Talk-A-Vino

Ahh, the difference between the picture in your head and the reality. I know that I’ve written “Month in Wines” posts in the past, to discuss the wines I had during a given month. What I didn’t realize was that the last “Month in Wines” post was written 9 years ago, in 2015. Oh well, such is life. Let’s get to our subject – the wines I had during January of this year.

I would say that January, and December for that matter, are usually a bit more special, as both months are centered around holidays and celebrations. For a variety of reasons, we got to celebrate New Year, our most favorite holiday, on 3 separate occasions, and every one of those celebrations involved bubbles and special wines. Here are my brief notes on what transpired in January 2024, sorted by the type of wines.

Some of the sparkling wines

Sparkling:

NV Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne (12% ABV) – of course, no introduction is needed. As the most marketed Champagne brand, I find it annoying and thus drink rarely. We had a few bottles that my wife received as a present at work a few years back, so I decided to open one of them. The wine was not bad, I guess better than I expected. Not anything that would blow your mind off, but solid and drinkable (but not craveable if this is even a word).

NV André Chemin Brut Tradition Blanc de Noirs Champagne (12% ABV) – my favorite Champagne available from WTSO (or at least it used to be, great value at $26.99). Round, playful, beautiful toasty notes and perfectly balanced.

NV Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut Champagne (12% ABV) – everything is better from the magnum right? Nice, clean, classic.

2016 Secret Indulgence Brut Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine Napa Valley (12.5% ABV) – a bit more substance than a typical Champagne. Just a touch more body, a bit more fruit, but overall perfectly restrained.

NV Maison Laudacius Cuvée Réservée Brut Méthode Traditionnelle Montlouis-sur-Loire AOP (12% ABV) – I grabbed this Cremant from the WTSO selection right before the holidays. This was nice and round, with clean acidity and just a touch of the fruit.

2017 Veuve Doussot Brut Cuvée Ernestine Champagne (12.5% ABV, 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, disgorged January 2022) – this one was just okay. Bubbles, but not much else to report.

NV Duval-Leroy Brut Reserve Champagne (12% ABV) – nice, round, clean, classic. A hint of apple, perfect acidity.

2011 Castello Bonomi Cru Perdu Millisimato Franciacorta (12.5% ABV) – excellent. Very generous, round, refreshing, a clean profile with a touch of fruit and a great substance.

2012 Charles Clément Brut Champagne (12% ABV, 60% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier) – excellent specimen of a vintage Champagne. Toasted notes, brioche, fine mousse, all around delicious.

NV Henri Champliau Brut Authentique Crémeant de Bourgogne AOC (12.5% ABV, 85% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay) – Zak, who brought this wine, mentioned that a “tik-tok sommelier” compared this wine with Veuve Clicquot and said that they are literally identical in the taste profile with this Cremant only costing a fraction of the Veuve. Upon first taste, we found no similarities, and the wine overall was kind of subpar, so we had to put it aside enclosed with the Champagne bottle sealer. The next day the wine was still not interesting. On the third day, it showed a much bigger body and became much more round and pleasant. I still don’t think the comparison with Veuve stands, but go figure…

NV Giacomo Scagliola SiFaSol Moscato d’Asti DOCG (5.5% ABV) – of course, this is a lightly fizzed sweet wine, but we had it as an aperitif, hence is it listed with other sparkling wines. When it comes to Asti wines, it is all about balance and acidity – and succulent white peaches in this wine were perfectly balanced by the lemony acidity, so overall the experience was light and refreshing.

Final group

Whites:

2010 CVNE Monopole Rioja White Wine (13% ABV, 100% Viura) – I love unexpected [good] surprises, and this was definitely the one. I always enjoyed Monopole, the oldest white wine produced in Rioja (the first vintage was produced 110 years ago – in 2014) – but typically as a fresh, young wine. I kept one bottle as an experiment, not expecting anything special. The wine was excellent – not at the level of mature Riesling or a well-made white Burgundy, but it was good in its own class, with white-stone fruit, white plum, and lemon on the palate, and a tiny hint of oxidative/sherry notes, still with freshness and well noticeable acidity. Don’t know if it would age for much longer, and I was happy that I opened it now.

