2014 Domaine Chene MACON MILLY LAMARTINE (Southern Burgundy, France)

This vibrant, flavorful, unoaked Chardonnay should be every restaurants' house white.  Just a fantastic value.

Shimmering bright, light gold color.  Almost Riesling-like nose of ripe, juicy yellow peach, mouthwatering crisp apple, honey and wet stones.  Mouthfilling, yet extraordinarily light on its feet.  Peach, pear, and apple fruit mingles and leads to a stony, honeyed finish.  Very nice acids buoy the whole thing up.  Drink over the next year for its liveliness.  (Great value!)  A-.  Was $12.99 from WTSO.com.  Imported by MHW, Ltd., Manhasset, NY.

(Sorry, 2013 shown.)

4 Wines with Great Friends

Jonathan L. is a long-time friend from NYC from when I was just out of college and starting in the wine business (pre-law school period).  He and his wonderful wife Marge were in DC to see some sights and visit friends, and luckily we were among the targeted friends!

As we're getting older now, and have to pace ourselves (unlike those hangover-inducing Grand Cru and Port benders we'd occasionally indulge in in the early 80s), the 4 of us paced ourselves through 4 bottles over the course over 6 or 7 hours.  Here are the notes from memory.

2011 Johann W. Schild Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett -- We used this inexpensive Mosel as our "pace car" to get things going.  It's fruity, with peachy apply notes.  Not much complexity but a decent enough mid-afternoon sipper.

2010 Simonnet-Febvre Chablis Premier Cru Cote de Lechet -- Although I'm partial to Chablis that is fermented and aged in seasoned (not new) barrels, this "stainless steel only" Chablis was really nicely-cut.  Medium bodied, fragrant with brothy, wet limestoney notes, straw, and apply fruit.  Very precise, and drinking well now but could certainly go another couple of years.  

2010 Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel (Dusi Ranch) -- Dusi Ranch has, over the last 10 years, become my favorite of Ridge's stable of Zins, with its remarkable, laser-like focus and purity.  Great fragrance, texture, depth, and freshness.  Could last and improve another 2-3 years.  

2005 Ridge Montebello -- It was hard to top the Dusi ranch Zin, but this did, and easily.  Jonathan brought this from his cellar (what, you think I can afford wines like this?), and it was amazing with grilled steaks topped with chimichurri.  Great depth and length with perfect balance, this iconic Cabernet was showing well yet seemed amazingly young.  I think this wine could go on for a long, long time.

2010 Louis Boillot CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET Blanc (Burgundy, France)

 This wine took me on a surprise journey.  When I first opened it, it looked suspiciously dark gold.  And it smelled kind of flat, and felt flabby and tired in the mouth.  We finished off half the bottle without much enthusiasm the first night, although, over time the first night, it tightened up a bit, and the color lightened.  I put it under a Vacu-vin closure and stuck it back in the fridge.  Two days later, it was much, much improved.  I think this wine just needs a couple of years in the bottle.  If you open it now, I would actually recommend decanting it a few hours ahead of time -- which is usually unnecessary for a white.  Stick the decanter back in the fridge in the meantime.

The following notes are from 48 hours after opening.

Bright, luminescent medium light, brassy gold.  Wonderfully vibrant nose:  pristine apple fruit, a squeeze of lemon, a little whiff of light honey and toast, and a very clean, hay/limestoney earth note.  Lean, but with excellent flavor persistence, this wine has excellent acids (a characteristic of the 2010s from Burgundy).  Flavors of green apple, pear, and straw last a long time and leave on a very faint hazelnut note that lingers and lingers.  This wine kept getting better through the last sip.  That suggests this needs time and air.  By the end, I gave it a A-.  (Don't ask about when I first opened it.)  Was $24.99 from WTSO.com.  Imported by MHW, Ltd., Manhasset, NY.

Three wines and lots of guests

We had people over for dinner Saturday and Sunday, so with all the talking and laughing etc., I didn't get to do detailed notes, but here are my impressions of three of the wines we popped.

2010 Domaine Vignaud CHABLIS PREMIER CRU Fourchaume -- Nice, minerally, brothy nose.  Nice entry, but then lean and a little hollow at present in the mid-palate.  Finishes with lots of clean, limestoney minerals in the finish.  Will be better in 2-4 years.

