Texier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2005 & Dveri-Pax Traminec 2007

A very happy weekend with both wines showing supremely well. The Texier was bordering on the profound (it did rather remind me of white Musar) even though it was a white Rhone!



Éric Texier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Vieilles Vignes 2005

13,5% abv. Gold. Upon opening this reminded me of white Musar with its earthy and slightly funky notes, but it opened up to scents of apricots, honey and flowers. Firm and fruity; great grip, great acidity for a Southern white, long. Though full bodied, it is precise, very clean and pure. Quite wonderful!

Dveri Pax Traminec 2007 Slovenia, Štajerska

Once again, this was simply a delightful wine! A floral scent, very mineral, it has some of the exotic, sweetish notes of Gewurz, but in a much lighter, less unctuous way. It has a slightly "perlant" quality to it; light as a feather, yet with a touch of ripe fruit and juicy acidity, good grip - lasts a long time though it is a light wine. Very charming.

Graf von Kanitz Lorcher Pfaffenwies Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2007

Weingut Graf von Kanitz Lorcher Pfaffenwies Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2007 12,5% abv; 8g/l RS; 7,7g/l acidity; 17,90€; organic.

A powerful scent, full of red fruit notes of a slightly bitter nature (lingonberry), but with a spicy/cinnamon warmth, very mineral. Medium bodied, quite dry and forceful, somewhat lacking in charm and tart, but certainly not a bad Trocken. Mineral water aftertaste. Nice stuff. Not something I am hugely excited about, but I am happy to see one more moderately priced (ok, so I understand that 18€ is not a bargain by any other standard than Finnish) German here even though it is a trocken. I don't remember seeing any other notes on the producer, but this wasn't bad, so why the neglect? (A possible answer to my question: probably other countries have access to producers that are brilliant so not much use spending time drinking the good but not great wines?)

A disappointing Montille

Domaine de Montille Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru "Clos des Grandes Vignes" 2005

This was rather different from the style I was expecting. 13,5% abv (first warning, I suppose), toasty, vanillary and hot chocolate -like oak on the nose, a liqueur-like sweetness and intensity; yet it also had lift and obvious pinosity, and fleeting hints of the steely and vegetal and mineral style I have loved in the previous Montilles. Plump fruit, moderate structure - nothing like the 2002 and earlier I have tried - but more a fruit and especially oak forward wine. This seemed like the opposite of what I was hoping to taste from this property.

Two good, cheap Grüner Veltliners

A few non-wino friends were visiting my place yesterday. One of them likes fishing and said he would bring several smoked fishes, Coregonus lavaretus (Common whitefish?) and Abramis brama (Carp bream?). I provided lots of stinky cheeses and a couple cheap but IMO good wines (and considering the speed at which they were emptied, my guests liked them too, lol) which I thought should work with smoked fishes and cheeses. They were indeed a good choice for the fishes, but I still find quality beers more to my taste with cheeses:

Felsner Grüner Veltliner Lössterrassen 2007 Kremstal

10,99€; 12,5% abv; 5,6g/l acidity. Greenish gold. A rather Chablis-like nose: rocks, citrus, some wool - quite a steely style; not as much of the green fruit notes or pepper so often associated with the grape though there is a slight grassy scent peeking through the rocks. Medium body, pleasantly refreshing acidity, fully ripe fruit but unlike in many GV 2006s it isn't overbearing in any way. A charming wine, and again a great value.

Steinschaden Grüner Veltliner Riede Stein 2007 Kamptal

8,79€; 13,5% abv; 6g/l RS; 5,7g/l acidity; screwcap. Varietally true scent of green fruit and wet rocks/mineral water. Some, more tropical fruit aromas appear with air, but it stays within acceptable ripeness levels rather than becoming overripe. Moderately full bodied, wonderful grip and refreshing acidity, but there is certainly no shortage of fruit either. Peppery aftertaste. So light on its feet that it is dangerously moreish. So it may not be a terribly complex wine, but it is true to the grape and is joyful - for a budget wine this provides huge pleasure.

