Fürst Pod Stolpom 2010

2010 Conrad Fürst & Söhne Pod Stolpom - Slovenia, Podravje, Jeruzalem-Ormoz
Šipon (aka Furmint), Sauvignon blanc and Pinot blanc. Under Stelvin. A really nice, fresh white; unoaked but with a distinct and attractive if vague red spiciness to the aroma. Very mineral and citric. Lively, refreshing, acidic yet with a lingering richness to the steeliness. Very enjoyable.

Jean-Philippe Fichet Bourgogne Blanc VV 2008

Jean-Philippe Fichet Bourgogne Blanc Vieilles Vignes 2008
13,5% abv. "Forty-year-old vines in a parcel across the road from Meursault-Charmes, this wine has more Meursault character than the vast majority of Meursault villages wines." This is a quote I see on almost every web page dealing with Fichet - if anyone knows the original source, I would be happy to hear of it! Toast and a touch of bitterness from the oak, citrus and pineapple on the fruit end of the scent; and a good deal of steeliness and some butter. Crisp but rich palate, a nice balance of raciness and freshness. Yes, this is complex for a Bourgogne blanc, but I still don't understand the adulation of the unsourced quote.

Hudelot-Noëllat Bourgogne 2009

Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Bourgogne 2009
12% abv. A wonderful aroma of bright red fruit and sorrel. It had a bit of oak aromas, but these cleared with air. Pleasant bite and sweet, sexy Pinosity; shows no overripeness. Very nice. Ideally would rest a couple years more but it was fun now, too.

Anne Gros in the Languedoc

2008 Domaine Anne Gros & Jean-Paul Tollot Minervois "La Ciaude" - Languedoc, Minervois
14% abv; a blend of old vine Carignan, Syrah and young vine Grenache. The scent is already very nice: it is within the dark fruit/olive/tapenade spectrum of aromas but it does still have a touch of oak (I don't know how much and what age oak this sees but there is really such a small amount showing that even I don't mind it all that much).

The palate is - and this is rare in my experience - more interesting at the moment than the scent. The youthful flesh is starting to calm down and the structure is just calmed enough that it is still wonderfully palate-cleansing, invigorating and deeply tannic but not at all rough or rugged. I love this type of freshness of structure in Southern wines.

I wonder is this sort of structure that can be achieved with old vine Carignan? It certainly seems very like the Riberach Hypothèse which is from c.100yo Carignan vines. Already an interesting wine but I think in a couple more years this will be lovely.

Tue-Boeuf (Puzelat) Le Buisson Pouilleux 2010

Clos du Tue-Boeuf (Thierry Puzelat) Touraine Le Buisson Pouilleux 2010
12,5% abv. A 100% Sauvignon Blanc yet I lack the skill to describe this. It smells of something like slightly unripe yellow plums. The palate is fleshy but with plenty of cut. There is a slight touch of very good vinegar on the finish but in this context the vinegar is not a fault. Lovely.

Texier Vaison La Romaine 2007

Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône Villages Vaison La Romaine 2007
13% abv. Two years has done this much good, but this still needs time. It is a dark, meaty wine for a pure Grenache. It has dark, savoury fruit aromas. Lovely structure, refreshing and palate cleansing tannins that provide a great counterpoint to the sweet fruit. Well structured and lovable. Drinkable and very enjoyable now but ideally could use a few more years.

Blanes Cami de la Berne 2006

Domaine de Blanes Côtes du Roussillon "Cami de la Berne" 2006
14% abv; c.90% Syrah and the rest Grenache. It obviously spends time in new oak. But the obvious oak doesn't manage to hide the wonderful Syrah fruit. It is slightly gamy with ripe, juicy dark fruit. It is a sweet scent but refreshing, too. Very ripe and sweet attack, but generous quantity of tannins give the insides of my mouth a proper beating. Refreshing finish, though not very acidic. I think this will turn out to be a very nice expression of Southern Syrah, but should not be opened now unless you enjoy such levels of tannins that I like! (