2005 Chateau Lascombes MARGAUX -- Much better than it was two years ago when I opened my first bottle.  Starting to develop some complexity, with the California-like primary fruit and oak I thought dominated the first bottle I popped a couple of years ago starting to subside and beginning to develop into a more sophisticated Bordeaux cedary character.  Very long finish.  Another wine that will be better still in 2-5 years.  Too bad that was my last bottle.  Paired well with Saturday's grilled steaks.

2006 Paul Pillot CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET PREMIER CRU CLOS SAINT JEAN (Rouge) -- a gorgeous, fully mature red burgundy.  Resiny cherry fruit, along with loads of gravelly minerals.  Leaner style, with very good acids.  Very nice with Coq au Vin.

2010 Simmonet-Fevre CHABLIS PREMIER CRU MONTMAINS (Northern Burgundy, France)

This is a big, extroverted Chablis.

Very pale gold.  Nose burbling over with green apple, peach, lemon, and chalky minerals.  Fleshy, flashy, and vigorous in the mouth.  The first day the fruit was at the fore, and it seemed ripe, intense, and somewhat simple.  But the next day, the minerals were out in force, with intense chalky-stoniness overshadowing the still ample fruit.  The first night it seemed almost -- unusually for a Chablis -- like there was a bit of residual sugar, but as it aired, that sweetness decreased.  By the second day it seemed bone dry.  Good acids for such a large-limbed Chablis.  What it lacks in complexity and elegance it makes up in sheer force and vigor.  B+.  Drink over the next 2 years, over which it will probably gain a bit of complexity.  Was $21.99 from WTSO.com, and imported by Louis Latour, San Rafael, CA.

2010 Domaine du Mont VIRÉ-CLESSÉ (Southern Burgundy, France)

This was a fantastic white.  If I had tasted it blind I would have thought it was a young premier cru Chablis.  Ripe, cleanly minerally, and crisply refreshing.  Excellent value.

Light gold color.  Enchanting nose of ripe apple, ripe pear, nose-tingling lemony acids, and crushed seashell minerality, along with a hint of that Burgundian earthiness that frequently, in the whites, reminds me of dried hay lying around a barn.  Absolutely refreshing in the mouth.  Concentrated flavors, yet light on its feet, with a linear, lemony streak through the apple/green apply fruit, and a bolt of chalky, seashelly minerality follows through from the nose to the mouth.  Soft texture.  Brilliantly clean, lengthy finish.  I know it's just a Macon, but I have to give it an A.  Was $14.99 from WTSO.com, making it a steal.  Imported by MHW, Ltd., Manhasset, CT.

2009 Domaine Louis Boillot SAINT-AUBIN 1er CRU "LES CASTETS" (White Burgundy, France)

A fragrant wine, with nice flavors, balance, and length, but a little undernourished in the mid-palate.

Light gold with silver/greenish highlights.  Toasty, hazelnut and brown butter notes dominate the nose, with nice pear fruit and stony minerality underneath.  Soft and full in the mouth, with oaky and mineral flavors overshadowing the fruit a bit.  Bone-dry, with good acidity, and after the lean midpalate the finish stretches out and lasts for a while.  B/B+.  Was $23 fro WTSO.com.  Imported  by MHW, Ltd, NYC.

2009 Domaine Laleure-Piot PERNAND-VERGELESSES PREMIER CRU (White Burgundy)

This was an extreme wine.  So minerally and brothy that it's hard to believe grapes had anything to do with it.  Not my cup of tea, but I know several wine geeks who would love this style.

Medium light, pewter-inflected gold color.  Nose very closed the first day, even with pouring through a Vinturi. Day 2 the nose was more extroverted, smelling like an emulsion of freshly-pulverized limestone dust, chicken broth, and tart green apple/lemon peel.  Quickly attacks the palate with very lean, minerally, straw-tinged earthy and brothy flavors.  The mineraliness clings long in the mouth, and there's good acidity (duh), but where's the fruit?  Mineraliness is great as a complexity-adder, but there's got to be fruit there to add to.  Right now, this is a C-.  But I've experienced white burgundies that blossom from green and closed to real beauties in 2 or 3 years.  I don't know if this is one, but it's probably better to wait and hope than drink now.  Was $22 from WTSO.com.

