Showing posts with label Protocol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Protocol. Show all posts

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Kyoto Protocol VII

For the last of this round's Protocols, finally got to meet M.-san, J's wine-shop wunderkind (and who provided the Donati and the Munjebel, and was trying Musar for the first time.)


N.V. Donati Malvasia Frizzante - this was unusual! Is it lambic-ish? Maybe... a little... it's... it's... unusual! Not as severe, not as acidic, not as funky, but possibly just as elemental.

1993 R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rosado - oddly, this is a touch less savoury than previous bottles. I'm wondering... could it possibly be on the downslope? I've proposed to Tinto that I bring my last bottle of this to the Heredia winemaker dinner, but I think they're declining. Hope that means they have too much wine already!


1995 Chateau Musar Blanc - so, last year, Serge Hochar said the '89 is the youngest wine that's ready to drink. I don't completely agree, but I can sort of understand - I think I really like it on release, it's got a bit of wildness, as it does when it gets older. This didn't seem to have that, a sort of dormancy. Well, dormant is relative for Musar, no? But then again, as J. suggested, pop and pour might not be the way to enlightenment here.

1995 Chateau Musar Rouge - J. called me mid-day after extraction, very concerned... "off?" he said. I suggested a decant, but J. declined. Well, when came over, I poured off a bit and thought... oh yeah! It might have been off in JUST the right way - yes, the '95 is usually very delicious, but in a clean sort of way. This had just a bit more of a funk-soul-brother edge to it, that just kept picking up. A super bottle, and I think it was pretty much unanimously the wine of the night. At least for myself and M.

2001/2002 Cornelissen Munjebel - if I've understood quickly, this is the first Munjebel release, right? Visually unsettled - cloudy, with a definite gray tinge (which kept turning - hello oxygen!), distinctly Musarian aromatics, but so much more tannic and ashy - as J. says, ETNA!


2007 Rietsch Passage - I'm going to say that the VJ descriptor J.'s been using doesn't do this justice - it is very much its own, lovely thing. Whereas VJ seems to be an almost overly demanding wine at times, this is very much for drinking.

2006 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Dürnsteiner Kellerberg - I was a bit worried about this. Yes, this is F.X., yes, this is DK, the top of the pops, as it were. But it's also '06, I went in too heavy, I shoulda held out for '07 (colder, more classical). Well, step back, I've had really great '06s so far, maybe I've chosen exceptionally wisely? But after tasting '07 vs '08, very worried. No need to worry here! Superb Smaragd, superb fruit concentration, balanced against superb minerality, balanced against superb acidity. It brought to mind Roland Velich (Moric's) comments about triangularity - this was equilaterally balanced. Co-WOTN, for me.

2000 Produttori del Barbaresco Pora - I'm sure it's a very nice wine and all, but what a wallflower this was in this room full of extroverts.

To sum up, we finished off the Kracher from the other night, and popped all three Nøgne Ø sakes, the Yamahai Muroka Junmai, the Yamahai Nigori Nama Junmai, and the Yamahai Genshu Muroka Shiboritate Nama Junmai. And then... the singing began...
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Thursday, October 14, 2010

Kyoto Protocol VI

Our numbers were a bit low this evening, as G. couldn't find his back legs, and S. decided to go for yoga instead. Really, what is the world coming to these days? To start things off, a local brew, Tsuki no Katsura Junmai. Has that soft feminine Kyoto style thing going, but also just a bit more umami and edge.


NV Jo Landron Atmospheres Methode Traditionelle (Nantes) - an 80/20 blend of Folle blanche/Pinot noir. Loamy, nutty, bracing acidity, a touch foamy and green, very refreshing. Fatigue-antidote.


2008 Lapierre Morgon (Sans Soufre) - purchased by J in Kyoto, to toast the passing of Marcel Lapierre. Have to say, I much prefer the sulphured versions. Not sure of the chemical reasons, but there's definitely a ripeness that is lacking in this. My understanding is ML only produced this at the request of one U.S. importer, who only sells it through their own store. And then a small amount gets to Japan and possibly elsewhere.


2007 Raul Perez El Castro de Valtuille Mencia Joven (Bierzo) - a very cab-franquish unoaked mencia, with just a touch more fruit. Tasty.


2000 Kracher Welschriesling TBA #8 - my man J's notes are far more impressive than mine, so I quote: "This is sordid stuff. Rubensian women dripping apricot jam off their breasts down into your mouth as you float down a river of butter...this is decadence without prejudice (in the Apocalypse Now sense).
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Sunday, October 10, 2010

Kyoto Protocol V

Back in Japan for more general mischief, and a number of protocols. This was the first.

