I’ll try my best to be brief to avoid the potential for merging. After a weekend away with fairly basic food and wine it’s good to be home and back in my comfort zone again. So, these here tonight…
First up, opened late last night after a messed up journey home, thanks to British Rail, and then finished whilst cooking this evening. A Crozes- Hermitage ‘La Matiniere’ 2018, Ferraton.
Black cherry and berry fruit with a pleasing savoury edge on the nose and palate with fresh acidity and resolved tannins to lift and structure. A good value example of its type that’s both satisfying to drink with food and on its own. I doubt if there’s much to be gained by further aging but it has sufficient structure and concentration to do so.
The Faugeres ‘Les Bastides’ 2011, Alquier ( a 75:25 blend of syrah and grenache ) ups the ante with its extra levels of depth and concentration of flavour, complexity and tannic structure.
Red and black cherry and berry fruit, a meaty savoury quality, peppery spice and woodsmoke on the complex nose. Similar sensations on the vibrantly fresh palate with grainy tannins to structure and a long finish to end. Not a million miles away from a good Cote-Rotie in style at this point in time but at a fraction of the cost and with a few years in it yet.
It was a lovely match to my venison, tomato, chestnut, and butter bean sauce with pappardelle, torn basil and parmesan dinner too.
Has moved onwards from being all about the fruit to more complexity, spice, sous bois but still refreshing with even a note of mintiness (to me anyway!). I was reminded immediately of the Thymiopolous Rapsani Terra Petra in this tonight. May do a side by side when we return from holiday (heading to Puglia tomorrow).
…which is high praise indeed for Pinot Noir where my other half is concerned
With a meat/cheese board (absolutely could not be bothered cooking tonight). On first opening I get that vague peroxide-y thing that I normally get from Burgundy (so maybe it’s the grape not the region?), but my OH gets soil and Mustard cress when it’s growing (I can kind of see where she’s coming from, as mad as it may sound).
The colour is quite deep, but invitingly just-transparent-enough. I’m getting very ripe raspberries, wrapped in darker cherries with a little rusticity. Decent acidity for the food, too.
Probably a little at the high end of it’s price bracket (I think the Waßmer Spätburgunder from TWS represents commensurate quality for a better price, for example), but in mitigation it’s Pinot Noir from an established part of France, so perhaps to be expected.
Edit: I’ve just noticed that the price of the two is much closer than it was when purchased. C’est la vie
A 2019 Domaine des Rochelles Anjou-Villages Brissac ‘Breton’. Goodness me this was nice - juicy, fruity, broad, balanced-earthy-dry & a lovely chewy supple texture. A really enjoyable wine, and a great shame it’s now OOS. Not a wine I shall miss out on next time it’s - hopefully - on the list.
I say “teaser”, because while this was certainly a very good & enjoyable wine - fresh & creamy & full, with a tittle of minerality in there - it wasn’t quite up there with the mature lingering flavours of the 2015 Martin Wassmer Schlatter Maltesergarten Gutedel from that bargain German Varietals case that appeared in August. It hinted at it occasionally but never quite got there.
First 2019 Barreyres, very pleasantly surprised, a nice cedary note that hasn’t been there in other vintages. It may fill out a little over the next year, but is the most interesting vintage from this property for a few years.
It is certainly cooler than 2018, which was exceptionally hot. I don’t think it would be regarded as cool compared to the long term average. I think this was the first 2019 Bordeaux I have tried, and it did leave me hopeful for all the others I have stashed away.
The Mouton Chardonnay such good value, citrus, apple and almost a honey finish . Fabulous.
The Rhône equally as good and I will leave my remaining stocks for later in the winter….
Dominique Piron Saint Amour 2020. On the nose I could truly be fooled into believing this is Pinot. Bit spicy and Germanic, veering on serious. The fruit is not super defined but more red than dark. There is sous bouis, something musty and truffly and a bit animal. Good medium + acidity and medium tannin that is fine yet grippy. It’s not delicate but not heavy either, a bit mean and sandpapery yet elegant. Maybe what they call a more “intellectual” wine? I’d sniff this all evening.
PS: evolved with air. Bloody delicious. At £12.95 I think it’s up there with Knipser '17 for intellectual enjoyment.
Yeah, wine is a pain to describe. It’s serious but not in a heavy, oaky, or extracted fashion. Indeed it is fairly light to medium bodied with similar fashion tannin, but just an elegant and complex nose. Similarly, the fruit is not giving or ripe or warm, so the fruit in it is quite subdued. It’s not “juicy” or “fruity” but neither it is oaky or heavy.
I would say it is not “balanced” either, but probably plays to my preference of nose over mouth and acid over tannin.
I’ve fancied some Nebbiolo all day (note to self, need to release some Langhe Nebbiolo from reserves to avoid this itch becoming expensive), so I plumped for (I think) my first 2015…
And, a lovely crowd-pleaser it is too. Nice ripe acidic red fruits - very much cherry leading the charge - with a nice ‘floral edge’ (I suppose if pushed you could put roses, but I’m not convinced it’s exactly roses). Good mouthwatering acidity to match out Hairy Bikers lamb stew, and plenty of mouth puckering furry tannins.
Rocche Costamagna really are one of the bargain producers of the appellation, vintage after vintage (and rather annoyingly, I quite like the vintage style, so some more 2015’s on the wish list? Expensive hobby this).
Opened this to see what all the fuss is about. First glass was cellar cool and was a bit lacking in everything. As it has warmed up, there’s a lot more going on. It’s quite light with decent acidity and very easy drinking. Definitely not a polished and refined wine, but enjoyable nonetheless. Not sure it’s worth £23, but interesting to try.
This is helpful - I have some of these and was wondering whether breaking into them was wise yet or not. Sounds like it’s worth broaching one bottle at least.
01438 741177
Expensive hobby this).