(Sorry:  2005 shown)

Mom & Dad's Visit -- last coupla rounds

Mom and Dad have gone back to Massachusetts, but we went through quite a few goods wines during the last week of their visit:

2007 "Rosso del Vulcano" AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE -- This was an excellent, balanced, flavorful, traditional styled Aglianico.  Great, minerally, gravelly nose with deep winey, berry fruit.  Excellent balance and persistence.  Not too tannic and, best of all, no smell or flavors of new French oak.  ($17.99 from Houston Wine Merchant).

2009 Chateau Thivin CÔTE DE BROUILLY  -- Outstanding old school Beaujolais.  Gobs of minerally, rich, crunchy cherry fruit.  Vivacious and deep-flavored.  Smooth, clingy, and refreshing.

2009 Domaine Diochon MOULIN-À-VENT "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" -- This wine pointedly displayed  the typical difference between the neighboring Beaujolais applelations of Moulin-á-Vent and Cote de Brouilly (or the Moulins and ANY of the other Beaujolais appellations):  The Moulins are typically earthier, larger-framed, more structured and austere, and less overtly fruity.  (This one fit the profile to a "t".)  In a word, they are -- at least to me -- more challenging to drink.  Some would argue that makes it the best Beaujolais appellation.  I just think it's different, and I usually go for the non-Moulin style when I'm considering drinking a Beaujolais. 


2009 Leitz Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz RIESLING Spatlese (Rheingau, Germany) -- A fantastic, more than slightly sweet Riesling, with piercing peachy, apricot fruit, coupled with intensely minerally (almost petrolly) notes, and a dark tea leaf aspect.  Fantastically balanced, with outstanding acidity and a great, pure finish.  Loved it.


2010 King Estate "Vin Glacé" RIESLING (Oregon) -- This "fake" Eiswein (the grapes were harvested late and then frozen by the winemaker and crushed, as opposed to being harvested late while frozen, then crushed) was a fantastic buy in a dessert Riesling.  Intensely fruity, with loads of pure peach/apricot fruit, a tad bit of minerality, and intense acidity adding lift to the finish.  Was about $14 for the half bottle at Spec's on Smith, making it a steal for a delicious, lighter-styled  dessert wine.


2007 Selection Laurence Féraud GIGONDAS (Rhone Valley, France) -- A classically-styled Gigondas.  Loads of herbal, austere, iodiney-minerally fruit on the nose.  Fairly full, with that classic Gigondas austere feel, but with an excellent, clingy finish.  Great with winter stews and wine-braised pot roasts.


2008 Francine et Olivier Savary CHABLIS "Selection Vieilles Vignes" (No. Burgundy, France) -- A traditionally styled, austere, earthy, straw and broth-scented Chardonnay.  Lean, penetrating, and with loads of crisp, earth-tinged, apply fruit.  Very nice.

Mom & Dad's Visit -- Round three

2009 Domaine Perraud MACON-VILLAGES "Vieilles Vignes" -- This unoaked Chardonnay was large-framed, earthy, with lots of wet straw and gravel scents, along with intense pear/apple fruit.  Very nice.

2010 Chateau Soucherie ROSE DE LOIRE "Cuvee L'Astree" -- This rose, which I believe is Cabernet Franc-based, was ridiculously crisp, fresh, floral and zesty, with excellent minerality and sweet/tart strawberry fruit.  Excellent.

2009 Three Vineyards "Old Vines Field Blend" (Contra Costa County, Cal.) -- Much bigger, riper, and in-your-face than the 2008 (which I've previously reviewed here), this wine would be an excellent choice on a cold fall or winter evening with a beef stew.

2008 Umani Ronchi LACRIMA DI MORRO D'ALBA "Fonte del Re" (Marche, Italy) -- This wine is grown in the hills where my grandfather was born, and is quite unique in its aromas and flavors.  It's got an intense, bitter dark plum/grape and licorice aroma, with a bit of dry gravelly earth, and is both mouth-filling and palate-cleansing at the same time.  Very nice accompaniment to rich, meat and tomato sauces and braises.

