A few notes from recent dinners at home with the family:
N.V. Simonnet-Febvre Crémant de Bourgogne. There is a soft nose of apple skins, baked bread and gentle smoke when this wine is first poured, but it oddly fades away to not much at all after the first few minutes. In the mouth, it is easy-going but fairly full all around. Flavors of baked apples, ginger, toast points and smoky minerals provide good fullness of flavor if not much in the way of layering or finesse. Still, it packs a small punch and leaves a fairly lasting impression on the palate of smoke, gunflint and quinine flavors. It is rather dry and has its moments of angularity, but is otherwise pretty giving of itself. It is an OK wine, and certainly a decent QPR.
N.V. Pierre Gimonnet Champagne Blanc de Blancs Cuis 1er Cru. My wife can’t seem to get enough of this producer. This particular bottle shows crisp aromas of matchstick smoke, flintlock, green apples and lime peel on the nose. In the mouth, it is similarly flinty and crisp, with a decided crunchy mineral edge. Sharp acidity and medium body lend it an air of edginess, but with a certain earthy richer refinement that keeps pulling it back in. It manages to find a solid core of flavor, though it never really seems to fan out very much to me—keeping itself a bit narrow and forward-pointing. It is finely-balanced with nice drive, but could use a bit more flesh for my taste.
N.V. Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley. The aromatics here are pretty dense, featuring apple skins, poached pears, deep smoke, chalk, graphite and lime rind. In the mouth, it is meaty and also exuberant, with plenty of masculine bass notes and rich flavorings. It is on the dry side on the finish, but with a meaty, sweet fullness through the middle. This is not finesse-driven, but does have some lively aspects to keep it balanced. It does lose a bit of focus after a while, but overall it is pretty enjoyable.
1999 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage. The nose here is seemingly fading, offering some aged aromatics of old baseballs, soft dirt, dried red flowers, tobacco leaf, baking spices and iron. In the mouth, it comes across as Northern Rhone Lite—a bit one-dimensional, light and airy. It is all smooth easy texture and dry tang, with flavors of dried cranberries and dried raspberries focused in a small ball of fruit that slips down real easily. Perfectly pleasant with some leftovers, but not really worthy of the home-cooked meal we first envisioned it for. Drink up.
2000 E. Guigal Chateauneuf-du-Pape. There is a nice soft chocolate aroma on the nose, along with lifted raspberries and other bright red fruits and some bottom earth and leather notes. In the mouth, it is very smooth, feeling almost airy and certainly resolved. It is medium-bodied, with an easy-going profile and some elements of polish and easy soft layering to the solid red currant, raspberry and sweet cherry fruit. The soft acidity is enough to keep the structure in tact in the absence of any notable tannin. The texture is silky-smooth and this is certainly in the drinking window, though I am not sure for how long.
2001 Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This is much darker and deeper in color than the 2000 Guigal served right before it. It is also more tightly-wound on the nose, and certainly veers more toward aromas like tapenade and olive brine, bay leaf, tar, menthol smoke, black shoe leather and black cherry. Although it opens up tight, it comes on strong after about 30 minutes in the glass. It is smooth in texture, but at times allows its chalky, dark chocolate-tinged tannic edge to take precedence. It is medium-bodied but has plenty of presence. Overall, it is still a bit young, but can certainly be enjoyed now.
2005 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. The bouquet of briery berries, grape stems, pistachio shells, pine, sarsparilla, sandalwood, black tea and Szechuan peppercorn is pretty familiar for a KB, but with some interesting facets I hadn’t noticed in earlier bottles. On the palate, the flavors of cola syrup, shaved sandalwood, wild berries, rhubarb, cherries galore and tons of brown baking spices are framed by a hint of heat toward the finish that doesn’t really get in the way somehow. Oak accents are strongly present, but I am more focused on the fleshy texture, fine glycerol feel and voluptuous style that pumps out a boatload of flavor. The oak does begin to feel grainier as this comes up to temperature more and sits in the glass longer, so I am going to say it is best to give this another 9 months to a year before dipping in again.
1998 Raymond Vineyard & Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve. This wine is still a healthy dark ruby color. It features aromas of eucalyptus, menthol, creme de cassis, and some murkier dark plum and mossy earth notes smoldering below. After an hour or so in the glass, it turns a bit sweeter and more red-fruited. In the mouth, the fruit is mellow and in quiet retreat at this point, with lots of earthy notes accented by gentle cranberry and red currant fruit. It is open-knit and accessible, but does have a fine juicy streak of acidity running through it to keep it from losing focus. The texture is very smooth, with resolved tannins. At this juncture, it needs to be drunk up, seemingly showing its best when paired with a meal.
-Michael