For anyone who has read a few posts here on this blog, it is not news that my wife is Korean-American. Both of her parents were born in Korea, and they met after they both came to the U.S. to escape the Korean War. It should also be no surprise that I am currently in Korea, our first trip as a family to the country that means so much to my wife and her family.
In the days, weeks, months (and years) leading up to this maiden voyage to Korea for me and the two boys, I repeatedly was served up caveats by my mother-in-law, her brother, my wife’s sister, my wife, and the guy on the street corner who looked like he might be Belgian, that wine in Korea is 1) hard to come by, 2) very expensive, and 3) not very good at all.
What I found was pretty much contrary to those above assessments. Wine is relatively easy to find (they have some solid bottles in most convenience stores, although not much depth), the upper end wines are about the same price (or cheaper, thanks to a weak Korean Wan) as the U.S., and we found some really stellar wines while we were there.
So the moral of the story? Don’t listen to your in-laws! (I am not really serious there, as I have really lucked out when it comes to in-laws; they are all fantastic. But how could they have been so wrong?)
2023 Château du Cèdre Chardonnay Cèdre Heritage, Vin de France: Retail $20? 100% Chardonnay from 15-30 year old vines. Located within the Cahors appellation, but labeled as a “Vin de France” since Chardonnay is not legally allowed in Cahors (hey Frenchies, want to sell more wine: ditch the antiquated restrictions). Gorgeous yellow, nearly golden in the glass, with plenty of tree fruit (pear and apple), a generous squeeze of lemon, and a touch of honey blossom decorate the nose. The palate is rich and generous, with plenty of fruit, a mineral backdrop, and plenty of creamy, rich, weighty goodness. I bought this wine for one reason: it is from Cahors, land of Malbec and not much else. In fact, there is no “legal” white made in the appellation, just big, bruising, tannic monsters that need at least a half-dozen years before approaching. This Chard, while far from lithe, is nonetheless a lovely, demure addition to the region’s repertoire, and the kind folk of Cahors should consider broadening the region’s wine offerings. Excellent. 92 Points.
2023 Domaine du Chardonnay Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons, Burgundy, France: Retail $60. 100% Chardonnay. DIAM5. It was one of our last nights in Korea, we were back in Seoul after a mini-tour of the country, and I saw this in the hotel wine shop for ₩69,000 (about $46). I really don’t drink enough Chablis even though it is still relatively affordable (as the Côte d’Or wines have shot up through the stratosphere) and the wines can be fabulous. Well, this wine fits that description. A surprising amount of color here as most younger Chablis wines struggle to make it to “straw”; this 2023 is well on its way to “yellow”. Plenty of lemon curd, creamy citrus on the nose with a surprising amount of oak (again, for a Chablis). The palate is weighty and even somewhat round as the fruit (and oak) dominate through the mid-palate. The acidity eventually chimes in before the finish, yet another surprise (for Chablis). This is certainly a departure from my experience with Chablis (if that wasn’t already obvious), but I have to say I like it, even a lot. Is it global warming? A conscious winemaking choice? Some premature oxidation, which has plagued its brethren to the south for a couple of decades now? It’s hard to say, but, again, I really like it. Outstanding. 93 Points.
2023 Walter Hansel Winery Chardonnay, The Meadows Vineyard, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $35. Under cork. It was our last few days in Korea, and we were back in Seoul, staying at Le Méridian in Myeongdong and there was a nice wine shop in the building. I saw this for ₩49,000 (about $31US), so I dove right in. Hansel has a long history of fantastic Chardonnays and even though this is their entry-level wine, it is still pretty fantastic. Yellow, near golden in the glass with plenty of lemon rind on the nose with loads of oak. Not in an over-the-top kind of way, but certainly present and indicating that this is in the “traditional California Chardonnay” kind of vein. The palate continues along this theme, with good fruit, nice acid, and an oaky underpinning. Yeah, it’s woody, but it is also Excellent. 92 Points.
NV Ruinart Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France: Retail $95. 100% Chardonnay. ₩119,000 ($78) in my hotel. We were wrapping up our trip to South Korea, back in the capital, Seoul, for the last few nights and there was a bottle shop in the lobby of the hotel. I saw this Ruinart for just under eighty bucks and I pounced. Pale straw with plenty of citrus in the glass alongside the yeasty goodness that one expects with a high-quality champagne. And this is a high-quality non-vintage champagne. The palate is full but also a bit austere as the tartness is more of a driver, at least initially. That, at least for me, is not unexpected, though, as many (most?) Blancs de Blancs require a bit of time to settle down. Don’t get me wrong, this is fantastic right now, but it would also benefit, in my opinion, from another 2-4 years (or more) of bottle time. Outstanding. 93 Points.
2015 Dom Pérignon Champagne, Champagne, France: Retail $259. Purchased in Korea for ₩330,000 ($220). 51% Pinot Noir, 49% Chardonnay. It has been a minute since I cracked a bottle of Dom, but when I saw this in the hotel lobby wine shop for less than average U.S. retail? OK, I will play your little game! We were way under budget on food (and pretty much on everything else, as the dollar is quite strong in Korea right now), so the wife took very little convincing. Plenty of fruit on the nose, but in a subtle way, with a smidge of white pepper, some white acacia flower, and loads of that yeasty goodness that one looks for in champagne and expects in Dom Pérignon. The palate is fruity, yes, but more tart than anything else, suggesting that a) this needs more time and b) it also has a long life ahead of it. This is by far the youngest Dom I have popped, and while I am not sorry I did, Dom (and most prestige cuvées for that matter), need 15-20 years minimum to approach their apex, and this is no exception; hold for at least another 5-10 years. Outstanding. 94 Points.
the drunken cyclist 