Oh, the lovely and pungent smoke aromas that came practically billowing out of the 7-day-old Le Puy! A lonely half glassful had sat, vacu-vin’d in the fridge since last week’s uninspired tasting. It must have been smoldering.
Wednesday night dinner was triple-mustard salmon tinyurl.com/ycbc9a7q , with a near-blackened crust of Dijon, mustard powder and mustard seeds. Paired with a Corsican vermentinu (Gioielli), it did well enough, nothing amazing. A 3-day old Oregon pinot noir (Montinore) went about the same. On a whim, I thought, Dijon? France? Bordeaux? France? heck, let’s give the Le Puy a le try.
The nose had the same CabFranc vegetal notes as I’d got on night one… plus wet burning leaves. The taste was quietly fruity… plus drier, sharper burning leaves. It felt like a misty cool morning with a farmhouse nearby… burning leaves. With the fish’s almost-burnt crust, it brought an arresting, deeply soul-satisfying sense of ease. Something that neither of the first two wines I’d thought to pair came close to. Something that, for that matter, had been totally absent from the Le Puy and stove-cooked lamb on night one.
(Sadly, with the salmon alone—from the middle, no crust—it was fish-and-red-wine poor.)
But oh, that pairing of smoke and char! Martin got it with both the Le Puy and the Tricot. Joseph got it with his bargain Chateau Canet (which does not appear to be sold in the U.S.). I’d pour the Le Puy with grilled meat any time I could afford to. Just lovely.
We enjoyed Château Moulin de Tricot Haut-Médoc 2013 with Florence Fabricant’s smoky leg of lamb dish. The weather was too nice and spring-like to cook it in the oven. I decided to sear it on the charcoal grill, have it on indirect heat in cast-iron with hickory smoke, and then finish it to medium-well by moving the skillet to the hot side the grill again https://instagram.com/p/BfjD6idHXtf/ . The wine first seemed thin and tight at first. It tasted of what I described as rubbery shrubbery, a little bit harsh and shrouded in an underbrush mystery. It was opening up in the decanter. It seemed to share many flavors with the lamb dish, very spicy and interesting. It reflected the cumin earthiness, the tea and hickory combined, enhanced smokiness, and the thyme. My wife too claimed this wine became more and more approachable during the dinner.
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I bought Château Boutisse Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2012 ($34) — yet to open.
I would highlight one of the wines you mentioned - Lanessan. The QPR (I live in Massachusetts, where it is ~$30/bottle) is great, and amazingly, aged Lanessan is available. After finishing a case of the 2002 about a year ago, I located a case of the 2000 this summer (same price). It's a very earthy cabernet driven wine, with a bit of funk to it for a Bordeaux, so it may be a bit polarizing. But for my money, hard to beat.
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How's this, 6 Euros BDX at the local hyper-marche' and it shines. 2015 Chateau Canet (90% Merlot/10% Cab Franc) from Blaye, a really underrated region as I discovered last summer over a few days. Vibrant, yes. Refreshing, yes again and just pure pleasure from start to finish. Also reflective of the chalky soils in the region, solid merlot driven fruit and cab franc floral notes. Perfect with some manchego followed by thyme and garlic grilled lamb chops. Value indeed.
My first Bordeaux! I bought and loved the Médoc but had to do some questing into New Jersey to but the bottle.The closest equivalent I have drank is California Cab and this tasted like a better version to me. All of the big, bold tannins and flavors but with a fresher, lighter and overall more enjoyable ouvre. Wonderful and strong aromas of cherry and grass.
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Ah, well. The pricey le Puy was a QPR bust. Then again, so were the pricey, too rare, lamb chops (with frizzled herbs, tinyurl.com/y8rtc9r7 ) I made to go with them. Both were ok; neither was one third as good as other foods and wines costing one third as much. And lamb-loving Barb sat down to dinner with a horrendous, mood-killing toothache. So I’ll reserve judgment and just say, for this one time, the wine was ok, unexciting, and a bit too subtle (or complex, per Joseph) in its charms to overcome the handicap of a disappointingly ok and unexciting meal. Or maybe it just needed more than our 4-hour decant?
It’s a strong-and-silent sort of wine, a bit more so than the Tricot and way more than the Aney, and seemed content to stand on its own, independent of, and contributing little to our food. It certainly didn’t interfere. Nor did it dominate. Drying, plush and chalky, sweet on the attack (the decanted more so than the PnP), tart on the finish, and not at all unpleasant, it was a solid, grounding presence in the background of our meal. It seemed like a great wine to discuss philosophy by, if we’d been more of a mind to discuss philosophy. Less abstractly, there were veiled flavors within, waiting to be teased out. But none that struck me as yummy. For le Puy’s price, I’d like some yummy.