Most epic roast-beef sandwich ever... wagyu roast beef

1995 Clouet - full and spiced nose, tight for most of the night, less savoury/funk than last time, less champagne-like until later on, filled out, bread and lemons. Increasingly tasty.


2004 Movia Pinot Nero - not as exuberant as the last bottle. Variation? Age? Earth and fruit, dry, light, good acidity, just missing that edge. Tasty though.

Cornelissen Contadino 4 – almost what the Movia PN should have been – vibrant, pine, juniper, like a St. Laurent. Delicious until about 11:30, when it had been open for nearly 11.5 hours. Fell apart after that, tannin, rotten fruit.

A non-neba-neba preparation of yama-imo!

More of Kawakita-san's magic.

2006 Mâcle Côtes du Jura – nose of yogurt rice, light walnut, smooth, not in your face intensity like ’05 and ’04, more approachable for sure.

1988 Chateau d'Arlay Vin Jaune - tastes alsmost as it did 18 months ago. This of course is the bottle we opened... 18 months ago. Must leave some for future tastings, no?
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Monday, December 7, 2009

Desert Protocol III: The Pianomen Sessions

lineup
It definitely took strength and resolve to follow on from Saturday night's festivities, but we were all up to the task. We started with a coffee stout, Mikkeller's Jackie Brown (6% abv, light and bitter, just the right way to get things started.)

Up next was the 1999 Movia Puro Rose (Goriška Brda), again disgorged. Video footage to follow. I think the couple of days rest made a big difference this time, as it was notably fresher than our Thanksgiving Day bottle, good minerality, less round. Good work, but now time to start eating.

Freetata
B. clearly has a way with the kitchen. Exhibit A: Chorizo frittata. Delicious, and unexpectedly (i.e., completely unplanned), a great pairing with the Movia Puro Rose.

Now, back to work, a pair of seductive whites:
  • 2004 Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss Riesling Andlau (Andlau) - now this is an Alsatian wine I could get into - dry, sharp, almost cidery, citrus and mineral.
  • 1998 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Alte Reben (Kamptal) - who says G.V. only ages glacially? This was showing strong secondary characteristics, it was even more Alsatian than the Kreydenweiss. Med+ body, lots of minerality and apple/pear notes, not so much citrus or vegetable.



A house special adaptation, ramekin-baked egg, bechamel and gouda over shitaki. Followed by an assortment of grilled sausages.

  • 2002 Chateau Musar Rouge (Bekaa Valley) - Hello. How's it going? Nice to meet you. Classically funky nose, red and spicy, relatively straightforward (for now) but very approachable.
  • 1989 Mas de Daumas Gassac Vin de Pays de l'Hérault (Languedoc) - fruit, herbality and meatiness in elegant and seductive balance, like a breathless whisper.
  • 1973 Bodegas Riojanas Monte Real Gran Reserva (Rioja) - delightfully sanguine, with delicious tar, orange peel, and floral notes.



Tataki-style Ahi, to go with a bit of sake:
  • Daishichi Houreki (Fukushima) - a beautiful shizuku (free-run droplets) Junmai Daiginjo from this kimoto specialist, one of their top of the line sake. SMV +2, acidity 1.3, amino acidity 1.2, 16.5% abv. I believe this is an older vintage than the one I tried in the summer, expressed a little differently - cooling, soothing clay and petrichor nose, with melon and mineral tones to the pure and sweet springwater finish. This is mizumitai.


Next, a flight of whites with cheese (Moucou ColoRouge,an epoisses-style washed rind cow's milk cheese from Colorado, Iberico, Amentizia Carpini (Sardinia), and Bittersweet Dairy Holy Cow Vache Sante (Lousiana), a triple cream that is firm yet runny... go figure):

  • 2004 Jacques Puffeney Arbois Cuvée Sacha (Arbois) - walnut nose, plenty of lively mineral and sous voile character, but relatively tame for the style.
  • 2004 Emmanuel Houillon Arbois Pupillin Maison Pierre Overnoy (Arbois) - I was a bit surprised by this not very lively expression - it felt rather full and contented with itself, i.e., none of the more tangy edges of the Puffeney here, to say nothing of the '04 Macle Côtes du Jura. Perhaps just in a funny place?
  • 2003 Chateau Musar Blanc (Bekaa Valley) - very tight, simply not giving much right away, some nice saline, mineral and citrus, I'm sure a day or two open will put this right.
  • 1988 Fiorano (Boncompagni Ludovisi) Sémillon Vino da Tavola Bianco Botte 47 (Latium) - a dry, funky, floral and minty Sémillon, slightly hazy, and with an abundance of sediment and life to it. Fascinating stuff.


