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More White Burgundy here last night. Becoming a bit of a theme recently. Note to self: something different next time.
2015 André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé Les Prêtres de Quintaine
Absolutely delicious.
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Domaine du Tunnel Saint-Péray Roussanne 2019. Well, here’s another gorgeous wine - similar pale gold to the Granits; nose of honey, apples, a touch of hazelnut and apricot; maybe some herbs as well. White pepper spice, a little buttery, grippy even, with a sense of sugary texture, and good acidity. Another one that needs time I think. A little tight still, but absolutely lovely. Would win a prize for excessive bottle weight.
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Still drinking very well (the penultimate 1 of 6) with a late lunch on Saturday with a beef casserole.
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Domaine de Bellene Cote de Nuits-Villages 2014.
Did I pick this up for £17? Not particularly fancy but drinkable. Straight off the bat it smells like Burgundy - spices, blue / red fruit, musty cellar. Bit tarter than I’d like, could do with a bit of more density at its core. Still, compares favourably (for me) against the Te Rehua from Escarpment I had the other week.
PS: I complain I’d like it this or that way but, with food, it goes down pretty easy.
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Opened this 2009 Vintage bottle on Monday night, with a sirloin of beef, and finished it off on Thursday with some French cheese. It was delicious and well worth the 20 Euros that I paid for it a few years ago. I wish I had some more
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We’ve arrived in Alsace for a week with five friends, and the weather is set fair. Starting as we mean to go on, with food in the garden, and a tale of one gewurz and three rieslings from the winemaking village closest to us, Albé. Sausages from the butcher, fish and prawn brochettes from SuperU, and marinaded and grilled courgettes by me. The wines were: Thomas Klein Gewurztraminer, 2020; Thomas Klein Riesling 2018; Christian Barthel Riesling, 2021; and Moritz Prado Riesling, 2021.
The gewurz was perfect stuff for a warm evening’s aperitif - nothing complicated, just fragrant and tropical fruited enjoyment. Of the rieslings, the Klein was the softest; Barthel the most classic, with more acidity and body; and the Moritz Prado the most individual, with a lot of zest and acidity. They somewhat divided the group, though both Mrs Robertd and I liked the Moritz Prado best.
Hope everyone has a good long weekend.
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Partly in response to @Matthew-1464F, who had requested that I give my opinion on the The Society’s Exhibition Monthélie, Domaine Louis Jadot 2012, which I had highlighted on the Burgundy Believer thread, I opened and consumed a bottle, yesterday.
With advance apologies for the quality of the photo (no talent and a very old iphone), my opinion is that this is very much going to divide opinion, with most either disliking it or considering it a bit ‘meh’, as is inferred in even the Society’s own description of it, but bear with me.
Upon opening, I was struck by the lovely floral aromas, immediately evident and suggestive of an elegant and raspberry and strawberry fruited Volnay type Burgundy. Given the Society’s description of the wine being “hard”, I elected to decant it, to hopefully soften it up a bit. I was surprised at how dark it initially appeared, which I think that even my poor photography skills manage to convey.
An initial sip supported the Society’s description and given the initial aromas, there was very little fruit in evidence and I found it very dry, more reminiscent of a Piemonte Nebbiolo. I, therefore, elected to let it sit for a half hour or so and try again. Upon returning, it had begun to evolve slightly but it remained restrained, quite harsh and with only the barest hint of the refined fruit that one usually enjoys in wines from this appellation.
I continued to consume the bottle, over the next five hours, during which it continued to evolve, albeit very slowly. Every now and then, lovely hints of fresh, spicy raspberry fruit would tantalisingly emerge, only to disappear again, as quickly as they had arrived. By hour four, however, the wine had begun to open more fully and whilst still quite firm and angular, there was enough fruit and a surprising elevation in acidity to make it much more enjoyable, although it remained much drier than Burgundies usually are. By hour five, it was continuing to evolve and was more balanced but in my humble opinion, this wine is still far too young to fully appreciate and enjoy.
I actually think that there is a very good village wine somewhere within this but believe, and I accept that I have nowhere near Toby’s knowledge, that it will continue to develop for the next 5-10 years and may well be enjoyed beyond that. At the moment, it is still quite closed but as evidenced by how it evolved over several hours, there is lots going on with this wine, which suggests that it will only improve with some ageing.
At £17, I am going to purchase a few more and stick them in reserves for several years, before Toby realises the error of his ways 
and doubles the price. I will be interested to hear what others make of it but, in my opinion, this is a really good wine in the making, at an absolute bargain price but don’t drink it now, if you want your money’s worth.
