Gotta Get Down on Friday: 2002 Lenz, 2002 Schueller, 2002 d’Yquem, Et al.

This past weekend for the first time in a very long time I had Saturday off (#sommelierproblems?), so I decided to have some friends over, raid the cellar, and have a Friday night wine experience.

We started with some cold cold Muscadet, the 2010 Luneau-Papin Clos des Alees Vieilles Vignes Muscadet Sur Lie- Sevres et Maine which is drinking crisp, creamy and beautiful accented by green apple, apricot, peach, and mineral.

From there we went to Chinon with the 2007 Domaine des Pallus Chinon 'Les Pensees'—a textbook example of mature Cabernet Franc (without being too herbaceous).  And then a taste of the 2003 Domaine Calvet-Thunevin "Les Dentelles" Cotes du Rousillon Villages a wine that is spectacularly ripe, high octane and dark-fruited—Priorat-like is what I called it. It rings in at a monstrous 15.5 but it carries it well. This is serious juice.

The French reds were followed by a 2002 Lenz Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (from North Fork Long Island)—a very mature Cabernet showing dried black fruits punctuated by a distinct crushed leaf earthiness. This wine is lean in its old age but still showing good acidity and pretty November-like aromas (dried leaves, burning leaves, and smoke).

After the French Reds it was down to Fat Cat (the finest wine list in Fairfield County, for those of you not up to snuff on your CT wine lists), but one more trip down to the cellar first to find something good to bring with us. What to drink on the hottest, most humid night of the summer? Dessert wine, but of course.

The walk down to the bar was sweaty. I could feel the half bottle wanting to squirm loose from my wet palm. We were relieved from the heat as we walked into Fat Cat and ordered a magnum of 2002 Schuller ‘Oncle Leon’ Pinot Gris. It was flinty, off-dry, crisp, rich, floral, and spicy—all at the same time. It drank beautifully. My buddy Matt said that it was one of the best white wines he had ever had.

After the mag we were joined by my buddies Mark and Tony for dessert wines. The wines were nothing short of magnificent beside the Fat Cat butterscotch pudding which I have always said is the most addictive gastronomical indulgence in the world. Mark and Tony shared with us a killer bottle of 1989 2^nd Trie Domaine d’Ambinos Coteaux du Layon-Beaulieu. It was rich, honey/nutty, and developed—still with good acidity and clean fruit. Mark and I both agreed that this bottle was even better than the bottle that we had enjoyed with Vincent Caille back in March. Simply ambrosia.

And finally we drank the half bottle of 2002 Chateau d’Yquem I’d brought to share with the boys. It was also stellar. Like tasting every fruit in the world all at the same time. What surprised me most was its profound oakiness/spiciness that was obvious but so well integrated and flush. One of the best I’ve had this year. Perfect for a 90 degree night.

We finished at my house with a 2004 Veuve Clicquot Brut. It was meaty, yeasty, and Pinot-driven.

Date Night

2010 ‘Sketch Albarino’ by Raul Perez—This Albarino is particulary nifty not only because it is a single vineyard Albarino from a top notch, small production producer in Rias Baixas, but because it is bottle-aged for 60 days, 90 feet UNDERWATER. Yup, after fermentation in concrete eggs and a year of barrel aging, this wine is bottled, stacked into a cage and sunk into the Atlantic Ocean where it is allowed to incorporate a touch of brininess that its cork breathes into the bottle.

The result is a true testament to the quality of Albarino. The evolution of this wine from the pop of the cork to the very last sip (after a few hours of air) was also nothing short of incredible. At first whiff, this wine showed off particularly rich dried fruit aromas of apricots, peaches, pairs, quince, and even a touch of a raisony quality that was brilliantly punctuated by that faint but unmistakable aroma of the ocean—seawater.

Damn—I thought—this can’t get any better. But it did. After an hour, the flamboyant orchard fruit that was once so dominant faded into the background and the ‘Sketch’ started tasting more like a young White Burgundy than an Albarino. Flinty minerality, and a soft lemony limey creaminess suggested Meursault more than Rias Baixas—all the while, maintaining the marine saltiness that makes it so distinct. In the third hour, it changed again almost reverting to its original state, although perhaps a bit tempered. A distinct sweet spice now punctuated its ripe tree fruit and we quaffed it down with dessert on the way. An experience for sure.

After the ‘Sketch’ we opened the most recent disgorgement of the Krug Grand Cuvee—which was rich, decadent, endlessly complex, and perfectly balanced—as it always is. This is incredible Champagne. I’ve been told that this wine is composed of upwards of 180 base wines—and it shows through in the divine complexity of this wine. A magnificent result of Krug’s artful and iconic blending. 

2010 Heitz Grignolino

This wine is produced from a small planting of Grignolino owned by Heitz in Napa Valley. According to Heitz; “The Heitz family’s love affair with Grignolino began in 1961 when Joe and Alice purchased their first 8-acre vineyard. Previous owner Leon Brendel christened the property “The One & Only”, an homage to the only varietal he planted—the zesty Grignolino often referred to as ‘the little strawberry’ in its native Italy.”

Mostly planted in Piedmont, this might be the only varietal Grignolino produced in the United States. According to Jancis Robinson et al., “In California, Heitz of the Napa Valley persist with their Grignolino plantings, making a rose’ and sometimes a port-style wine from them.”

The 2010 Heitz Grignolino is pale in color—bringing fourth a slightly tart strawberry/raspberry fruit accompanied by a spicy nutmeg, clove, and a slight phenolic bitterness that will be well tempered by food. This is a fairly lean wine that is soft on tannins and high in acidity and one that will be beautiful beside Bolognese and curried salmon alike.

Microsoft Word, 'Heitz' and 'Grignolino' are legit--add to dictionary. #sommelierproblems