Wines at Foxy: Lapierre, Čotar, Loew

I gladly had the opportunity to meet up with Ive for a brief while at the Foxy Wine House (the only wine bar in Helsinki, but happily a very good wine bar). Foxy has a wonderfully imaginative list of wines by the glass. It isn't a list of fancy wines from trendy, Parker-pointy appellations, but rather extremely well made wines from mostly less prestigious areas.

Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2007

Wonderfully pure nose, some gravel and raspberry. Fruity but well structured; palate-cleansing, rocky and refreshing aftertaste. Quite wonderful but very primary.

Čotar Sauvignon Blanc 2003 Slovenia, Primorska, Vipavska Dolina

An idiosyncratic but endlessly fascinating wine: the nose is very "natural", ripe and almost tropical with its pineapple notes, but it is also dark toned and malty, earthy and quite funky - despite a slight, greenish lift to the scent, the whole is utterly unlike any Sauvignon Blanc I have tasted before. Full bodied, dry, vibrantly fruity and vibrantly acidic: it is all about liveliness. Despite the ripe, tropical fruit notes, the acidity and general feeling of it being very light on its feet make this seem atypical to the heavy, heat-struck 2003s I have mostly had from Europe. Lovely stuff!

Čotar Malvazia 2004 Slovenia, Primorska, Vipavska Dolina

A deep golden color; a wonderfully pure nose, yet as usual for Malvazia, quite perfumed. It is a mix of bright and elegant fruit and unctuous floral/rosewater notes - but though it reads like this would be a cloying wine, these sweet scents never become overbearing and the scent is actually very refreshing. Dry but well fruited, well structured: a very pleasant and harmonious whole. Nice!

Domaine Loew Pinot Gris Engelberg Grand Cru 2007

Light as water. A wonderful, extremely mineral nose with some red flower notes that might suggest Pinot Gris, but the scent is so restrained and mineral and citrussy that frankly if served blind, I would have said Riesling! Medium bodied, extremely dry, strongly mineral, persistent: for Pinot Gris it is an extremely elegant and understated style. Wonderful stuff.

Vilmart, Gonon, Grange des Pères, Montille

Ive M. was in town for a congress, so we met up for a dinner at a favourite restaurant in Helsinki: Carelia. With a starter of arctic char and a chantrelle salad we had the Gonon (great with the fish, but the salad was a touch too vinegary); with the reds we had reindeer osso-bucco with beetroot risotto - good, but not great match, as the wines were both tannic enough that I thought some bloody meat would have been ideal. But as always, Carelia proved a great place to dine with its imaginative and very fairly priced wine list and good food as well.

Vilmart Champagne Grande Réserve Brut N.V.

Crisp and pure with much red apple and floral scents - exactly as expected of a well made Pinot-based blend with no malo. Really quite a lovely drop!

Pierre Gonon St. Joseph Les Oliviers 2001

Quite simply a wonderful white Rhône! The scent is floral, summery yet delicate and extremely elegant. The palate is bright and amazingly refreshing for a Rhône white with citrussy acidity and good grip, very elegant fruit. The long aftertaste is mineral but does show some of the typical oiliness of the Rhône white varieties. It isn't often that I can say a Rhône white is elegant, but this is. Great stuff!

Domaine de la Grange des Pères Vin de Pays de l'Hérault 1995

A meaty wine, it smelled like the blood of game birds. Sweet fruit, but tangy. Big, meaty, with bright tannins and acidity reminiscent of good Barolo, wonderful purity - it may be a big wine, but it is impeccably balanced and a joy to drink. It still seems very young. Very good.

Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans 2001

Lovely purity, brightness and transparency: pure Pinosity. Tannic, understated, elegant, bright and pure - excellent wine even though it is very young.

Couly-Dutheil Chinon Clos de l'Olive 1997 and Guiraud 2005

Couly-Dutheil Chinon Clos de l'Olive 1997

34,70€; 12,5% abv; 5,3g/l acidity. A ripe but not jammy scent, obviously Cabernet. Juicy and very moreish palate, good acidity despite obviously being a warm year wine, lovely leafiness. It all seems just what a warmer year Chinon should be, and I did like it enough that I'll probably get another bottle or two, but I still think it slightly lacked personality: I feel I should get more from Chinon. But it was a lovely drop anyway, so not much use complaining about that.

