Last weekend we were on our October break and had a few wines from the S
Rhone with meals:

1998 Dom. du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape
nose: smoked meat, kirsch, a hint of minerals
palate: rich, medium-full body, balanced acidity, long finish

Opened with grilled ribeyes, this wine hit my sweet spot for
Grenache-based wines. It was just Bretty enough to provide some
complexity while staying well within my personal limits for Brett (other
bottles of this wine have been far Brettier). It's still quite young,
so I'll let my remaining bottles sit for a few more years.

1999 Font de Michelle Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Cuvée Etienne Gonnet"
nose: initially, jammy, turning more savory and funkier with air
palate: medium body, low acidity, a tad simple

This is the tête de cuvée bottling from the Gonnet brothers and it is
less to my taste than their cuvée normale. On the first night, hard
upon the heels of the delightfully rustic Pegau, this wine seemed almost
confected and way too jammy. Tasted two days later, it had settled down
into a much more typical idiom of cherries and funky meat.

On Saturday, bad weather motivated us to invite some friends over for a
dinner of smoked quail stuffed with chorizo-cornbread stuffing. While
assorted appetizers, we drank:

NV Jacques Lassaigne Champagne "Les Vignes de Montgueux" Blanc de Blancs
Extra Brut
nose: minerals, citrus, lightly yeasty
palate: taut, vividly acidic, lean and fresh

Continuing our love affair with BdB non-dosé grower Champagnes, this one
falls squarely into the preferred category. This could be sparkling
Chablis, if such existed, and is all the better for the comparison.

With the main course I opened:
2006 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard
nose: smoky, earthy notes over rich red fruits and a hint of oak
palate: medium body, richly fruity, well structured, mouthfilling

As a transplanted Californian who nearly 20 years ago reset his focus
onto European wines, I periodically make an effort to reconnect with the
land of my birth, partly out of continuing loyalty and partly out of the
sense that the pendulum has begun to swing back toward wines of
restraint and character. As part of this effort, I also try to not lose
sight of those traditionalists who never wavered in their winemaking.
For this reason, I cellar wines from ESJ, Joe Swan, Storybook Mountain,
Corison, Ridge, Qupé, Scherrer and Au Bon Climat.

Jim Clendennan certainly marches to his own drummer and has a Burgundian
model for his winemaking. While that term "Burgundian" is bandied about
all too freely and, in so many cases, inaptly, there is a sense of
kinship between this wine and some of the wines from the Cote d'Or that
we drink. It is clearly New World in its fruit yet has a structure and
overall sensibility that makes me think of some of the better wines from
Savigny that we've had in the last few years. It wowed us all and was
wonderful with the quail. The wife of the couple we had over has a
long-standing aversion to Pinot Noir but found this wine to her tastes.
For my part, I'm glad we have more of this (and of the Sanford-Benedict
Vyd).

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On Oct 15, 12:59*pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Last weekend we were on our October break and had a few wines from the S
> Rhone with meals:
>
> 1998 Dom. du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape
> nose: smoked meat, kirsch, a hint of minerals
> palate: rich, medium-full body, balanced acidity, long finish
>
> Opened with grilled ribeyes, this wine hit my sweet spot for
> Grenache-based wines. *It was just Bretty enough to provide some
> complexity while staying well within my personal limits for Brett (other
> bottles of this wine have been far Brettier). *It's still quite young,
> so I'll let my remaining bottles sit for a few more years.
>
> 1999 Font de Michelle Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Cuv e Etienne Gonnet"
> nose: initially, jammy, turning more savory and funkier with air
> palate: medium body, low acidity, a tad simple
>
> This is the t te de cuv e bottling from the Gonnet brothers and it is
> less to my taste than their cuv e normale. *On the first night, hard
> upon the heels of the delightfully rustic Pegau, this wine seemed almost
> confected and way too jammy. *Tasted two days later, it had settled down
> into a much more typical idiom of cherries and funky meat.
>
> On Saturday, bad weather motivated us to invite some friends over for a
> dinner of smoked quail stuffed with chorizo-cornbread stuffing. *While
> assorted appetizers, we drank:
>
> NV Jacques Lassaigne Champagne "Les Vignes de Montgueux" Blanc de Blancs
> Extra Brut
> nose: minerals, citrus, lightly yeasty
> palate: taut, vividly acidic, lean and fresh
>
> Continuing our love affair with BdB non-dos grower Champagnes, this one
> falls squarely into the preferred category. *This could be sparkling
> Chablis, if such existed, and is all the better for the comparison.
>
> With the main course I opened:
> 2006 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard
> nose: smoky, earthy notes over rich red fruits and a hint of oak
> palate: medium body, richly fruity, well structured, mouthfilling
>
> As a transplanted Californian who nearly 20 years ago reset his focus
> onto European wines, I periodically make an effort to reconnect with the
> land of my birth, partly out of continuing loyalty and partly out of the
> sense that the pendulum has begun to swing back toward wines of
> restraint and character. *As part of this effort, I also try to not lose
> sight of those traditionalists who never wavered in their winemaking.
> For this reason, I cellar wines from ESJ, Joe Swan, Storybook Mountain,
> Corison, Ridge, Qup , Scherrer and Au Bon Climat.
>
> Jim Clendennan certainly marches to his own drummer and has a Burgundian
> model for his winemaking. *While that term "Burgundian" is bandied about
> all too freely and, in so many cases, inaptly, there is a sense of
> kinship between this wine and some of the wines from the Cote d'Or that
> we drink. *It is clearly New World in its fruit yet has a structure and
> overall sensibility that makes me think of some of the better wines from
> Savigny that we've had in the last few years. *It wowed us all and was
> wonderful with the quail. The wife of the couple we had over has a
> long-standing aversion to Pinot Noir but found this wine to her tastes.
> *For my part, I'm glad we have more of this (and of the Sanford-Benedict
> Vyd).
>
> Mark Lipton
>
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: *http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

Nice notes Mark and a good take on ABC. I really think that his wines
are a bit misunderstood. I usually give them a few years in the
cellar and they really come together. I was affiliated with a
distributor in Ohio that sold ABC and spoke with Jim many times over
the years. Jim is firm in making wines that compliment foods in a
European style with a balance of acidity and fruit and I think he does
this well.