WTN: Leoville Las Cases, Di Stefano, Petit Chambord

[Jenise]

Some weekend wines:

1979 Leoville Las Cases, St. Julien, Bordeaux
Good but not great. Lighter than expected in both color and flavor. Color in the medium red range, with correct but lighter flavors. Good acidity, and it didn't appear to be off in any way, but it's by far the least interesting 79 I've had. Lesser-regarded wines like D'Armailhac and Prieure-Lichine were better.

1993 Di Stefano Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington
Curious about how wines from my new home state are aging, I've been picking up older bottles at auction. This is one. Leathery secondary development and reasonably strong plummy fruit made this wine a nice sipper, but it lacked the complexity one hopes for when one waits 13 years to pop the cork. It basically had two flavors: 'cabernet' and 'older'.

2004 Le Petit Chambord "Vendange a la main", Cheverny, Loire Valley, France
Joe Dressner hits it out of the park with this--the best Cheverny I've had. Pale yellow. Beautiful fruit of white flowers, apples, starfruit and a kiss of lemon curd. Good acidity and good everything--really, perfect in every way. Lighter in style and yet it lacks for nothing, it's the kind of white wine I live to find. Unfortunately, I bought the last bottle.

[Marc D]

2004 Le Petit Chambord "Vendange a la main", Cheverny, Loire Valley, France
Joe Dressner hits it out of the park with this--the best Cheverny I've had. Pale yellow. Beautiful fruit of white flowers, apples, starfruit and a kiss of lemon curd. Good acidity and good everything--really, perfect in every way. Lighter in style and yet it lacks for nothing, it's the kind of white wine I live to find. Unfortunately, I bought the last bottle.

Jenise, was this the Cour Cheverny by Cazin? The Cour Cheverny is Romorantin, the regular Cheverny I think is a blend of mostly Sauvignon blanc and a little Chardonnay. They both are ridiculously good and inexpensive too.

BTW, the 05 Chinook rose is in at Purple Smile. I opened one Saturday and it was a little disjointed around the edges, I think from travel shock or something.

[Dale Williams]

Marc,
Pretty sure le Petit Chambord is Cazin's regular Cheverny. I found it ok, but there are straight SBs (like both CRB Touraine Sauvignons) I like better. I much prefer his Romorantin-based wines.

Thanks for notes, Jenise. I like '79 as a vintage, but also was less than blown away by the LLC. I suspected the bottle at the time, but maybe just not their year.

[Mark S]

1993 Di Stefano Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington
Curious about how wines from my new home state are aging, I've been picking up older bottles at auction. This is one. Leathery secondary development and reasonably strong plummy fruit made this wine a nice sipper, but it lacked the complexity one hopes for when one waits 13 years to pop the cork. It basically had two flavors: 'cabernet' and 'older'.

Interesting. I've been feeling this way about cabernets from California AND Bordeaux, lately. Yep. Classic cabernet nose and structure, but Where is the development?? Tertiary flavors?? I ought to be rewarded something for having the patience and fortitude to cellar a bottle this many years.

[Steve Guattery]

Pretty sure le Petit Chambord is Cazin's regular Cheverny...

Cazin uses that name on the Cour-Cheverny; I've not had his Cheverny, so I can't say one way or the other about that.

[Jenise]

Marc,
Pretty sure le Petit Chambord is Cazin's regular Cheverny. I found it ok, but there are straight SBs (like both CRB Touraine Sauvignons) I like better. I much prefer his Romorantin-based wines.

Thanks for notes, Jenise. I like '79 as a vintage, but also was less than blown away by the LLC. I suspected the bottle at the time, but maybe just not their year.

Dale and Mark--this was a Cazin? Obviously, I somehow missed the name and presume Petit Chambord was the producer. Oh well.

Dale--oh fudge about the LLC. I have another bottle, so I would much rather have heard, "Oh Jenise, you are so wrong about that wine! My bottle was FABULOUS!" At least I'd have had hope.

[Mark Lipton]

Interesting. I've been feeling this way about cabernets from California AND Bordeaux, lately. Yep. Classic cabernet nose and structure, but Where is the development?? Tertiary flavors?? I ought to be rewarded something for having the patience and fortitude to cellar a bottle this many years.

You obviously must not be opening the right bottles of Bordeaux, old thing. Stay away from anything later than '89 or younger than 25 years. Be sure to properly aerate et voilá... A wine with tertiary notes, bouquet, the whole 9 metres. Of course, you've gotta have good wine from a good producer, but when don't you?

The Other Mark