It was a great night, although not necessarily a wine of great wines.
The Good Grower Champagne
Marguet, Montagne de Reims, Grand Cru, Les Crayeres, 2014
This is a small, bio-dynamic grower. According to Peter Liem's great book on Champagne, this wine is one of a selection of single-vineyard wines. The book describes is as 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, but according to the back label, it's now 100% Pinot Noir. It's fine, but still austere and mute at first, the fruit leaving the stage to the chalk and mushrooms that are the mousetrap for all Champagne lovers. I would love to explore more bottles or even a single one with one good friend.
The Trendy Disappointments
Thierry Germain, Saumur, l’Insolite, 2019
A new import by Bourgogne Crown, it's ripe without being sweet and, while there's plenty of minerals, there's little in the way of complexity or charm. Time might tell.
Domaine de la Grange des Peres, Vin de Pays de l’Hérault, 2016
The fruit is fresh and vital but it seems to place all its bets on reduction, While a touch of reduction can be a great thing if there's enough stuffing and complexity to back it up, it seems to be all there is to it, in the case of this wine. The Kermit Lynch site says "the skeptics [...] are currently eating their words", I just hope they're not accompanying that meal with this overrated, overpriced, overhyped bottle of 20 euro bistro fare.
The Israelis
Sandrone, Barolo, le Vigne, 2004
If you love classic, old school Barolos, you might as well drink this up now. Time won't improve it for you, anyway (but the sooner you drink it, the sooner you can start forgetting it). The thing about classic Piemonte Nebbiolo-based wines, is you want to work with the tannins, as opposed to smoothing them out, because so much of the charm of these wines lies in the texture of the tannins and the rust/spices they provide.
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