In flavor, and especially in its nose, the wine reminded me, as it did Martin, of Cab Franc. I did not get the earthiness he did, though, and it was disappointing with mushrooms.
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We tried the Chateau Aney first, without food, and came away quite pleased. On the nose we found a lot of cherry and currant fruit. It was a harmonious light friendly wine that showed a lot of vibrancy. With food, a beef taco rendition, it was overwhelmed. Served alone, this was our favorite wine.
The Moulin de Tricot had a menthol nose and was darker and more complex with a longer finish. When served with a tomato based pasta dish we noticed a slight hint of a green tea flavor. We were not impressed.
The le Puy Emilien showed some tobacco, leather and barnyard on the nose. It was thick and extracted. It has a strong core but needs to evolve. Even with that, it was better with a served beef roast. This was our favorite food and wine combination.
George Erdle – Harper’s Fine Dining – Charlotte, NC
We enjoyed Château Aney 2013 with simple roast chicken (in cast iron, Bittman recipe), boiled potatoes, and white and orange turnips, coated with the chickens drippings. First the wine was a little too cold (57F). I sensed notes of shrubbery and underbrush at first, then dusty and elegant, dark, fruity, and noble. Finally, I got a big mouthful and blurted out: “Yes, this wine is very refreshing, lively and refreshing.” However, it was not as complex as Le Puy. It makes you want to eat more of that chicken and drink more of that wine. The orange turnips had a beet like taste, and we were contemplating adding red beets to our root vegetable extravaganza next time.
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2013 Chateau Le Puy-A very different expression of terroir, almost not like a bordeaux in some ways yet so in others. I got a cool climate feel, or a cool year maybe, as the acidity was up yet refined and the tannins smooth. It was light bodied and lively yet the candied-like fruit (can we call them more dried then jammy in this case?) provided depth and weight, really a mysterious combination that danced around in my head. The nose was very expressive with eucalyptus, cedar, tobacco and violets without any hint of sweetness. The wine paired well with seared côte de bœuf and potatoes for two via the Times this week, the vibrancy and depth ever present. At 23 euros this wine punches a little above its weight, a complex and intriguing experience that I have found in more expensive wines.
First bottle, after battling the flu for a week, Chateau Vieux Labarthe Saint Emilion GC 12. I knew nothing about this wine as it was a gift, found it on wine searcher for around 18 Euros so it is in the range. I am often drawn to the SEGC’s by the bargains available but I usually taste first since there are some wines that are not very well produced there. This wine seemed typical of the region and was lovely right out of the bottle, completely pleasing, charming and in balance with layers of fruit and smooth tannins after a gentle perfume nose got things going. The feel is a bit dense and savoury in the mouth and the black fruit notes are sensual on the finish lending to even more depth. With some sticky BBQ pork ribs with a light chipotle glaze it was a bit lost in the sweet/spicy mix and just seemed to wash things down, should have had some nice cheese with this to start. Having vacationed in Bordeaux this past summer, we spent a good amount of time looking for exactly these types of wines and I found them pretty much everywhere, in both the left and right banks, Graves and more commonly in the satellite appellations (maybe a wine school from one of those some day?) In fact, one of the reasons I love living in France is that is the case in any region (yes, including Burgundy) So, into the cellar I go tonight for round two.
And this which comes from the same family that produces Chateau Angelus is completely undervalued. It is absolutely one of the great values coming from the Right Bank.
https://www.finding.wine/products/le-lion-de-la-fleur-de-bouard-750-ml-2...
Cheers!
Revisited the Aney Thursday night, the ’13 this time, 9 nights after tasting the ’11. I like this wine. It is not what I expect of a CabSv, or a Merlot. Would like to know: are my preconceptions wrong or is this wine atypical?
Preconception: CabSv is too thick for my tastes and preferred foods. Nope. Twice now, the A has proven light on its feet and a pleasure to sip on its own. We had it with our simple weeknight standby, roast chicken thighs, and the wine did not overwhelm. On the other hand, neither did it “pair,” so much as stand aside and let wine and food each shine on their own (wine shone a good deal brighter than the everyday food). This is not my usual way of enjoying wine and food.
Precon: I like my wines, especially young reds, decanted. Nope. Per usual, I decanted half the bottle. Didn’t taste the PnP until halfway through the meal. Its fruit was not, as I often find, disjointed and loud. It was lovely and gracious, mellow but meaningful.
