Purim / Not Knowing

[Adam M]

Over the past 8 months or so, I've had to return 2 '05 Zinfandels that were spoiled upon arrival directly from his winery.

Ernie was nothing short of responsive, professional and generous. After sending me a replacement that was also spoiled, we (or at least I) gave up on the Zin and he sent me an '06 cab instead that was really delicious.

[Sam M]

Pinch, David,
I had the cuvée de noir around mothers day. I found it bitter. Maybe its what Pinchas describes as tart. But not my cup of tea. I have another bottle, not interested in popping it , meanwhile I read all good things about it. Is this typical of Pinot noir sparklers?
Sam

[Gabriel Geller]

Is this typical of Pinot noir sparklers?

Hi Sam, actually it is, usually anyway. Brut Champagnes and sparklers are blends of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, "Brut" is both an indication of that blend and the dryness of the wine. While Blanc de Blancs (white of whites) means that it's a varietal 100% Chardonnay sparkler which is traditionally slightly sweeter although some blanc de blancs sparklers such as the Yarden '05 are quite dry. With all that said, a Blanc de Noir (white of black) like Hagafen's, made entirely from Pinot Noir, is likely to show dryness and typical PN bitterness.

[David Raccah]

Bitterness may be a bit much, when we tasted it at the winery, my friend complained that it was too sweet, he wanted a Sancerre like sparkler. I found it fine, not too sweet, or too dry. Personally, I would say that it may have bitter elements at the finish, but the wine overall is far from bitter or overly dry.

David

[Gabriel Geller]

Dave, as I like the same wines you also like 85% of the time, I'd probably have a similar impression regarding the sweetness. I was of course trying to explain what's going on in general with such wines. However, having personally never tasted the Hagafen, I'd rather wait for such an opportunity to comment it further. I will contact tomorrow someone I know in Tel Aviv that might have it and consider purchasing a bottle as oenologically speaking, I find this wine as extremely interesting (awakening in me the same curiosity and excitement that when I first bumped into a bottle of Yarden Noble Semillon Botrytis about 7 years ago). Otherwise I'll figure out a way to have someone buy and bring a bottle for me to Israel (many people coming for Pesach! ).

[Sam M]

This is the first blanc de noir I have had. If this is typical, I'm just not into it. I prefer a Chardonnay champagne. Otherwise I'm a big hagafen fan.

Sam

[Yossie Horwitz]

Purim was a relatively quiet affair. We had a large gathering Wednesday evening so I poured my usual crowd pleasers, the Dalton Wild Yeast Viognier and the Recanati, Reserve, Petite-Sirah / Zinfandel 2009. While I thought the Recanati was a bit off (in general, I liked the 2009 less than prior and the 2010 vintages) the crowd didn't seem to notice (other than Gary J) and they went through nearly a case of it. For the seuda with a contingent of non wine aficionado family members, I brought a bottle of Ella Valley, Syrah, 2007, most of which was polished off by yours truly.

Ella Valley, Syrah, 2007: As I have mentioned before, I really love the wines from this great and under appreciated (thus well-priced) winery (their Cabernet Franc in particular is to die for). A wine that can be enjoyed on its own or with food although I prefer it with food. A medium to full bodied intense wine loaded with blackberries, plums, currants and raspberries on the nose with additional hints of bitter citrus peel and earthiness added on the palate. An incredible depth of flavor and nuance throughout with slightly spicy oak, asphalt and more black fruit on the mid palate, leading into a long finish of black forest fruit, graphite and more dark chocolate. While I don’t see the wine getting any better with age it will easily keep for another year or two.

[Yossie Horwitz]

On the topic of the Hagafen Cuvee de Noirs, I disagree with Pinchas that it is a superior wine to the Yarden. While I found the Hagafen to be enjoyable (and I guess it gets some credit for being mevushal although not much in my book), I believe the Yarden is far more focused and concentrated, with better acidity and a far better food-pairing wine than the Hagafen which I didn't find dry enough for my tastes. My bottles were purchased directly from the winery on release and stored impeccably since, so storage can' be a factor here (although age might). Another highly enjoyable sparkler for me is the Laurent Perrier Brut (while the Rose version used to be awesome, the last few times I have tasted it have indicated a downhill slant).

[Andrew Breskin]

Another highly enjoyable sparkler for me is the Laurent Perrier Brut (while the Rose version used to be awesome, the last few times I have tasted it have indicated a downhill slant).

Is there any way of knowing when the most recent editions of the LPs are released? Do they use any coding on the bottles that gives away how long the bottles have been sitting around?

[David Raccah]

Truly the LP you love so much showed really poorly at Gotham. Gary and I agreed on that. To me the best Champagne is Drappier - PERIOD. The best sparkler is a toss up between Drappier, Blanc de Blanc and Cuvee Noir.