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Good to hear your views, @Joni-B73F0. As @JRed noted, it is a regular recommendation from me. I have noted elsewhere, on the Burgundy Believer thread, that I think that this particular vintage is still quite youthful and will, in my opinion, continue to evolve and improve with a few more years of ageing. It will definitely soften up but I tend to find that they become lighter, rather than denser as you maybe prefer. I had the last of my 2010s, last year, and it was absolutely gorgeous, really delicate and perfect balance.
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Last nights red….enjoyed #11 of 12 ….
The question is when we have the last one? Based on last night it will certainly wait until well into next winter if needed.
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In the Lakes for a week so a chance to try a few bottles.
Clusel Roch Traboules 2019. A gamay from Coteaux du Lyonnais. First of six bought EP. Not entirely what I was expecting. Yes, light, crunchy and fruity, and refreshing served at 12°, but also quite sour; slightly raspy tannins. Slight fizz on opening, soon dissipated. We’d eaten earlier in the pub but my wife took a sip and said, rightly, ‘needs food’, and was much improved with a few chunks of cheddar and parmesan. Would be great with fatty charcuterie.
Above-average wine list in the pub, at reasonable prices, although lack of vintages is annoying. I stuck to the Coniston Brewery Old Man ale though.
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Been too busy to post much recently, but have enjoyed these this weekend and previous week or so…
This is still getting better. Good vintage and Moulis is quite long lived. Drunk over 3 nights, and night 2 was the best, with really fragrant fruit and violet (?) notes. Old style claret.
Last of my Dirler-Cade wines for the moment. This was excellent. Ageing very well. Taut, vegetal with the aromatic notes of Muscat. Classical match with asparagus. Good acidity, little sign of flab.
I keep promising to tuck some of these away, but they are so good. With Vietnamese pork. Excellent wine. Glad I have a case of the 2021.
Finally,
Definitely ready for drinking…wonderful voluptuous nose and went well with steak on the barbeque. A cut above most CdR Villages for sure.
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I shucked 24 oysters last night. Not something I’ll be doing again in a hurry! They were good though. First up was a bottle of Langham NV Blanc du Blanc. I’ve had a few hit and miss experiences with Langham recently. Their Corillian has been my favourite english fizz by some margin, and the single varietal meunier was great, but the Culver and Rose I’ve had were less than spectacular (I am increasingly wondering if they have a problem with their corks, as they felt a bit over-oxidised), Thankfully this bottle of BdB fell into the former camp. Fun, complex and complete fizz that worked a treat with oysters. Lots of apples and pears, lemon and a touch of pepper. Nom.
Not stopping there, we opened a bottle of Andre Bonhomme Vire-Clisse Vielle Vignes 2020. Rich, honeyed with stone and tropical fruit. This is young, but still approachable could probably have done with a bit of a decant as it was a lot more tropical and spiced by the end of the bottle. Toby gives this a from 2026. I can see why, but also they bring much joy now. I have another 5, and I’m not sure how many of them will make it to the start of the drinking window!
Finished off with an old favourite of mine. Bourgogne Aligote du Grappin 2020. Apples and pears and bags of acid and minerals, after a few years in bottle it’s also become a little more peachy with a bruised apple note on the finish. I still have a 2018 left which I will be interested to try (it’s then on to my 2019 Pataille mixed case).
Really fun evening with 3/3 on wines being excellent.
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Purchased from Bentley’s in Ludlow. An almost tannin free fruit driven charmer. Served cool it even accompanied grilled mackerel well.
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Keep your eyes peeled for the 2020 Pataille Aligote when it comes in stock - I had a bottle a few weeks ago and it’s absolutely brilliant, shows how good Aligote can be when it can ripen fully. In contrast, the 2021 Pataille is a completely different beast with absolutely searing acidity and probably needs a good few years to soften up.
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Yes I tucked some away in reserves after the Burgundy tasting but couldn’t resist having another couple of bottles delivered to my home straight away.
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Thanks for the reply! Yes, I think I’d like the same wine in a slightly riper vintage. The nose is definitely around the right ballpark. I’ll keep an eye on those.
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Opened late yesterday afternoon for good weather and a Bank holiday. Seemed appropriate for a classic Giro stage. Shame for Geraint but Roglic deserved to win it with an amazing performance 40 secs to the good with a mechanical.
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