Same wine redux

Same wine, same server, great meal this time. Everyone is entitled to an off night.

I hope we can find this one in the States!

Fines Roches

Not much to say, just fabulous.

Great older CDP and a wonderful meal.

Pic St Loup

Great story associated with this property, and basically they were Bio before Bio existed.

Color between ruby and purple.

Nose is just absolutely wild- red and black fruit, spice (cinnamon and pepper).

And then it was just a youthful fruit bomb on the palate. Great balance and a fabulous long finish. That spice just stayed and stayed.

I liked this a lot. The wine list showed a 2008 and we were served a 2010. Researching the wine would suggest a bit more age is in order.

The wine was great but I would only recommend the restaurant because this is on the list.

Tavel

As usual, my preferred rose is again Chateau Trinquevedel, but Guillaume has added another option to his traditional and gastronomic wines. This is a lighter wine, with more citrus and acid, which represents a modern style for the lightly colored reds of Tavel.

I like this term, lightly colored reds. These are wines of maceration rather than of bleeding the must.

They have hit the spot with this new wine. Not as light and pale as a Provençal rose, but fruitier and more citrus than traditional Tavel. Added to the other wines of the portfolio, this fills a necessary slot.

I doubt any will make it back to the States with me, and it is not imported. The wine is designed for local restaurant, cafe, and bistro sale.

Someone has written the book I planned for Tavel. It is well done, and introduces the concept of a pale red wine of maceration. A good way to characterize traditional Tavel.

Lunch at la Mirande, Avignon

Fabulous meal, thank you Antoinette and Otto.

So as a lunch we went with a Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc, 2011. There were older offerings, but I am fond of the young CdP whites. Juliette Avril is a relatively old family run domaine.

www.juillietteavril.com

The wine is a pale yellow, with a hint of green.

The nose shows white flowers, ripe pears, and white peach.

The taste follows the nose, with a wonderfully balanced and crisp acidity.

Cepage is Grenache, Roussanne, Clairette, and Bourboulenc.

This is a wine we consistently have liked and drunk young, although the producer indicates it can age for several years.

Tasting Epiphany

This was a once in a lifetime bottle over lunch at Le Montrachet. The year is 2006- of note that also was the year we first visited Bourgogne.

Nice golden color.

Complex nose of roasted pears and citrus. But with each fresh pour from the chilled bottle, there was something more, which was ephemeral and was lost as the wine warmed. White flowers, not roses but lemon blossoms. Amazing complexity.

The oak shows in the mouth, and follows from a bit of vanilla nose.

There is a striking mineral finish with crisp acidity.

Great wine which went with all 8 courses and interludes.

I like to let red wines, particularly young ones, sit and evolve over night. Here in a matter of minutes a middle aged white evolved fabulously.

For those who like Chardonnay which has seen oak, I think this is a reference wine. They got it just right, subtle and sublime.

Producer cubed

Burgundy is all about the producer. But, the hand of the vintner only can take away from what nature gives. This is a deft hand. Prior posts, great young producer.

At last

And next will be dinner.