Karl Schafer Wachenheimer Gerümpel Riesling trocken 2010

Karl Schaefer Wachenheimer Gerümpel Riesling trocken 2010 - Pfalz
11,5% abv. A wonderfully pure example of Riesling. It smells of minerals and citrus - it isn't very open even after two days open. The palate is also not giving much and is coiled up in a tight spring. But is so grippy that it almost seems tannic, it has outstanding purity of fruit and high acidity. This is an austere wine, but though I fault most German trockener for being too austere, this type of austerity I do appreciate: there is so much substance and so much purity and it is all so evident despite being young and closed. This is the sort of austerity I find in young Alsace Rieslings and I don't complain about those! This is one of the few German trockener that I have been impressed by. Probably will turn out excellent but it does need more time.

Rosé from Yannick Amirault

Yannick Amirault Bourgueil Rosé d'Equinoxe 2010
100% Cab Franc. A very pale rosé. A wonderfully elegant and mineral rosé; electric palate, lovely high levels of citrus acidity, more fleshy on the finish. Wonderfully high evaporation rate.

Franck Massard Priorat Humilitat 2009

Franck Massard Priorat "Humilitat" 2009
14,9% abv; 60% Garnacha, 40% Cariñena. A very enjoyable, though young, wine from an area I usually dislike. The first thing that strikes me is how there is none of that toffeed oak character or over-ripeness of fruit that is so characteristic of most Priorats I have had. A quick search on the internet suggests that only 30% of the wine sees oak, and of that 30% only half is new oak. Reading the label I was expecting a huge wine, but by Priorat standards this is elegant. The alcohol doesn't show except as slight warmth on the finish. This isn't harshly extracted but instead seems very light on its feet. It has enough acidity and tannin to make the very sweet and ripe fruit seem very fresh and refreshing. If all Priorat were like this, I would be a fan of the area.

Fleur de l'Europe

Fleury Pere & Fils Champagne Fleur de l'Europe NV
12,5% abv, Pinot Noir 90% and Chardonnay 10%; 35€; certified organic. This was aged 7 years in bottle before release for sale in Finland. And the aromas are starting to be pleasantly aged: a touch oxidative (but so little that no one really should be bothered by it) and ever so slightly mushroomy; but it is also vibrantly fruity in its ripe red apple aromas. Turns very floral and very obviously Pinot with air. Elegant mousse; the fruit is quite rich but is kept in check by very bright and appley acidity. Long finish that is mineral and so refreshing and grippy that the sensations are reminiscent of tannins! Very nice!

Čotar Vitovska

Čotar Vitovska 2007 - Slovenia, Primorska, Kras
12% abv. An "orange" wine in the sense that this sees skin contact. Yet the colour is just gold and not really like the usual skin contact wines. The aromas are lovely: a mix of preserved limes and oranges. It is a lovely perfumed aroma but with plenty of mineral and typical "orange" wine character. Tannic and quite hard for a white wine, but with a lovely purity of fruit. There is a squeeze of lime acidity on the finish. Lovely. Very much alive, and it is wonderful how in a single sip the wine goes through such different stages and characters.

On the futility of wine writing

"Many of the people who came to us were of the kind who would be a nuisance anywhere but have special opportunities in a bookshop." Among bookshop keepers this is the most famous George Orwell quote, much more so than those Animal Farm or 1984 ones that are commonly mentioned. But those of us who survive in the business longer than Orwell did, survive largely because we not only see the nastiest (and smelliest!) customers on the planet; we see the nicest, most warmhearted ones, too.

I have one regular customer who doesn't talk much but he buys and sells good books and seems like an uncommonly sweet personality. I even give him a 10% discount these days. Somehow he found out that I like wine, so now, before going north for Christmas, he came to our shop for the last time this year and gave me a bottle of wine for Christmas.

Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - Napa Valley; 14,5% abv
What surprised me most is how after such circumstances my critical faculties completely failed. This smelled and tasted lovely with a chunk of bloody lamb. But without this feeling of being appreciated so much that a regular customer will give me such an expensive bottle, I am sure I would not have enjoyed such a minty, oaky, chocolatey, sweet, candied yet extracted wine as this. Yet I honestly did enjoy it. And this is why all wine writing is futile. And since I'm unable to lie about overcoming such feelings, this is why I'll never be a pro in wine writing! [Big Grin] Today, this is awesome. I suspect that tomorrow I would call it spoofy and say nasty things about it.

Carelia!

Yesterday was a fun day. Theresa Regli, wino, foodie and music lover, was visiting so we first went to hear the grand old men of Finnish jazz, Juhani Aaltonen and Heikki Sarmanto, and then we were off to the Mecca of Finnish wine lovers, Restaurant Carelia.

With a starter of mildly smoked eel we had a curious "Muscadet":

2009 Domaine de la Sénéchalière (Marc Pesnot) Vin de Table Français Nuitage - Vin de Table Français
100% Melon de Bourgogne. This undergoes an overnight carbonic maceration - not something I have heard of with Muscadet before! But the results are very good if very atypical to what Muscadet has in my experience been. Usually I have liked Muscadet with long lees ageing, but I don't sense much leesiness here. Instead it smells very ripe - like ripe apples or pears with even a bit of honey and hay. A sunny wine for sure. The palate has tremendous energy and electricity and is quite full bodied for Muscadet. No points for typicity, but this is a lovely, lovely wine!


With a lovely main dish of grilled secreto of Iberico pork we had a nice, young N. Rhône:

1995 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie
Still seems young to my tastes, but this is a lovely youngster! Lots of meaty aromas, something floral, too, though I'm not sure it was lavender (like I was told Jamet should smell like!) and a delicious hint of funk. After the sweet and boisterous aroma the palate was a bit of a surprise in being a bit on the austere side (this is a plus for me - after the scent I was worried I would find this a bit cloying) with still strong structure that suggests that there is no hurry at all with this wine. But neither did I find it criminal to open now! Lovely.


After this, the sommelier gave us a taste of 2008 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre, which was very generous of him. But sadly this was something I wasn't very keen on. It smells so strongly of oak that I can't sense anything beyond. The palate is better with lovely zip but also a strange yoghurt/lactic note that was actually quite off-putting. Not my style of Chablis at all.


For dessert I had a small glass of 2009 Domaine de Montesquiou Jurançon Grappe d'Or.
My first impression was very positive with lovely bittersweet character and I seem to sense a bit of honeyed and apricotty botrytis as well (but maybe my senses were being deceived - IIRC Jurançons don't usually get botrytis?). Rich and sweet but racy and deliciously bittersweet and high in acid. Sadly the longer it was open the more dominant the oak became.


And finally we descended into the cellars of the restaurant to try the newest Contadino.

2010 Frank Cornelissen Contadino 8 - Sicily, Etna DOC
13,5% abv. A strangely vivid red colour. Wonderful, pure fruit on the nose and a bit of something savoury. It seems darker and sweeter in its fruit tones than the Contadino 7. Deliciously tannic, pure fruit, bittersweet. It smells and tastes just like pomegranate. Lovely.

Spoof and how to deal with it

Elderton Shiraz 2008 - Australia, Barossa
14,5% abv. A pretty generic Barossa Shiraz: lots of oak, lots of ripe, dark fruit. Sweet, ripe, lacking depth and also lacking softness: this has spiky acidity. I then checked the tech specs and it says 7,5g/l acidity. How so high in what I believe is a warm year for the already hot area?

Luigi Bosca Cabernet Franc Reserva Single Vineyard 2008 - Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo
14,5% abv. 14 months in new French oak. A scent of dark fruit and bittersweet oak aromas. Thick palate, lacking in freshness despite fairly high acidity and plentiful, soft tannins. Overoaked and lacking all varietal character. Anonymous. Since it is Glühwein season I poured a bit of alcohol-free Glühwein into my glass. It really improved the drinking experience: it lessened the alcohol and it masked the oaky bitterness. I must remember this trick in the future. I wish I had thought of this with the Elderton!