Precon: Reds love mushrooms. Nope. The A was disappointing and over-bright with our side of paprika mushrooms and shallots (added pepper helped).
’13 same as ’11: Both are friendly. Both unfurl a fantastic parade of aromas, this time stewy, red-fruity, wet forest floor (don’t chew on that, either!) and licorice. But it’s more about the progression than any one whiff. Both are complete on their own and accompany food more than pair. Both make their meal nice.
’13 unlike ’11. The ’13 was livelier, fruitier, more fun. Better.
I very much appreciate Mr. Asimov's recommendations but I end up at the same place - Houston. Since the NYT is a national paper, it would be a good idea to try the selections at several of the major cities in the US where it's often difficult to obtain the selections available in NY. Just saying...
The following are all legitimate wine programs with brilliant worldwide distributor relationships.
Shops
Houston Wine Merchant
https://www.houstonwines.com/
Vinology
https://vinology.mybindo.com/
Kroger 11th Street (yes, Krogers)
https://www.kroger.com/stores/details/034/00312?cid=loc03400312_gmb
http://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/supermarket-sommelier-jaime-de-l...
Wine Bars
Cameratta
http://www.pauliesrestaurant.com/camerata/
Celcius 13
http://13celsius.com/
Cheers!
We enjoyed Château le Puy Emilien Francs Côte de Bordeaux 2012, with Florence Fabricant’s Seared Lamb With a Smoky Slather https://instagram.com/p/Be8-jOgHpRw/ . Smell and taste reminded me at first of Cabernet Franc. There were elegant roasted qualities almost like roasted malt in a good english ale. This wine developed and opened up in the decanter and then in the glass throughout the meal, which was an impressive pairing. Earthy, dark fruit, and vegetable flavors of the wine mingled with the smoked tea marinated lamb flavors, and to my surprise especially with the turnips. For the red wine reduction sauce, I used Chateau Le Bergey 2015 (famously featured in Twin Peaks the Return episode 12, initiation of Agent Preston into the Blue Rose). Tasting this wine with this lamb was quite different: like burned leafs, fire roast marshmallow, and this eucalyptus, pine camphor note you often find in Bordeaux. Great wine a few days later with cheese burgers on a brioche bun with duke’s mayo, sautéed onions, and dijon mustard (no ketchup!).
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We a wonderful afternoon at The Public Theater seeing Kings by Sarah Burgess. We stopped down the block at Astor Wines and were able to get the Aney and le Puy. We had them with steak and baked potatoes and green beans. Alive and vibrant? My husband thought bright would be a better adjective and that they were particularly bright with food. They were not refreshing but they were relaxing and relaxing was what we were looking for. They were not different with food but they were very good with food. We thought the Aney was a little sharper and the Le Puy a little smoother. It took a little work to get the wax off the top of the Le Puy but it was worth the effort, a very good value indeed.
Good Morning:
I miss the Grey Market. In the early 1980s, a strange combination of circumstances allowed California wine merchants to buy and sell French wines at incredible prices. Brane-Cantenac, $10. Giscours, $15. "Lunch Bags" (Chateau Lynch-Bages), $20. *Magnums* of Krug Grand Cuvee, $25. Not a typo. Luckily, a savvy wine merchant can still offer the occasional steal.
Could not find the three suggestions, did find a Chateau Coufran 2009 Haut-Medoc for $20. 85% Merlot. The retailer had purchased a wholesaler's overstock and passed on the savings.
Served with Melissa Clark's Braised Beef and Onions (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019156-beer-braised-beef-and-onions), an assortment of cheeses and bread, carrots, pickled cucumbers, and sauerkraut. Music: Exiled by Thandi Ntuli (discovered via this week's Playlist, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/09/arts/music/playlist-john-prine-2-chai....
Color: Purple-black. Nose: Grenadine, blackberry, peppery, mint, herbal. Taste: the same, plus earthy, oaky, anise, clove, allspice. The first sip felt a little hot, but that went away with the second sip. Mouth filling, decent finish. With time, the flavors grew stronger, esp. the non fruit components. Absolutely perfect with the beef and onions, very good with the cheeses and carrots, and surprisingly fine with the cucumbers and sauerkraut. The Coufran could improve for another 5-7 years.
Almost felt like the good old days.
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"2013 vintage is not considered among the best...." Congratulations, Eric. Understatement of the year. The reds were generally bad, even the top producers under-delivering at a level not seen since 1991 and 1992. The whites were generally ok, and the noble sweet wines highly promising. The '12's were far better, and the '14's appear to be very tight, ungenerous three - four years after their release. The '15's are showing better.
