Friday

Friday night featured "food by Kim Adams" -- Chicken Provencal, Beef Bourgogne, roasted vegetables, and more. There was a fine spread of cheeses to bridge any gaps. Bob Graeter's "Sundae bar" is always a big hit for dessert.

1993 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rosato -- It is not really pink...more like orange in color. It is built in an oxidized sort of style, which is strange/off putting to many. This time around, I liken it to an Italian digestivo...bitter, herbal, and strangely satisfying. Find this wine

NV Jose Dhondt Mes Vielles Vignes Champagne -- It is light fresh and delicious. It has soft smooth textures. Find this wine

NV F. Chidaine Sparkling Montlouis -- It is light in its demeanor and weight, but oh so fresh. It shows peaches, light herb and earth tones all conveyed by a fine stream of bubbles. Find this wine

1997 Luneau Papin Le L d'Or Muscadet -- It seems ridiculous on some levels to say this, but this wine was one of the weekend's biggest disappointments. I've had a number of better bottles -- always pleasing and interesting, but this bottle was just thin and flat. It happens...even to top shelf Muscadet. Find this wine

2000 Hirsch Gaisberg Alte Reben Riesling -- It was pleasant enough with its lemon flecked, stony scents and peach/citrus flavors. It lacks some intensity , but pleasing all the while. Bob Graeter referred to it as "oily"...I'd say that is a fair appraisal of texture. Find this wine

2003 Zinck Tokay Pinot Gris - Prestige -- High toned aromatics with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. It seems heavy and ponderous in the mouth -- but not searing, fat and unappealing. Find this wine

1990 Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah -- Scents of caramel, cinnamon and Kiwi shoe polish (black)...some noted a tinge of VA. It had wild and spicy flavor notes, some blackberry, but surprisingly little tannin. Past experience with these Ridge Petites always has me braced for a mighty crunch -- not this time. It is interesting on some level, but not compelling. Find this wine

2002 Houillon Overnoy Arbois - Pupillin Poulsard -- It initially impressed me as "thick Beaujolais"...thick being the key word, in color, scent and taste. Its color was a cloudy red/pink...not long on standard "optics". Tim Thomas channeled our old friend Andy Keillor in saying it "smells like ass"...though I'd agree there was some brett at work, I was more kind. It was a wild animal and a very compelling drink. Along with 'da funk, it had enticing pomegranate and cherry pit...earth tones and furry notes. It has refreshing acids and kinder than expected tannin. It is odd and eclectic -- I loved it! It is not a wine for rank and file wine sippers, but the bottle was drained long before most others. Find this wine

2003 Buon Cristiani Rosato Napa -- Red fruits and lots of alcohol (listed at 14.1% abv). It has a thick/clumsy palate -- full and spicy...finishing up with peanut butter and heat. Find this wine

2003 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (14.95 % abv) -- "Distilled strawberries" -- my initial comment. It is thick with strawberry and cherry fruit...creamy vanilla through the center...a bit of apparent alcohol at the close. Rick Dayan chimed in with the classic "fruit by the foot" -- those with young kids know all too well about such products. As much as some of comrades tried to bait me, this did not strike me as a monstrous or truly ugly Pinot, but all the same, not a wine I'd choose to drink for personal fulfillment. Find this wine

1990 Chevillon Les Saint Georges -- To the contrary, here is a wine on label alone I'd figure to enjoy -- but wine is funny like that. There is a good dollop of brett over the top...funk and iron. It is well structured, but lacks any real fruit or secondary development in its stead. I found it interesting for a brief moment, but there is little to love in regard to fragrance, flavor or even texture. It was a disappointment, but since I've never had it before, I have no comment as to what is typical for this bottling/vintage. Find this wine

1990 Lothier - Rieusset Pommard Rugiens-- It showed a good bit of mint on the nose...lots of slightly tart cherry and turned dirt throughout. It has a tannic bite to be sure, but most of the way it presents itself as elegant and lithe. It seems to still be in transition. Find this wine

2000 Dujac Echezeaux Grand Cru -- It shows pretty and pure Bing cherry fruit and Christmas spices, along with plenty of earthy nuance. At the outset, it seems soft and approachable...somewhat simple, but delicious. After a bit of time, the acid spikes in the center giving the wine new dimension and vigor. It showed some late tannin. It seems to be a young wine with ample room for development, but all the while, it is a pleasure to sip. Find this wine

2005 Vatan Sancerre Clos de Neore -- This seemed light (far lighter than some of us imagined for this vintage) and featured baskets full of fresh vegetables. It was not especially intense, nor ripe, nor concentrated...not any stones of any particular shape or color. It was all a mystery as to what was up with this well pedigreed wine. That said, it was a pleasant match for the ash covered chevre. Find this wine