2015 Château Pape Clément Grand Cru Pessac-Leognan (14.5% ABV) – unlike the previous wine, this was not a good surprise. A very strange palate which I can’t even describe – kind of medicinal profile with basil and currant leaves, rather overwhelming. “Strange” would be the best descriptor.

2011 Peter Michael La Carrière Chardonnay Knights Valley Sonoma County (15.2% ABV) – another disappointing wine. 2011 was not a good year in California, and this wine was simply bitter and lacked any sort of balance.

Reds

Reds:

2006 St. Francis Old Vines Zinfandel Pagani Vineyard Sonoma Valley (15.6% ABV) – I kept this trio for a while but decided that the time had come to drink them. All 3 wines were very similar, focusing on blackberries, a hint of cherries and fresh herbs, round and delicious. I can’t complain about either one – they were all gone very quickly.

2007 St. Francis Old Vines Zinfandel Pagani Vineyard Sonoma Valley (15.4% ABV) – 2007 was the biggest wine of the 3, still retaining the same core of the fruit and herbs, but more assertive in its expression on the palate.

2008 St. Francis Old Vines Zinfandel Pagani Vineyard Sonoma Valley (15.4% ABV) – possibly the most elegant of the 3. Again, same profile, but with more finesse and restraint, focused on elegance.

2009 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Toscana IGT (14% ABV) – I was hoping it would be great, and it was not. Another disappointment of the tasting.

2005 ArPePe Sassella Vigna Regina Riserva Valtellina Superiore DOCG (13% ABV) – I have a lot of respect for ArPePe wines, but for whatever reason, this was far from amazing. I would describe it as “lean”. It is possible that the wine was open during its “sleeping” phase, but I would never be able to find out now.

2001 La Serena Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (14.5% ABV) – this was an interesting experience. From the get-go, the wine was not bad, with a pleasant dark cherries profile and good acidity. It was lacking a body a bit, so we decided to decant it. The decanter didn’t make much of a difference, with the wine remaining pleasant but not exciting. During the next two days, the wine transformed, showing a powerful structure and becoming more assertive. This wine could probably wait for another 5-10 years. Oh well…

2016 Carlisle Two Acres Russian River Valley Sonoma County (14.9% ABV, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Pelourcin, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet) – a rare case of Carlisle missing the mark. I can only assume I opened the wine while it was in its “sleeping” phase – at the moment it was simply lacking balance, and it didn’t improve even over the next few days. Strange, but happens.

2010 Clarendon Hills Brookman Merlot Wine of Australia (14.5% ABV) – I saw a very discouraging review of this wine somewhere online (might be Vivino), but somehow was convinced that my experience would be very different. No such luck. If I would ever decide to present the list of the worst wines of the year, this would be definitely one of the top contenders. This was a wine that showed nothing – not on the nose, not on the palate. Not good…

2017 Quinta do Vale Dão DOP (13% ABV, 40% Touriga Nacional, 40% Tinta Roriz, 20% Alfrocheiro) – Portuguese wines represent amazing value, and this was a simple proof of that. For under $10, this wine was singing – fresh, succulent berries, perfectly integrated tannins, playful, delicious.

2009 Sauvella Luscinia Canta Costers del Segre DO (14.1% ABV, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache) – Spain never ceases to amaze. An eclectic mix of grapes (who blends Cabernet Sauvignon with Syrah and Grenache?) delivering outstanding wine – fragrant, playful, full of fresh succulent dark fruit and herbs, well-integrated tannins and long finish. By the way, 2009 is a current release (available in the stores now) and thought-provoking.

2017 Campochiarenti San Nicola Riserva Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG (14.5% ABV) – classic and precise. Beautiful, layered Chianti with all the attributes – succulent dark cherries, sweet tobacco, leather, perfect minerality, wonderful bouquet and overall just a quintessential Italian wine.

2008 Achaval-Ferrer Quimera Mendoza Argentina (14% ABV, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, 12 months in 40% new and 60% old French oak barrels) – my last bottle. I can’t recall why but I was not happy about the previous bottle opened a few years back, so I had a bit of trepidation opening this one on the last day of the month. The wine was just perfect. Roll-off-your-tongue smooth, velvety tannins, succulent cherries surrounded by the black fruit. Perfectly balanced and supremely delicious.

This concludes the story of January month in wines. As you can tell, there were clear highs and there were clear lows. How was your January in wines?

The work on a sequel has already started.

Cheers!