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Pate and Cheeses were served with a first round
of bubbles:
2005
Belliviere Coteaux du Loir L'Effraie
-- One of the bottles was corked, so we stretched the
other around the table. Sherry Chyla
called it "very sweet". Indeed it was. Though quite a bit
different from the dry 2004 model I had recently sampled, the
2005 still carried itself with grace.
Jeff Peterson - Davis (way down at the end of the
table) was rumored to find "green olives" in the bouquet -- not
so much for me, but I would assert that there is a distinct
herbal presence mixed with tropical peach, and sea brine
laced billows. The wine was well concentrated with its peach and
apricot fruit, but maintained a striking acidic delicacy -- not
overt, but effective. I put my last sip aside and revisited it
before dessert -- here I would add the words sensual
and precise. I know many were put off by the sweetness, but
Belliviere continues to impress me with
their always interesting, frequently compelling and in this
case, beautiful wines. Find this wine
Though we do
not always march in lock step in our palate preferences or
subjective analysis, I thought Jeff did give a very fine
vintage overview for these wines and recent Chateauneuf du Pape vintages
in general.
Larry's previous article BACK TO LARRY MEEHAN'S INDEX PAGE © November 2007
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This year's Cleveland 
2000
Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Rose --
Jenna Warren
(at left with Larry
Meehan) remarked on its
"pizza dough"/bread like qualities, and I was quick to agree. In
addition, it offered up a delightful floral quality, and fresh
berry flavors tempered by a nice wash of acid. This struck me as
quite young, albeit very enjoyable.
2005
Francois Chidaine Montlouis Clos du Breuil -- This was
overwhelmingly the group's favorite wine in the flight. What's
not to like? It was excellent, albeit largely unevolved Chenin.
Copious amounts of stones and flower petals were strewn about
the glass, floating amidst a good bit of oh, so subtly
sweet lemon and orange...all veiled in wisps of smoke. This
Montlouis had real verve, and could easily tempt one to probe
its depths over hours and years. 
2005
Huet Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Sec -- This makes the Chidaine
look somewhat middle aged. It was a rock -- so not surprisingly
it smelled of sea soaked stones. It was unevolved to the point
where I called it "clunky". That all said, it was still enticing
with its intense core of acid and layers of minerals waiting to
be flaked away. 
2001
Patz & Hall Pisoni (from Magnum) -- Sweet
Beth Weikel (along with her
husband Chambers) is always
trying to find a California Pinot that I can say I really enjoy.
Though a few do exist, this was not one of them. That said, this
was a dark, rich, thick, concentrated, plummy Pinot that is well
crafted in its full throttle style. I have no doubt that sipping
a few glasses of this might knock me to my knees, but the
alcohol is relatively well hidden. This was the group darling,
as it generated whoops and hollers that could be heard from
miles around...anthems were written...babies were born in the
euphoria. Our new friend Brad Coelho,
left (who traveled in from New York with
Ejehan Turker to attend the
event) was heard to apply words like "oozing" and "erupting"
with a sense of glee. You done good, Beth -- the needs of the
many outweigh the needs of the one! 
2005
Gainey Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Limited Selection --
Scents of milk chocolate and mint dominated the nose, with
perhaps a bit of roasted bell pepper, too. An initial rush of
sweet cherry/berry fruit found a gap in the midpalate, where
herbs carried the wine toward a vanilla cream finish. The "many
faces of oak" seem to rule the roost... at least that is where
my perceptions carry me. 
2003
Sea Smoke Southing -- The nose here seems shy, albeit
slightly reduced...a bit of burnt rubber over more milk
chocolate. It was deep, sweet, ripe, and reasonably
tannic, though the alcohol was far more apparent to me than in
the other two Pinots. There were subtle underpinnings of earth
and herb, but I had to work to find them. This was also well
received by a majority of the attendees, but I will not hold it
against them. 
