Wines BTG

Question 1

CHAMPS: Bollinger “RD” 2008

Answer 1

$275

“RD” means “Recently Disgorged.

– aged for a minimum of 8 years on the lees: this one saw 13.5 years.
– 71% pinot noir, 29% chardonnay
– only produced in exceptional vintages, and 2008 was exceptional
– low dosage (3g/L)
– sizzling acidity, rich minerality, dried fruits and nuts, and ample brioche
– combination of long age and low dosage full of energy, grabs your attention

Question 2

CHAMPS: Forget-Chemin Brut, Ludes, Vallee de la Marne, 2014

Answer 2

$94

– Fourth generation grower/producer Thierry Forget
– Special Club: one of only 26 producers.
– Special club has to be their best offering.
– 50% Meunier, 50% Chardonnay

“Grower producer champagne w/10 years of age, with it’s finest offering.”

Question 3

CHAMPS: Krug “Grand Cuvee” 169eme Brut

Answer 3

$150

“The King of Champagnes, and the Champagne of Kings.”

– House style is velvety, plush, opulent.
– Full body, charismatic, refined
– Mostly from the 2000 and 2013 vintages
– 43% pinot noir, 35% chardonnay, 22% meunier

Question 4

CHAMPS: Krug 2011 Brut

Answer 4

$550

– 46% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay,11% Meunier
– 2011 was a cooler vintage in Champagne, which contrasts with Krug’s opulent style to make a study in energetic tension and balance
– 10 years on lees
– almond skin, fresh pear, hazelnut, rounded and pristine

Question 5

CHAMPS: Jacquesson Covee 745 Extra Brut

Answer 5

$TK

– 53% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, and 17% Pinot Meunier
– Aged four years on lees
– Finished with just 0.75g/L dosage
– Firm and focused, ripe yellow pears and cherries, lemon and ginger, minerally underpinning on a nearly Brut Nature base.

– Run by the Chiquet family. In 2006 La Revue des Vins de France rated Jacquesson 3rd best after Bollinger and Krug

Question 6

CHARDONNAY: Fairchild Estate “Stones,” Russian River Valley, 2020

Answer 6

$180

– Winemaker Philippe Melka, of Haut Brion, Petrus, Hundred Acre, and more.
– Burgundian Style
– One of themost sought after producers of Napa

Question 7

CHARDONNAY: Jean Phillippe Fichet – Vielles Vignes, Burgundy 2010

Answer 7

$55

– “Produced from two parcels of 40-year-old vines.”
– One in Meursault, and another across the street from Meursault-Charmes
– Still has Meursault character
– 18 month aging, little new oak, terroir -driven

Question 8

CHARDONNAY: Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Premier Cru En Remilly, St. Aubin, 2020

Answer 8

$195

– St. Aubin is generally considered lighter and more mineral driven than Meursault
– Pierre Yves Colin-Morey holds just 0.65ha in St. Aubin
– Large neutral casks, no batonnage, pure and lively, superbly elegant

Question 9

CHARDONNAY: Walter Scott, “Cuvee Anne,” Eola Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, 2022

Answer 9

$45

– Barrel selection from best Chardonnay sites
– crisp and mineral driven
– Van Duzer Corridor cools the EAHills, giving it a longer growing season

Question 10

CHENIN BLANC: Nicolas Joly, Coulee de Serrant, Savennieres, 2021

Answer 10

$80

– Famous Biodynamic guy
– Coulée de Serrant has been a vineyard for 900 years, when it was established in 1130 by Cistercian monks.
– Monopole
– Savennieres as a category tend to be oxidized, dry, and weird

Question 11

MARSANNE: M. Chapoutier, “Chante-Alouette,” Hermitage, Rhone, 2018

Answer 11

$95

– Biodynamic and organic
– 100% marsanne
– “ripe and custardy in feel”
– richness balanced by freshness
– citrus, melon, honeysuckle, white peach

Question 12

MEUNIER: Alexandre Salmon, “Les Greves” Coteaux Champenois, Champagne, 2020

Answer 12

$85

Question 13

SAUVIGNON BLANC BLEND: Accendo Cellars, Napa, 2021

Answer 13

$90
Accendo:
– “inspired by Napa’s early modern era, 50s-70s”
– Araujo Estate owners started a new label with their children

– steely, focused, and precise.
– bright lime, green apple, white flowers, white pepper
– Graves influences

Question 14

VERMENTINO BLEND: Gaja, Vistamare, Ca’Marcanda, Tuscany, 2022

Answer 14

$60

– Gaja is considered one of the greatest estates in the world
– Ca’Marcanda was founded by Angelo Gaja in 1996, as a way for him to grow international varietals in the Maremma.
– Vermentino, Viognier, Fiano (touch of weight)
– white and yellow flowers, vanilla, candied fruit, honey, electric acidity

Question 15

ORANGE
GEWURTZTRAMINER/PINOT GRIS: Domaine Weinbach, NVO, Kayserberg, Alsace, France 2020

Answer 15

$65

– Kayserberg, near Colmar in the Haut-Rhin
– MVO = Maceration Vogelgarten (Bird’s Garden,” name of the vineyard
– steep slope optimizes exposure
– mild acidity and soft tannins, grapefruit and rose with persistent and pleasant bitterness
– zero additions

Question 16

RED MEUNIER
MEUNIER: Alexandre Salmon, “Les Greves” Coteaux Champenois, Champagne, 2020

Answer 16

$85
TBD

Question 17

PINOT NOIR: Littorai, Sonoma Coast, 2018

Answer 17

$75

– biodynamic pioneers (not certified, don’t believe in it)
– dedicated to producing wines of place
– Ted Lemon: first American to be winemaker in Burgundy
– Generative Agriculture
– paid by the acre and not by the ton, ensuring maximizing yeald is never the goal

Question 18

PINOT NOIR: Marcassin, Sonoma Coast, 2013

Answer 18

$350

– RP: “…extraordinary quality that is unsurpassed by anyone else in Northern California”
– Simply one of the most sought after wines in the country
– Ample fruit with flowery incense, Chinese black tea, orange rind, spice.
– Elegant

Question 19

PINOT NOIR: Michel Gros - Vosne Romanee, 2014

Answer 19

$135

Vosne Romanee: Not as intense as Nuits Saint Georges or Gevrey Chambertin, but bolder than Chambolle-Misigny.

– Producer since 1830 – 7th generation Pierre Gros
– Balance. Dark fruit, earth, resonance.

Question 20

CAB / CARIGNAN / CINSAULT: Chateau Musar, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2014

Answer 20

$85

Question 21

CAB: Spring Mountain, St. Helena, 1979

Answer 21

$250

Question 22

CAB BLEND: Chateau Pontet Canet, Pauillac, 2003

Answer 22

$150