Cheap Bourgogne Rouge Death Match (Bout 2)

On the next card we have Domaine Pierre Labet (one of Spec's featured producers) versus the ubiquitous house of Louis Latour.

First Place:  2008 Domaine Pierre Labet Bourgogne Pinot Noir "Vieilles Vignes" -- Medium light ruby.  Medium intensity nose of sappy, sour cherries and sweet, moist, smoky earth.  Bone dry, but with decent concentration of fruit in the mid-palate, along with a pronounced stony minerality.  Thins out a bit on the finish, but is clean and quite pleasant.  Still a bit of tannin showing.  Drink with the next 18 months. B.  Imported by Horizon Wines, Houston.  Was $19 and change at most Spec's stores.


Second Place:  2009 Louis Latour Bourgogne Pinot Noir -- Medium light ruby color.  Shy but fresh nose of sour cherry and minerals, with some lemon coated rock dust.  Crisp, very light flavors of vague cherry fruit and brambly twigs quickly spread through the mouth but thin out quickly.  Some tannin but not much weight of flavor concentration.  This wine has a bitterness that grows as the finish wears on.  C.   $16 and change at most Spec's stores (and lots of other places).



Moral of the Two Deathmatches:  This Burgundian throwdown nicely displayed the difficult reality of searching for bargain Burgundian Pinot Noirs:  the ones that are worth it (like the '09 Bertrand Ambroise) are few and far between.  Many are OK, but I'm usually left wishing I had spent my $15-20 on a Chianti Classico, a Cotes du Rhone, a Zinfandel, a Spanish Grenache, or a small grower Beaujolais-Villages.

Cheap Bourgogne Rouge Death Match

Since I wasn't able to do my Cotes du Rhone battle royale, when recent guests gifted me with a Joseph Drouhin "LaForet" Bourgone Pinot Noir -- a widely-available, reasonably-priced red burgundy -- I decided to pick two more at around the same price and open all three entry-level French PNs all at once.

The result:  CHEAP BURGUNDY DEATH MATCH.  I picked up the equally-widely-available and reasonably priced Louis Jadot Bourgogne, and, to throw in a David with these commercial Goliaths, a Bourgogne Rouge from the relatively smaller producer, Bertrand Ambroise.  Here are the results.

1st Place:  2009 Bertrand Ambroise Bourgogne -- The nose was very youthful, like it had just been bottled, but it had more body and flavor than the other two.  Bright ruby with magenta highlights.  Big, youthful nose of concentrated, crushed cherry and pomegranate, along with rock dust and grated lemon zest.  Youthful and mouthfilling (for a Bourgogne) with tightly wound black cherry and brambly earth flavors.  Fine-grained tannin coats the mouth as the clingy finish wears on.  This will keep and improve over the next three years.  B(+) (which means it's a B right now, but with age should get better).  Imported by Robert Kacher.  $19 and change at Spec's on Smith.

2nd Place:  2008 Joseph Drouhin "Laforet" Bourgone Pinot Noir -- This was more developed in the nose, and had nice, correct Pinot flavors, but was a little light.  Medium-light ruby showing a little amber hue.  Bright nose of pure, sappy, crisp cherries and a hint of stoniness.  Bright cherry fruit at first impression in the mouth, followed by some light but kind of coarse tannin.  Clean, but short and thin finish.  This is a pleasant wine but needs drinking up over the next 6 months.  B-.  Imported by Dreyfus-Ashby, it sells for $16 and change at Spec's.


3rd Place:  2008 Louis Jadot Bourgogne Pinot Noir -- This was light on the nose, light and somewhat lacking in life in the mouth, but had a clean finish.  Bright, medium ruby.  Relatively closed nose reluctantly gives up scents of tart cherry candy and chalk.  Correct but somewhat flat cherry flavors, but diluted-tasting.  Clean, medium length finish.  Drink over the next 12-18 months.  C+.  Imported by Kobrand, it was $17 and change at Spec's.

2008 Domaine d'Ardhuy LADOIX "Chagnots" (Burgundy, France)

One of my two "Holy Grails" of wine is a good, inexpensive (which these days means under $20) red burgundy (Pinot Noir).  This is one.  On the leaner side but with real character, particularly the second night.  The village of Ladoix is one of those less well-known "sleeper" appellations in Burgundy (along with Santenay, Auxey-Duresses, and Pernand-Vergelesses) where values, as rare as they are there, tend to be more frequent.

Light ruby color with a touch of amber beginning to show at the rim.  Fragrant, high-toned nose of peat and ripe but crisp crushed cherry, along with stony gravel.  Crisp, penetrating flavors of tart cherry, with powdered limestone and granite.  Not a lot of concentration or weight, but clingy flavors and very nice purity, energy, and minerality.  Good length. B+.   Was $19 and change at Spec's (cash price).  A Becky Wasserman Selection (she represents several excellent French estates, as an exporter I think, and her selections are imported by various importers in different regions of the U.S.)

