Friday night was the yearly Crossroads WIne Cornucopia in Indianpolis, a charity event for Easter Seals that is usually the most interesting large-scale wine event of the year in these parts. As before, we sprang for the "Prestige Room" and participated in the silent auction.
As per our usual strategy, we started with what we considered to be the wines most likely to go first, in this case a table of the '97 First Growths:
1997 Ch. Margaux color: pale garnet with definite bricking nose: black currant fruit overlain with an herbal note palate: medium body, noticeable acidity, meat, herbs, long finish
1997 Ch. Haut-Brion color: slightly darker than the Margaux with bricking nose: minerals, pencil lead, tobacco leaf palate: acidity, medium, body, moderately fruity, long finish
1997 Ch. Mouton Rothschild c: much darker n: cedar, dark fruit, tea leaves p: medium body, cedar, cedar and more cedar, spices
1997 Ch. Latour c: lighter than the Mouton, but purple to the edges n: minerals, black plums, berries, herbal p: deep fruit, acidity, slightly tannic finish
1997 Ch. Lafite Rothschild c: very dark n: pencil lead and violets p: medium body, pencil lead, acids, plums
Of the 5, the Haut-Brion and Latour were our favorites, with the Latour getting the nod as one of our WOTN and almost sure to get better with time.
After that excursion, we returned to the usual pattern of sparkling ->
white -> red.
NV Taittinger Rosé Prestige c: pale salmon n: yeasty, bready p: yeast, strawberries, decent acidity
(We had a bottle of this in FL last weekend which had much more fruit than the present bottle -- different lot or heat damage?)
'98 Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne n: sweet, yeasty p: coarse, slightly sweet
??? Not a very elegant wine at all.
'99 Dom Perignon n: delicate, apples, a touch of toast p: acidity, fine mousse, tart apple fruit, toast
Now that's more like it!
'95 Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Millenaire n: toast, apples p: off-dry, fine mousse, toast in the finish
Not my favorite blanc de blanc by a longshot.
'04 Hanzell Chardonnay c: green-yellow n: butterscotch, green apples p: moderate acidity, full body, apples, slightly lemony, oak
Not much in the way of malolactic character, but still a bit too heavy and oaked for me.
'06 Dom. Fouassier Quincy n: smoke, stones, floral, tropical fruit p: clean entry, fruity, medium body, racy, floral
Now that's more like it. A surprise entry (not in the program) just arrived in IN the day before. It'll sell for close to $20 when it becomes available, and it might be worth the price. An excellent Loire Sauvignon blanc from a biodynamic producer.
'04 Dom. de Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape blanc n: licorice, volatile acidity, nuts p: low acidity, rich moutfeel, floral
Interesting, but not incredibly appealing and no bargain at $79.
'01 Banfi Brunello di Montalcino n: volatile acidity (ethyl acetate), high toned, cherries p: smooth entry, rich mouthfeel, slightly oaky, deep cherry, acidity
Not a bad BdM, but should be better given the quality of the year.
'04 Dom. du Pégaü Chateauneuf du Pape n: kirsch, gamey funk p: medium body, deep cherry fruit, gamey, meaty funk
Good to try this as I own a few bottles. Still very young, but lots of promise for the future.
'01 Guado del Tasso Bolgheri n: rich, oaky, red fruit p: International, boring, anonymous, pencil lead and red fruit
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon/30% Merlot/10% Syrah from an Anitnori property. It could be from anywhere and not my cup of tea.
'97 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve c: dark purple with little to no bricking n: classic CS fruit, a little cedar p: balanced, medium body, good fruit, good acidity
Wasn't this from the period when both the WA and WS found fault with the winemaking at Mondavi? Just fine by me and very similar in style to the Reserves of the late-'70s at Mondavi. A distinct breath of fresh air after the Bolgheri.
'02 L'Aventure Syrah n: volatile acidity, licorice, dark berry fruit p: slightly tannic entry, red fruit, full body, spicy
'03 L'Aventure Optimus (64% Syrah/33% CS/3% Petit Verdot) n: butter, herbal notes, dark fruit p: slightly tannic entry, dark fruit, herbal
Both wines were well made, but the blend was the more interesting of the two.
'02 Rockblock Seven Hills Syrah n: oak, berries p: full body, oak, berries, creamy
Bleech! Oak soup and a blueberry milkshake. Not for me, especially after the far more stylish L'Aventure Syrah. Made by Domaine Serene in Oregon.
At this point, I wandered over to the other room, where Jean was patrolling the silent auction. There I gravitated to the table manned by J et R Imports, one of my favorite importers and based in the Midwest. There I tasted their portfolio of Alsatian wines from Frey-Sohler, poured for me by the winemaker himself.
'05 Frey-Sohler Pinot Blanc n: apples, minerals p: powerful, light body, minerals, apples
'06 Frey-Sohler Riesling n: minerals, petrol p: medium body, acidic, minerals, little fruit
'05 Frey-Sohler Tokay Pinot Gris n: pineapple, citrus p: medium body, good acidity, pineapple
'05 Frey-Sohler Gewurztraminer Vieilles Vignes n: lychee, spice p: medium body, low acidity, rose petals, lychee
'05 Frey-Sohler Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive n: somewhat muted, apricot, honey p: apricot, lychee, full body, decent acidity
'01 Frey-Sohler Gewurztraminer Selection de Grains Nobles n: perfumed, apricot, honey p: powerful, lychee, apricot, good acidity, clean finish
Of the portfolio the SGN and the Pinot Blanc were my two favorites. The Riesling was the only real disappointment as it just lacked fruit.
'04 Mas de Collines Gigondas n: meats, volatile acidity p: cherry/kirsch, meaty
'04 Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf-du-Pape n: cherry/kirsch, meat p: slightly tanninc entry, deep cherry fruit, funky, gamey
Overall, my WOTN candidates were the '97 Haut-Brion and Latour, the '04 Pegau, the Quincy and the SGN Gewurz. The silent auction was the most interesting I've seen there, with 20+ lots of '96 Bdx and '01 Burgs. We came home with 3 bottles of the '99 Jadot Clos de Ursules and a bottle of an '01 Anne Gros Vosne-Romanee 1er.
Your intrepid reporter, Mark Lipton