And finally, as our brunch dessert:
  • 2002 Alois Kracher Chardonnay/Welschriesling Grande Cuvée TBA #7 Nouvelle Vague (Burgenland) - wonderful balance, apricot, peach, pear, spices and more butter.



And back to the airport... very happy holidays indeed.
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Sunday, December 6, 2009

Desert Protocol II: Atlas Shrugged

Plans to hit the gym Saturday morning were waylaid by bacon for breakfast, so the new plan was to do some shopping for Sunday's brunch and some cultural excursions.

tumbletree
Such as Chandler's very own pride and joy, the Tumbleweed Christmas Tree...

kokopelli
...and Arizona's finest winery, Kokopelli... home to "Wine-a-rita", a vile neon-green concoction that is more akin to a Fla·Vor·Ice freeze-pop than anything else.

A quick stop at Chandler's In-n-Out Burger yielded our first near-celebrity sighting of the weekend: the flesh and blood version of Kari, the baby-sitter from The Incredibles:



No, really. Incredible. Anyways, washed down the burgers with some Alaska Brewery Winter Ale (brewed with spruce tips) - decent ale, that, some wildberries and very mild minty wood - and then some stretching, in anticipation of a big session.

First, to pick up J., who was showing some of his work at a relative's home. This was also the site of our second near-celebrity sighting, Edna Mode!



To celebrate a successful visit, we opened a few bottles:

2002 Clouet
J. and B.'s first Clouet, the 2002 André Clouet Champagne Millésimé (Bouzy) - beautifully yeasty, great acidity and mousse, citric. A winner.

Tue-Bouef
Poor J. We did blind-taste him on the Wine-a-Rita (straight from the bottle, so that the colour - true to the photo - could not be seen.) Kindness prevailed though, and we drank the 2008 Le P'tit blanc du Tue-Bœuf (Touraine) - a blend of Menu Pineau and Sauvignon Blanc - crisp and dry, but with surprising body and nice apple and honey notes.

Movia and Moric
  • 2006 Moric Blaufränkisch (Burgenland) - elegant, opening with some time to some clay and tomatoe-y savouriness. Felt a little shut-down.
  • 2003 Movia Pinot Nero (Goriška Brda) - perhaps the revelation of the weekend - until this wine, I've been pretty unmoved by the standard red varietal wines made in this area. The nose was full of steamed root vegetables and compost, with fine fresh fruit and earth on the palate. Delicious Pinot, not at all blowsy, overdone, or high octane.


On to dinner, at one of the very few Phoenix-area BYOB's, Atlas Bistro. I'll say it now - worth going to Atlas Bistro, dodgy mathematics on corkage aside ($10 per bottle, we somehow got charged for more bottles than we brought, but weren't very sharp at the time we came to the reckoning.) My meal consisted of La Belle Duck Confit with Gingered Garnet Yam Latke, Persimmon Mostarda and Baby Frisee, Niman Pork "Two-Ways" Tenderloin & Pork Belly with Sweet Potatoes, Kraut, Horseradish Jus, and Wilcox Apples & Golden Raisins on Almond Pound Cake and Maple Cinnamon Panna Cotta. I also snuck a bite of the Foie Gras on Pumpkin Bread dessert, which was ridiculously good. I choose poorly. But drank well:

To start, N.V. Egly-Ouriet Champagne Brut 'Les Vignes de Vrigny' (Vrigny / Petite Montaigne de Reims) - 100% Pinot Meunier aged 40 months on the lees - good concentration, dry, a little soft, but no toastiness/yeastiness - a tasty but unusual Champagne.

Then, a super white flight:

Musar, Kalin, Blackwood Canyon
  • 1990 Blackwood Canyon Chardonnay (Yakima Valley, Washington) - shapeshifting nose, walnut, butterscotch popcorn, very bright and tangy.
  • 1988 Kalin Cellars Chardonnay Cuvée LV (Sonoma) - more marine and mellow than the Blackwood, some nuts and creamy/sherried notes.
  • 1990 Chateau Musar Blanc (Bekaa Valley) - the odd-man out, much smoother, tannic and savoury than the other two, apples, smoky and saline.


Continuing, a little something pink:

Heredia and Musar
  • 1995 R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rosado (Rioja) - savoury, brothy, petrichor, every bit as delicious as a year ago.
  • 1995 Chateau Musar Rosé (Bekaa Valley) - as I understand it, this has never been imported into the U.S., so I'm sitting on a wee pot of Musarian gold, and was delighted to open the first bottle with these folks. The nose was like a distilled, subtle version of the classic rouge, but clean and light. Super, and an intriguing contrast to the Heredia.


