Dinner with friends

[Florida Jim]

Aperitif:

2000 Pieropan. Soave La Rocca:

Extremely ripe fruit that makes a full flavored, viscous wine with a fruit sweetness and a long finish. Excellent wine.

With a small green salad, roasted corn on the cob and a grilled sandwich of rosemary, black olive bread; grilled portabello, tomato, fresh mozzarella and arugala pesto:

2000 Sylvie Esmonin, Gevrey-Chambertin VV:

A simple, straight-forward, ripe pinot with no sense of place and little interest. Boring but pleasant. No grip or tannin showing.

2001 A. et P. de Villaine, Mercury Les Montots:

This wine was very lightly corked – and still it was twice the wine of the preceding one. Crunchy cherry and cranberry with nice earth tones and brightness throughout, The mustiness of the cork was noticeable but did not really intrude. A wine with good length, considerable punch and a crisp finish.

Best, Jim

[Craig Camp]

2000 Sylvie Esmonin, Gevrey-Chambertin VV:

A simple, straight-forward, ripe pinot with no sense of place and little interest. Boring but pleasant. No grip or tannin showing.

Sharp criticism for an old vine Gevrey. I have not tasted these wines - have you have similar experiences before with the domaine(?) or is this unusual?

You keep going back to the La Rocca - I don't blame you. Love that wine.

[Florida Jim]

Sharp criticism for an old vine Gevrey. I have not tasted these wines - have you have similar experiences before with the domaine(?) or is this unusual?

Craig,

I should emphasize that there was nothing wrong with this wine. It was sound, varietally correct, forward, ripe and not over oaked. It just had no Gevrey character and therefore, I found it boring.

I find the producer inconsistent and given to using too much wood (although not on this wine). Not on my "short list" but not bad.

Best, Jim

[Craig Camp]

It is a VV and a Gevrey. Certainly boring is a strong complaint.

By the way who imports this domaine?

[Florida Jim]

By the way who imports this domaine?

Louis/Dressner

[Craig Camp]

By the way who imports this domaine?

Louis/Dressner

..ummm I have to ask Joe about this one.

[Andre]

"With a small green salad, roasted corn on the cob and a grilled sandwich of rosemary, black olive bread; grilled portabello, tomato, fresh mozzarella and arugala pesto:

2000 Sylvie Esmonin, Gevrey-Chambertin VV:

A simple, straight-forward, ripe pinot with no sense of place and little interest. Boring but pleasant. No grip or tannin showing"

In my opinion, this is not an easy combination for any wine, especially a Chambertin:

black olive bread,

Arugula Pesto,

Green salad....

A Hard fight for this wine....

[Beachfan]

I love the Soave La Rocca. I first had it in Venice at Osteria del Fiore. As soon as I got back to the US, I bought a case. Looks like I should do it again.