[Yossie Horwitz]

Wasn't at Gotham but the LP showed really nicely at KFWE but it's tough to find. I liked the Drappier Carte d'Or more than the Carte Blanc and would put the Louis de Sacy far ahead of the Hagafen but to each thier own tastes and preferences - that's what makes it so much fun.

[Gary J]

Truly the LP you love so much showed really poorly at Gotham. Gary and I agreed on that. To me the best Champagne is Drappier - PERIOD. The best sparkler is a toss up between Drappier, Blanc de Blanc and Cuvee Noir.

Actually David it was the Louis de Sacy that we tried together, both rose' & brut. If I recall, we both found the bubbles to be overly aggressive on the rose' and didn't find anything elegant about it. I did however like the regular brut version, though it still had the aggressive bubbles. That said, we did concede that it wasn't at the proper temperature (was sitting ON TOP of a pile of ice - not submerged) and that might have contributed to its mediocre showing.

[David Raccah]

Still at the IFWF - the LP Rose was not showing as well as the Drappier D'Or. Again, my opinion...

David

[Yossie Horwitz]

Agreed on the Rose - both the LP and de Sacy are less exciting/interesting than the "regular" versions and seem more tired these days...

[Gary J]

Still at the IFWF - the LP Rose was not showing as well as the Drappier D'Or. Again, my opinion...

David

Actually, here I agree. I had a taste at IFWF and it tasted a bit flat. Not the lively bubbly I remembered having tried (only once) previously. But I was cautiously optimistic when opening up a bottle on Purim that I was pleased showed quite well.

Either way, this all seems a silly conversation as at $100+ per bottle it is a wine most of us can't afford or drink at any but the most special of occasions...

[David Raccah]

Indeed - further reason why I will stick with Drappier, Blanc, and Hagafen sparkler.

David

[Yehoshua Werth]

Purim =

2007 Alexander - The Great (Magnum)
Rich, Heavy Dark Fruits and VERY YOUNG.

2003 Yatir - Forest
Realy nice and good flavors .. Super with food yet still dont quite get this?? Hmm..

2007 Hevron Heights - Machpela
Toffee, Chocolate, Tobaco, Dark Dark Rich Berries, Um just wanted to smell this for a while with Desert and the meat.

2009 Har Bracha - Merlot
Best QPR on the Table.. Earthy, Rich Red Berries, Gentle distant spice, Realy smoothe and had the whole table trying to figure this one out... With a massive amount of air time was a sure pleaser.. Super Different.. Even close to a more refined Port on the nose yet totaly dry on the pallate with sweet tannins. YUMM

Love be with your day,

[Elie Poltorak]

Drank a whole bunch of different wines (it's Purim after all!). Notables were:

Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2001
Yatir Forest 2007
Isaac's Ram

How's the '01 Leoville drinking? I have some left and and am wondering whether to drink up?

[E Segel]

Drank a whole bunch of different wines (it's Purim after all!). Notables were:

Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2001
Yatir Forest 2007
Isaac's Ram

How's the '01 Leoville drinking? I have some left and and am wondering whether to drink up?

I'm no expert, especially when it comes to Bordeaux. IMHO I don't feel this wine could get any better with age and should be consumed soon. I did think the wine was fantastic though. Took quite a bit to open up - we decanted it for an hour and then it was still pretty closed, only opened up after sitting in the glass a bit. Guess that's typical of this kind of wine. I still have a 2000 which I shall be drinking within the next few weeks, and an 03 which I can give some more time to.

[Andrew Breskin]

How's the '01 Leoville drinking? I have some left and and am wondering whether to drink up?

Indeed, drink up, IMO.

[Elie Poltorak]

Drank a whole bunch of different wines (it's Purim after all!). Notables were:

Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2001
Yatir Forest 2007
Isaac's Ram

How's the '01 Leoville drinking? I have some left and and am wondering whether to drink up?

I'm no expert, especially when it comes to Bordeaux. IMHO I don't feel this wine could get any better with age and should be consumed soon. I did think the wine was fantastic though. Took quite a bit to open up - we decanted it for an hour and then it was still pretty closed, only opened up after sitting in the glass a bit. Guess that's typical of this kind of wine. I still have a 2000 which I shall be drinking within the next few weeks, and an 03 which I can give some more time to.

Interesting that I had quite the contrary experience. The last bottle I had (perhaps 1/2 a year ago) had to be consumed very rapidly as the wine began to go flat minutes after pouring and the little left in the bottle at the end of the hour was completely dead. Anyhow, I'm starting to think this wine peaked 2-3 years ago--I thought it would keep improving (Rogov gave it a window through 2015) but I don't think it lived up to that hope. I enjoyed it most 2.5 years ago on Succot--one of the most memorable bottles of wine I've ever had. I'm down to my last bottle so I've been hesitant to drink up... Perhaps over Pesach (I save my best wines for yom tov).