Töövi Marsanne Saralee's Vineyard 2010

Töövi Marsanne Saralee's Vineyard 2010 - Russian River Valley, California

14,5% abv. A fairly dark colour for a young wine. It smells of very ripe red apple, minerality and a little spice though unoaked. This had absolutely delicious purity of fruit. Quite rich and oily but well structured with a pretty good level of acidity. Long refreshing finish, sweet and plummy but still supported by perfectly adequate acidity. A very nice wine from this thick and oily grape!

I think this is the best wine that Asko Kassinen has made.

Randomness in wine perception

The physicist Leonard Mlodinow has a very interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, 20th October 2009. It may be an old article and it may be familiar to many already, but it is, I think, an exceptionally well written essay on something we winos rarely want to talk about: we rate wines haphazardly and randomly and with very little or no consistency. So it of course means that competitions and medals are worth pretty much nothing (we all knew that already).

But is this research applicable to normal drinking during a meal? I have a hunch that it is: I certainly have often in some state of mind been more forgiving of wines that I dislike very much again when drinking shortly after! This can be annoying if I've bought some initially that I then end up disliking, but mostly I think the mutability of my perceptions of a single wine is exciting. What is puzzling is that my thoughts on some other wines, however, are remarkably fixed and unchanging - perhaps most notoriously with Musar, where I simply fail to see the great variation that everyone else claims to notice. But the great thing about not being a professional is that I only need to drink and write for one person's pleasure - my own. So vive le changement, or something like that.

Montlouis-sur-Loire, Pfalz and Sauternes

Le Rocher des Violettes Montlouis-sur-Loire Cuvée la Negrette 2007
100% Chenin, but too much oak. Lovely acidity, however, but still so much oak that there is no sense of grape or place. Pass.


Weingut Jürgen Leiner Kalmit Riesling 2009 - Germany, Pfalz
13% abv. A lovely, strongly mineral aroma, lovely Riesling bitterness - when served blind it seemed like a very pure example of a trocken Riesling so I was surprised to hear that apparently this is partly aged in new oak! I wish I could confirm that, but my German skills are negligible so I wasn't able to navigate the producer's website to make sure. The palate is also lovely: very dense and concentrated, lovely citric character and much more acidity than I would have expected of such a warm year. Lovely.


Rousset-Peyraguey Cuvée Ducasse 2007 - Sauternes
14% abv. Cloudy orange colour. Very unvinous aroma, but a lovely aroma: oolong tea, peach, some VA, apple jam and cinnamon. Wonderful sweetness and vivacity so it is fresh and refreshing rather than cloying despite some body. Lovely, though I'm sure some will object to the VA and the cloudiness.

Mushrooms and Chablis

Craterellus tubaeformis about to go into the oven! The last of this year's mushrooms were wonderful. We made a simple but tasty pie: boil 1dl+ water and two tablespoons of butter. Add half a teaspoon salt and quickly add 1,5dl flour. Mix it all quickly and let cool. Then take about half a kilo of mushrooms and one leek. Fry on a pan until excess water is gone. Add salt and pepper. Take the cool dough and mix an egg into it and add a touch of flour; then spread it into a pan and add the mushrooms and leek mixture. Put parsley and two eggs mixed with water or milk on top. Then add as much parmigiano as possible and then add a little more parmigiano. Bake c.25mins in c.225° C.

The wine we had with our last batch of mushrooms wasn't bad either. J. Moreau Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu 2008. 24,90€; 13% abv. A very pleasant, though perhaps not top notch Chablis. The scent is a bit closed but does have nice purity, lots of citrus and plentiful minerality. The palate is pleasantly dry and austere on the attack, but fleshes out well toward the end. Lovely lemony intensity. Mineral, but perhaps a touch short finish. A very pleasant wine.