1987 Ridge Monte Bello -- The nose was of mint, earth and iron...palate was much the same. It had a lovely caress to the palate, but never transformed into more than an interesting sip. Find this wine

1995 Thackrey Orion -- Pure, cool liquid mint. There is another stream of rich chocolate flowing through...who knew there were tannins in Peppermint Patties? Strangely enough, I like it. Find this wine

1996 Alban Lorraine Syrah -- I toted this along with our "Friday night only" visitors (Jeff Fish and Mitch Tallan) in mind...also as a reminiscence of way back when I used to buy Alban wines. It was still dark as night, and a bit volatile when first opened. The Syrah featured Columbian coffee aromas, black cherries and chocolates. The cherries drive the palate, but take bits of the chocolate along for the ride...pepper and roasted meat are late to arrive but welcome guests. The acids still sparkle, and the tannins are firm palate bumpers. Nice wine! Even the Alban wary Dave Nelson (right) called it "quite potable"...the first Alban he had ever deemed so. Find this wine

1989 Drouhin Clos de Vougeot -- I've had this one a few times before. Perhaps not as strong of a bottle as some previous, but still combining earth tones, smooth textures and deliciously sweet red fruit in fine fashion. Find this wine

1998 Allemand Reynard Cornas -- Sure it shows mighty structure and imposing cold granite throughout -- but is still immensely pleasing to a palate such as mine. Black olives, blood and wet fur are slung over the top...taut cherry fruit seeps through the craggy rocks in the center, and a sprig of mint grows up in the tannic gravel at the close. The freshness of Allemand's wines still manages to surprise me... Find this wine

1978 Raffault Les Picasses Chinon -- The essence of green pepper...it was not pleasing. Still I was amazed at its sense of freshness -- that bell pepper and foliage crunched in my mouth! Tim T shared a 1985 model with some of us last summer. That bottle was special, while this was more of a curiosity. Find this wine

1998 Sori Paitin Barbaresco -- Volatile Acidity gone wild! It probably had a few other issues, too, but it was undrinkable. Find this wine

2004 Alesia Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir -- I'm not sure if it was spill over from the Barbaresco, but this initially struck me as having VA issues in the early going. In revisiting it later, it was no issue at all. It was pleasantly ripe, but also possessing a confectionary sort of character that I find off putting in Pinot Noir. That said, its proportions were not unreasonable. Find this wine

2003 Darnaud Crozes - Hermitage -- This is a favorite of our old friend Bill Paumen...I'm sure all of us would have swapped this and a few other wines on the table to have him with us this year. I hold out hope for next time!  It was a good wine, and not especially ripe or unwieldy in the way I've found many other '03 Rhones. It has a pretty nose of flowers and spit roasted meat...lots of juicy cherry and spice on the palate. I'd drink it sooner rather than later. Find this wine

1989 Foreau Vouvray Moelleux Clos Naudin Reserve -- Ice cold lemon water scents...sea shells and honey. All of the above persist in the palate, achieving a brine and herb accented sweet persistence. It shows good density and freshness -- very pretty! Find this wine

2002 Gunderloch Nachheim Rothenberg Riesling Spatlese -- Peaches, lemon rind and honey...just a bit of stone. It is initially sweet, but a nice wave of acid gives it a clean feel and finish. Find this wine

1996 Gunderloch Nachheim Rothenberg Riesling Spatlese -- Honeysuckle, lemons and lilies all forge a very enticing nose. The palate features candied lemon with bits of stone and greenery. It is not incredibly complex at this point (still young), but clean, bright and smile inducing. Find this wine

Saturday

Saturday saw the usual flow of people to and fro: Ann Arbor shopping, Meehans at the Science Center, Tony Packo's lunch, etc. The poker "tourney" has become an annual event...I was lucky enough to win again. Rick Dayan brought us a fine lamb stew. It was joined by what has become the traditional Larry mock cassoulet...salads, cheeses, breads, etc. Special thanks to the always helpful Jeff Gillikin (right, brown shirt with Jeff Faunce) for braving the cold, tending the fire, and stirring the pots.

