WTN: Potel and Gagnard, Aiguilhe & Caronne Ste Gemme
Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 3:01 pmWith salmon in butter, fava bean puree, asparagus, and rice with furikake, the 2000 Potel "Les Rugiens" Pommard 1er Cru. More red fruit than I think of as typical for Pommard, all raspberry, cherry, and wild strawberry. There some lead pencil (which I think of as more Bdx than Burg) and spice on the nose. Nice wine, ready to go. B+
The 2002 Ch. d'Aiguilhe (Cotes de Castillon) was better than I expected (I've had poor Right Bank luck with 2002s). Some toast/vanilla oak on the nose, cassis and black plum fruit with decent concentration, some rather stern tannins. This needs a few years to let the tannins and oak integrate. On day 2 the fruit had rounded out to more blackberry and cassis, the tannins less noticable, and the vanilla note, while still there, was definitely playing second fiddle to some distinct Bordeaux earthiness. B+/B
My friend Annabelle made lasagna last night, and Marc served the 1996 Caronne St. Gemme (Medoc). Medium red fruit, not especially tannic but the tannins do have a very hard edge. Picks up some forest floor and meat aromas after a while. Good acidity makes it a better food wine than a standalone Bordeaux, but this isn't a buy. B-
With cheese, Marc served a 375 of the 2002 JN Gagnard "Morgeots" Chassagne-Montrachet 1er rouge (I just drank my last 1999 last week). Earth, sandalwood, and black cherry. Good acidity, light ripe tannins, fruit blooms in the glass, with mushrooms and spices overlaying. B+
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
The 2002 Ch. d'Aiguilhe (Cotes de Castillon) was better than I expected (I've had poor Right Bank luck with 2002s). Some toast/vanilla oak on the nose, cassis and black plum fruit with decent concentration, some rather stern tannins. This needs a few years to let the tannins and oak integrate. On day 2 the fruit had rounded out to more blackberry and cassis, the tannins less noticable, and the vanilla note, while still there, was definitely playing second fiddle to some distinct Bordeaux earthiness. B+/B
My friend Annabelle made lasagna last night, and Marc served the 1996 Caronne St. Gemme (Medoc). Medium red fruit, not especially tannic but the tannins do have a very hard edge. Picks up some forest floor and meat aromas after a while. Good acidity makes it a better food wine than a standalone Bordeaux, but this isn't a buy. B-
With cheese, Marc served a 375 of the 2002 JN Gagnard "Morgeots" Chassagne-Montrachet 1er rouge (I just drank my last 1999 last week). Earth, sandalwood, and black cherry. Good acidity, light ripe tannins, fruit blooms in the glass, with mushrooms and spices overlaying. B+
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.