Saturday June 16th, 2012
Featuring:
2009 Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie
2007 Miner Vineyards "The Oracle"
2007 Peter Michael "L'Espirit de Pavots"
2004 Muga "Prado Enea" Gran Reserva
1997 Jaboulet Hermitage "La Chapelle"
2005 La Peira
2009 Pride Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
They say that men are better than woman at math, but then the people who usually say that are men. Go figure. When it's comes to figuring, we're told that men are better with numbers, with figures (I feel a pun coming on but I'm going to back away quietly from that one), that there is something about the certitude of numerical depiction that appeals to a man. Or maybe that men are just obsessed with numbers: .300 batting averages, 50 quarterback ratings, triple doubles or maybe even a 5 handicap.
Maybe this is why the 100-point system appeals to so many men. Despite the inherent ambiguity of wine (it changes, some people like certain styles more than others), there is something so reassuring about knowing that the god of wine has assigned it a number and now you know that your cellar has thirty 95 point wines and above (and that you still don't have a 100 point wine notched on your bedpost, I mean gun).
Fret not, gentlemen, numbers mean nothing! Taste is everything (like the beer commercial says); so why not enjoy Father's Day weekend tasting some of the most delicious wines any father (or son of a father) could hope to taste?
For starters, we have one of my obsessions: 2009 Rostaing Cote Rotie. Rene Rostaing has long been a bulwark against creeping internationalization of this sacred slope (and a roasted slope it is too, as in the name). But make no mistake; he’s as modern as anybody; it’s just that he has been raised on these wines and he knows how the great old Cote Roties tasted (his uncle was the late great Marius Gentaz as in Gentaz Dervieux). It shows in his own stuff; it’s intense but more mineral than alcohol, oak, extract and all the other characteristics that places like Napa have in spades.
And speaking of Napa, anyone care for 2007 Miner "The Oracle"? This is from a superb vintage and is just now starting to show what it's capable of showing: enormity along with elegance. Cabernet Sauvignon with healthy doses of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this has got lots of life ahead of it. I may seem to denigrate the bigness of so many California wines (just because so many of them have nothing but size going for them), but size isn't everything, and some of my favorites offer balance in addition.
2007 Peter Michael L'Espirit de Pavots is definitely one among that number. The folks at Peter Michael make large, but not unwieldy wines. Or, as long as we're using the blockbuster adjective, how about this ain't no chick flick? Heck, it's Father's Day weekend; I should be allowed to get away with such offensive nonsense (please don't tell my wife, she’ll assign me chores.) But the excellent reputation of both of these California beauties is pretty well known among those that count their wine trophies.
Suppose you like wines with a bit more silk than strength like the 2004 Muga Prado Enea; this is one of Rioja’s top wines and a great expression of its gentle but firm demeanor. Or back in France, we’ll also be pouring 1997 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle. Amongst all Hermitages, La Chapelle ought not to be talked about in blockbuster terms; it’s far too complex for that. Don’t get me wrong; it’s no shrinking violet either.
We're also going to be pouring the wine that has most recently made people rethink everything they think they know about Languedoc: 2005 La Peira. Comprised of the grapes that are de rigeur in the southern Rhone, La Peira offers Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah in fascinatingly rich form.
And, finally this weekend, we'll offer the 2009 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. Any sane person knows that Pride Mountain is a star; their Merlot might be the best in California. But their Cabernets are pretty juicy and attractive too. Best of all, the wines we're tasting this weekend for Father's Day are worth many, many points. How many points? Well, that's up to you. You're the numbers man.
Happy tasting and we'll see you Saturday!
Doug Frost, MS MW
Master Sommelier & Master of Wine
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