Then, the reds:

Musar and Heredia
  • 1981 R. López de Heredia Viña Bosconia Gran Reserva (Rioja) - lots of funk and depth, but very approachable and delicious. A feminine wine with a wild streak.
  • 1981 R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva (Rioja) - by comparison, very tight and tannic, but started to open as the evening continued, showing real elegance.
  • 1977 Chateau Musar Rouge (Bekaa Valley) - deliciously animale to start, like a lathered thoroughbred, sweet fruit and spicy tasting, seems impossibly young. Wish we'd had more time with this, with all three really, but we drank them off.


And last, but not least:

Kracher
  • 1998 Alois Kracher Scheurebe TBA #12 Zwischen den Seen (Burgenland) - this is ambrosia - super balance, bright acidity on the attack, and then apricot jam on a raft of buttercream.


We outlasted every diner, and all the kitchen staff. A superb evening, and no doubt, Atlas will be the site of future Desert Protocols.

On to Sunday
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Saturday, December 5, 2009

Desert Protocol I: Rock the Kazbar

A tremendous long-weekend of fine wine and foods with J., who had come in from Japan to present some of his paintings, and L. and B., Chandler, AZ residents. There were also cultural events, doppelgängers, and dangerous wildlife to avoid, all played to an '80s soundtrack. And so, before heading out for Friday's dinner, and warnings about scorpions, dangerous spiders, and Scottsdale Cougars, a quick sup at home. First, a peg of Wakatake Junmai Onigoroshi, followed by:

2006 Kiralyudvar Tokaji Sec (Tokaji, Hungary) - 70% Furmint, 30% Hárslevelu, 100% delicious. Beautifully aromatic nose of fine milled soaps, like Santa Maria Novella. Dry-ish, with very pleasant mineral and almost Muscat-like fruit.

kazbar
And then, it was off to the legendary Kazimierz, a Scottsdale "speakeasy" with a fantastical list. I say legendary and fantastical because it's not clear that they have much wine at all:

  • 2003 Chateau Musar Blanc - "Probably not. It's not very good, it's a weird Lebanese wine, they've only had, like, one good vintage." Um, check please!
  • "Have you any Koshu?" - "I doubt it."
  • "Chinon?" - "Ahhh, no."
  • 2005 Dingac Plavac Mali - "Not today, sir."
  • 2001 Movia Ribolla Gialla - [in an abundance of hope and optimism, the waitress returned with glasses this time.] "Afraid we're fresh out."
  • 2003 Kavaklıdere Öküzgözü Boğazkere - "Don't get much call for that 'round here, sir." Don't get much call...? Why, it's the single most popular wine in... well, Turkey.

It was rather like that. The truth may be inside, the wine list is inside, but the wine itself was largely nowhere to be found. Ultimately, they did have the 2006 Domaine de Nizas Carignane Vielle Vignes (Languedoc), which we gulped down with some overly-cumined carpaccio and a flatbread pizza. Time to move on, to Metro, for some tasty steak frites, and a 2005 Nicolas Potel Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Aux Echanges - lots of cherry and earth, very bright and fresh, almost too fresh, I'm curious if there was refermentation going on here, but it was still tasty.

And then, for a quiet nightcap, 2001 Philippe Delesvaux Sélection de Grains Nobles Coteaux du Layon (Anjou-Saumur) - floral + menthol nose, lots of honey, orange and orange peel, with focused acidity - good concentration, yet light in weight and relatively dry.

A slightly off-kilter start, but with good tunes and better company.

On to Saturday
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Monday, March 16, 2009

Kyoto Protocol IV

An Ides of March tasting with J. and S. to wrap up an incredible week in Japan, plus special guest Daimon-san making an appearance.

Mukune-tei
J. and S. made the trip out to Katano-shi to join me for lunch at Mukune-tei.

jitensha no otoko
Back to J.’s neighbourhood in Kyoto, jumping on the bikes and on the way to see the sausage maker.

Sausage Sensei
Yes, J. has a neighbourhood, artisanal sausage maker, and a minor celebrity in his own right.

Bacon!
Some bacon for tonight? A gift from the master. By the way, the guy’s a painter too… that’s his work in the background.

wagyu
Wagyu short rib… what goodness. Another gift from the master. This is too much already. All kinds of culinary martial arts going on this week. I will be coming back to learn sausage-making from this gentleman!

lineup
After a quick visit to the bathhouse, tonight’s line-up.

We kicked off with some more Daishichi sake. Daimon-san made the trek from Katano-shi to join us for dinner, tremendous! Daimon-san doesn’t make any kimoto style sake himself, though he is thinking about it for the future. He remarked on how light and fresh the Daishichi kimoto presented itself.

neba neba
So, Joel had it in for me, thinking this trip was too easy on my palate, so he came up with a neba-neba menu, just to antagonize me. What is it? Well, it’s a slimy consistency which, quite frankly, I think only the Japanese and Chinese are into. The scallop sashimi with yuzu seasoning was tasty, as was the squid sashimi with roe, but the seaweed… Daimon-san thought very highly of this dish.

