Champagne sunday - 6/22

Bobo Sr.

My father wanted to celebrate his birthday with some steamed lobster and Burgundy, but it was Sunday and we had began with Champagne. Jacquart is one of the largest producers in Champagne, but most of the production is made into private labels for various retail chains. This cooperative, however, produces a solid range of wines under its own label and the Jacquart, Champagne, Brut, NV is a great value. The wine is full in flavor, yet retains some elegance.

My father is a member of Taittinger's CA outpost wine club, so we cracked open a Domaine Carneros, Le Reve, 2002. Le Reve is the Tete de Cuvee of Domaine Carneros and it shows
alot of elegance and class. This excellent wine is more fruit forward then the bottles produced by Taittinger in Champagne.



As my sister and wife polished off the sparkling wines, I pulled the cork on a Chateau de Pommard, Meursault, 2005. The wine smelled and tasted like Meursault, but flavors were very subtle. Not a bad wine, but not very good. Since I had been drinking alot of their wines this week, I brought along a Chandon de Briailles, Corton, Grand Cru, blanc, 2002. I tasted this wine when it was released a few years back, and I was underwhelmed by its lack of intensity. Recently, I tasted the 2005 and 2006 versions of this wine and loved the richness of fruit that both possessed. Once again, this wine did not show a lot of character. There was nothing wrong with the wine, it just did not show much personality. I would wait another 10 years before opening another bottle of the 2002 Corton and hope it develops more complexity.

After the lobster we munched on some cheese and my father opened up a Louis Jadot, Chambolle-Musingy, 1er Cru, Les Fuees, 1999. The color was slightly advanced, as were the flavors on the palate. I would blame the criticism on the fact the wine sat on retailers shelf for a couple of years. Otherwise, the wine was really nice. The nose was very fragrant and the wine was soft and elegant in the mouth. Not profound, but very good.

Happy Birthday Dad!

David Bowler throws a bash

Wine distributor and importer David Bowler held his annual barbeque Saturday and I brought along my brand new camera to document the gallons of great wine that was to be consumed. I clicked away as one rare bottle after another was brought up from the cellar. Excited to get this post up as soon as possible, I popped out of bed the next morning to transfer the photos to my computer. One picture did not turn out well and I decided to erase it before commencing with the download. That is when it happened. I accidently selected 'delete all' and every image on the photo card vanished. No more great shots-- just an empty, black screen. Oh well, I will try to piece together the line-up of wines from memory and provide some thoughts on each:

Philippe Foreau, Vouvray, sec, 2002 - Very tight and mineral. Too young to really taste right now, but I would bet that this will be great.

Edmond Vatan, Sancerre, blanc, 2002 - Great wine, but tight and hard to read at the moment.

Vincent Dauvissat, Chablis, 1er Cru, Forets, 2002 - Very nice wine. Good density and balance. Dauvissat always makes really solid wines, but I think Raveneau and Fevre better.

Francois Raveneau, Chablis, 1er Cru, Beauteaux, 2001 - I always love the wines made by Raveneau, but it is really hard to appreciate these subtle, dry wines in a large tasting. Of the three wines from Raveneau that we tasted at the party, this cuvee seemed to be the most reserved.

Francois Raveneau, Chablis, 1er Cru, Forrets, 2002 - Very good, but I had trouble really getting to know this wine (a touch antisocial)

Francois Raveneau, Chablis, 1er Cru, Montee de Tonnerre, 2002- Probably the richest and best of the trio, but hard to really judge.

Domaine Lambrays, Puligny-Montrachet, 1er Cru, Folaitieres, 2004 - I love the two Pulignys produced at this domaine, but this wine was showing a lot of oak. Probably needs a couple years to settle down.

Chandon de Briailles, Corton Le Charlemagne, Grand Cru, 2000 1.5 ml- This was the second time I had this wine from a magnum in 3 days and I did not enjoy it as much on this occasion. I am sure that it had nothing to do with the wine, rather it was my stressed out palate.

F.X. Pichler, Gruner Veltliner, Smaragd, Kellerberg, 2005 - This wine showed really well. The more intense wines always seem to taste better when one's palate is assaulted by a millon bottles at the same time. Pichler is a master of balancing rich flavors and elegance. Really good.

Domaine Lambrays, Clos des Lambrays, Grand Cru, 2001 - A beautifully fragrant wine that is elegant and pure in the mouth. Still young, but already very charming. Excellent.

Noel Verset, Cornas, 1998 - The nose and palate are dominated by pure black olive. I love this style of syrah, but I have not tasted another Cornas that has this wines black olive quality. I find the flavors in other producers Cornas to be darker and the wines to be more brooding. Verset's wines are all about elegance and the wonderful black olive flavor I always find in them. I could down a couple magnums of this.

Terry Allemand, Cornas, 1998 - Darker color then the Verset. Great texture and body. This is a really good wine, but it lacked the finesse of the Verset.

