, this was sharper with good raw materials. But it is a bit gawky and awkward now. No sign of greenness, however. Good potential but come back in five years.**(**)

2003 Williams-Selyem Rochioli Riverblock Sonoma Russian River, CA

A mature wine it had an interesting somewhat savoury, talcy chalkiness about it, which I really liked. It had a slight vegetative streak, good complexity and an attractive animal muskiness. It also greatly improved in the glass, so much so that it challenged the Groffier for the wine of the flight mantle. It had a great finish too. My second favourite wine of the night. ******

Flight 2

2007 Saintsbury Carneros, CA

If you got served this at a barb-q you would be thrilled and quietly quaff it all day. A correct, but somewhat anodyne pinot in this flamboyant company. Nothing wrong with it just anonymous. **

2007 Siduri Pinot Noir Sapphire Hill Sonoma Russian River, CA

This was younger and thicker textured and quite cocooned; initially cherries and then it developed some alluring spicey – nutmeg - and coffee notes; needs a couple more years to express itself.***(*)

2006 Williams-Selyem Central Coastlands San Benito County, CA

This wine was started off well with pretty pinot fruit, quite approachable with cherry spices, but it had a disappointing watery finish. More style than substance.***

Flight 3

2005 Sea Smoke Ten Santa Rita Hills, CA

Thick exotic strawberry pinot notes, quite extracted, fine silky texture, rich and complex and a lot of weight and alcohol (14.9%) This is a very impressive wine but I would find it hard work after a couple of glasses. But I can see why most of the table loved it, and it was the group’s second favourite wine. ****

2007 Kosta-Browne Keefer Ranch Sonoma Russian River, CA

This is a similarly crafted wine (14.7%), but I liked it more than the Sea Smoke because it a beguiling complexity in the mid-palate…and salinity which I just loved…also some beef and awesome extract and power. My third favourite wine. *****

2006 St. Innocent, Seven Springs Vineyard Willamette, OR

Beefy savory, complex, earthty, a bit more nuanced than its flight mates, good finish. ****

Flight 4

2003 Robert Groffier Chambolle Musigny les Amoureuses Burgundy

Very different to the 2000. As Jacques quipped this could easily come from the new world. It had a warm roasted, ripe taste, which betrays a hot vintage. Not at all elegant or balanced for a top red burgundy. Not a bad wine, but not in the same league as the 2000. ***

2004 Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin "Les Cherbaudes" Burgundy

This was just as gawky as the Combe Aux Moines in the first flight and as Jacques noted marred by a bretty nose. **(*)

Scoring

*poor
**average
***good
****very good
*****excellent
******outstanding
*******legendary

The ratings make no claims for consistency accuracy or fairness

As usual we voted for our favourite, second and third favourite wines, and this is the result:

Groffier Chambolle Musigny Les Amoureuses - 21 votes
Sea Smoke Ten – 16 votes
2003 Williams-Selyem Rochioli Riverblock – 9 votes
Siduri Pinot Noir Sapphire Hill – 4 votes
2006 Williams-Selyem Central Coastlands – 2 votes
Kosta-Browne Keefer Ranch – 2 votes
St. Innocent, Seven Springs – 1 vote

What did I learn? Firstly I have not had much experience with Californian/Oregon pinots, so it is exciting to discover them. It was a diverse and impressive bunch we had last night. My main observation is that rather than be levitating – like the Groffier or any other great red burgundy – some of these wines tend to weigh you down. A few months ago I tried to drink a bottle of Kosta Browne and through in the towel three quarters the way through. The winemakers perhaps need to concentrate on achieving more finesse and balance, and perhaps rely a little less on power and alcohol. Having said that I thought the 2003 Seylem was a beautiful wine, and it nearly pipped the Groffier for my wine of the night. I want to continue experimenting and brought a few Oregon pinots from the new fairway wine shop in Stamford, CT. In Washington last week I had a very nice pinot called Goldeneye.

Many thanks to Jacques for organising a great evening with his mates from Chappaqua. During the dinner there was a snow and ice storm, so I was grateful to have my Volvo four wheel drive to get me home safely.