White Richness

It was a treat to catch up for dinner with My Mentor and the Grey Ghost.  They have been part of my formative years in wine, and also for SWMBO.  We have the greatest respect for the, their intellect, humour, and of course palates.  Whatever they chose to open and serve is well thought out and few things are left to chance.  Their nonchalance makes it easy to gloss over the subject of wine, but the wines that are tasted matter a great deal.

The Greenies were also in attendance, and we missed out on the first wine, a Mosel Riesling, but we joined in on the second, a 2007 Josmeyer Alsace Grand Cru ‘Hengst’ Riesling.  Still youthful in colour and fruit expression, with white florals, limes and stonefruits.  Remarkably clean and without the distraction of Euro-funkiness.  No trace of toastiness at all yet.  But quite satisfying to drink with its weight, core, linear palate presence.  Rounded in the mouth, but still fresh and vibrant.  A richer aperitif for sure.  It went down nicely.

The Grey Ghost had served a salad.  My Mentor served with it to us a 2009 Blain-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er ‘Caillerets’.  Classical white burgundy from the Puligny-Chassagne spectrum.  I jokingly said “no such thing as pre-mox” as it was spotlessly free of any such spoilage.  It was just pure fruit with a sweetness, ripeness and juiciness of white stonefruits.  Ripe and rounded in body, but with good acidity.  Not the acidity of the 2010s for sure, and a slight failing in the wine for My Mentor.  But so such worries for us.  As the wine developed in the glass, the slightly more rustic Chassagne than Puligny nature emerged.  Distinctive hazelnuts then almonds over the near white floral-stonefruits we originally saw.  There was a bit of spice in the salad, but the wine shone through.