Like Mahler: Intricate and Elegant
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2017 Henri et Philppe Jouan Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes
Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 4
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Notes right after opening the bottle revealed a hint of raspberries, sour cherries, and cranberries, leading to a long, fruity, and acidic finish. However, the balance was somewhat off due to the overpowering fruity and acidic flavors. After an hour, the wine opened up, and notes of strawberry fields, strawberries, cherry jam, and hints of mint and thyme emerged, with a very slight note of butter. The finish became even longer, and a pleasant balance of fruits and mint reminded me of the tail end of spring. It brought back memories of the UWS farmers market in May 2016, when the air was filled with the scents of strawberries and herbs. The wine's sweetness and tartness also reminded me of Petee’s Pie Company’s sour cherry pie.
When paired with seared duck breast and 50-day dry-aged sirloin steak, the wine worked well with the lean meat of the duck, and its fruity profile complemented the rendered duck fat. The dry-aged sirloin provided an interesting combination, bringing out earthy and herbal notes that were not apparent before, such as hints of dried mushroom, fresh mushroom, forest, wet soil, leather, and a hint of smoke and tobacco. Tasting the wine with the dry-aged sirloin opened up another layer of flavor profile that was not previously revealed.
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The variety of profiles and flavors, and the structure that was shown by the 2017 Chambolle-Musigny reminded me of listening to Mahler's 4th Symphony. I always recommend this particular symphony to less experienced music lovers because of its beautiful timbres, singable melodies, and emotional rollercoaster that includes dry humor that takes you on a journey through the Austrian countryside and a small Jewish neighborhood. Mahler's music is not easy to appreciate; it provides a lot of information all at once, and needs time to fully understand, much like a fine wine that needs time to open up and develop.
The opening movement of the symphony brings to mind images of elegant dances, while as the music progresses, it features a delightful array of tone colors and timbres that evoke the imagery of fireworks. The very last movement introduces a soprano, adding another layer of complexity and tonal color not present in the previous three movements. This aspect of Mahler's symphony came to mind when I discovered the earthy notes in the 2017 Chambolle-Musigny while tasting it with sirloin.
I personally enjoyed the whole experience of tasting how the notes and flavors developed over the course of a few hours. One bottle of wine brought me to different places in my imagination, such as strawberry fields, forests, farmers markets, and leather ateliers. One may wonder if there is a place where all these different experiences can be explored at once. Similarly, we can hear all the different musical influences and quotes in Mahler's symphony.
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This fine wine was recommended by Jason from Somm Cellars.