2002 Mlecnik Chardonnay, Vipavska Dolina, Slovenia. 12.8% abv. Floral, honeyed nose. On the palate, saline, lightly oxidative, but a unique expression thereof. Waxy, interesting tannins and good acidity, with supporting minerality. Excellent wine. All enjoyed.

Movia
2000 Movia Puro Rose. What a unique wine! Peachy-orange-grey colour, initially lots of fizz and foam, but giving way to a lighter frizzante. Nose was full of grapefruit (S.’s one-word description, spot on), ruby red kind, but also lots of strawberries and only a hint of yeast. On the palate, all kinds of gymnastics – full of textures – pillowy, creamy, thick, and rich, yet, still racy and not at all heavy. Great strawberry fruit and cream. Delicious, delicious, delicious. I will try to disgorge this next time and see what the difference is… perhaps two bottles for a side-by-side.

shrimp, bacon & mango
Shrimp, bacon and mango. Interesting combination, great interplay. The Mlecnik did very well this combo.

2003 Weingut Brundlmayer St. Laurent Ried Lamm. A simple wine, soft tannins, juicy, with moderate acidity. Simpler than pretty much any other St. Laurent I’ve ever had, missing the forest floor and juniper elements I’m used to, but very drinkable. I wonder if what's missing here has to do with geography, as most of these reds are grown in Burgenland and Styria, not in the Wachau as this one is.

waygu
The wagyu. I do love raw beef.

1988 Chateau Musar Rouge, 11.5% abv. Rocking wine. Opened for about 3 hours or so before we got into it. Funky barnyard nose initially, softened considerably with time, VA seemingly absent. J. and I were drinking out of Riedel Burgundy and Bordeaux glass respectively, and the difference was pronounced, as was our different preferences. A dark, young looking wine, crystal clear maroon. Intensely flavoured, and clearly opened up as the night went along. The familiar profile was there – macerated strawberries, brown sugars, tomatoes, a good dose of funk and barnyard, and surprisingly tannic, one of the more tannic Musar I’ve tried. Following on from the Brundlmayer, Daimon-san remarked that “this is wine.”

1988 Chateau d’Arlay Vin Jaune, surprisingly, in a rank ordering of the night’s wines, this came last for me. Still quite good, but no fireworks, perhaps this ended up being a bit out of place given the exuberance of the other wines. The nose was intensely walnut driven, actually, a rather complex nose, layered, bright even. The palate, however, was much more mellow, mineral and caramel, with much less fruit. Very interesting. We’ve got the last third or so corked, so we’ll experiment further and see how this holds up.

Daimon-san
Daimon-san explaining his philosphies on life and sake.

2002 Weinlaubenhof Alois Kracher Zweigelt Trockenbeerenauslese #1. A jewel-toned orange and amber colour, brightly peach nose. On the palate, huge peach & apricot, and the recognizable Burgenland botrytis. I would have liked to have seen a touch more acidity, but the intense fruit and perfume were a winning combo. A lovely wine, an unusual wine as well, as this is made from the zweigelt grape, a red varietal – would never have guessed from the appearance or presentation.

hata hata
Hata-hata. A local fish, simply pan fried, with more roe and an aioli? By this point, I was seriously flagging, and Daimon-san had had to hit the road. But J. just kept on cooking.

neba-neba 2
The neba-neba continues. An omelette with blue cheese and natto. Actually, this preparation seriously minimized the sliminess of the natto, and I’m now wondering how it might have paired with the Kracher. The sausages were very good, though, I felt last week’s sausages were better. Perhaps it was just that last week we went with spicier sausages.

Mangosteens
And finally… J. couldn’t resist… mangosteens…

Overall, a fantastic night. Just about every wine hit, no duds, and it was great to have Daimon-san join us – fascinating conversations with him about his travels and experiences (which lent a lot of insight into his sake-making too). I loved that he came right out and said “I know very little about wine”, but his impressions were spot on. Three of my favorite wine-makers for one meal on top of that, and a chance, in a small way, to reciprocate Daimon-san’s hospitality. Now, I’ve just got to get J. and S. out my way.


- Addendum - J.'s Notes:

One last gathering with [V.] before shipping him back to the US after his week long immersion (literally?) into the mysterious world of sake. Kyoto Proto 4 was a fun get together, and we had a couple of new faces, including the Sake brewmaster Toji, Daimon san himself, who had a chance to peek into our world of wine geekdom. We didn't geek too hard, but it was interesting to get a sake master's comments on the wines we served, and get a chance to see wine through his eyes.