Château Guiraud 2005

Though the scent was very oaky at first it also had a lovely, bright and pure lemon scent (as opposed to a stronger, earthier orange-peel botrytis). Sweet, but well structured so the lemony brightness prevailed. The aftertaste becomes simply sugary, sadly, as the rest of the wine (oak excepted, of course) was very enjoyable. I was expecting a much heavier wine from '05 so I was pleasantly surprised at how much refreshing notes this also had. I think I would very much enjoy this in a decade or two.

A Marcel Meursault

Deux Montille Meursault "Casse Tête" 2005



46,20€; 12,5% abv. Immature, greenish colour. A Marcel Meursault: mute but has much to say. Rather oaky to begin with, but it became more citrus and mineral oriented with air. Medium bodied but intense and compact - very different from the full bodied oiliness I was expecting from a Meursault. It has admirably high acidity for such a warm year and is quite citrussy and bright despite some noticeable oak. Thought it is rather closed, it seems to be a style that I would very much enjoy once the oak goes more to the background. Possibly lovely.

Ridgeview, Domäne Wachau, Texier

Ridgeview Merret-Cavendish 2005 - England, West Sussex

12% abv. A very charming sparkler: a rather red toned nose of apples, ripe but mineral. Fine mousse. A bit softer with plumper fruit than I remembered, but still good structure. Long aftertaste.

Domäne Wachau Riesling Smaragd Terrassen 2007

11,09€; 13% abv; 6g/l RS; 6,8g/l acidity. Light gold. A very ripe nose, verging on the tropical, with some spice and honey mixed in with the lovable minerals. Quite full bodied, good acidity, but very ripe. Very primary now, I am sure I would have enjoyed it more in a few years.

Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône 2005

13,5% abv. A pretty scent of red berries and some lactic notes, too, and herbs. Good structure of soft tannins and quite noticeable acidity for such a warm year but with ripe fruit, too. Long. A really charming CdR: not a a gobby, sweet example, but an honest one instead! Lovely!

Couly-Dutheil Chinon Clos de l'Olive 1989

Couly-Dutheil Chinon Clos de l'Olive 1989 42,90€; 12,5% abv; 4,6g/l acidity

Dark, deep red colour. Upon opening it seemed quite aged with lots of leafy and earthy smells, but oddly enough over a couple hours it seemed to get younger! It turned from a seemingly delicate, old wine into a robust even meaty example of Loire Cab Franc. Dark & sweet fruit (quite roasted in character - warm year, I guess), lovely herbaceous notes, much more fresh than upon opening. Quite a full bodied example of Chinon, very warm year in style with sweet fruit, low acidity but still rather charmingly obvious tannins. I did like this, but it did seem a bit top-heavy with more fruit and less acidity than I would find ideal. Lamb, marinated in herbs, left rare was quite ideal with such a wine. Very nice!

Pieropan Calvarino 2006

• 2006 Pieropan Soave Classico Calvarino - Italy, Veneto, Soave Classico (9/10/2008)
  12,5% abv; 23,60€. Upon opening this was very strongly mineral. It became rather ripe and red toned in fruit (red apples and strawberries) but also with a good twist of lemon and green jasmine tea. Quite full bodied though gladly unoaked and with lovely grip and moderate acidity. Though moderate in alcohol and light on its feet, there is an interesting, almost oily sensation on the mineral and incredibly long aftertaste. This manages to balance the brightness and richness very well. Very good.

The Big Bang Machine

A bunch of fancy 2001 Rhônes

This was more of a formal tasting than a dinner, with only some cold meats, cheese and bread to eat (a chunk of bloody meat would have been welcome, lol!). These were served single blind:

Jamet Côte-Rôtie 2001 was very pretty. Peachy, warmly fruity, but with the typical Northern dark fruit and olive notes. Lovely structure: despite the ripe, almost voluptuous fruit, it was bright and refreshing. Meaty. Very nice and surprisingly open at this infant stage.