2002 JP Brun Beaujolais Cote de Broulliy -- Hand carried from France. It had a beautiful nose of violets and strawberry. The palate is crisp with leaves and berries...better a few hours after opening. The texture was noteworthy -- seeming both smooth and lithe. Find this wine

2002 Pepiere Briords Muscadet -- Very tight. It is jam packed with stone, tinged with lemon, but almost immovable. It needs years. Find this wine

1999 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese -- Fresh with white flowers, peach, and slate/petrol...late arriving herbs and menthol, but these are no distraction. It is never heavy or ponderous, rather athletic and fun. It is incredibly easy to sip and so remarkably refreshing. Find this wine

1995 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese -- This bottle's main feature seems to be its tartness. It was not so puckering so as to be undrinkable, but there so many better options on the table. Find this wine

1999 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese Auction -- In comparison, this Auction bottle appeared thicker, richer, and sweeter...more petrol and spice (white pepper). The CO2 component was more obvious and in many ways seeming overdone. "It is borderline too much for me", Roland Riesen (right) stated aloud. This bottling seems to require more cellar time, but likely has the stuffing to favorably progress. Find this wine

NV Varnier Fannière Rose -- Kim called it "explosive in the mouth". I could not disagree, as even with the creamy mousse, the bubbles launch a full on assault on the palate. Not a bubbly for the weak... Find this wine

NV Larmandier - Bernier Rose de Saignee -- As potent and powerful as was the Champagne above, this beauty was amazingly delicate. It sported an eye enticing pink shimmer and fine streams of bubbles. High toned scents of roses and violets...nice minerals and well formed acids -- it was a frothy joy. Find this wine

2006 JP Brun Terres Dorres L'Ancien Beaujolais Nouveau -- Many were amazed a the deep colors in this "serious" Nouveau. Good juice! Find this wine

2004 JP Brun Terres Dorres Beaujolais Fleurie -- I found this strangely dominated by herbs and spice. It seems as if it is in a strange place right now. Ready to go (albeit young), beautifully aromatic and textured Fleurie; good fer ya’ and damn good with crab cakes. Delicious! About $19; I would so pay this again. Find this wine

1967 Chateau Calon-Segur (magnum) -- As I had just celebrated my 40th birthday just a few days earlier, I wanted to share this birth year memorial with my friends. Colonial Bob Eppich was very kind to have procured this for me -- thanks so much for the effort and gesture! The wine was filled with mint, tobacco and other earth/mineral treats. Roland called it a beautiful "aged Bordeaux nose"...I'd certainly agree. It is not a wine of great depth of flavor, but neither is it anywhere near "dead. It spikes with bright acids, and shows little if any tannin. There is light bottle sweetness as it drifts away. I was very pleased with how it showed, especially considering the difficulty of the vintage.
Find this wine


2000 (E Nicolas) Bellieviere Hommage a Louis Dere -- It was fresh and fleshy, featuring red fruits and herb/tobacco notes. "Very spicy" said Bob G. Cool stuff. Find this wine

1990 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cabassou -- Serious funk -- some love it, while others run in horror. It had a surprisingly soft and fruity entry, but it bludgeons the palate with significant tannins. It really required food for my enjoyment. Find this wine

2004 F Cotat La Grande Cote Sancerre -- Smells like "just picked" green peas, straight from the pod. In the mouth it is all about lemons, limes, exciting acids, and big chunks of rock. The was very long -- if only I wore a watch! All that said it is very young. Find this wine

1990 Verset Cornas -- This had a big funky overlay, in addition to copious amounts of bacon and granite. The palate is more subdued than the nose seemed to suggest. It still showed good amounts of stone and tannin...more round and even with the lamb stew. Find this wine

1998 Allemand Reynard Cornas -- Though I liked Friday night's bottle of this same Allemand Cornas, I thought the Saturday version was all that much better. It still showed large amounts of meat, fur and granite, but the fruit was more pronounced, and the tannins were a finer knit. Delicious and quite appealing! Kudos to John Blackwood (in cap with Deadwood fans, Mark Criden and Trinka Dykes) for the lovely redundancy. Find this wine

1990 Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape -- Oh sure there was a tinge of brett, but I had not issues with the light gamy funk...leather and cake spice, too. The black cherry fruit really pops on the palate and adds a "bottle aged sweetness" to earthy nuance and herbal/anise notes at the close. This was an excellent bottle! Find this wine

1990 Pegeau Chateauneuf-du-Pape -- In relative terms, this had a very "clean" nose....black dirt, iron, dark fruit. It is full and juicy in the mouth with dark berried fruit, coffee, and charred meat. Its tannins were pretty easy going. Nice wine. Find this wine

1990 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Magnum) -- There was a tinge of nail polish remover in the nose, but not so much as to be off putting...mostly red fruit, sweaty leather and warm stone. This '90 was fruit forward and attractive, though the structure seemed absent. I'd be inclined to consider drinking this one sooner than the other 1990 CdP's we sampled.  Find this wine