2008 Jean & Gilles Lafouge AUXEY-DURESSES 1er CRU "LES DURESSES" (Burgundy, France)

One of the best under $30 Burgundian Pinot Noirs I've had in many years.  A high energy wine.


Light ruby garnet color.  Gorgeous, high-toned nose of sweet/tart cherries, cool plums*, powdered stones and lemon dust.  Piercing, almost electric flavors of high-toned cherry and tingly, stony minerals.  Crisp acidity and a fine dusting of tannin dominate the texture of the finish.  Amazing purity of flavors and liveliness.  Leaves the palate tingling and invigorated.  A-.  Was $29.99 from B-21 Wines in Florida (an excellent retailer who ships).



*  Remember that William Carlos William poem, "This is Just to Say"?

This Is Just To Say
I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold

2009 Hippolyte-Reverdy SANCERRE ROSÉ and a Recipe

I drank my last bottle of this outstanding Pinot Noir rose, which I reviewed previously, and it was still remarkably fresh and flavorful.  I had to improvise a quick, light meal based on what we had in the house, and came up with the following, which not only was really good, but paired wonderfully with the Sancerre rose.



Pasta with artichoke hearts and Italian tuna belly

 1 lb. pasta (like penne or rotini)

1 can artichoke hearts in water

1 jar Italian tuna belly (ventresca*) packed in olive oil, drained

¼ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup finely chopped celery

¼ cup finely chopped carrot

¼ cup good olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup dry white wine (maybe a splash more. . . I didn't measure)

Salt

Pepper

A bit of chopped parsley

Get a pot of salted water boiling for the pasta.

In 12” sauté pan, heat 1/8 cup olive oil and then soften onion, carrot, and celery for 5 minutes over medium low heat.

While they’re softening, drain artichoke hearts.  Cut into quarters, and squeeze out excess water with paper towels. 

When onions, carrots, and celery are softened (not browned), add artichokes.  Toss for a few minutes.  Add the white wine, and turn up the heat to get the wine boiling and reduce it a bit.  Add the lemon juice and the rest of the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, stir around, then turn the heat off until the pasta is almost done.

Just before draining the cooked pasta, turn up the heat on the sauce and add the tuna, trying not to shred the tuna as you stir it in.  Turn off the heat as soon as the tuna is stirred in (cooking it makes it taste bitter and crappy).

Add  sauce to the drained pasta, mix, then throw the chopped parsley on top.  I think this is better without Parmesan cheese, but Liz likes Parmesan cheese on every type of pasta 

known to man.

* Ventresca is like basic tuna packed in olive oil, except it's from the best part of the tuna, and has a really refined taste. 

2009 Domaine des Corbillieres TOURAINE Pinot Noir Rose (Loire Valley, France)

Always a good value when you can find it at Richard's (it's a Robert Kacher Import, so that's the only place it will be in town). The 2009 iteration is very nice.

Light salmon pink color. A little earthier on the nose and less floral on the nose than past vintages, it still smells plenty inviting, with some floral, cherry and watermelony scents. Crisp, medium-bodied, and with refreshing acidity, this is a nice value. 87. I believe this was about $13 at Richard's at Westheimer/Kirby.

2008 Louis Jadot SANTENAY "Clos de Malte" (Burgundy, France)

A decent entry-level red burgundy. Closed and young, but not that much stuffing.

Dark ruby garnet. Very closed -- needed to be poured through a Vinturi to develop any aroma at all. After a long while, delicate scents of ripe cherry syrup and warm, fragrant, minerally earth developed. High-toned, minerally, crisp flavors, with fruit tending towards crisp cherry. Refreshing, lightly-minerally finish. 86. Was about $25 at Richard's on Kirby/Westheimer. Poor price-quality ratio, as is usual with red burgundies.

PS --did anyone else hear that Spec's quietly bought out the Richard's chain?? Is that true? If so, will Richard's stop getting wines from Robert Kacher Imports? I hope not. Spec's carries nothing from Kacher, and he's got a pretty good, value-friendly line-up.

2006 Jacques Puffeney ARBOIS Pinot Noir (France)

Grown in a backwater region midway between Burgundy and the Swiss border, this wine makes you imagine a mountain stream flowing with Pinot Noir. Distinctive and very good.

Light ruby color with some amber at the rim. Lively, interesting nose of stony, cool minerals, crisp cherries and cherry pits, and high-toned, sweet smoke. In the mouth, it's vibrant, lively, and penetrating, with piercing cherry fruit, hints of old wine barrels, and lots of stony minerals. Still some soft tannin in the crisp, lean, but lengthy finish. 89. Will hold nicely for another year. Was $33 at Spec's on Smith (not cheap, but worth it). Imported by Neal Rosenthal.