1998
Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Reservee -- "Such lovely brett"
said Tom W. (far right
with Tom Futey) Indeed, the bouquet
was a tribute to horse barns everywhere (I’m not a terroirist
when it comes to horse barns), but I too found that essence
mixed with pipe smoke and spice to be quite appealing. Others
recoiled. Cherries, earth, herbs and tobacco form the basis of
the well-formed palate flavors, but it was their depth and
evolution that impressed. The word "mature" was often bandied
about, which is fair in that the wine has a developed persona,
though in no way did it seem "old" to me. It did have a
significant tannic crunch that clips the finish ever so
slightly, but not so much to stop me from listing this as my
favorite in a very strong flight. Going back to the wine
at the end of the night, it did show some further decay. 
1998
Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Laurence -- "Sure it has
some brett, but not quite enough" noted Tom (it is not like I
can avoid him, as he is seated right next to me). This is a more
elegant play on the Reservee -- the fruit seeming darker but
more taut, Christmas spice, and obvious yet subtle oak tones.
When compared to the above, this is a tighter, more controlled
package...less grit and sauvage. One's palate preferences will
dictate, but I favored the less oaked model, though this was
quite good in its own right. 
2000
Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Reservee -- There was not much
brett for Tom to talk about here, so the air waves were taken
over by Brad waxing rhapsodically about all that "Provencal
herb" and "garrigue"...as much as I enjoy that sort of character
in my wine, I was hard pressed to detect any more than a hint of
lavender in my stem. White pepper…? now that was a different
story, as I found plenty in both the sniff and sip. "Campfire
coffee" -- yes, that too. Sweet and sultry raspberries make it
an easy sip, but I never seem to perceive the supple textures or
a level of interest that delves beyond skin deep. 
2003
Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Reservee -- No smoke on the water,
but it was deep purple, for sure. The glass could barely contain
all that fig, prune, and liqueur-like pointy goodness surging
within. As one might imagine in this vintage, it was mightily
ripe/over ripe and powerfully tannic. It was decorated with
enticing notes of black pepper, cocoa powder and Indian spice.
Contrary to the scouting reports on me, it was not the immense
wave of pleasure giving ripeness that I hated (OK, maybe a
little), it was the subsequent wash of alcoholic heat. I am the
first to say that balance is subjective, so I have no problem
with those that genuflect in the presence of this mammoth
creature, but I still find it hard to believe that so many hold
out hope for this wine's long-term development. As
Loren Sonkin (at left, our
sage-like event organizer) stated -- "We will see." No word from
Tom as to any brett in this one.
2004
Domaine de la Mordoree Chateauneuf du Pape la Reine des Bois
(from Magnum) -- George Chyla
(at right
with wife, Sherry) tossed
this trophy into the fray, and though he regretted not decanting
it 4 hours before serving, it showed well. This was cut from
entirely different cloth than the Pegau lineup. It strikes me as
the epitome of modern with its tropical scents, polished
textures, muscular tannins, perfectly ripe fruit and a variety
of sundae topping accents. Strangely enough, I neither feared
nor loathed it. It was not something I'd choose to drink, but I
was mightily impressed by the sum of its parts. Jenna Warren
made up for Tom's brett free silence by adding the very apt --
"yummy!"
One
of our region's respected deep thinkers on wine, Jeff
King,
(at left with wife, Susan)
had this to say about the vintages of Pegau:
2003
Paul Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Domaine Raymond Roure -- Beth
Weikel (at
right with husband, Chambers)
brought forth another from her bag
-- it was Zinfandel in Northern Rhone labels! Seriously though,
that is what I guessed when served this blind -- it was that
ripe and that bright. The alcohol and tannin blend left a warm,
slightly bitter resonance, but nothing too problematic. There
was a touch of noticeable oak, but it did not seem out of place.
This was a fun wine in a sense, but I was amazed to hear how
many thought this would evolve wonderfully for years to come?!?
If you love fruit in your wine, drink it soon and enjoy. I'm
very skeptical to its long-term evolution, though the same can
be said for many wines in the 2003 heat wave. 
