Burgundy = good

Over an excellent dinner at Rue Cler as the fifth wheel to two of my good friends and their wives. I have to give special mention to an English pea fritter that was essentially a falafel made with English peas. It may not sound great or exciting, but it was beautiful; in its simplicity.

1997 J. A. Ferret Pouilly-Fuissé Les Ménétrières
Over the hill. Too bad. I had a magnum of the Clos with the boys at Terroir SF not too long ago that was fantastic.

2008 Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers
This was my second time with this wine in the last two weeks. The previous bottle was a bit underwhelming, especially in comparison. I think it has to do with being opened about 5 hours before dinner. It was much more expressive than the previous bottle, but was still very pretty and light on its feet. I like the Neillon style and this should be better in a couple of years.

2005 Pernot Bâtard-Montrachet
This was an excellent bottle, if a very young one. I’m someone who likes the qualities that white Burgundy shows when young and this had all those in abundance. Intense minerals and stones awash in white floral scents and yellow stone pit fruits. As the night wore on, it got even younger and the structure became mouthwatering to the point of excruciating. If I had other bottles, I’d hold off for another 3-5 before checking in again. Very, very good wine.

2001 Barthod Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras
I opened this several hours before dinner and it really needed the air to open up. This is a more soil-driven, ferrous version of Chambolle. At an interesting place where the fruit is receding into something more permanent and the sous bois tones are starting to creep into the space left behind. This was complex on the nose and, at times, silky on the palate. I think this will really come into its own with a few more years in bottle. I’ll try another one in 3-4 years. I’ve been drinking my Barthod’s lately to try to figure out how they are aging and to determine future buying strategy. I was worried that they may never come around. I’m not really worried about that anymore. The wines are up there with Mugneret-Gibourg (an admittedly different idiom) for Burgundy.

2008 d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds
This started off aromatically pure and full of crunchy red fruits and purple flowers. Lots of fun to drink and right in my wheelhouse for pinot noir. After a few hours is started to get a bit blowsy and fuzzy which I think is more a testament to stage of development than overall quality.

N.V. Pinon Vouvray Brut Non Dosé
Great with a simple plate of strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. Pinon Brut in all its forms obviates 95% of my Champagne needs.

Dressner at Poole's

A Louis/Dressner wine dinner at Poole’s Diner in Raleigh. Ashley made a hell of a meal to go with the wines and the staff, and especially Matt Fern made it a very fun evening. The wines all showed remarkably well. Must have been a Thai Stripper day on the Biodynamic Calender.

(2008) François Pinon Vouvray Brut Non Dosé
Nice mousse and a fine structure. Lovely bread and pitted fruit notes. Unapologetically bubbly chenin. Maybe lacks the depth of Huet, but this was clean, vibrant and superb, overall. The Pinon wines are such remarkably rock solid values.

1999 Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Le L D'Or
I tasted from 3 different bottles of this, two of which were brilliant. There was a mature depth to the fruit, a kind of bottle sweetness, and a real viscous sense of the earth. Probably the best experience I’ve ahd with this wine. The third bottle wasn’t corked or otherwise flawed. It seemed younger and also completely flat and innocuous. Almost like another vintage was mislabeled.

2008 Franck Peillot Roussette du Bugey Altesse de Montagnieu
The Alpine meadow strikes again. Frank makes such a lovely version of altesse. It is floral and yellow and gentle, but just when you think you have it figured out, it is something else. This wine is terribly easy to drink and graces the table rather well. The course here was an expertly fried chicken thigh over an okra hash. Everything was right with the world.

2008 Arianna Occhipinti Sicilia IGT SP68
This was the best showing for this in a while. It had everything I loved about this wine, from the startlingly pure and focused aromatics to the crisp and refreshing palate. I love the wines sharpness and cut, although I can see where it might be too acidic for some folks. This was served with some crazy ass carnitas dish over fresh butterbean and corn succotash style dish.

2005 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Le Clos
This is great wine. For several years, I made the mistake of buying all the Poyeux and Bourg I could afford, but ignoring the Clos. In fact, the Clos (unsurprisingly) is much closer to the Bourg in comportment. While young, this was velvety and quite long. It needs five or so years and will probably drink beautifully for 20 or even more, but can be enjoyed with the right food by the impatient. With Piedmontese beef over a foraged mushroom risotto, one couldn’t ask for more.