Ch. de Beaucastel 2001 was nice, but I did find it rather too raisiny. I recently had an '04 wherein I found a better balance between the typical Southern Rhône sweetness and the structure. Here, the structure was perfectly decent but I dislike it when the fruit goes from ripe to raisiny. But having said that, there is much dark fruit, the high Mourvèdre levels are showing well - so I guess this is just a case of where my experience of the level of ripeness is not synchronized with that of other wine lovers.

Ch. de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin 2001 was massively concentrated, but showed even more of a raisin character than the "normal". A huge, huge wine - quite overwhelming.

Though the S. Rhône hasn't been a favorite area of mine, I have liked Beaucastel very much before, so I was sad at how these two showed. Reading my past notes on the normal 2001, it seems that I have had some issues on the ripeness before also, so I am not sure that my disappointment is due entirely to them being at an awkward stage of evolution.

Clape Cornas 2001 - the first bottle was thought too bretty by some tasters (so another bottle was opened, see below) but I didn't mind that since the brooding, young, olive-like Cornas character was plainly visible, too. Good structure, gravelly, obviously N. Rhône Syrah despite the brett, long and lively. A classic example of "good" Brett - one that doesn't hide the terroir but rather brings a nuance to the whole. I loved it - and gladly no one else did, so I got to take an almost full bottle of shite and heaven to drink the next day.

But as much as I love a touch of brett, I have to admit that the clean bottle was my favorite of the night: crunchy, gravelly, bright, meaty/bloody, rocky yet fully ripe and even with a touch of sweetness to the fruit. Juicy and full bodied but very light on its feet, dances on my tongue. Lovely minerality. Unending aftertaste. Great stuff.

Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque 2001 had some dark fruit but sadly much more blueberry/oak nuances than I find pleasurable. Not too long ago I had an '86 which was very nice, so I don't think I should bash this wine, but in all honesty, the transformation from this ugly duckling to a swan will be a miracle (and apparently a miracle that happens almost every vintage with the LaLas, said the other tasters). It's not that there is anything wrong with the wine, it is just that my aesthetic preferences are far from what this represents. The others at the table loved this wine.

J-L Chave Hermitage 2001 was, in all honesty, another slight disappointment. It was a touch oaky, but not so much that I would be afraid - I am sure this aspect will meld in admirably in a few more years. But I guess I like my N. Rhônes to be bloody and elemental and a touch rustic and hard (stick to Cornas from now on?). This seemed rather tame. But it did have all the classic aromas of dark fruit, meat and pepper but all of that was in a very gentlemanly form. On this evening, I apparently wasn't seeking for refinement and elegance. A very nice wine, for sure.

All were, of course, much too young now, but it was still a fun tasting with lots of knowledgeable talk from the other participants.

Lost Horizons: The Big Bang

Lost Horizons: The Big Bang

Domaine Charles Audoin Marsannay Clos de Jeu 2005

Domaine Charles Audoin Marsannay Clos de Jeu 2005

22,90€; 13% abv. Quite dark. It has decent Pinosity but is rather ripe and dark toned: strawberry cola. It smells a bit woody (like actual freshly cut wood, not so much the usual vanillary oak notes). Quite full bodied, fair acidity, some lovable vegetal notes to counter the fruit; strong tannins. I don't know if it is just the year or the style the producer goes for, but it was quite a heavy wine for Marsannay. But the aftertaste has a burst of freshness and becomes light on its feet - like a squirt of lemon suddenly put into a heavy dish! I like some aspects of the wine, but am not convinced of it now. Needs a few years.

Arabian nights

A group of fellow arabophiles met up at my place for a little bite to eat (Lamb tagine with no dried fruit it in as that seems rather faux-arabesque) and a few Arabian wines:

Musar Rouge 2000 was still a rather dark toned, unusually tannic Musar - I like it, but it isn't one of the all time great Musars. In fact I like it alot! It is precocious and though I do prefer classic European dishes with Musars, it worked well with the tagine.