Charvin, Chateauneuf du Pape, 1998 - Slightly corked. Otherwise, the wine appeared to be beautiful. Too bad the wine was flawed, because I have a feeling that this would have been my #1 of the flight.

Rayas, Chateauneuf du Pape, 1998 - Very light in color, almost brown. The nose and palate revealed some sweet fruit, but the wine lacked the intensity and depth that the old Rayas's used to possess. Really disappointing.

Mont Olivet, Chateauneuf du Pape, Cuvee de Papet, 1998 - Maybe the best wine in the flight. The palate was full of beautifully ripe fruit. This is what I expect a '98 to taste like.

Vieux Donjon, Chateauneud du Pape, 1998 - Good showing for this wine, which I bought a case of on release. That said, this wine is not proving to be as great as I had hoped.

Beaucastel, Chateauneuf du Pape, 1998 - Really good, but still young and not showing the sweet fruit that it revealed in its youth. Needs another 5-10 years.

Marcoux, Chateauneuf du Pape, Vieilles Vignes, 1998 - Robert Parker scored this wine 100 points. Dark color, but the nose revealed a hint of alcohol. The wine was full-bodied, but did not show alot beyond the alochol. Very disappointing.

I was let down by the Chateaumeuf flight. After tasting the wines from barrel, Parker hailed the '98 vintage as the best since 1978. I tasted several of these wines on release and loved their dense, rich, sweet textures. The wines now appear to be falling apart and are showing too much alcohol. Bummer.

Lopez de Heredia, Rijoa, Tondonia Gran Reserva, 1970 - Very light color. Older wines from this producer can be very interesting. While I appreciate their traditional style, I do not really enjoy drinking them. I would describe this style of wine as being 'tea-like.'

David always throws a great party. I would have commented on the Weil TBA, but 'Little Bobette' beat me to it. Savoy (restaurant in NYC) cooked some really delicious food, including some huge whole fish. I wish I knew what type it was, but I am allergic to fish and could really care less. Actually, I almost missed eating all together. Where does wine fall on the food pyramid?

Where's wine?

Somebody put milk on this thing by accident.

Father's Day wines

I have read good reviews about the wines that the young winemaker David Croiz has been producing at Domaine de Croix and the Beaune negociant Maison Camille Giroud. The 2005 Camille Giroud, Bourgogne, rouge had a deep color and lush feel in the mouth. Well worth the $20 I paid for it. The 2002 Camille Giroud, Maranges, 1er Cru, rouge, La Croix Moines was lighter in color. The wine was clearly more Cotes du Beaune in style than the Bourgogne. I was disappointed with the wine at first, but the flavors became more pronounced after an hour in the glass. This was a pleasant, light to medium bodied Burgundy that showed some nice secondary flavors.

I was afraid that the 2000 Chateau Leoville Poyferre, Saint Julien would be shut down, but the wine was drinking really well. Secondary aromas of tobacco and cedar were already showing themselves. This darkly colored, full-bodied wine was still young, but it was open enough to make it very enjoyable. That said, I would wait five years before opening the next bottle.

My name is Roll, The Kaiser Roll

The German wine cheerleader formerly known as 'The Kaiser' has requested that he no longer be called by this name. Evidently, the legendary German wine importer Rudi Weist has been known as 'The Kaiser' for several decades. Lucky for us, however, our resident Kraut has another nickname. From this moment forward, I shall refer to our German wine cheerleader as 'The Kaiser Roll.' Pass the mustard, please.

Diebolt-Vallois, Blanc de Blanc, a Cramant, Grand Cru, 1997

Diebolt-Vallois is the best estate in the village of Cramant, which is one the two finest locations for Chardonnay based wines in the region. Mesnil is more famous, but the best wines from Cramant rival those produced in the former town, with the possible exception of Salon and Krug's Clos du Mesnil. I find the wines from Cramant to be more delicate than those produced in Mesnil, but they possess the same level of refinement and depth. The 1997 Diebolt-Vallois, a Cramant, Blanc de Blanc is very elegant and obviously well made, but the wine disappeared on the backend. I attribute the short finish of the wine to the difficult conditions of the vintage. Diebolt-Vallois is a top level domaine and I would love to taste this cuvee in a more successful vintage.

Frederic Magnien, Bourgogne, rose, Pinot Noir, 2007

The color of the Frederic Magnien, Bourgogne, rose, Pinot Noir, 2007 was pale and the bouquet was very subtle. Bourgogne rose seems to be a tough category. Many of the rose wines from the Cote d'Or, such as this one, do not offer much in the way of character and come across as pretty neutral. This bottle was pleasant, but not worth the $16 I paid for it.

Not enough money for a Hybrid? How about a 'Vineyard Buggy'

(David Clark/domainedavidclark.com)

David Clark has been drawing attention from critics for the fine wines he produces in Morey St.-Denis and his biodynamic approach, but there is also something else that separates this man from his neighbors. David Clarke is an inventor!

