By: AJ McClellan
We met James Beard award winning master chef and French Laundry partner Claude Koeberle over lunch while he was showing off his new vintage of Soliste wines. He was such a fun guy that we invited him back to the shop to sit back relax and have a good time. At the same time we had Nicole Abiouness stop by to show off her lineup of wines. Pairing these two characters together was hilarious to watch. Nicole blinded Claude on her wines and it was interesting to watch Claude name off the exact clones that she had used in her vineyards.
NV Krug Grand Cuvee – Nothing starts an evening out like a little bit of bubbly. Krug is possibly my favorite producer of Champagne and even their low end wine is superior to most other houses Tete de Cuvee. Imagine a rising loaf of sourdough bread with roasted vanilla beans baked inside and surrounded with apricots and ripe green pears being baked in a limestone oven.
2005 Domaine Dujac Morey Saint Denis – We had two exceptional producers of Pinot Noir so we had to open them up a nice bottle of Burgundy to start off with. The Dujac was singing with spicy dark fruits on the nose coupled with a peasant spice and rocky minerality. The palate was as exciting as the nose with exotic red fruits, big earth, and toasted oak.
Standing to the left is Claude Koeberle and Sitting to the right is Nicole Abiouness
1983 Faiveley Clos des Myglands Mercury – Goat milk with a big funk of morel mushrooms and barnyard. Candied cherries and freshly dug wet soil with big limestone minerality. Very complex wine with a long finish and super smooth tannins.
2006 Perrot-Minot Nuits st Georges Les Murgers VV – Great little wine, but far too young to be drinking at the moment. Cobblestone minerality with cinnamon and red liquorish. Clove, cinnamon, white pepper, and a slight wheat note on the finish.
2007 Soliste Pinot Noir Sonatera Vineyard – Big black fruits on the nose with powerful dark plums and earthy tones of mushrooms and forest floor. There is a slight herbaceous note on the back end giving you the impression of muddled mint and eucalyptus. The palate is powerful and fruit forward but with a surprisingly substantial earthy backing reminding me of a very young Burgundian wine.
2007 Soliste Pinot Noir L’Esperance Vineyard – More red fruit than black with a ripe raspberry, red currant, and rhubarb. There is a very pretty floral note of violets and red roses. The palate is softer than the Sonatera with a slight hint of sandalwood, strawberries, and schist. Elegant tannins and razor like acidity make this a wine worth putting down in the cellar for a good 5 to 10 years.
2007 Abiouness Hudson Vineyard Pinot Noir – Much more of a California style Pinot Noir with big lush red fruits and jammy raspberries. Bright acidity with ripe tannins on the palate and a subtle spice background.
Claude talking about the history of Burgundy
2006 Abiouness Stanly Ranch Pommard Clone Pinot Noir – This Pinto is in a darker style but still done in the big jammy fruit style. There was a basket full of plums, wild berries, and black cherries dusted with chai spices and cinnamon. Again there is a big tannin structure with a crisp acidity that holds the wine in good balance.
2006 Abiouness Sangiovese Eaglepoint Ranch – It is extremely difficult to make great Sangiovese in the new world but Nicole has done a superb job of it. Dusty cherry on the nose with a full palate of earth, mushrooms, dry leaves, leather, and tar. Brilliant finish of earth and dried fruits with a superb acidity and well developed tannins.
1996 Pichon Lalande – A brilliant bottle with a great deal of hopes behind it. Unfortunately when we opened it there was a stewed grassy aroma excreting from the bottle that rank of a flawed bottle.
1958 Lafite – Brilliant little bottle with a soft complexity that forced you to slow down and take your time to enjoy the intricate complexities in the glass. Light barnyard with classic graphite and cobble stone buried deep in the wet earth and baked under a hot sun. Candied cherry and smoked tobacco with a cigar box full of ash, cinnamon, and lightly broiled cloves. Long dry finish with extremely light tannins and a acidity that held the wine together nicely.
At the end of the night it is always fun to throw corks at the man on the balancing wire…
