More Great Wines 2024
My previous post “More Great Wines” has gotten too long. So, starting 2024, it is time to celebrate the many remarkable wines we encounter.
TASTED 4/19/24
We were invited over to my sister and brother in law’s for a dinner party and we volunteered to bring the wine for the entrée which was beef Wellington. I brought a trio of 2009, 2015, and 2019 Chateau Beaumont Haut Medoc Cru Bourgeois Superieur Bordeaux FRANCE (13.5% abv) about $20 for the current vintage all of which were about a 50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot blend some with a bit of Petite Verdot. As expected, the 2009 was ready to drink. I feared that it might still be too young because it had zero sediment. Normally, the wine throws a fair amount when it is mature. The color was still rich and dark with just a tad of transparency on the meniscus. It came across as super mellow both with lush mature fruit in the nose as well as a velvety texture. The nose is a classic combination of cedar and black currant with a significant dose of toasted oak starting to emerge giving the wine a deliciously accent of chocolate and maybe even toffee. The 2015 actually tasted about the same but even though it was all there nothing seemed nearly as harmonious and completely compelling as the 2009. Perhaps due to its youth, the 2015 did have a certain plumpness that made it very enjoyable though the oak complexity seemed to be masked by the more prominent fruit. The 2019 was the least liked by most of the guest though George like the 2015 the least. To me what made the 2015 enjoyable in spite of its youth, fresh plump fruitiness, was absent from the 2019. I’m not sure if it just needs a bit of time or if it is not as generously fruity vintage as the other two. By comparison, I would say the 2019 was lighter and dare I say thinner than either the 2009 or the 2015. It just seemed to have less weight and depth. All nice wines nonetheless. Like many of these exercises, it would be hard to say that if tasted blind I would have guessed that the wines had a ten year spread with the oldest at fifteen years old.
TASTED 2/13/2024
With tonight’s poo poo platter Alice asked for a Malbec. So I thought I’d stump her, but she’s drunk wine with me too long for that, I guess. I opened a 1998 Clos La Coutale (Malbec) Cahors (12% abv) FRANCE originally $10 today about $20. The nose is huge and reminiscent of Right Bank classics from much further downriver. It is both rich with dark fruit and rich with compost, tobacco and forest floor. This is a wine that you’ll notice that we’ve enjoyed many times over many vintages reported on many times in this blog site. I don’t believe we’ve ever drunk one that wasn’t at least 20+ years old. This is a wine that shows amazing substance, class and strength for a wine in its price range. Like most French wines, the varietal identity takes a back seat to terroir. Yes, it is Malbec but the sense of place and the rich nuance of dusty spices and dense baked fruit is all Cahors. Lovely wine!
TASTED 2/12/24
With our favorite go to meal (steak, shrimp, chicken and veggies fondue) I was headed to the cellar for a nice red and asked Alice what she wanted and her reply was “a Montrachet”! Sorry, Alice those days are long gone. So, with that in mind, I thought about a mature white and came up with 2012 Domaine d’Orfeuilles Les Coudraies VOUVRAY (medium dry Chenin Blanc) Loire Valley FRANCE (12.5% abv) about $22 for the current vintage. It was every bit the worthy companion to our mixed meats and veggies as a mature white Burgundy. What old vine Chenin Blanc lacks in butter and oak it more than makes up for in nuances owing to the overripe condition of the grapes presenting with a creamy texture offering weight and richness. The color is an absolutely gorgeous pale gold, looking more like Montrachet than I’d expected. Alice was not disappointed. The aroma of pears, oranges and limes really commands ones attention. It has that sort of vitality and presence that one often experiences with wine tasted upon the spot where it is grown. One is not aware of any sweetness, just lush ripe fruit mingled with limestone and resin balanced by fresh acidity. Luckily, we have four more bottles. The website suggests aging for 25 years. We’re better than halfway there, God willing.
TASTED 1/29/24
Prior to and during the disappointing loss for the Detroit Lions we decided to have a nice bottle of wine with a simple snack plate. I decanted a bottle of 1998 Chateau Poujeaux Moulis-en-Medoc (Red Blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with some Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot) Bordeaux FRANCE (12.5% abv) today about $50 for the 2020. This wine has a reputation for deep color and the 1998 certainly lives up to expectation being nearly black with just slight browning and transparency barely perceptible. The nose is greeted with a massive complex array of compost, tobacco, herbal nuances and aged blackberry brandy. It is ripe, lush and mouth filling and demands flavorful food as company. As it passes by the palate, the tannin really melts and finishes with a pleasant reminder of the nose. This is a very impressive wine though maybe a bit too demanding to enjoy with a simple snack. It would have probably been better served with a standing rib or other such roasted meat.
TASTED 1/23/2024
As you might have noticed, we enjoy tenderloin, shrimp, chicken, potato, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms and cauliflower fondue quite frequently and it is always a great excuse to open a really nice bottle of wine. So tonight I decanted a bottle of 1999 Heitz Cellars Napa Valley Bella Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon CA (14.2% abv) purchased at the winery, today’s price about $80 for the current vintage. Alice thoroughly enjoyed this wine, but good as it was, perhaps the fact that I preceded and succeeded it with one of my very favorite wines (Jean Leon 3055) may have dampened my enjoyment. Color is deep red showing no browning while the nose is as Napa as Napa gets; pure Napa Cab black fruit, cedar and “Rutherford dust” galore. More of the same on the palate with an exquisitely penetrating texture that stays well past the finish. It is a wine of finesse and purity. It is not a quaffer and certainly not a fat ripe fruit bomb. I do appreciate it for what it is, but honestly, I enjoyed the $15 Jean Leon more. Alice on the other hand felt that you get what you pay for and she is not a big fan of the Jean Leon.
TASTED 1/08/2024
Like many of the wines we especially enjoyed in 2023, we’re starting off with a “Carl’s pick”. That is, a wine chosen by our late friend Carl Tacey especially for Alice to add to the wine cellar. I think I mentioned before that Carl was the consummate expert on people, personalities and business acquisitions. What would that have to do with wine? To someone like me, very little, but Carl’s wine choices based mostly on who was making the wine, who owned the winery and what kind of people they were, seem to make for unerringly wise wine purchases. So last night while enjoying Michigan’s victory in the College National Championship game, Alice suggested a Carl’s pick. For some reason, I thought that 2012 Blackbird Vineyards Arise Napa Valley (58% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) Proprietary Red (14.6% abv) about $50 was a very expensive wine. When I looked it up, I was surprised that it wasn’t a lot more than $50 considering the price of notable wines these days. The nose is pure Napa ripe fruit with unmistakable finesse and that distinct cedar, black fruit, airy, almost minty, elegance. The palate sensation is one of richness without roughness and grip without excess tannin. The perfect balance lasts to the clean summation of everything preceding it. After tasting Arise, and reading the so-so reviews and not too outrageous price, I might even call this wine a value. Not low priced, but among the very best we’ve had in memory regardless of price. And, of course, in memory of our late friend.
Enjoy in Good Health,
A Brian Cain, the MIchigan Vintner
