Wine dinner with Louis Latour wines

[wondersofwine]

Going to a wine dinner with Louis Latour wines tonight at Zely & Ritz in Raleigh. Will report back tomorrow or Friday.

[dananne]

Is it going to be with Jean-Phillipe Archambaud?

I'll be anxious to see how your notes compare to ours when we had that tasting back in March, particularly the reds.

Have fun!

[wondersofwine]

Louis Latour firm has both domaine and negociant wines.
The dinner was with a Mr. Ducker (Charles Ducker I believe). He may be an importer or representative of the Latour firm in USA. Someone from Mutual Distributing was also at the dinner and was making the wines available for sale that evening (to be picked up in a few days.) Mr. Ducker said that the allocation of the last three wines we tasted was sold out and that Mutual Distributing was offering the wines for less than retail price. I ordered three bottles (more on that later).
I had lost my pen sometime during the day so did not take notes. Most of the wines were 2003 but the first wine may have been a more recent vintage and the Aloxe Corton 1er Cru was a 2002.

With a serving of wonderful small morsels of cheese from Chapel Hill Creamery we had "Duet," a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Viognier. Either that wine or the next wine, a Chablis, had three months in oak to round it off (I think the Duet) but was fermented in stainless steel. The Duet was done in a method (blended must I believe) that is normally not allowed under French regulations so they had to get permission from the regulatory agency. I found the Duet a refreshing summer drink and ordered one bottle at $10.
With a sockeye salmon salad with little green and red tomatoes grown on a local farm by a partner in the restaurant (Zely & Ritz) we had the Chablis, a 2003. It was pleasant but did not have the sharp flintiness of classic Chablis. (The salad was great). Mr. Ducker had spoken about how Latour doesn't need to resort to a green harvest (culling grapes before harvest) because thay trim the density at budding and let the remaining growth receive nourishment from the roots throughout the season. He also said that the acidity found in their grapes balances out the elements resulting from an especially hot summer such as 2003. Latour has been family-owned for 200 years and they can go back to records from 1861 or 1947? to see how the wine was produced in especially hot years. They did not acidify as many French wine producers with the 2003 wine.
With a shrimp dish we had a Meursault (probably also 2003). This had a nice nose and a slightly creamy mouthfeel. I liked it and considered purchasing some but went for the next wine instead.
The next course was lamb with plum sauce paired with a 2003 Pommard. I believe it had been decanted beforehand. Lovely nose and lived up to the nose on the palate. A mix of elegant fruit and very slightly rustic or meaty elements. My favorite wine of the evening and a QPR at $32 a bottle. I ordered two bottles but was tempted to get three or four.
I hadn't finished the salmon or lamb and we still had another red meat course coming. Ribeye with risotto. This was paired with a 2002 Aloxe Corton 1er cru. The Latour firm is from Aloxe so this is close to their hearts. Although it was decanted beforehand, it was still a little acidic and unfriendly following the Pommard. It may develop into a very nice wine in time. I believe it was offered at $39 a bottle.
Coffee was served with a plate of several cookie choices--chocolate truffle, coconut cookie, etc. I especially liked an almond bar.
Members of my table included an emergency room surgeon and his homemaker wife, an owner of a software company who specializes in providing services to doctors in private practice and his girlfriend who is a mortgage broker and others with whom I didn't really have a chance to chat. The software company owner lives in downtown Raleigh and dines out frequently in the Glenwood Avenue area.

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 07-28-2006).]

[dananne]

Thanks for the notes. I too liked the Meursault for the whites, but I'm sorry they didn't offer the Pommard at my tasting. I tend to like Pommard.

[TheEngineer]

Thanks for the notes!

[winoweenie]

Great notes as usual there WOW. The Duet is CBs' summer SW. She loves the sucker. WW