2002 Selbach RIESLING EISWEIN (Mosel, Germany) -- Wow.  Light tawny-copper color.  Intense, complex nose leaps out, with honey, apricot, bright citrusy acids, and sweet earth.  Utterly ridiculous in the mouth, with mouthfilling richness and honeyed, intensely sweet fruit, but juxtaposed with such vibrant intense acids that it literally makes your mouth water.  Fantastic, long finish.  In 500 ml bottle, so a little more to enjoy than the typical dessert 375.  This wine will last another several years.

Mom & Dad's visit -- next few rounds

Louis Roederer CHAMPAGNE Brut Premier -- Very nice, toasty, yeasty, apply scented, on the lighter side but with a very long, crisp finish and great persistence of bubbles.

2010 Pascal Granger "La Jacarde" BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES BLANC (!) -- A rare white Beaujolais, from Chardonnay grapes and completely unoaked.  It has a ridiculously fresh, fruity fragrance with crisp peach and ripe apple fruit, and was nicely balanced, medium-light bodied, and as fresh as cotton sheets lined-dried on a crisp, sunny fall day.  ($21 at Houston Wine Merchant).  Get this.

2008 Core GRENACHE Santa Barbara County -- Tasted like freshly crushed plum and raspberry juice.  Very unusual, but good.  After a couple of days an herbal side came out.

2008 Chono SYRAH (Elqui Valley, Chile) -- Previously reviewed here, this wine remains a fantastic value.  (Available at Houston Wine Merchant and at Central Market).

2009 August Kesseler SPATBURGUNDER (Pinot Noir) ROSE (Rheingau, Germany) -- Fragrant, with crisp, light cherry and floral fruit, and surprisingly large -framed for a German wine.  Unique and good.

2006 Ottimino ZINFANDEL "Von Weidlich Vineyard" (Russian River Valley, Cal.) -- Very elegant Zin, showing the classic profile of a Zin with some bottle age, which tends to mute the up-front fruit and bring out a brambly quality.  More depth than the previously reviewed "Ottimino Vineyard" bottling from this producer.

2009 Chono Chardonnay "San Lorenzo Estate" (Maipo Valley, Chile)

Great value in a bright, flavorful, unoaked Chardonnay.

Very light, bright gold color.  Bright, intense nose of crushed limestone powder and crisp apply fruit.  So bright and tingly on the nose it almost makes you want to sneeze.  Smells like a good Macon on steroids and caffeine.  Intensely minerally, stony flavors with puckery lemon juice and green apple fruit.  No traces of oak whatsoever, and all the better for it.  Not complex, but loaded with true character.  B+.  Was $12.99 at Houston Wine Merchant.

2009 Domaine de le Chapelle MÂCON SOLUTRÉ POUILLY (White Burgundy, France)

A superb, crisp, minerally, flavorful, unoaked Chardonnay.  If you like Chablis Premier Crus but don't want to spend $30+ for a good one, this is your poor man's version.

Very unusual gold color that was inflected with almost a very light tan tint.  Gorgeously fragrant nose of bright, chalky earth and crisp pear/green apple/not-quite-ripe-peach fruit.  Bright, mouthwatering, pure flavors of slightly bitter citrus and pear over crushed limestone.  Long, pure, clean finish.  Very nicely done.  A-.  Was about $18 at Spec's on Smith.  Imported by Weygandt-Metzler.

(Sorry, 2007 shown)

2007 Domaine Pommier CHABLIS 1er CRU COTES DE LECHET (Northern Burgundy, France)

This was one of the most uncompromisingly, desicatingly bone dry Chabliseses I've ever had.  But I liked it.

Stunning color:  luminous and crystal clear medium dark gold, with a nice greenish glint.  The nose changed substantially over three nights (closed each night with a Vacu-Vin closure), which indicates to me that it can age and improve a few more years at least.  Closed and showing a sharply talc-y/minerally initially, by the third night it offered up really nice toasty, talc/chalk scents over intense pear and ripe apple fruit.  Bracingly bone dry, with medium light body and great, mouthwatering acids.  Intense sea shell/minerally-tinged green apple and lime fruit, along with light clear chicken broth, in the mouth.  Razor sharp, pure, stony/lemony finish.  A challenging wine to drink, but fascinating if you like the more austere versions of the Chablis style of Chardonnay.  B+.  Imported by Robert Kacher, I got this for around $26 at Spec's on Smith several months ago.