We had an interesting range of wines, plus some tasty bites along the way...including hand-made sausages, some marbled "wagyu" (Japanese beef), served both raw and pan seared, and some local made bacon added to the mix. In addition, there were some seafood items and a few unusual Japanese tastes that I had to run by [V.], just so he could take a few more exotic memories home with him.

Two Slovenian wines kicked things off......and I came away feeling like this is a region I want to know better.

2000 Movia Puro, Brut Rose, Collio, Italy? Slovenia? Both? Apparently the winemaker's vineyards straddle both countries. Biodynamic, the 2000 is a blend of mostly Chardonnay, Ribolla and a bit of Pinot Noir (it seems the percentages change, depending on the year). Non-dosage and requires either disgorging, or enjoying right along with the lees. We weren't sure what we wanted to do, so in the end opted to pop and enjoy, cloudy and all. Popped and fizzed nicely over the table (LOL!) and in the glass was a lovely coppery peach, translucent cloudiness. I found a distinct, but subtle tone of fresh pressed cider notes from the nose, a touch of yeast and herbs. With air, crushed ripe strawberry aromas, though on the palate overall, the flavors were much more muted and dry. Much of the petillance seemed to fade quickly, though there was a nice pillowy texture of lightness on the palate for a while. Sometime later, I checked back in and with all the petillance gone, the wine seemed to take on the character of grapefruit juice, nearly un-wine like. Certainly off the beaten path flavors and an interesting wine.

2002 Mlecnik Chardonnay, Bukovica, Slovenia, 12.8% - Honey gold in glass and a reticent nose at first, so I threw half the btl into a decanter and we went off to the public bath. Upon return, the wine had opened a bit more. Lemon rind, a bit of wood polish, pine resin notes on the nose and a striking salinity on the palate which spun into mineral and yellow grapefruit notes. Long finish. This stuff was fascinating...I've never experienced such a salt water/mineral mouth as this before. As time passed and the wine warmed, the body weight seemed to increase and it brought out even more of a briney seawater like component. Good bit of bite on the finish. Very interesting stuff. Worked well with various dishes.

2003 Weingut Brundlmayer, St. Laurent, Ried Ladner, Kamptal, 12.5% - Deep transparent violet. Ripe dark fruit, plums on the nose with a touch of yeast. On the palate a fresh, fruity wine...easy going quaffer as they say, though not quite at an entry level price point. I am a huge fan of the Brundlmayer whites, at all price levels, so I had high hopes for this first red Willi B. I was a little underwhelmed here actually. Nothing wrong with the wine, but I felt that there are a lot of reds that taste like this and I've been here, done that already. Decent and polite, but not a lot of intrigue beyond that, especially given the 2 wines preceding it.

1988 Chateau Musar, Gaston Hochar, Bekaa Valley - Classic, fecund Musar barnyard at first. With air, ripe cherries and strawberry compote are added to the compost. Later, deep pinot like forest floor, earth, dark fruit, then plum and crushed pine needles. Very fresh and rich on the palate without being heavy. Great balance in this bottle and showing traits closer to Right Bank Bordeaux than the Rhone which I find Musar sometimes shows, with the plum notes, dark earth and barnyard. Add to that some brighter red cherry fruit notes, ripe acidity, beef juices, bouillon. Long finish. Really hard to believe this is over 20 yrs old, and showing like a fresh youth. Thoroughly enjoyable wine. Thanks for sharing this, [V.] My fondness for this maker deepens.

2002 Kracher, Nouvelle Vague Zweigelt TBA, #1, Burgenland - 12.5%. Copper gold in glass. Vivid aromas of apricot, fresh plum, raisin, lemon and umeshu (green plum wine). Rich attack of apricot, apricot liquer, buttery mid-palate, bright acidity and a long finish of toffee and honey. This was a tasty way to wrap up the evening and elicited yums and ah's from everyone.

Looking forward to next time, [V.]...and we hope you made it home safely, with all those 1.8L bottles intact...
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Monday, March 9, 2009

Kyoto Protocol III

lineup
Back to Japan, ready to kickoff an amazing sake experience, but first, another session with J. and S. in Kyoto. Travel was a bit rough, I'm a day late as my flight from San Francisco was cancelled. Instead of a day to rest, I made it just before dinner. Fortunately, a quick pre-dinner session at the neighbourhood sento helped - it wasn't the sauna / icy bath routine that got me, it was the electrocution pool...

2003 Toques et Clochers Cremant de Limoux: Pre-sento sparkler. Rich yellow/bronze color, medium/small bead. Nose of lemons and sea breeze. A bit tight up front, citric, apple skins, nuttiness, a mild touch of yeast, and a slightly short, subtly oxidised finish. Pleasant but not particularly memorable.

