Wines are like people; each individual has its own personality and this personality changes throughout its life. The great thing about wine is that if you meet a personality you don’t like you can simply dump it out, losing only a few dollars, while with a person you could very well end up tearing your hair out or having your heart broken. Of course, owing to the fact that people are fickle beings, it is always possible to revisit a wine, or person, after a few years and discover that you do indeed enjoy it or that it has taken on a sour and undesirable character. The likeability of a personality is highly subjective, just like the taste of a wine, which is why I prefer to ignore most score charts when it comes to a particular brand or vintage and go more for description. Score can be helpful, of course, if you know who is doing the scoring. Everyone’s good friend Robert Parker, for instance, tends to prefer the bolder, bigger, and more fruit-forward bottles so you know if it got a good score from him that that is probably what you are going to get. In my reports on the wine world I will try to use more a descriptive model, building on the idea of personality and wine as a living entity, to portray my feelings on the elixir in question.
Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée No. 730 - The name of this champagne indicates that it is the 730th cuvée made since Jacquesson’s Centenary Cuvée in 1898. When Jacquesson tackles a new cuvée they try to “privilege excellence over consistency” by modeling their cuvée after a particular vintage instead of trying to create a cuvée that would be typical of all the vintages. This particular cuvée is based on the 2002 vintage and succeeds the Cuvée No. 729 which was based on 2001. The grapes involved come totally from the Grands Crus and Premiers Crus, and are only from villages where Jacquesson has vineyard holdings. The wine is 48% Chardonnay, 32% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier. But onto more important things…what happens when you actually open a bottle? Well, first a foremost, the bubbles: small and tight-knit, occurring in great and powerful multitudes. The bubbles will hit your nose when you raise your glass to take you first sip and will last through your last drink. The champagne has an expected yeasty taste with a bright fruitiness that envelopes the entire palate. The nose gives of the aroma of the first flowers of May and this delicious sent stays tucked away in olfactory storage even after the liquid has passed through your mouth. This heavenly beauty is really a timid maid though; she should not be drunk without first warming her up a little. Her beauty fully shines through when served only lightly chilled.
Domaine Feuillat – Juillot Montagne Premier Cru. This wine, from an estate started by a woman named Francoise in 1989, can be compared to a sophisticated lady walking through the fields of late summer. She carries a basket of bread and fruits with her and has flowers strung through her hair. This chardonnay has a beautiful light golden hue and the nose exudes the scent of fresh honey and fruit. This classy beverage, from 35 year old vines, has a lovely palate encapsulating the taste of fresh bread on the front and side palates and ending with melon on the back palate. Most unfortunately, like all summers, this wine ends too soon. The finish is just not long enough; it dies within seconds and leaves the taster wanting more.
Rayun Sauvignon Blanc - This Chilean wine, brought to us by enologist Alvaro Espinoza and Carlos Faúndez, could be described as a young girl sitting under an apple tree in the spring, thinking fondly of the years to come. The juice is pale in color and crystal clear. The wine’s taste envelopes the entirety of the palate, giving special attention to the side palate. I think it is a very horizontal wine in general. The best thing about this wine is that it has the hint of a smell of apple blossom and then, once sipped, the taste of fresh green apples appears on the tongue. It will be exciting to see where this wine goes, from vintage to vintage, as I think there is incredible room for growth upon the already sturdy foundation that has been created. One more great thing about this bottle, it is only about $7, a must buy!
Claude Courtois Racines Les Cailloux du Paradis - The crabby old man who lives in a shack in the woods that, after a little prodding, turns into a light and jovial person who tells the most interesting of stories. The first time I tasted this wine was at an informal tasting from a bottle that had probably been open for hours and I decided it was so interesting that I would order it the next night when I saw it on a restaurant’s wine list. Upon first opening at the restaurant I was quite disappointed and had thought that maybe my palate was off the day before. But fifteen minutes later I felt redeemed as the wine had integrated itself and fully blossomed. The nose is a bit stinky; smelling, like that crabby old man, of the earth and rock. It tastes of dark berries, cherries, and herbs, with some spice at the end and its finish is long and constantly, but subtly, changing. In general everything about this wine, with the exception of the nose, is delicate, light, and subtle. The wine is interesting, not immediately pleasing, but if you sit with it for a bit you’ll be very pleased with the results. This is a thinking wine. Not everyone likes thinking wines; they’re too difficult for many people, but for those with the patience, the rewards are endless.