A recent entry on his blog (http://domainedavidclark.com/) details a new contraption that Mr. Clarke's father built from surplus plumping material. The process of de-budding is a real pain in the ass according to Mr. Clarke, but this 'vineyard buggy' allows him to cruise for unwanted vine shoots in style. Many of the vineyards farmed by this domaine are at a slight slope, which allow the buggy to glide from vine to vine without much effort from the rider. I would love see the faces of the village's older vignerons as Mr. Clarke rolls by their vines.

Nothing to do with wine - The Babe's last stand

Babe Ruth in a Boston Brave uniform

George Herman Ruth (a.k.a. "Babe") was traded by the New York Yankees to the Boston Braves on February 26, 1935. The man who led the Yankees to 4 World Series Championships was shipped off to Boston for almost nothing. Ruth's numbers had begun to decline and after the 1934 season in which Ruth only hit 22 home runs, the Yankees looked to dump the slugger. While certainly unsentimental, this trade proved to be a wise baseball decision. The greatest player of this time was finished and everyone, including Ruth, knew it. In order to get Ruth to agree to the trade, the Braves had promised him the titles of club Vice President and assistant manager. Ruth, who dreamed of being a manager, agreed, but it soon became clear that he was given these titles in name only. The once mighty Babe Ruth was being used like a circus attraction to lure fans.

Ruth hitting his second home run of the game. Career# 713

Fat and totally out of shape, Ruth struggled in the field and at the plate. Then, right out of a movie script, the Babe recaptured his old swing on May 25th. The Braves were playing the Pirates at Forbes Field in Pittsburg. Ruth went 4-4, hit 3 home runs and drove in 6. The third home run that day sailed over the roof of the stadium, the only time that happened in the history of Forbes Field. Ruth, however, never hit another ball over a major league fence. Less than a week later, the Babe hobbled off the field with an injury during a game in Philadelphia. The most famous athlete in history almost wrote the perfect ending to a great career, but he missed his cue by five days.

F.X. Pichler, Gruner Veltliner, Klostersatz, Federspiel, 2006

Federspiel is the term used to describe the wines produced in the Wachau that have an alcohol level of 12.5% or lower. These wines are usually bright, clean and medium bodied, but F.X. Pichler's Federspiels tend to be richer than most. They often more closely resemble other producers Smaragd level wines. Based on past vintages, I expected that the 2006 F.X. Pichler, Gruner Veltliner, Federspiel, "Klostersatz" to be rich and intense. The weather in 2006 resulted in rich, full-bodied wines and many Federspiels produced from this year reflect this. Ironically, this wine (from a vineyard on the flat land below the terraces that line the Wachau) is lighter then 2004 and 2005 versions. Medium bodied and elegant, this bottle opened some after an hour in the glass, but never showed the beautiful texture that I love in the wines from this domaine. Maybe the wine is in awkward place at the moment and just needs some time in the bottle. The other 2006's I have tasted from Pichler have been awesome, so I would be willing to bet that this wine will show more down the road.

Austin SCORES!!!!............again

A baby girl had been born and it was time to celebrate. The night after Boboette joined our posse, my good friend 'Austin' stopped by the hospital to meet the world's next oenophile. Two days locked up in a hospital room without any wine is hard labor (excuse the pun), so we bolted for the only upscale bar/restaurant in Princeton with a decent wine list, Mediterra. Our stated reason for leaving the hospital was to retrieve a couple pizzas for dinner, but a toast to Boboette was overdue (my wife does not believe that it took two hours to make the pies). The restaurant was packed, but a couple seats where available at the beautiful chrome bar. A bottle of Nicolas Feuillate, Champagne, Brut, NV satisfied our needs. The wine was good, with medium sized bubbles and nice a nice chalky finish.

As I savored the moment, 'Austin' engaged in his usual habit of shamelessly hitting on the nearest female, who in this case happened to be a black haired former model. The next ten minutes featured a barage of repulsive one liners. The irony of the situation hit me as I pounded back the last glass of Champagne. Here I was, glowing in the realization that I had just become a father, and 'Austin' was preoccupied with securing yet another one night stand. The old saying that 'some things/people never change' seemed very appropiate.

In keeping with our usual tradition, we finished with a couple glasses of port. A 1996 Dow was a little hard to drink at this stage, but it showed good fruit. Speaking of fruitiness, 'Austin' called the next morning and recapped his conquest of the previous evening (which I spent curled up on a hard hospital chair). I immediately scolded him for his shallow and tiresome actions, but 'Austin' pointed out that he had felt obligated to defend my reputation.

"How were you defending my reputation exactly?," I asked.

"I had to go all the way in order to prove that she was wrong," he responded.

"Wrong about what?"

"Well, she saw us sitting at the bar drinking Champagne," he replied.

"So?"

"She said that she lived in New York for three years, and the only guys she ever saw drinking Champagne were gay!"