May, 2022: What Are You Drinking?

2014 Laherte Freres Empreintes Extra Brut

Brioche and bruised apples with a very long, slightly nutty finish. Again, at ~ $70 Leherte Freres shows why it’s my favorite Champagne house for value.

2016 Lapostolle Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Alexandre Apalta Vineyard

Last night with frozen pizza topped with lots of sliced fresh mushroom, 2017 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannokburn. Pizza was crappy; wine was outstanding, big floral nose, lots of berry, cherry, grilled beef flavours, quite intense, silky, very long expansive finish. Each glass was progressively better; seems young, but shows well now and should improve. In the Pinot sweepstakes, this wine’s a relative bargain.

Tonight with grilled tenderloin, garlic bread, salad, a bottle of 2009 Domaine du Groś Noré Bandol, big nose of crushed berries and roasted coffee, smells great. Threw a large amount of sediment, but looks and drinks young, with a bit more tannin to shed from the copious fruit. Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsault blend. Very tasty!

2015 Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay.  Big and full-bodied with ripe tropical fruit playing off a sweet oaky background, and a long finish.  Great match to our corn chowder and garlic bread .  Second of three bottles -- will drink the last one over the next year or so.

2019 Faury Saint Joseph V. V.

While the 2018 wasn’t stellar, 2016 and especially 2017 were screaming deals. So is the 2019. This is true Northern Rhone splendor, not just a good old vine Syrah. (And, for the record, it is Serine.) Green Olives, iron, hickory smoke and purple Serine fruits. As it should be.

2017 Jamet Equivoque

I pulled a second bottle because I was curious after last night. Yep. This is a great kalamata juice / wine. The Faury was better.

Last night at the local fish eatery, with a superb meal (Pacific scallops, local spot prawns, branzino, cauliflower karaage, etc; there’s no current What’s For Dinner thread, so I’ll post a couple of food pics at the end of this) we had 2014 François Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatieres, a terrific showing for a 1er Cru Burg; great floral and citrus nose, apple, lemon, orange zest, honey, hazelnut, hints of peach, all swirling in a silky solution that becomes minerally on the very long finish. A Wow wine! We loved it (and the somm kept returning for more 😄).

Couple of the dinner’s highlights were spot prawn crudo with persian cucumber, radish, great olive oil and intense basil oil, and nicely placed tiny chive flowers. We don’t usually see this kind of presentation at local fish joints.

The lower photo was a little gift from the kitchen: barely-seared sea scallops on a bed of shaved black truffle, on a bed of buttery cauliflower purée, on intense lobster stock reduction. Bravo!

Last night with scramble of eggs, Spanish onion and gendarmes sausage, we had a bottle of NV J.M. Labruyére Champagne Grand Cru Anthologie Rosé Extra Brut. A beautiful shade of reddish copper in the glass, but all downhill from there. Very reticent nose, with some pear in the mouth, hints of berry, but all overshadowed by lots of mineral. Very crisp, mild mousse, short-ish finish. Will not buy this again. Very overpriced in my market.

Shareef don’t like it.

Just got back from Madison, WI to memorialize our dear friend jar1. Here is a list of the wines consumed. Many of these wines were provided by Jose himself for his friends to taste in his honor after his passing. True Jose style. Always giving to a fault if there is such a fault. Individual tasting notes and pictures of bottles to come but let me know if I need to bump something up in the list.

Jose A. Rodriguez (jar1) Memorial Dinner 05-20-2022 thru 05-22-2022

1989 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut La Grande Dame MAGNUM
1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc des Millénaires x 2
1998 Piper Heidsick Rare MAGNUM
2002 Dom Pérignon P2

2004 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
2007 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series
2013 Maison Harbour Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru En Caillerets
2013 Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard Bee Block
2013 Sine Qua Non Résisté

1953 Château Margaux
1959 Château Calon Ségur
1989 Château Haut Brion
2005 Château Cos d'Estournel
2005 Château Léoville Las Cases

2007 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg
2010 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echézeaux

1997 Domaine Rene Engel Clos Vougeot
2008 Domaine Alain Burguet Chambertin Clos de Bèze

1985 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle
1981 Penfolds Grange
1990 Penfolds Grange

1958 Château Villargeil Rivesaltes
1968 Bertani Amarone Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Superiore

1946 Don PX
1945 Taylor
2007 Château d’Yquem

Well sure, Joe, those are nice wines to have with lunch, but what did you have with dinner?🤪

Very envious! There are more unicorns in that list than most people will have in a lifetime! Well done.😎

1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc des Millénaires

Tonight, friends are doing a little dinner I suppose to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday (she is in my all-time top 60 British monarchs) which we do today, often by playing cricket and feasting on tea and crumpets as we furl and unfurl decorative parasols, all veddy, veddy British, you see. We’ll dine on pork tenderloin with paprika/cumin rub, morel bread pudding, etc. We’re taking fresh rhubarb crisp for dessert, and

-  2002 Piper Heidsieck Champagne Rare, a beauty that I’ve had 3 times and been impressed each time.

- 2007 Mathilde and Yves Gangloff Côte-Rôtie La Sereine Noire, which should go very nicely with the pork.

Happy Victoria Day, y’all!

How funny Seaq, I had that Rare Saturday night myself. 1998 vintage.

I'm going to assume it was excellent, Joe. I've had 1988, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008 (I feel as though I'm channeling VinoMe here!) vintages of this wine, and while some might be a bit better than others, all have shown very well and none have disappointed. After vintage Krug and Winston Churchill, this is my all-time favourite luxury cuvée, though admittedly there are lots-- like Vinotheque or Clos d'Ambonnay-- that I've never had the opportunity to try.

Hope sometime in the nearish future we'll have a chance to share some bread and wine with you and Purple again.

2004 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos