u/JJxiv15

Hopefully I get it down to 75 at days end! Today’s theme, clearly, fantasy - haven’t seen any of these four movies.

Up first, Ridley Scott’s “Legend” - seen it parodied endlessly, heard a ton about the production, but never got around to it. It was a gift, too, so I’m looking forward to the Darkness effects and Tim Curry’s performance. And a baby Tom Cruise!

Next, Dragonslayer. I know nothing about this movie. Bought it solely as a recommendation from this subreddit during a B&N sale. So I go into it completely blind! It’s probably the one I’m looking forward to most.

Third, we have one of her favorite films - Willow! I also know very little about this one besides Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis being in it. I want to assume it’s a similar fantasy plot line? You know, heroes? A damsel in distress? A great evil and mythical creatures? She’s been asking to watch it for a while, so I bought it instead of streaming.

Lastly, the live action How to Train Your Dragon. The animated one is my favorite animated picture of all time, so I’m fully willing to give this one a chance. Heard great things about it, ready to enjoy that John Powell score one more time.

No wine for now, just coffee.

Would love to hear your thoughts on these films as I get thru them!

My guilty pleasure, one of my favorite appellations, and 25% of my cellar - the Sauternais! A bit about Chateau Doisy-Vedrines - interestingly, despite being in neighboring Barsac, they label themselves as Sauternes (which one is allowed to do), and while the exact blend of the vintage was difficult to track down, the plantings of the Chateau are 80% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc, & 5% Muscadelle - average vine age of 30 years. The aging is done for about a year and a half, in 50-60% new oak barrels. This next tidbit I found particularly interesting - yields for them that year were 10 hectoliters a hectare, or about 40 sf of vineyard to make the halfsie bottle I'm enjoying. This particular bottle was a fantastic find for me at $12 - a wonderful vintage year & as a 2nd growth producer, I knew I'd be hard pressed to find a better bottle at that price point. Stored at 45, popped and poured - enjoyed sans pairing over two hours.

Visually, still a medium gold. Cork came out clean & intact with an ah-so, with plenty of tiny calcium mucate deposits on it.

On the nose - well, I went in expecting to pick up the usual tropical or stone fruit notes, but was immediately uppercut by strong chemical scents of superglue & acetone. Hello, ethyl acetate! Fortunately it wafted off within 10-15 minutes, replaced by tres leches, pie crust, creme brulee, brown sugar - faint at first, then increasing in intensity as it warmed & got air. Very little fruit notes here, I'm inclined to think the higher % of new oak barrels imparted more of these type of notes than I'm used to (my usual Barsac tends to be more Climens). The botrytis notes of honey & caramel joined the party soon enough, but it would take until the last glass for some fruit to appear - orange peel, roasted pineapple. This is wonderfully complex!

On the palate, we've got decent body here - not the lightness of a Climens nor the gobsmacking decadence of a Coutet, rather a middle ground. Faint tannic nibble thanks to the barrels, with an above average acidity (compared to its peers, anyway) to help balance a ~140g/L sweetness. The alcohol is only notable as it warms up (13.5%), but the finish - that finish! Flavors of being buried alive in a Miami bakery lasting over a minute.

I have a Doisy-Daene & a La Tour Blanche from 2009 to compare this with, but the relative absence of fruit notes at this young age (to me) made for an interesting experience and memorable flavor profile. It was an intense year - hot, humid, plenty of sugar and alcohol, and I can feel that in this bottling. I haven't sampled the 2009 yet in my usuals - Climens, Suduiraut, Lafaurie-Peyraguey - and that's a comparison I look forward to making. Bottom line, the complexity/intensity of scent & flavor I received for just >>$12<< - hard to beat!

(Bonus photo of additional info from my Bordeaux and its Wines tome, albeit a little outdated!)

The last of four red Burgs I bought to get me started on the region! It's a daunting exercise, building the knowledge base to finally get started with untangling Burgundy, which seemed overwhelming to me at first. The other three (Arlaud Roncevie, Richoux Irancy, Sarrazin Givry) were all quite unique in their own right, and the selection of this one was to start with an entry level Chassagne-Montrachet rouge. The inheritance rules of Burgundy always do a number on me, seeing how many Gagnards own vineyards out there - Jean-Noel inherited several small parcels, and for almost the last 30 years, it's been run by his daughter Caroline. This particular Pinot comes from the Morgeot 1er cru plot, on the southern end of Chassagne-Montrachet - southeast facing slopes about 750' high. Stored at 55, popped thej decanted, enjoyed over two hours.

Visually, a medium ruby in the glass.

On the nose - my goodness, it's as if the wine grew hands, and pushed my face down into soil. Very earthy from the start. Potting soil, dirt. I'm in construction, I've smelled some dirt. There's dirt. Dried leaves, tobacco leaves. As it warms - roses, potpourri. Notable allspice & clove. Fruits - blueberry, cranberry, dark cherry. It's a wonderfully complex scent to my Burg rookie nose.

On the palate - strong red fruit - cranberry & cherry, licorice, soil & pastry. Despite being just 13%, it was notable from the start, and moreso as it warmed (13 in Bordeaux to me is imperceptible) - rougher that I expected, with super fine tannins that coated every inch of my mouth. Middling acidity with a decent finish. Structurally, it felt somewhat out of control, compared to the harmony of the Arlaud Roncevie I mention above or the Givry. Perhaps with more time for all the components to come to terms with each other - the flavors were fantastic, the finish was decent - I'll have to think about this one further.

Parting notes - on to my next group of 4 red Burgs, ones from more well known appellations & producers. It's certainly bold, earthy, and still rough around the edges - but I enjoyed the nose & flavors plenty enough to certainly welcome more CM reds!

On a recent visit to Paris, one of the shops I was recommended to visit for back vintages was "Maison des Millesimes" - walked in with an open mind and $250 to spend on Bordeaux, and let the shopkeeper make recommendations. I had Sauternes and left bank Bordeaux in mind, and one of his selections for me was this 1996 Croizet-Bages with absolutely spectacular provenance, immaculate label condition, and a fill level past top shoulder - wonderful stuff for a wine nearing 30 years since bottling! I knew the producer as a fifth growth and by name (and from a decent vintage) but nothing about their history and reputation - yet I agreed to the bottle and took it home nonetheless. Primarily Cab Sauv blend (assuming as a left bank, the Chateau has not yet answered my eMail regarding the blend for this year). Stored at 55, popped and poured - chose not to decant at this age, but enjoyed over 3 hours. Paired with a grilled NY strip steak and salad.

Visually, a deep red leaning garnet, already bricking at the rim. No visible signs of damage on the label or capsule - cork flush with the rim. Bit of mold on the middle of the cork upon removal, but a clean withdrawal with an Ah-so.

On the nose, oaky notes emerged first - cocoa/mocha/coffee, somebaking spice from the oak barrel aging. Lovely distant hint of sweet pastry. Still some fruit left, to my surprise! A bit of blackberry & blackcurrant, which faded within thirty minutes. Plenty of cedar - grandma’s old wooden furniture, old barrels. As it warmed, floral & potpourri notes.

On the palate, on the downslope! Medium body, with very, very fine tannins that tickle the tongue & gums - just a faint nibble of grip left at this point. Acidity remains above average, and an unnoticeable 12.5% alcohol. Feels very, very light for a Pauillac, and as a pairing, the steak was almost overpowering the faint tannic grip and mouthfeel. Flavors of cocoa, coffee, cedar, bit of cigar humidor - fruit's gone! Very short finish, regrettably.

It's only afterwards that I noted, in reading online, a common use of the word "underperforming" when used to describe Croizet-Bages, especially from this time period, but I want to think this particular wine would've been fantastic 10-15 years ago, and that at 30, age had simply caught up with it. It's a heck of a learning experience for $50, but that's part of the game, and it's another producer and flavor profile added to the memory banks!