Author Archives: colonelgrape

2011 Savigny-Les-Beaune Les Narbantons

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2011 Savigny Les Beaune Les Narbantons

We enjoyed this bottle of Burgundy with a Dutch dish called “Parelhorn met Dragon-Dille Boter” otherwise known as guinea fowl with tarragon and dill butter. The guinea fowl is flavorful and light…I like to think of it as slightly gamier chicken…this is how all chicken should taste. The wine is a premier cru Burgundy from the Cote d’Beaune in the Cote d’Or. With the price of well known Burgundy producers/regions in outer space Savigny and Santenay are great areas to explore on weeknights or with low key meals with solid bottles available around $20-$30. For something more sophisticated with a weekend meal or having guests but still on a budget I’d recommend jumping to something a bit nicer around $40-50. Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin, Chassange-Montrachet, Nuits-Saint-Georges, or Meursault are all good choices.

colonelgrape: 84. We had this on a weekend with a big meal but I’d consider it more of a weekday drinker. On the nose there was red/black cherry, fresh earth, and a hint of citrus…young smelling. As the night went on the nose improved. Similar on the palate but I enjoyed the nose more than the taste. Even though most young Burgs tend to be a little tart at the end the finish here was on the tart side. Overall it was a somewhat simple but good value at $25…I’d drink it again.

MobyGrape: 81. There’s just something about pinot that I’m not so keen on, and I just can’t quite put my finger on it.  Oh wait, yes I can.  It’s the incredible tartness that comes along with young pinot, or pinot that isn’t mad expensive.  I want to like it so badly, because it works perfectly with lighter meats until you get to that puckery finish and then it’s just ruined.  Ok, maybe that’s a little dramatic.  It’s not ruined, this was a perfectly fine bottle of wine, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

2006 Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion

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2006 Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion

Bordeaux blanc is typically a blend made of sauvignon blanc and semillon. If you went in blind and heard those grapes you’d expect a lighter style wine however these are full bodied whites. Pessac-Leognan is located on the left bank in the north part of Graves. This region is more well known for red (it’s home to the classified first growth Chateau Haut-Brion) however there are some good whites to be found. I think these wines are good alternatives to Chardonnay based whites with meals that want full bodied wines.

colonelgrape: 91. The nose was a bit funky: barnyard, hay, with a little citrus sneaking through. On the palate: citrus, limestone/chalk, and toasted oak. It had a little nuttiness to it too. Really liked the mouthfeel…good full body to it. An agressive white but good acidity leads to a long, smooth finish. I picked this up for $35 at Vin Bin and I think it’s fairly priced. I’d pair this with fleshy fish, pasta with cream sauces, and lighter meats like chicken, rabbit, or quail.

mobygrape: 88. Initial nose? Farty. After more nosing?  Asparagus pee.  After getting over it and nosing some more?  Kind of woody and musty, and I’m not sure how else to describe it other than pungent.  Looks like someone didn’t drink anything for 48 hours, drank a gallon of Ecto Cooler and peed, it’s a very intense yellow color.  Are you thirsty yet?  This is a serious white wine.  It’s more like a white that doesn’t know it’s a white.  It’s full bodied and does not want to be paired with some mamby pamby white fish.  It’s tart, very full, and would definitely overpower a light fish or appetizer.  I don’t think it’s got the cojones for red meat but it would be ready to step into the ring with a heavier fish (salmon, swordfish) or other meat (such as rabbit drowning in delicious mustard sauce).  Cheers!

NV Pierre Paillard Les Maillerettes Bouzy Blanc de Noirs

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NV Pierre Paillard Les Maillerettes Bouzy Blanc de Noirs

colonelgrape: 92. It’s no secret that I’ve done a complete 180 on Champagne from earlier this year. I’m now a huge fan and love banc de noir….this bottle is no exception. Doing some research it’s the first and second press of a 0.8 acre section of Pierre Paillard’s Grand Cru vineyard so a limited edition wine. I tried to squeeze the glass into the photo so you can appreciate the golden color, it’s darker and fuller looking than other Champagnes. The visual translates to the nose and palate. Citrus, bread, apples, and chalk. I really enjoyed the balance betwen minerality, acidity, and fruit. The finish was incredibly long and smooth. More body than a blanc de blancs. If you aren’t sure of the difference between a classic blanc de noir and blanc de blanc Champagne taste this side by side with a blanc de blancs and compare them. I probably would have rated this higher if we opened it with a better food pairing.

MobyGrape: 85. Unless it’s complete crap, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that I’m going to give champagne a good review.  Lucky for me, the Colonel doesn’t buy crap, that’s really my domain.  I’m learning I’m a big fan of these blanc de noirs, they tend to not be overly tart or apple juice tasting (since I seem to think a lot of champagnes taste like that).  We had it with buttery delicious scallops because we couldn’t find another white in the house (real tough problem to have, I know) and it worked just fine.  Score another one for champagne!

2001 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape

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2001 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape

 

Now here is a wine I can get behind. I am a huge Beau fan and the 2001 is my favorite vintage of the past 20 years. 00, 98, and 95 are great and I think the 2010 has serious potential. With all Beau beware of brett…especially in the 95. I really liked where this wine was when we drank it. The nose and flavors on the palate were a perfect match: dark fruits and spices leading into rich earth and leather….classic CdP. Tannis are just right. Great layers and complexity on the palate…makes you completely forget it’s 13.5% alcohol. The finish is long and strong (ha) wrapping up the experience in a nice little bow. This is ready to drink now…right where I like my CdP…but still has plenty of time left. One of the best wines of 2013. Right now I’m leaning towards 89 Pichon, 01 Beau, and 99 Montruc as my top 3.

NV Bereche et Fils Brut Reserve

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NV Bereche & Fils Brut Reserve

 

 

We decided to celebrate the end of Breaking Bad with an episode of Champagne Meets Sushi. We decided to go with a decent bottle from our most recent trip to Wine Library and had a great evening. Recently we’ve cleared out space for 4-5 bottles in our fridge to have some pre-chilled white options at all times. I’d really recommend doing this even if you don’t drink white regularly…it’s much easier than trying to speed chill in the freezer or a bucket.

colonelgrape: 85. This is a classic blend but the color is more of a blanc de noir, more of a dark gold/amber. Nice carbonation and pleasing to the eye, nose full of apples, citrus and vanilla. Brisk, zesty, and full bodied on the palate. Crisp, refreshing, and elegant finish. Very well structured wine with fruit, earth and body from nose to finish. To me the only flaw was the slighly overpowering apple flavor, I would have liked a little more balance with the fruits.

MobyGrape: 86. Applesauce colored, a little apple tasting, I don’t know why I tend to get that from some champagnes but I do.  It wasn’t offensively bubbly, paired well with sushi (shocker), and it certainly made facing the end of Breaking Bad a little easier.  Much like the ending itself, it didn’t totally blow me away, and it wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but at the end of the day I was ok with it.