Daishichi Junmai Kimoto: Great sake, wish we could have taken this to the sento. Aromatic, full bodied and lightly sweet, as one would expect from kimoto, but moreso than would be expected for a junmai alone. Eminently balanced. Simply delicious.

1988 Chateau d'Arlay Vin Jaune: The main event. This was opened really for the purposes of Kyoto IV next week, but we couldn't resist. Super nose, definitely sherried. A golden yellow/orange colour. On the nose, lots of walnuts, creme brulee, maple syrup, caramel, butter, definite savour herbal elements, apples flambee... but no cumin. On the palate, as S. said decisively (in a night filled of zen-like one word pronouncements), amaikunai! Not sweet! Tart, rather acidic entry, yet rich and smooth. Lemons, caramel, nuttiness, and mineral. I love wines like this, shapeshifters, can be one thing and another, contradictory, yet there all the same. Compared to the 1997 Rolet I had a few months ago, which was much more intense, this wine has definitely transformed. Beautiful. The pairing with comte makes sense, and the sample we had was delicious. Interestingly, I didn't sense much harmony with walnuts.

Tako-san
Mr. Tako joined us for the evening.

1997 R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rosado: Amber in color. S. says ame no niyoi. Smells like rain. Oh yeah. Petrichor on this one. And smoke. And mint. And some cumin...that was strange. A very balanced palate, medium body, good supporting acidity. For me, very umami driven... beef broth and blood... yum. J. tells me I'm just going to love the 1993.

1999 Clos Mogador: The first of three "mystery" wines presented by J. Dark black/red in colour. Very savoury nose, roasted red and black fruit, actually rather Musar-esque. S. says Woosta. Worcestershire sauce. Oh yes. On the palate, very tight and tannic. Brooding really. This one didn't really open up for me. A bit of sweetness, some A1 steak sauce, but the tannins were pre-eminent...

1990 Schloss Schonborn Hochheimer Domdachaney Riesling Spatlese Halbtrocken: Something weird was going on with this wine, as in three different glasses, this presented very differently. For my glass, it was definitely musky, but with some strange eggy and oil notes, bordering on rancid. Whereas, in other glasses, I was getting a more exotic nose, pineapples and coconut creme pie. S. says "pineapple". On the palate, definitely, musky, tropical fruit, good but not great acidity. We had this with a tasty and hearty pork and eringi mushroom soup. Yum.

food
Domdacheny and Soup, plus yama-imo with ikura

2007 Prager Grüner Veltliner Stocckkultur Achleiten: Unanimous wine of the night. Pale yellow-green colour, innocuous, and no warning for the intensity of this wine. Lush, intoxicating nose, pineapples, green apple, pears, and pine needles. On the palate, rich yet light, superb acidity, delicately balanced. Layered, textured, structured. A delight.

abalone
Mr. Abalone makes an appearance. We had bits of him nama (alive), and then drowned in sake and lightly sauteed. I must have been distracted because I ended up having the guts. Bivalve guts. Ergh... Should note that Mr. Abalone's gall bladder was still no match for Mr. Scrubby...the Daishichi Kimoto Junmai... cleaned me right out.

1997 Vietti Castiglione: A nose of umami, soy, tar, smoke, anise, and roasted red fruit. I did like this nose. Again brooding on the palate, but in a better place than the Mogador.

1997 Clarendon Hills Piggott Range Shiraz: Red WOTN. Super wine. More of Woosta, bbq sauce, mesquite, smoke, herbal, savoury. Just a tremendous nose, which, unlike the Mogador and the Vietti, absolutely carried over to the palate, with the addition of tomatoes, making this, for me, a delicious barbecue in a glass.

2004 Huet Le Mont: Hmm... really wasn't doing much for me, but it was pretty late in the evening by this time and I was ready to crash.

No dessert wine, as we kept on hitting the Daischichi, along with some Indian milk sweets and some impromptu musical mixology... Apocalyptica... Keith Jarrett... Kadri Gopalnath... Cibo Matto... Crazy Ken Band... A tremendous evening, a great way to kick off the week!


- Addendum - J.'s Notes:

As usual, [V.] hit the ground running.....the energizer bunny was in great form, pulling not one but 2 rabbits out of the hat with the Prager and the Vin Jaune he brought along with him. Was a fun evening of gabbing, gorging and tasting and I think we got [V.]'s palate fairly warmed up for the week ahead of him in the sakagura. And remember, those who gab the most end up with abalone entrails....(a delicacy in some circles!)