2009 Domaine Seguinot-Bordet CHABLIS "Vieilles Vignes" (Northern Burgundy, France)

A young, intense, tight, mineral-infused Chardonnay.  I would lay this down for at least another year or two, maybe more.

Medium light, very bright gold color.  Intensely saline/chalky/minerally nose whose fruit profile features intense green apples and crisp, slightly underripe peach scents.  Lean, intense, chalk and stone-laced flavors attack the palate, with some slightly bitter green apple skin and straw flavors.  Needs time to settle down, but should get even better.  The intense acidity and good length bode well for ageing.  B++.  Imported by J&R Selections.  Was $21 at Spec's on Weslayan.

2009 Domaine Couillaud CHARDONNAY (VDP Nantais, Loire Valley, France)

This Chardonnay was grown in the general vicinity of Muscadet, and I usually like the crisp, unoaked, minerally style of the Chardonnays from this region. This one is a nice, solid, Macon-style wine.

Light, bright gold color with a greenish glint. Lively, straw-inflected nose of bitter pear and juicy peach pits, along with a touch of grassiness included in its pungent mineral component. Full-flavored and dry, this features ripe, dry pear fruit, along with a bit more body than is usual for Chardonnays from this region (no doubt due to the hot 2009 growing season). Decent acidity buoys up this virtually unoaked style just enough to keep from getting tiring to drink. Imported by Vineyard Brands. B. Was $10 and change at Spec's on Richmond.

2007 Au Bon Climat CHARDONNAY "Bien Nacido Vineyard" (Santa Barbara, Cal.)

From one of the most exalted Chardonnay vineyards in Central California, this wine seemed like a hybrid between California style and Burgundy style.

Luminescent gold color with a greenish glint. Complex nose of chalky, smoky, dry gravel, brown butter, and pear/tropical fruit. Not overripe, overtly sweet, or cloying (which I would refer to as the "Kendall-Jacksonian" style that has become nearly ubiquitous in California), this wine showed lots of liquid-metallic minerals and dry pear extract, with some light butterscotch notes in the back half of the palate. No detectable residual sugar, thank God. Long finish. Nicely done. Was $20 on sale a month or two ago from Zachys.com. B+

(Sorry, 2006 shown).

2008 Heretiers de Comte Lafon MACON (White Burgundy, France)

Lafon is one of my favorite producers of Macon Chardonnays. The house style, in my limited experience, tends to emphasize the riper, fruitier aspects of Chardonnay, rather than the earthy/stony nature the grape usually takes on in Macon. This basic Macon is the entry level wine.

Earthy, crushed stone, hay-infused chardonnay fruit on the nose. Also scents of metallic pear and peach pits. Steely, liquid minerally flavors of crisp pear and apple. Very clean finish. Very nicely put together. 88. Imported by Becky Wasserman. Can't remember where I got this (Richard's maybe?) but I think it was around $18.

2008 Chateau de la Greffiere MACON-LA ROCHE VINEUSE "Vieille Vignes" (White Burgundy, France)

This was one of the tightest Macons I've ever had. So tightly wound and closed at first, but burgeoning over the course of several days (during which I had it sealed with a Vacu-Vin closure) into a really remarkable wine.

Light bright gold color. Closed nose at first. Days later, a very elegant, fragrant nose developed. Smoky, lemony, limestone & chalk, along with peach and white grape fruit. Smelled like a baby Puligny-Montrachet. No joke. Just beautiful. Rich, and packed with stones and vibrant, ripe apply fruit, this wine had nice concentration and acidity. Very clean, refreshing finish. GREAT value. 91. $15 at Spec's. Imported by Weygandt-Metzler. Make sure to let this wine AIR OUT!

2006 Eric Chevalier (Domaine de l'Aujardiere) CHARDONNAY (Loire Valley, France)

This is an outstanding value in a fresh, minerally, unoaked Chardonnay. Tastes a lot like a high quality Chablis.

Very light gold color. Nose of lemony-limey fresh grapes infused with chalky rock dust. Loads of lively, peachy fruit, with a clean, stony component throughout. Bone dry and very refreshing. Medium-light bodied, with a very pure-tasting finish. Very nice, and definitely a repeat purchase at $13 and change at Spec's on Smith. 88. A Kermit Lynch Selection.