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Would you put La Vielle Cure (Fronsac) in the "Value" category?
So many fine Fronsac, Cote de Bourg,
Cote de Castllion, Graves
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So many good value Fronsac, Graves, Cotes de Castillon, Cotes de Bourg and Bordeaux Superieur wines missing from the list that are $14 to $20 and always wonderful!
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I liked the Cotes de Bourg so much that I bought the apron! Will be using it tomorrow while I pan sear lamb chops. Will search the cellar for the Cotes de Bourg to accompany the meal!
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Agree that obsessing over vintage ratings can be overdone. But at the $15 or $20/bottle level, so-so terroirs can produce delicious wines, and they're much better in riper vintages than in rainier, cloudier, cooler years. The top 75 or 100 Bordeaux properties can afford triage (every year, but more in poor years) to maintain reputation, but they are less affordable than some of us would like. Better to choose the most affordable "house" in the best "neighborhood" (year). At the $25-$40 level almost any Moulis or Listrac or Pomerol from 2010 is liable to be pretty good now and any 2015 from those villages should taste good in 3 or 4 years. Served cool.
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Wine School’s NY chapter met for a Tuesday night Milling Room BYOB. I thought we were comparing the Aney and the Moulin de Tricot. As the evening wound down and we stood to go, a sip from an abandoned glass suggested otherwise. I now think what we were comparing was vintages and bottle age.
Our Aney was the ’11, not ’13, and it held center stage all night, from before food arrived. It was alive and inviting with a nose by turns rich, vegetal, chocolate, leathery, berried, camphory, band-aidy and herby. In the mouth it had a surprising lemon fresh acidity and a powdery feel. At 2/3 CabSv, I expected it to be weighty. Instead it was nimble and lithe, a pleasure to drink on its own. Paired with food, light roast chicken did better than meaty braised lamb, but both were good. Even herb-glazed carrots were not overwhelmed.
The ’13 MdT was a dark, reserved, elegant wallflower, with a deep blackberry and violet nose, but reticent and torpid. Before food, it was no one’s favorite. It only shone—or let’s say “glowed”—with the lamb, where its weight lent balance and dignity. I suspected maybe there was more there there, just eclipsed by the sunnier A.
Then, after food was finished, bill was paid, came that last tipsy sip. The wine was lovely and inviting. I took it for the A. No, Ali noticed, it was the 5-y-o MdT, now blossoming after an hour in the glass had brought it to where the 7-y-o A had begun. I now think our just-poured MdT was “closed” and “tight.” Next time I’ll decant.
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Can't remember the last time the I chewed on a band-aid, or why I would.
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Don’t chew them. Just sniff!
:)
Visited le Puy last summer (amazing estate) and have been looking for a reason to open a bottle et viola! I'll avoid Nicolas as OSS Architect points out correctly, I learned that lesson 10 years ago. So many wonderful Bordeaux to be had here, this will be a nice month.
This one shouldn't be labeled "Next Lesson". It should be "Extra Credit", and unless you have some way to cheat, you're going to fail. I've flunked this so many times perusing the isles of Nicolas in Paris, hoping to bring away a decent bottle to a friend's apartment, while working there.
Back in the US I regularly cheat by "copying answers" from Kermit Lynch here in the Bay Area. Maybe only the "students" living in NYC have a chance at this "class".
Anybody living near a Total Wine (West Coast and some of East Coast) has a decent chance, just take Hugh Johnson's yearly guide along, or stick with towns that are best bets in good years (Moulis, Listrac, St. Estephe, 2010, 2015, maybe 2014) and less pricy than Margaux or Pauillac. Avoid St. Emilion because of inconsistency unless you have found one you like. Same strategy works in many stores, even PA or other state stores.
Yes, there are great values in Bordeaux. Here are a few more:
Chateau Villars, Fronsac, $21
Chateau Vrai Canon Bouche, Fronsac, $24
Chateau Fonbadet, Pauillac, $21
Chateau Capbern, St. Estephe, $30
Bois Chandant, Bordeaux Superior, $14
Chateau La Tour De Mons, Margaux, $25
The list could be endless.
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Endless indeed. Recent purchases:
Château Cap Léon Veyrin, Listrac @ $21
Chateau Lillian Ladouys, Saint Estephe @$23
Chateau Clairac, Blaye @$12
NJ prices...
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Why did you pick two left banks & one right bank? Seems like we would be comparing apples to oranges. Or is the point simply to get a taste of the value of both sides?
Value Bordeaux is found all over the appellation.
Great assignment! "Value" being one of my very favorite wine descriptors.
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