A chilly day for the open house at Dee Vine Wines made tasting out in the pier warehouse a bit challenging, but I soldiered on. First up was the 2000 Champagne Monmarthe Brut Millésimé which at first I found tart, green appley and simple, but upon recognizing how my chilled state was affecting my tasting, I returned to it later after I had warmed up inside and found it more impressive with a fine mousse, a bit yeasty yet precise, crisp rounded and tart, but seemed to me would benefit from some more time. $40 is not a bad price for that wine. The 2006 Solter Rheingau Riesling Brut Sekt on the other hand had a firmly bound nose with some floral elements on top and tasted a rich fun sweetness with a touch of complexity and very comfortable mouthfeel, a really nice sekt. $21 is a pretty good deal here. The 2006 Domaine Monternot Beaujolais Blanc had a very interesting midrange nose and tasted salty, delicious, cheesy, with some sort of rich pear/cheese finish. I found it delicious and different. And, get this, $5 a bottle by the case. Unbelievable bargain. The 2007 Domain Serge Laloue Sancerre had some slight mineral and grapefruit on the nose, and even something carrotesque, and tasted rounded with nice tanginess, good depth here, pleasant and refreshing, I'd enjoy drinking a bottle of this for less than $23. The 2006 Viña Cartín Rías Baixas Albariño was quieter on the nose, but tasted more of hay and cheese, well bound, I loved the finish of stones and something suggesting charcoal, but found the midpalate a bit lacking, but only $15.
Then into warmer environment for the next set, so hopefully my notes are more reliable. Many folks (including myself) asked to retaste the 2006 Collovray & Terrier Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes. For me, I think it was because the nose was so lacking in interest (oaky/overly rich/not appealing) that the saltier, thinner more appealing layering of spice required a doubletake. Though initially impressive, my second taste made me wonder if the wine would wear well, as the 'hey, this isn't as bad as I thought it would be' reaction only gets you so far. And $32 didn't bring out my experimental side. The 2006 Domaine Vocoret et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots, on the other hand, was incredible through and through. A quieter, less expressive nose, but breadth and depth in the mouth, with beautiful rounded flavors bound together with fantastic acid, particularly on the finish when in turns refreshing. Perhaps a bit less focused and pointed on the midpalate than I'd prefer, but lovely stuff. $63 for that one. The 2006 Domaine Hubert Bouzereau-Gruère et Filles Meursault Les Tillets had a creamier and oakier nose and tasted soft, elegant, and tender with some glassiness on the finish. Flipping things, I really liked the midpalate on this wine but wanted something more from the finish. $57 for that one. The 2006 Lequin-Colin Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Devant had a fantatically different nose which ended with some elements of licorice. The taste had a bit heavier intro, thicker with medium body and then faint spicy elements, which came together as a very playful, bit fanciful package. The flavors are zippy, the finish is rocking. I loved this wine, which makes its $49 pricetag more doable.
Continuing onto the reds in the warm indoors came the 2006 Arnaud Chopin & Fils Côte de Nuits Villages Vieilles Vignes which had a big fruity nose and something I liked, something like a coal undertone. The mouthfeel was decent and the taste was more reserved when it came to the fruit, which was nice, and a touch of light tannins. There is limited breadth here, but it's two dimensional version of complexity is charming enough, offers a bit of back-and-forth for $33. The 2006 Domaine Rene Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Champeaux had a much lighter, floral nose with hint of something deeper lurking underneath. The taste was fantastic, light, understated, soft, light ethereal fruit, lingering tang, crisp charred finish, nice warmth. This is a phenomenal fireside wine for $78. Harder then to move back to the 2006 Lequin-Colin Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes which was a full-on attack on the nose, tasting tangy, rough, likable but rustic, from my tastes and chatting with others with experience with aging, this felt like a wine to hold onto for a while before drinking, very likable for $30. The 2003 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Gevrey-Chambertin was evidently bought up by Dee Vine upon a visit to the domaine where they tasted the 2006 and realized it would be some time before it would be open enough to sell, but tasted the 2003 and bought up the domaine's remaining stock to fill the gap. It certainly had a wider nose and was very accessible, bit more leather and smoky. It was accessible in the mouth as well, but only lightly exciting for me (though others were raving about the light delicious fruit).
The 2007 Château de la Font du Loup Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Tradition was either a complex cookie or complex coffee of warm, fun, and delicious flavors. Rich, not sweet, textured, light touch of tannins on the finish. I loved this wine, perfect for the current weather and $40. The 2006 Château Mas Neuf Costières-de-Nîmes, on the other hand, had a lot of raisin on the nose with tar and tobacco and tasted of very dark flavors, more port-like elements here, rich, thick, heavy, unwieldy right now, perhaps better in time? In any case, others were in love with this wine. It could have been the price of $13, but some seemed honestly taken with it, well, not for me. The 2004 Bodegas de la Real Divisa Rioja Crianza Marques de Legarda had a mustier nose and a bit of bug spray. The layered sweet texture binded with the too sweet/too rich approach, there were pleasant elements but they were harder to find. And I think the spiel was that this was a more traditional rioja producer. Odd, as I found the syrupy approach something I'd identify more with modern producers. In any case, $17 for a bottle. Finally the last indoor wine was the 2004 Páramo de Guzmán Ribera del Duero Crianza had a nice nose with lovely savory chicken with plums and tasted full rich, tangy, what can I say, it was delicious and I loved it, great ying-and-yang thing going on and good price at $26.
Back to the chillier parts of the warehouse for the 2006 Reinhard & Beate Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Auslese which had warmth and honey and very good breadth on the nose, a light delicate mouthfeel and a light touch of honey, coming off as very clean, a bit quenching, and impressive though not capturing my fancy entirely for less than $45 for a 375ml bottle. The 2006 Erben von Beulwitz Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Beerenauslese had a relaxed nose that struck me as more pie-like. The taste was interesting as it suggested both honey and pears with without the hot stickiness I associate with both. Pure sweet drinkability, good finish, it remains a 'dessert wine' but this is dessert wine as it should be, suggesting sweet, but complimented by delicious drinkability. Bravo! But a bravo price, alas, with a 375 ml going for $170. The 2003 Josef Rosch Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Beerenauslese had a tangy, interesting nose with lime and kiwi. It tasted of very squared candy, akin to caramels you pop in your mouth. A overly sweet, overly drying finish was not enhancing. Too blocky here. $85 for a 375ml bottle. The 2006 Müller-Catoir Gimmeldinger Schlössel Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese had a heavy honeyed nose that really turned into a wow factor with a swirl of the glass. Tons of tropical notes in the mouth with guava, mango, papaya, but thick and sticky, though likable, not drinkable for more than a glass for me. $148 for a 375. Finally the 2002 Weingut Johann Peter Reinert Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Eiswein had a refreshing nose, good and rounded. Tasted huge acid, perky, sweet, clean, tangy. It was tasty, with a bit of heaviness and hotness at the end. Refreshing after the more lumbering wines certainly. $72 for 500ml.