50 years old

JC's friend opened special wines for a special occasion.
She kindly shared them with us.

Chateau Leoville-Las Cases Grand Vin de Leoville Saint-Julien 1971
Delicate aromas of cherry, flower, mint, tobacco and pencil shaving.
Powdery tannin.
We happened to be having oyster with Muscadet, and tried this wine with oyster for fun, and actually they paired good.

Muga Prado Enea Rioja Reserva 1973
Stewed and candied fruit, herb, dark chocolate, coffee.
Very smooth texture and fresh on palate.

Faustino Rioja Grand Reserva 1970
Cooked fruit, raisin, sugar coated violet, coffee beans and spice.
Tannin is high but soft. There is still some freshness.

All of them are almost 50 years of age.
Leoville was great but better be drunk soon after opening the bottle, but the two bottles of Rioja were surprisingly fresh! and still good even a couple of days after opening.

It was great experience and rare opportunity to try wines of this age.
I really thank this generous offer from JC's friend.
It seems to be wine industry tradition that veteran wine people let less experienced people try rare wines.
Hope we can become these ones who help younger generation some day and keep this tradition.

Loire Valley Wines tasting

There was a tasting of Loire Valley Wines. 

love the wall decoration!

Loire Valley stretches east-west direction following the Loire River.

Climate in the area near Atlantic ocean is maritime while inland experiences cooler continental climate. This variety of climate together with different soil types produce many styles of wine, like crisp Sauvignon Blanc from cooler Central Vineyards or age-worthy full body Chenin Blanc from Anjou.

Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre 2017

Freshness with creamy texture. Ripe fruit.

Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Les Caillottes Sancerre  2016
Melon, lime, herbs like tarragon.

Domaine Leduc Frouin La Seigneurie Anjou 2015
Fresh and ripe tropical fruit.

Chateau Pierre Bise Clos du Grand Beaupreau Savenieres Chenin Blanc 2013
Rich texture with savoriness.

Chateau Pierre Bise Clos de Coulaine Savennieres 2013
DECADENT!

Chateau de la Mulonniere L'Effet Papillon 2013
Decent sweetness of honey and notes of oxidation.

Couly Dutheil Les Chanteaux Chinon
Fresh and ripe fruit and flower.
Delicate flavor lasted to the after taste.
Loire is known for white wine (almost half of the production is white), but this red was great!

Loire Valley is an established wine region but might be lesser recognized being under the shadow of other big names like Bordeaux or Burgundy; however, the broadness of the range of styles makes this region stand out.

Calon Segur

I don't have so many occasions to try Boudeaux wine.
Even rarer is the opportunity to try a vertical tasting  (a tasting of a specific wine of different vintages) of Calon Segur!

Chateau Calon Segur is the Third Growth Chateau in Bordeaux and one of the oldest producers in Saint Estephe.
The noticeable heart design on the label is said to come from the word from the former owner of the chateau "my heart is in Calon."

Chateau Calon Segur St. Estephe 2012
Dark purple color. Pronounced aromas of purple flower like lavender or violet, fresh plum with pepper-like sharp refreshing afrer taste. Tannin is firm yet smooth.

Chateau Calon Segur St. Estephe 2011
Potpourri, fruit and greenness of pirazine. Sweet on the nose and tart on the palate.
I don't know if this is right way to say but the texture is very smooth like water.

Chateau Calon Segur St. Estephe 2009
Aromas of fragrant flower softens toast and chocolate.
Firm structure.

Chateau Calon Segur St. Estephe 2006
Decayed flower and fruit. Coffee beans and tobacco.
Tartness of fruit is balanced with fresh bitterness.

Chateau Calon Segur St. Estephe 2003
Deep garnet color. Cooked and candied fruit, coffee and dark chocolate.

Very approachable and likable. Even the youngest vintage is friendly.
I wasn't a big fan of the label design originally, but it suits to the style of wine, I guess.

Arietta

This was the first Napa visit since the big fire last year.
As we drove up Silverado trail, I saw some damaged winery and vegetation.
It was somehow unrealistic and depressing scene, but as we drove to the north, most of vineyards seemed intact. I heard on the news that irrigation system in vineyards could help to stop fire, and it seemed really worked.

Arietta is a winery founded in Napa in 1996.
Many of grapes for their Bordeaux-style blends come from cooler part of Napa such as Carneros AVA, which create more delicate style wine than big and jammy.
It seems like they are not the only ones and other producers are using grapes from cooler area. Is this trend or because of grobal warming?

Mr. Fritz Hatton, the owner of Arietta, is very amiable, generous, and a great singer!
We visited him at  Chateau Boswell on Silverado Trail.

He gave us a tour of the cave where wines were stored and explained the production, maturation and marketing methods with a touch of humour and music.

Tasting was inside the cave. Very romantic setting!

Arietta On the White Keys 2016
Sauvignon Blanc 84%, Semillon 16%
Vibrant wine. Honeysuckle, apple, fresh cedar.
Partial MLF to aim at just between sharp malic and softer lactic acid.

Arietta Quartet 2015
Cab Sauvignon 51%, Merlot 29%, Cab Franc 11%, Petit Verdot 9%
Red and black berry, sweet pink flower and powdery tannin.
Approachable.

Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Cab Sauvignon 91%, Cab Franc 6%, Petit Verdot 3%
Ripe and preserved red fruit, herb and cacao.
Complexity with focus. Great wine.

Arietta Merlot Hudson Vineyards 2014
Merlot 100%
Ripe red and blue fruit, fresh herb. Firm tannin.

Arietta Red Wine H Block Hudson Valley 2014
Cab Franc 68%, Merlot 32%
Ripe and preserved red fruit, flower, herb and chocolate.
Soft mouth-feel.

Arietta Red Wine Variation One Hudson Valley 2012
Syrah 70%, Merlot 30%
Meaty, juicy wine with exotic notes.

I had an impression that Bordeaux style Napa Cab would be always big and jammy, but these wines were delicate and elegant.
I really enjoyed the beautiful wines with the great host.