It definitely was a night for whites - to me, the reds weren't showing as much depth or character, which was interesting to note. Most everything was previously re-bottled into half bottles, so there'll be another crack at some. Maybe the reds were just a little more pedestrian in nature compared to the whites? Maybe my palate was just more in tune with the whites. Tasting a variety of wines in one sitting is a rare indulgence for me, and there's something to be said for spending an evening with a single wine and focusing, but we covered a good range of grapes, ages and styles...and that made for a lively evening.

2003 Sieur d'Arques, Toques et Clochers, Cremant de Limoux - Not bad and my take is pretty much the same as yours, [V.] They also make a couple of Blanquette de Limoux's, which I find more interesting...probably due to the high percentage of mauzac grape required for the designation. In this case, chardonnay and chenin b. play a much larger role and the result seemed decent, if more generic.

Daishichi Junmai Kimoto - Indeed superbly balanced and gorgeous mouthfeel, which somehow manages to be full-bodied and feathery light at the same time. Full, nutty nose with soft fruit tones. Papaya and melon-esque on the palate with a clean, long finish and just enough of a citric lift. Subtle umami. Really exquisite sake.

1988 Chateau d'Arlay Vin Jaune - A lovely and unique wine which definitely comes darn close to sherry. Add a bit of fresh lemon on the palate and a handful of freshly crushed dried herbs on the nose. To my palate, this wine shares similarities with the Heredia wines, with oxidative, briney, savory notes in the mid-palate. Long, nutty and buttery finish buttressed by lemon and a perfect match with the comte cheese. Will see what a week does for the wine that remains in the bottle, when [V.] comes back for another session. Walnuts worked ok, but not great. I agree, not much sign of the sotolin curry notes these wines are supposed to have.

1997 R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rosado - Delightful wine showing a clean youthfulness and a versatility with all the food. Lemon pledge, smoke and rainy day smells indeed. Good balance between savory, fruit, rosehip tea and lemon notes. Much brighter, cleaner and more fruit driven than the '93. This wine is a wonderful qpr.

1990 Schloss Schonborn Hochheimer Domdachaney Riesling Spatlese Halbtrocken - A decent wine, but not the best showing of it. Plenty of fruit left, (pineapple was a good call on the nose from [S.]) but a bit thin in the mid-palate and some apple skin astringency on the finish which didn't show as much on another recent bottle. Definitely musky, although I didn't get any major off notes on this. Love the creme brulee notes on the nose and a touch of buttered popcorn on the finish.

2007 Prager Grüner Veltliner Stocckkultur Achleiten - Lovely wine. Exotic nose expressing clear fruit as well as attractive gruvey funk and savory tones. Superb balance, great mouthfeel, layers of flavors of ripe fruits without being sweet. A fully integrated wine and just delish.

2004 Huet Le Mont - The surprise of the night was how weak this wine showed. Lot's of buildup. Sort of a mean green streak running through the wine both in nose and palate. Wine-like flavors but nobody home. Astringent notes. We gave it some air and checked in on it from time to time, but the wine wasn't asking us to drink it. Maybe shut down or a not-so-good bottle. Not sure if this is non-sulphur, but in any event, it was surprisingly dull.

1997 Vietti Castiglione - Nothing wrong with it, really (and I agree it was in a more integrated state than the Clos Mogador) but it seemed fairly pedestrian to me. Is this what happens when one's palate starts going for more and more off the wall wines? Decent nose showing nebbiolo traits and nicely balanced....just not giving a whole lot. Maybe needed more air....or just less divided attention perhaps.

1999 Clos Mogador - Hmmmm....high cost, high expectations and a changing palate perhaps. Agree with [V.] about the nose....very expressive, but just not very together on the palate. Tannins maybe need more time and I could stand to see a little more acidity and harmony. I've had much, much better bottles from other vintages.

1997 Clarendon Hills Piggott Range Shiraz - bottle number 5 of a 6 bottle purchase 7 or 8 yrs ago. This wine does not resemble Australia at all......and thank the Lord for that. Opened several hrs in advance, but not decanted. Past experience showed that the wine improves with a couple hours of decanting, but I wanted to test it this way, this time. It showed reasonably well, but I'll give more air to the remaining half btl. The quality of winemaking really shows in this wine....deeply intriguing nose of fruit, savory, animal and meaty notes, which line up very well on the palate as well. The mouthfeel is not heavy at all (despite the 14.5%) and the wine looks brighter and more grenache like with ruby reds. Complex and well delineated and (happy to say) there are no mocha or chocolatey notes which I've come to dislike in many Oz reds. Wonderful acidity in harmony with everything else. No signs of fading.....probably in a wonderful mid-life zone. More Europe here than anywhere else. Glad I could surprise you positively with this wine, [V.]!

Looking forward to the next session...and personally, I think I'll skip the electrocution bath next time........
Posted by V. at 8:49 AM 0 comments
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