1997 Jamet Cote Rotie -- It was a tough vintage in the Northern Rhone, but I've still had a number of other '97 Jamet's I've found far more appealing than this one. It was shy on aromatics and the palate seemed clipped. Oh well... Find this wine

1995 Edmunds St. John Durell Vineyard Syrah -- This Durell seemed flat and somewhat lifeless. I do not believe I've sampled this vintage recently, so I'm sure if it is a problem with this bottle, or a general decline. Find this wine

1999 Kongsgaard Hudson Vineyard Syrah -- It was black as night and quite extracted. There are some pleasant bacon fat and roasted meat aromas, but these are easily offset by a pervasive "charred" note in the nose and "burned rubber" aspect in its flavor profile. It is certainly full in the mouth, and not showing much heat, but it is difficult for me to want to swallow. This is clearly a wine built for a different sort of palate preference than mine. Find this wine

2003 MacPhail Pinot Noir -- Whereas I deemed this wine to be a "conversation piece Pinot" with its syrupy berry, chocolate and vanilla accents, and somewhat bloated feel, Dave Nelson trumped all that by saying -- "this is the sort of oak that makes me nauseous". I guess we'll have to lobby for more descriptive labeling so as to protect people like Dave. Find this wine

1999 Alban Seymour's Grenache -- I looked over to our makeshift karaoke area to spy Trinka Dykes, Amy McClellan and Pam Gillikin laying down the background vocal for a few different Springsteen tunes...it put a smile on my face and perhaps made my wine of the moment all the more appealing.  This was so dark in color, it seemed to suck the light from the room. There is no doubt it is rich, ripe and effectively slick, but I must admit to finding it delicious. I'd be happy to finish a full pour. Find this wine

1981 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon -- This bottle was pretty much shot...only tannins remain. Find this wine

1990 Thackrey Orion -- Kim threw up her hands when I said "minty". She is of the belief that anyone recognizing the label is programmed to find mint or eucalyptus as per the wine lore about surrounding trees, open fermenters, etc. I actually sniffed before I spoke -- there was plenty of the aroma that I associate with mint, but your herbal mileage may vary. That said, the wine is medium bodied, interesting to sniff and sip, and wraps up with good tannic crunch. I liked it. Find this wine
 

1993 LaFarge Volnay -- It showed some decent cherry and iron accents, but is seeming tired. The acids and tannins dominate the wine. It would show better in a different setting, but I doubt it will ever be especially exciting. Find this wine

1990 Domaine Trevallon -- Many of the 1990 wines on the table came from the Mark Criden Collection (he created his own personal theme) -- this was among the best of the impressive lot. The aromatics ranged from roasted corn and fresh ground coffee to leather and rust...black cherries, too. That synthesis forged the flavor profile, adding some blood and pepper at the close. The acids and tannins create a fine balance, resulting in an extremely enjoyable wine. Find this wine

1990 Monsanto Il Poggio -- This was downright dirty. It smelled like dirt (or perhaps mud), tasted like dirt...I washed my hands after handling the bottle. No need to linger here. Find this wine

1990 CH Berres Erdener Treppchen Beerenauslesen -- Apricot, slate and green tea were the featured aromatics. It was tangy in with apricot and lemon, but fresh all the while. It was surprisingly "not so sweet" -- Roland deeming it "almost dry". There is ample mineral in the finish, along with a tea leaf dryness. It was somewhat odd, but interesting and compelling. Find this wine
 
2004 Weinbach Clos des Capucins Cuvee Laurence Gewurtztraminer -- It was high toned and full of white flowers. In regard to flavor, Jeff Faunce summed it up nicely -- "pear juice"...pleasantly sweet, but lacking acidity and overall interest. Find this wine

1990 Dr. Loosen Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule -- This was an odd wine to me with its initial VA/ vynil shower curtain, copious sulfur and compartmentalized feel. Perhaps I hit it at a bad time, but it was nothing I wanted to dwell upon. Find this wine

1988 Chateau Climens -- It has an attractive shimmering gold color. Lychee, candied orange and botrytis form an appealing perfume. The palate seems to fall a bit short, showing some gapping in the center, and a relatively short finish. Find this wine

1990 Foreau Vouvray Clos Naudin Moelleux Reserve -- The aromas are pure botrytis...I expected to see a swarm of bees descending upon us at any moment. It was not just sweet, but downright sugary. It shows great length, along with stone, herb and honey laced depth of flavor. For all that sweetness, it comes across as relatively balanced -- impressive and wonderfully enjoyable wine. I'm not sure I'd readily be able to identify it as Vouvray, or Chenin at this point of its evolution, but in this case, it is easy to overlook. Find this wine