2006 Domaine des Ormousseaux COTEAUX DU GIENNOIS PINOT NOIR (Loire Valley, France)

This was a very light but flavorful Pinot Noir from a backwater region in the Loire (near Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé).

Extremely light ruby with garnet highlights. Nose of spiced, sweet/tart cherry candy, with some high-toned, smoky minerality. Light-bodied, crisp, yet flavorful, with loads of sweet/tart cherry fruit and mineral flavors. Not complex, but good, straightforward Pinot Noir flavors in a refreshing, balanced style. It paired very well with Liz's fabulous roast chicken. 87. I can't remember where I got this, and I can't find the receipt, dammit. Will update when I remember. Imported by Fruit of the Vine, NYC.

Sorry, no photo.

UPDATE -- I paid about $25 at Spec's on Smith for this. So it's not a particularly good buy, although it still was quite nice.

10/15/09 UPDATE: Whole Foods on Bellaire has this on sale for $12.99 -- making it a GREAT BUY! (Maybe that's where I got it -- I don't remember paying $25 for it . . . .)

2004 Meo-Camuzet MOREY-ST.-DENIS (Burgundy, France)

This was marked down by half (from $52 to $26) at Richard's on Voss so I thought I'd try it. Not bad, but kind of loose and starting to fade a bit (as are a lot of 2004 red burgundies I've tried -- they're clearly to be drunk up).

Light amberish ruby. Initially intensely earthy (in a barnyard-y kind of way), but with air more fruit emerged and the earthiness took a back seat. Lots of soft, flowing, schisty-minerally flavors, with mushrooms and baking-spice laced mulled cherries. Tightened up on the finish, with hard, dry cherry extract flavors the last to leave. Zero tannin. 80.

(Note: Fixin shown, but label design same for the Morey)

2005 Pierre Labet BEAUNE "Clos du Dessus des Marconnets" (Burgundy, France)

This Pinot Noir was tight and pretty good, although a bit on the tarter side than I like. Lots of the "terroirist" crowd seem to enjoy this style more than I do, however. It should have been a heck of a lot better for $33.

Eye: Vivid medium ruby color.

Nose: Medium intensity nose of cherry, with a hint of tart raspberry, as well as cinnamon, smoke, and powdered stones.

Mouth: Tight cherry and stone flavors, with crisp acidity but only medium concentration and length.

Score: 86+

Cellar or drink? The concentration and ripeness are marginal, but I'm guessing that there's just enough there to warrant 2 years or so to see if this softens up and broadens out a bit.

Price/store: Was $33 at Spec's on Smith, making it NOT a good value.

2005 Domaine Jean-Luc Dubois CHOREY-LES-BEAUNE "Clos Margot" (Burgundy, France)

A good (not great) Pinot Noir that is fairly priced, as PNs go. Features some bright, crisp Pinot fruit and good balance.

Eye: Medium dark ruby with purply highlights.

Nose: Bright, tart fruity nose of crisp cherries, crushed rock powder, and rhubarb.

Mouth: Tart cherry and stony mineral/graphite flavors. Very tightly-wound, but with decent concentration and length. The texture is quite light.

Score: 87.

Cellar or drink? I would cellar this one for 1 - 3 years, and it will likely soften and gain a little complexity.

Price/store: Was $21 and change at Spec's on Smith.

2004 Domaine Saint-Martin MARSANNAY "Les Finottes" (Burgundy, France)

This was a very soft, fragrant, enjoyable Pinot Noir that--amazingly for a Burgundy--was a pretty good value! I may try some more 2004s to see if this vintage is better than the critics would lead you to believe (they mostly criticized 2004s in Burgundy for being too light).

Eye: Darkish ruby with some amber highlights.

Nose: Exuberant nose of tangy rhubarb and sappy cherries, along with a pungent but pleasant earthy-vegetal component.

Mouth: Soft, broad, but light in the mouth, with flavors of crushed stones, cherries, and toasty oak in the background. Not particularly concentrated, but nicely-balanced, lively, and fun! Pretty good length too.

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? The light color and weight, together with the lack of any discernible tannin indicate that this should be enjoyed over the next 12 months.

Price/store: Was only $19.33 at Spec's on Smith.

NOTE: Photo of label is for the 2005 vintage -- I couldn't find a picture of the 2004.

Two great but very different Pinot Noirs

We had our friends -- at least I HOPE they're still our friends* -- the Finleys over last night for roast prime rib and Pinot Noir night. We enjoyed two tremendous but very very different renditions of the grape.


