Birthday Inspiration

A large part of my journey in winegrowing so far has been dedicated to learning and defining what I value most in wine. One of the most fascinating parts of working for producers and families I admire is how infrequently they drink their own wine, constantly benchmarking and learning from the vigneron they admire. Wine is and can be grown and made in so many different ways. From their example, I have been on a path to define and understand the wines most compelling to me, and to find the threads that connect them.

Birthdays are a great excuse to bring out special wines to share with friends, to learn together and to share in the joy of wine. These are my

impressions from my favorite bottles from a birthday full of laughter and inspiration.

2006 Dujac Bonnes Mares

Perhaps the most deliciously open and aromatic young Bonnes Mares I’ve experienced next to an 07 Roumier. As with that Roumier, this spoke so clearly of both place and producer - exuberant perfume and high toned purity from Dujac’s deft touch, the the outer layers of the wine from built from the finesse of the terres blanches. But always true to site, with a quiet sense of meaty density, power and imprint of tannin from the terres rouges.

The nose has us all sighing and melting immediately, very Chambolle with its damask rose and sweet, bright raspberries. Very pure, detailed, giving and lifted, with a quiet undercurrent of nutmeg, iron, clay, and earth.

The palate matches the nose almost identically, but with an edge of meaty, sauvage and ferrous subtly austere depth just as the wine leaves the palate that speaks of the red soils.

The acidity is bright but very integrated, lifting the tone fruit high into the red spectrum as with many of Dujac’s 06s. The tannins are beautifully fine and chalky, but still compact and densely woven, grounding the wine and lending a real sense of depth and presence.

Half way through the bottle a layer of raspberry and strawberry yogurt, forms on the mid palate, helping to balance and buffer the subtly compact and austere tannin.

The collective impression is one of being charmingly aerien and aromatic, layered silk and velvet, chalky and dense, iron and elegance all at once.

2011 PYCM St Aubin En Remilly Nicholas et Mathis

This special bottling of ‘11 Nicholas eat Mathis reminds me greatly of my last bottle of the ‘09 Meursault Perrieres in its intense structure and saline umami. Most of all, this mirrors that Perrieres in how the sense of subtle viscosity and texture balances the chiseled structure, rather than the other way around (as is with the Sandhi). Which for me is a hallmark of PYCM at 10+ years old.

As with many bottles of PYCM upon first opening, the structure isn’t quite as obvious, highlighting the sense of hazelnut oil and crème fraiche viscous amplitude. Yet there is a deeply saline edge emerging towards the finish which speaks of the proximity to Chevalier and hints at how the wine will evolve as it opens.

Whereas this began richer and rounder than the Sandhi, by our second pour this feels totally transformed. A wiry mid palate core of linear salinity, chiseled chalkiness, speaking of thin, rocky soils and slight elevation comes to the fore. This feels younger and younger with each pour and by the end, the sense of intertwining, chiseled acidity, dry extract and phenolic grip is almost searingly dense, thoroughly necessitating the creme fraiche and hazelnut oil viscosity to balance and buffer the structure.

This was utterly delicious and deeply inspirational.

2014 Bentrock Sandhi 1.5L

This speaks very clearly of old world inspiration and values married seamlessly with fruit and textural expression true to Bentrock, its sun, intense ocean winds and marine soils. Built on tension and chiseled density which carries the wonderfully gourmand viscosity with ease and grace.

Captivatingly linear and energetic, much more than I expected. Deeply refreshing, calls me back to the glass almost immediately after each sip.

Its chiseled core is enveloped by beautiful hazelnut oil, lemon oil, curd and lemon zest creme fraiche. Aroma and sweet yeasty umami of grilled brioche, chalk, oyster brine, super dense and saline. This is very very impressive and long, yet each glass disappears in an instant.

2011 Keller Abtserde

Double decanted at 3pm

This has a sense of gravitas and grandeur that is rare even amongst the great Rieslings of the world. This was another bottle that speaks to the importance of giving Keller’s wines enough air and time before the first pour.

Very floral and stone fruit driven, full of peach blossom and underripe apricot when first opened at 3pm. Delicious but without the singular intensity and depth that I associate with Keller.

Yet when poured at 7:30, this has totally transformed. Lemon oil, zest, lime blossom, rock salt and chalk, much more in the citrus realm with dinner as compared to when I opened the wine to decant.

Much like the two previous wines, this is deeply chiseled and chalky but with least flesh on its bones which in turn further highlights the otherworldly sense of density without any heaviness.

It’s only when Keller’s wines reach this state of openness that his wines begin to transcend the grape variety and truly speak of place, the limestone soils and the detail of Keller’s work in the vineyards and cellar.

2016 Bindi Kostas Rind

So delicious and detailed, this was singing of all the things I love about Bindi’s classical inspiration and their incredible dedication and generational connection to their very special piece of land.

This wine looked more than a little like young Ramonet with its mint and lime blossom lift, flint, chalk and lemon oil purity, lemon curd and creme fraiche viscosity, grapefruit pith hazelnut and choux pastry umami. All the while speaking clearly of the cool, elevated Macedon Ranges and its slow, long ripening with the combination of purity, giving texture and uniquely searing, saline and steely acid.

Each pour grows in gravitas and presence, the detail and delineation of flavor and texture grow and grow, and most of all a dense mid palate chalky, dry extract imprint that intertwines with the acid, forming an incredible sense of weightless density.