A small, devoted group of wine lovers here in town has decided to get together every Thursday in order to taste wine. The new ritual will officially debut tomorrow, July 19th, 2007 with a bang (to include a vertical tasting of Dominus) but we did meet last week to taste and we sampled some interesting and delicious wines.
Stacy and I arrived at the cellar door, knocked, and in speakeasy fashion gave Andrew the password. Actually, we called once we got there and Andrew emerged from his subterranean lair to let us in. By the time we made our way through the labyrinthine corridors leading to the cellar, the bottle of 1998 Schramsberg "J. Schram" had nearly been consumed. It was yeasty and still showing a good amount of fruit. Though I have to admit I was ready to give it a good bashing (because it was sparkling wine from California from nine years back) it provided a very pleasant lead-off to the rest of the evening. A fine mousse, good acidity, and a sweetness of fruit that gave it away as new world (no that there is anything wrong with that). Prejudices aside, a good wine.
Next up: Chateau Montelena 2005 Napa Valley Chardonnay. Vibrant, fresh, and lemony on the nose; rich, viscous, almost oily on the palate. Very present oak. Richness of a Meursault, but reminded me really more of Puligny because of something delicate in the aromatics. A little bit heavy on the palate without the lift that I like in a good Chardonnay. To be fair, this is quite a young wine and will probably come together with a little more time in bottle.
Next up we tasted a very curious wine called "La Diablesse" from Chateau de Coulaine in Chinon (Loire Valley). This bottle preplexed us because it is considered a Table Wine, yet made from (according to the web sources I found) Cab Franc grown in Chinon. This is an old vine cuvée aged in Oak barrels for 18 months. Etienne de Bonnaventure farms this estate organically and is highly regarded for his wines. The perplexing thing: it smelled of heavy carbonic maceration, as though this were a wine meant to be drunk in the prime of youth, while fresh and fruity, and yet, many sources say this is a wine to hold a while. I thought for sure it was Gamay. Very fruity, fresh, with a dense cherry character. Wish I had more info...
The main event: 1976 Chateau Palmer. Classified as a Third Growth in 1855, Palmer generally commands second to first growth prices and routinely performs well above its pedigree. Among its unique attributes, Palmer generally consists of a higher proportion of Merlot than the other Médoc Chateaux (47%). The turreted, fairy tale style castle sits on 128 acres of prime vineyard land in the commune of Margaux. Palmer is regarded for its alluring and complex aromatic profile, richness, supple mouthfeel, and concentration (no doubt due an extended maceration period of 20-28 days). Another interesting note about Palmer: it seems to perform better in lackluster vintages that in the highly regarded ones.
This Palmer represented my first experience with the Chateau. I purchased this wine at auction in decent condition: oxidized capsule, scuffed label, but aesthetics aside, the fill level was at base neck and that's what I mainly look for in bottles this old...well, and the condition of the cork.
The cork broke in half as I pulled it up out of the bottle. I carefully extricated the rest without it disintegrating into the wine. We then let it rest for a while before pouring it. An interesting side note: the volume of this bottle was 73 cl. The format changed in either 1977 or 1978. I am curious about the history here...
Initial nose: rubber tire, licorice, leather, very barnyardy and gamey. A bricky, nearly brown color. On the palate: a lot of coffee and beef's blood. Full bodied with nice richness and fine balance. Strong, still tannic finish.
With some time: menthol and sweet spice aromas and some underlying fruit shining through. Cedar, caramel, and a definite sense of oak. Pretty damn good actually. Didn't fade away the entire time in the glass. I liked it. I wish I had a couple more bottles, in fact. This will no doubt be the first of many Chateau Palmer experiences.
No comments:
Post a Comment