A.C., ac, ac: The Report

Overall a successful and delightful tasting. Dave Wolf’s food was terrific and matched the wines well.

2005 Domaine de Petit Paris Monbazillac
Wow, what a way to start! Americans have an irrational aversion to sweet wine, and it’s almost unknown here to serve them as an aperitif. Europeans do so much more often – the French drink ruby port as an aperitif – and often serve cheese with sweet wines. With wines like this, you could see why. A honeyed, liquorous nectar that both satisfied and whetted the appetite. Rich nose of mead, wildflower and caramel, tropical fruit and peach and clover honey on the palate, endless flavor with acidity to support the richness, long, long finish of apricot tossed with vanilla. Improved as it breathed into the kind of nectar you could imagine Odysseus sipping on Ithaca. Heavenly – almost as deep and luscious as a really good Sauternes and better than some lesser Sauternes I have had. This wine also shows why vintages matter – I have had this house’s 2002 vintage and it was racy, dryish, short, not nearly as lush and sweet. 2005 was a glorious year all over France – this wine shows why. At $18, an utter steal, bargain of the year. Don’t serve too cold, but it needs a good chill. Went well with Gorgonzola dolce from Italy, a creamy blue cheese. ****3/4

2006 Domaine de Petit Paris Bergerac Sec
Semillon/Sauvignon blend, never sees oak, meant to be crisp and refreshing and basic and it is all of that. Pineappley, citrusy, nose covered by too much chill, eventually opened up as limey and tart. Good acidity keeps the semillion’s lusciousness in check, a little quince and grapefruit on the palate and zippy, clean if a tad short on the finish. Pleasant without being especially memorable, but, at $11, it’s a solid everyday wine with seafood, lighter cheeses, chicken, salads, even Caesar salad. Would be superb with simple fish dishes and ethnic cuisine as well. Paired well, if not perfectly, with a rich crabcake (sole, say, would have been better). Good bistro wine. **1/2

2006 Domaine de Petit Paris Bergerac Rouge
A clunker. Grassy, stalky, wet-leaves nose, bitter and unripe on first tasting, not much fruit, hot, jammy, short, bitterish, chemical finish. A shock after the first two wines. Mostly Merlot, which makes one wonder if the merlot did not ripen, how green was the Cabernet Sauvignon that went into this? Yikes. Mellowed slightly in the glass but never gained the sweetness and plumpness good Bergerac Rouge can have. Alcoholic, not in good balance. $11. Not worth it. Fortunately the beef daube with pearl onions survived anyway. *

NV Jean Filloux COQ Grande Champagne Cognac
One Cognac fan called this the best one he’d ever had. I wouldn’t go that far but it is surely, easily the best $38 Cognac I have ever had. Filloux uses no artificial colorings or additives common in industrial Cognacs and his grapes are situated in the best part of Cognac. Deep nose, not hot at all, a hint of creaminess on the palate, bracing, nutty, and a lovely, warm but not hot finish that went on and on. Well-balanced. The first Cognac I have had that you could call refreshing. Perhaps not a Cognac to go with a full-bodied cigar but with a lighter stogie (Dunhill, say) it would be fine. Because of its lightness and crispness, an outstanding digestif. Filloux also made the Pineau de Charentes that was a big hit at the rose tastings. He also makes Cognacs of higher grade than this, including some high-end ones that mist be spectacular. This could hardly be bettered; you can spend a lot more and get nothing as tasty as this. ****