Auguste Léon
Domaine Auguste Clape
Renaissance Cornas Syrah 2010
This had lots of red & black fruits, still youthful that opens with air with notes of menthol, savory spices, mineral, floral & tobacco — 3 months ago
Domaine Auguste Clape
Le Vin des Amis Syrah 2022
Nose is typical Clape, palate is a little thin and austere, in line with the 11.5% abv, but still a good companion for food and friends. — 6 months ago
Day 2 rounds out the edges just enough. Not the best Vin des Amis but worth a try
Léon Beyer
Alsace Pinot Noir 2019
Just a perfect accompaniment to simply roasted chicken. Soft nose has bright cherry/red berry fruitiness, and a soft, beet-like earthiness, along with subtle cracked stones. In the mouth it’s soft and nearing maturity, with soft but adequate acids and a decent amount of soft tannin. The flavors have nicely-concentrated soft cherry fruit, and some nice stony minerality. Nice length for a basic Alsace AOC wine. I like this a lot. — 5 months ago
Alsatian Pinot Noir has become a thing these past 10 years or so!!
@Doug Powers - Yes. Global warming has helped a few wines in some cooler areas, this being one (along with Pinot Noir in Germany, Sancerre, and the Finger Lakes). Not to mention Cab Franc in the Loire now not routinely tasting like machine oil!
Watched a video with Andrew Jefford who predicted Alsace would be new Burgundy in the next 10 years
Jay Kline
First pour of this and I was like, “uh-oh”. It was clearly full of flaws (Brettanomyces, VA and maaaaybe some slight TCA) but would they be too much to appreciate the wine? Only time would tell so into the decanter it went. After a lot of air, it became clear this was Brett and VA. The wine pours a deep ruby/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing (still) with notes of blackberries, umeboshi, animale, purple flowers, black pepper, red Flintstone vitamin, horse blanket, wood varnish, and sous bois. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. An elegant, complicated bottle. This is my second time with the 1997 vintage and due to the flaws, a different adventure than previous. That being said, this decidedly grumpy, Burgundian expression of Clape’s Cornas paired really well with the dry-aged steaks. Drink now, with a lot of patience, through 2037? — 10 days ago