Weekend drinking 11-13th Sept

Mixed success at our local Bistro, Frog and Scot in Deal tonight. A wine I see praised reasonably often but first time for me, at a not unreasonable £40, Goisot 2018 Aligoté. Weird, almost sweet and verging on mousey nose, quite rich apricot kernel notes with real flabbiness and hardly any acidity. Poor as a wine, terrible as an aligoté. A couple of Foillard 2018 Morgon were decent if unexciting, initially too warm but even after 15 minutes in an ice bucket nothing crunchy or spikey and again not enough acidity for proper refreshment with an acceptable grouse. Luckily a couple of halves of 2020 Tio Pepe En Rama were perfection in the garden with Mrs A’s recently acquired Gougères making skills.
 
Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese 2006 - this is one of a few I bought for my mother, who had a taste for Riesling, but didn't get used; deep colour and rather dull-looking, and unfortunately the nose just confirms that it's a bit past it; bit of bruised-apple aroma, still sweet but lacking acidity. Let's move on to something else:-
Bernkasteler alte Badstube am Doctorberg Spatlese 2001 (Dr Pauly-Bergweiler); golden yellow, with just a hint of green; elderflower, lemon, just a hint of petrol; there's sweetness there, but with attractive acidity, and a long finish. Not quite the complexity I've found in the greatest Mosel Rieslings, but attractive and fun to drink - this is what I was looking for.
 
Started with a half of Valdespino Inocente Fino to accompany marinated peppers, anchovies and olives followed by Bernard Baudry La Croix Boisee 2013 with pan fried duck in a blackberry sauce. The Baudry was excellent and I am left scratching my head as to why I have so few Loire reds. I must remedy this.
 
Couple of nice wines to lift the end a taxing week:

Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve Blanc de Blancs (2013 base) - Well this is just pitch perfect. Crisp, airy, floral, lemon, stone and an intriguing whiff of mint. Day two turns the lemon to lime and the stone note just a little more pronounced. Deft, defined and light on its feet but a completely serious wine.

Domaine d'Ardhuy Bourgogne Cote d'Or Les Chagniots 2018 - well hello 2018. This is rich, deep, black fruit register and definitely flirts with sur-maturite. There's a pleasing grip and a core of stone holding it together though. I'm more minded of 2003 than I would like or expecting but the finish definitely has some freshness and texturally it is rich but not over heavy. The finish is long and stony which offsets the weightiness in a positive way.

I've had some simple pleasures on the food front too this weekend:

Blinis with Salmon/Creme Fraiche were an overdue treat with the Peters and followed with some super sweet clams in a Vongole - now for a quid for 1/2 kilo that was an over performance.

Moo Sam Chan/Pork 3 floors/Belly Pork! with some Kanaa/Greens in Oyster sauce was a blissful Asian roast and worked well with the second half of the Ardhuy tonight.
 
Pulled out of the fridge for tonight.

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2019 Falkenstein #4 (Onkel Peter) and 2018 Château de la Terrière Coteaux Bourgignons Natural Pinot noir.

Falkenstein
Peachy nose, energised spring water, beautifully fresh, floral orchard fruit, electric pear. Fine balance, off dry just and precise acid finish.

Pinot Noir Sauvage
Not that feral, spicy and crunchy shades of just underripe cherry. Tannins are firm with a spicy finish. Natural but low funk.
 
