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.

Goat cheese and archetypes

My friend Matt cooked a dinner out at Elodie Farms not too far back. Elodie Farms is a local producer of goat cheese that both he and my brother use. Dave, the owner, is a riot and it was a fun evening.

2004 Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos la Néore
How does one critique the archetype? A great wine. Maybe not as intense as the 2002 or as dense and tactile as the 2005, but great wine.

2002 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Bourgogne
A decent showing, but not especially complex or interesting. Most folks rate this Bourgogne very highly, but it isn’t in the Mugneret or Barthod league, IMO. I've been disappointed with most 2002 d'Angerville at this stage. They just seem dull and flattened out. I guess this might re-emerge in a couple of years, but this is my last bottle and I wish I had drank it when it was young and exhuberent.

2005 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Cuvée Domaine
The “go-to wine” right now. Whatever that means. But in all seriousness, while this wine has all the material in place to age pretty gracefully, it is no crime to dig in now. However, that being said, the 2004 is drinking much better at this particular moment. I think this wine is an outrageous value and really flexible at the dinner table.