|
||||
|
||||
It’s
that time of year again, as another summer has passed, the leaves are
falling and the Detroit
Red Wings have embarked on yet another NHL hockey campaign. As
usual, we’re right there watching the games whilst sipping on our beloved red
wines from the Rhône valley in France, a tradition that now goes back more than
10 years. J.L. Chave Hermitage Imported by Langdon Shiverick Imports, Cleveland Ohio |
||||
1992 M. Chapoutier Ermitage "La Pavillon," 13.5% alc.: This is a beast, especially when compared to the ’92 Chave Hermitage enjoyed on the same occasion. Still looking like a glass of ink, with little if any rust, it’s much harder, less generous and immediately appealing than the Chave; in fact, it tastes relatively young in comparison, delivering flavors and aromas reminiscent of deep, dark earthy black fruit shaded with some underbrush, a little black olive and just the barest hint of bacon. Still significant structure to this one, and really not much in the way of complexity, so it would be interesting to try it again in five years or so, but right now, the Chave is clearly the better wine. Frankly, "La Pavillon" seems to be in a dumb phase, compared to how well it drank in '04. Find this wine Imported by Paterno Imports, Ltd., Chicago, IL One of our go-to selections for Red Wings/Red Rhônes ’07-‘08 has been the 2004 Mas Saint-Joseph Costières-de-Nîmes Cuvée L'Aventure, which we recently reviewed most favorably. Two others that have really impressed us are the following wines. 2003 Domaine de L’Oratoire St. Martin Cairanne Côtes du Rhône Villages Haut-Coustias, 60% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 13.5% alc., $27.99: Deep, dark color, with a slightly smoky tinge; all smoke, leather and roasted stone on the nose, with some earthy forest floor underneath it all. Plenty more of the same on the palate, anchored with a rich core of ripe red and black plum, currant and berry, and despite the solid structure, this is drinking very well right now, with an arresting personality and satisfying length on the finish. While this may show a ripeness attributable to the mutant vintage, it balances that with a ton of earthy, funky Rhône character. In short, I like this wine just fine, and it goes quite well with grilled buttermilk blue cheese infused burgers. Find this wine Imported by J et R Selections, Mount Pleasant, MI 1999 Château de Montmirail Vacqueyras Cuvée de l’Ermite, $14.99, 13.5% alc.: The last time we had this wine was back during the Red Wings’ Stanley Cup drive of ’02, and it’s developed nicely since then. Still showing deep, dark color, with nary a hint of rust, it’s drinking very well indeed, with tannins mostly resolved, letting the friendly, somewhat leathery red plum, currant and berry flavors and aromas shine through with a subtle earthy base. Mature, but as of yet, showing no secondary characteristics; there’s a solid core of rich fruit here, tannins are soft, acids are balanced and the flavors linger nicely on the finish. A very harmonious wine, and a great buy at $15 back in 2002, it actually reminds me of a Thackrey Pleiades with some years under its belt, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Find this wine Imported by J et R Selections, Mount
Pleasant, MI A Celebration of 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape We were most pleased to join a good group of friends on November 11th at Shiraz Restaurant, in Bingham Farms, Michigan for a wine dinner featuring a broad selection of 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape. In attendance were Brad Cook and Leeann Starr, Paul and Amy Ragheb, Jim and Faye Friedman, Brad and Michelle Baker, Jim and Cheryl Brennan, Dan Myers, Kim Adams and this taster. As was the case last January, Master Sommelier Madeline Triffon was also on hand to oversee the service and to sample and comment on the wines with us as well. There were a total of 19 wines tasted, so my notes are brief, being necessarily of the snapshot variety. They are included here because despite the fact that we weren’t watching a Red Wings’ game while eating and tasting, they fit the theme in every other way. I like to think that we tanked up on some reserve mojo to keep the boys with the winged wheel on their jerseys true to their winning ways over the next several weeks. Before we got to those, however, we started out with some bubbly and two white Rhônes. Hors D’Oeuvres 1996 Bollinger “Grand Année” Champagne 2005 J. L. Chave Crozes Hermitage Blanc 2005 E. Guigal Condrieu La Dorian
Seared Duck Breast
2005
Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape
2005 Domaine des Sénechaux Châteauneuf-du-Pape
2005 Domaine
Olivier Hillaire Châteauneuf-du-Pape
2005
Domaine Olivier Hillaire “Les Petits Pieds d’Armand” Châteauneuf-du-Pape
2005 Domaine Olivier Hillaire “Vieilles Vignes” Cotes du Rhone Grilled USDA Prime Strip Loin
2005 Domaine Pierre Usseglio “Cuvée de Mon Aieul” Châteauneuf-du-Pape
2005
Domaine Bois de Boursan “Cuvée des Felix” Châteauneuf-du-Pape
2005 Domaine de Beauregard Châteauneuf-du-Pape
2005 Domaine de Beaurenard “Boisrenard” Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Braised Lamb Shank and Tenderloin
2005 Télégramme Châteauneuf-du-Pape, of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe
2005
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape “la Crau”
2005 Chateau Fortia “Tradition” Châteauneuf-du-Pape
2005
Chateau Fortia “Cuvée du Baron” Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Of course, as is always the case with festivities such as
this, there was a delicious dessert served, and even I partook, which is rare.
One wine in particular stood out for me, more so than for some, apparently. Duet of Apple Tartlett and Chocolate Hazelnut
2001
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Eiswein
1975 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes It was a marvelous evening and a great opportunity to taste through a broad survey of 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, none of which sucked and five of which really stood out for this taster. The food and wine pairings were terrific, and many, many kudos go to Madeline Triffon, Corporate Chef Eric Ward and the staff of Shiraz for their excellent cuisine and superior service. Finally, many thanks to all who attended for their enduring friendship and camaraderie, which ultimately makes it all worthwhile. Reporting from Day-twah, Bastardo
Other Recent Wine Explorations The 2007 Geyser Peak Reserve Challenge 17 Organic Wines From The Left Coast Chateau Grand Traverse: Where Riesling is King
A Bunch O' Whites (& One
Pinky)
Back to the Underground Index
|