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A final birthday hurrah with eight friends at (surprise surprise) Noize last night. We had a great bottles of Gimonnet Fleuron 2009. It combined the finesse, taught and linear style with the rather richer fruit of the vintage to make a very good aperitif that sat well with the delicious glazed chicken wings. A magnum of Ziliken Kabinett 2017 was decidedly mixed, it possibly had a little cork taint, being mushroomy and flat on the nose, though the palate was pretty good. Meh. Though the cured monkfish with yogurt, cucumber and jalepeno was as fantastic and fresh as ever. Then things stepped up a gear with a lovely magnum of 1996 Palmer. This had been opened at 4pm and decanted for a few hours. It was pretty classical with lots of Margaux style perfume and charm. The tannins were really lovely and supple. Not the best vintage for Palmer but this was jolly good with veal salad. However, the vineous highlight was a magnum of Comte Armand Epenoux 1996. I think opening this was timed to perfection. It was in a heavenly place. The perfume was decadent. Fruit had given way to that wave of exotic spices that lure you in. Such a pleasurable wine. I just sat and sniffed it for a good while. Paired with a pithier of grouse and foie gras it was a memorable pairing. Finally a Rieussec 2009 went very well with a raspberry mille-feuille birthday style cake. Though to be honest by that point, and after having a 2012 base Charles Heidseick NV before dinner my memory skills were fading fast. Thankfully no-one took me up on the offer of cocktails back at our house and we retreated to bed to be greeted by that hanging feeling at 7am. Noize was on top form again and I'm glad to say they will have a total menu change next week so roll on more nights like this!
 
Good drinking last night:

Sauzet P-M 1er Garennes 2016

Very correct, focussed, quite modern but not massive PYCM style reduction. Showing a little oak still - judicious but could do with a couple more years to integrate.

Giacosa Barabaresco Asili 99

3rd bottle of this and probably the best. I guess not a great vintage for the wine, but a perfectly good one and this wasn't tired at all. Not the power and complexity of really top Giacosa but a textbook traditional Nebbiolo in middle age.
 
A modest N. Rhone wine tonight - a Cornas Dumien-Serrette 2008 which fails to transcend the vintage. In Cornas the 2008 vintage has attenuated fruit and elevated acidity and was the second worst vintage in the 2000s after the truly terrible 2002. I bought almost nothing from 2008, except these few bottles of D-S at £15 a bottle all-in - frankly it's not worth more. There's some dusty red fruit on the nose and similar on the palate, and the overall impression is one of low-key syrah without any sense of terroir. The acidity is elevated but not unpleasant. One to drink up as we're doing.

Agree 100% on this wine Richard. Luckily I only bought a pair and both long since drunk. The 06 and 07 are both in a completely different league.
 
Marsannay Pataille 2013 v Marsannay Longeroies Pataille 2013.

The village wine was an absolute joy. Beautiful colour, lovely red fruits and super balance. To my mind this wine is at its peak right now although no mad rush to drink up.

Wasn't expecting to open the Longeroies but the village wine slipped down so easily we needed something else to drink and this seemed a chance to compare. Slightly darker, more fruit but also more tannin. Excellent now but perhaps another 1-2 years will see it even better.
 
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Gareth.. the mention of that pithier, I can taste it now... wonderful!

Dinner last night at Bluebells in Ascot. This restaurant has definitely improved in consistency since it reopened after lockdown. Had three very good meals there since. Had a lovely bottle of Contino Reserva 2003, completely resolved. A bottle of SA Chenin Blanc to start was also very nice indeed.

Ch. Lagune 2008 with this evenings roast dinner. First sip very promising.
 
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3E2E29D9-2D78-456C-8C79-2AAD2E4C0CB3.jpeg 5F858863-2CE1-4FF2-86E1-FBE83FA23806.jpeg Couple of lovely 07’s with roast duck this evening. JJP has lost its primary reductiveness with petrol hints overlaying the lime cordial fruit. Proper Auslese sweetness but that’s a plus in my book.
Clusel-Roch is definitely getting there, again lost its primary fruit driven phase with lovely truffle and soil notes. Still assertive, granitic, red fruits on the palate and a duck fat busting, fresh finish. Just gorgeous.
 
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Ch. Lagune 2008 with this evenings roast dinner. First sip very promising.

Very typical Lagune profile. Dark in the glass and just starting to brown a little. Black fruits on the nose. Black currant and licorice on the palate with a long lingering finish of pencil shavings. Very smooth with no sharp edges, this is good.
 
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