Musar Rouge 1999 was simply fantastic! I have felt that recent bottles of the '99 have bcome progressively more closed so I decided to double decant it in the morning before going off to uni and work - the harsh treatment worked and this was a treat! As classic Musar as can be: vibrant, lifted, sweet but savoury, tangy. The only thing wrong with the wine is that it is a decade or two too young. Lovely stuff.

Alain Graillot Syrah Tandem Domaine Ouled Thaleb 2006, Graillot's project in Morocco, had classic Syrah aromas (black olive, meaty fruit) but a bit sweeter than what the N. Rhone usually makes and with a very delectable peachy note like I sometimes find in Côte-Rôties! It was well structured, too, so it wasn't only about the fruit. Really more a Syrah than a Shiraz. Better than the 2005. Nice!

Huerta de Albalá Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz Taberner 2005 very, very dark. Anonymous and international in style: lots of oak (fancy French barrique, I guess), lots of fruit so ripe it has lost all distinctive features and so is just a bit pruny and sweet (no sense of Syrah here). Full bodied, moderate acidity, voluptuous fruit, sweet, harshly alcoholic - quite painful to drink. Pass.

For dessert we had some lovely Baklawa (brought back just recently from Palestine) and a water pipe with the classic mixture of two apples.

Alvear C.B. Fino NV

Alvear Montilla-Moriles C.B. Fino N.V.

½ bottle; 6,68€; 100% Pedro Ximénez. The initials C. B. are from Carlos Bellanueva, a cellar master in the 1800's. This is a very attractive Fino: very fresh and bright; it smells of flor, lemon and almonds; it tastes dry and intense but not unfriendly. Very charming.

Most big reds with 15% abv taste unbalanced and hot to me. So why is it that a white that seems pretty light and refreshing shows no signs of alcohol at 15% abv? The acidity, also, isn't terribly high (4,7g/l) so why does it taste so dry with such an amount of alcohol (which usually would bring a touch of sweetness)? Looking at the numbers I don't know why Fino works (any explanations?) - but work it does! I love the stuff.

Mastroberardino, Emrich-Schönleber, Rebholz

I once got to try the Radici 2003 which I thought an otherwise nice Aglianico, except for showing much warm year character. So I was happy to see a cooler year become available here. I was a bit surprised to see a touch of oak, because I didn't remember that with the '03 and when I years ago asked for recommendations for Aglianico, I was told this bottling was of a more traditional style! Oh well, it was still very enjoyable (but it could have been much more without the oak!). With Aglianico being reminiscent of Nebbiolo, it worked well with my take on a classic dish, beef braised in a Nebbiolo costing far less than Barolo:

Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici 2004

14,5% abv; 29,40€. A bit worrisome at first since I got a toffeed whiff of barrique. Sweet red berries, tar, dried flowers, a bit dusty and volatile (both in very pleasing amounts, though). Quite full bodied but very lively palate - it really dances on the tongue. It has plenty of tannins and quite a bit of acidity, too, so despite the slight sweet touch of red berries, this certainly (and gladly) is no fruit-forward wine. Long, savoury aftertaste. Despite the slight toffeed scent, this is not an offensively modern wine, but I still feel it would be better without that scent. Very young.
Sometimes Trockens do work, though I still prefer Kab-Spät-Aus with sugar in them. With some old Gouda for dessert these worked fine:

Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs 2005

13% abv; 9g/l RS; 6,7g/l acidity; 44,60€. The nose has grapefruit, red berries and lots of minerals. Full bodied; good grip and very decent acidity for a warm year. It has a very charming grapefruit and quinine bitterness coupled with ripe and pure Riesling fruit. Very good.

Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz Siebeldinger Im Sonnenschein Riesling Spätlese trocken 2005

A.P. 5 069 105 019 06; 40,50€; 13% abv; 7g/l RS, 6,2g/l acidity. Even upon opening the nose was quite lovely: lots of ripe Riesling fruit, very pure, very mineral, with a bit of quinine-bitterness. Full body, dry but not at all austere, lovely ripe fruit, moderate acidity and fair grip - moderately long. A nice wine (but overpriced here).