WTN: Wines with a pedestrian dinner

[Brad Ballinger]

Had the neighbors over for roast chicken and vegetables. We started out with a fresh halibut/cream cheese spread and some cheeses. Moved to the chicken, and then had roasted oatmeal pudding for dessert.

2004 Luneau-Papin “Pierre de la Grange” Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine sur-Lie Vieilles Vignes. With the starters. A bit more golden in color than your run-of-the-mill Muscadet. This is a wine packed with stony minerality. It has an aroma of rain-washed stones with some lemon and herb accents. Explosive lemon, orange, and mineral flavors in the mouth. Crisp acidity. A finish that leaves me licking the roof of my mouth.

2002 Dom. Robert Chevillon Bourgogne Passetoutgrain. With the roast chicken. Bourgogne Passetoutgrain (sometimes written Passe-Tout-Grain) is an AC whose wines must be at least one-third pinot noir and up to two-thirds gamay. I believe this one is 65% gamay and 35% pinot noir, so damn close to two-thirds/one-third. I’ve previously had the 2003 version of this wine, which was ripe and mutated. This one isn’t as out-of-balance in that direction, and showed lovely floral and cherry components, a healthy dose of acid, a mineral undercurrent, and a fresh, lingering finish. It’s one of those wines where, when the glass has been emptied, one is prompted to remark, “Is there any of that left? Please say yes.”

1971 Bodegas Toro Albala Don P.X. Gran Reserva, Montilla-Moriles. I wasn’t planning on opening a dessert wine, but when my neighbor mentioned he tried his hand at a roasted oatmeal pudding for dessert, I ran to the cellar shouting, “I have just the wine for that!” When he took his first sip he proclaimed the wine “nectar of the gods.” Not everyone has that reaction to 35+ year-old P.X. (opting instead for terms like “pancake syrup” or “motor oil”), but my neighbor gets it. This was my first experience with the 1971. I’ve had the 1975 and 1972 – don’t ask me how this compares; and does it really matter? Take my neighbor’s word for it – it’s nectar of the gods. The less impassioned description would be it is rich with molasses-caramel-burnt sugar-coffee elements. It’s also very much alive and does anything but lay there on the tongue.

[wkl]

"2002 Dom. Robert Chevillon Bourgogne Passetoutgrain"

interesting note brad, i've never had a passetoutgrain with any age on it.

i used to drink them fairly often then, all of a sudden the prices started climbing, and i've laid off. i belive hubert lignier's fetches $20 now. my guess is 2006 from chevillon is about the same?

i wondered if they (the vignerons) started putting a little more effort/

'better juice" in the bottlings to cash in a little bit. i mean, these wines traditionally were pretty rustic quaffs meant to drink right away, kinda like beaujolais nouveau. but once the price escalates you expect more. you could maybe make a rough analogy with grappa. traditionally, pretty awful stuff, but now there are some better quality efforts and the price has escalated. but at the end of the day it is still grappa. ( i'm being pretty general here, just wondering what peoples thoughts are)

[Brad Ballinger]

i've never had a passetoutgrain with any age on it. i used to drink them fairly often then, all of a sudden the prices started climbing, and i've laid off. i belive hubert lignier's fetches $20 now. my guess is 2006 from chevillon is about the same?

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This 2002 was $16, if I recall correctly. It was nowhere near appearing tired at all. Then again, Chevillon is a pretty good producer. I've not had a lot of Passetoutgrain to compare and offer any broader comments to support or refute what you've written.