2004 Cristom "Louise Vineyard" Willamette Valley (Oregon) PINOT NOIR -- This relatively light-colored wine was unbelievably complex and fragrant, with earthy, smoky, minerally sappy cherry flavors, full body, and a long soft finish. (Robert Finley said something something about eating chocolate-dipped cherries in a log-cabin hunting lodge sitting in front of a peat fire). If I were scoring, this would have been in the 92-95 range. For drinking over the next year.







2002 Daniel Bocquenet ECHEZEAUX (Burgundy, France) -- This wine was densely colored and very tightly-wound, with substantial structure for ageing. The nose developed and opened slowly over time, initially revealing a prominent menthol/eucalyptus component that stayed with the wine throughout the evening. But as it sat, tight fruity aromas of hard plum and cherry candy, and well as smoky/minerally scents emerged. Nice acid balance as well, which, together with the plentiful tannic structure, indicated to me that this wine needs (yes, needs) 5 more years at least in a cool cellar. I probably would have scored this somewhere in the 90+ to 91+ range.



* I say "hope" because I was in full argumentative mode the latter half of the dinner, which, um, detracted from the usual level of collegiality.

2005 Bouchard Ainé BEAUNE PREMIER CRU CLOS DU ROI (Burgundy, France)

At my first wine job in NYC out of college, the importer I worked for (Paramount Brands) used to sell Bouchard-Ainé burgundies, and they were very good values at the time. Since the mid-1980s, however, I haven't seen this negociant's wines around. When I saw a few of them show up in Spec's, I had to try one. Unfortunately, this wasn't worth the hefty price I paid, as this lighter-styled French Pinot Noir could have used a bit more ripeness. (To be fair, at $38, this wine is actually priced on the cheaper end of premier crus from the 2005 vintage, but that's a lot of money for me.)


Eye: Dark violet/ruby color.


Nose: High-toned nose of sappy yet tart cherries, and perfumed chalk dust.


Mouth: Medium-bodied, with crisp flavors of stones, tart cherries and plums, and smoky balsa wood. Long finish, with fairly high acidity and some youthful tannin. All in all, a crisper, almost austere style of Pinot Noir.


Cellar or drink? I think it would be a gamble to cellar this one more than a year in the hopes that it will flesh out -- I just don't think it has the necessary ripeness to transform itself into a more generous style of wine.


Score: 87.


Price/store: Was $38 at Spec's on Richmond.

Easter Wines (truncated, unscored notes)

It was a wonderful Easter celebration at our house. Joined by the Finleys and the Kevilles, we had the traditional Easter egg hunt, and later, for dinner, our friends Brian Jackson and the Murphys joined us.

There was so much commotion and fun that I didn't have a chance to take good, critical notes, but here are my impressions of the wines we had.

Duval-Leroy "Rosé Saignée" CHAMPANGE -- This pale pink champagne had wonderful fruit and balance, with nice but unobtrusive acidity, good concentration and a lengthy, dry finish.

2006 Martin Schaetzel PINOT BLANC "Vieilles Vignes" (Alsace, France) -- A medium deep gold, this wine had wonderful, peachy fruit and a subtle minerally undertone. It seemed off-dry, and had a soft, voluptuous texture. Very nice (I love Alsace whites!).

2005 Thomas & Fils SANCERRE "La Crêle" -- Crisp, dry, and minerally, this wine had very refreshing appley, lemon-lime fruit.

2002 Vincent Girardin POMMARD 1er Cru "Les Grands Epenots" Vieilles Vignes (Burgundy, France) -- This was a terrifically fragrant, soft Pinot Noir. Fragrant with scents of cinnamon and sappy cherries, this wine had a soft -- almost ethereally soft -- texture, with a long, minerally finish that features excellent balancing acidity.

2005 Columbia Crest "Grand Estates" CABERNET SAUVIGNON (Columbia Valley, Washington State) -- The Murphys' younger son Kevin actually picked this wine out himself after doing research about what wines would best accompany the roast leg of lamb he knew I was going to prepare. I actually drank, liked, and reviewed a previous vintage of this wine (the 2002, reviewed here), and the 2005 Kevin picked out was equally good. This is a very well-balanced, fruit-forward Cabernet that features lots of cherry fruit and underbrush scents, and has a soft texture that makes for excellent current drinking. Nice choice, Kevin!

2003 Jean-Max Roger SANCERRE ROUGE "Cuvée Les Caillotes" (Loire, France)

A very distinctive Pinot Noir, displaying the minerally, austere capabilities of the grape.

Medium light ruby. Snappy nose of tart cherries, plums, and lots of sweet, pungent minerals. Dry and austere texture, this wine has lots of bone-dry cherry and mineral flavors, with some crisp acidity and peppery heat. Distinctive, and an interesting wine to sip and ponder, but not the most hedonistic of wines. 84. Was about $19 at Spec's on Smith.