DAWGS OFFLINE - MAY 5, 2006 - Lola's Restaurant, Dallas, TX (5/5/2006)

DdB was in Dallas for a conference and asked for a get together with the DAWGS. He asked if he could bring along an aspiring wine friend so "sure, the more the merrier". Since BYOB is so tough in Dallas on a Friday night we decided to do our "Explore Van's list" at Lola's and buy all of the wines from wine list. If you've never been to Lola's it is one of the best wine lists in Dallas and is definitely the fairest priced wine list in Dallas.

So DdB shows up with his aspiring wine friend in tow and low and behold...it's DrBunda! Bonus! What a lovely and bright woman and already very knowledgable of wine with only a little over a year under her belt. Thanks to TBone for loaning her to us for the weekend. What a treat!

Everybody ordered 3 of 4 courses from the prix fixe menu and shared desserts from the 4the course. Everybody at the table passed the wine list and ordered one bottle of their choosing for the table. In attendance were DdB, DrBunda, cyclone wino, the Mike Millers, PURPLE and myself. On to the wines...

• 1990 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc de Millenaires - France, Champagne
  WIML94,PURPLE93,NOWA,~WS91-97
  
  Tasted May 5, 2006 at Lola’s in Dallas, TX. Opened and served immediately in Spiegelau Champagne flutes. Light yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of apples, pears, bread and mushroom. Flavors of apple, pear and brioche. Well balanced. Drink over the net 3-5 years. Upgrading the my previous rating from 93 to 94. Estimating the price to be in the $80.00-90.00 range I’d say the value here is recommended. (94 pts.)
  
• 1999 Francois Jobard Meursault Charmes 1er Cru - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
  WIML88,PURPLE86,WA87-89,NOWS
  
  Tasted May 5, 2006 at Lola’s in Dallas, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Burgundy glass. Light yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of cinnamon-spiced pears, wet stone and lemon oil. Flavors of pear, mineral, lemon and dried pineapple. Balanced. Ready to drink now, do not hold more than a year is my recommendation. I have absolutely no idea on pricing for this wine so no value recommendation. (88 pts.)
  
• 1999 Vincent Girardin Clos de la Roche - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis
  WIML92,PURPLE91,WA90-91,WS93
  
  Tasted May 5, 2006 at Lola’s in Dallas, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Burgundy glass. Garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of black cherries, allspice and dried herbs. Later some caramel or mocha was present on the nose. Flavors of black cherries, red berries and black berries. Good balance, nice weight and presence on the palate. Drinking well right now with a little air time so I’d recommend decanting 30 minutes prior to serving. Should hold for another 3-4 years easily. Estimating the price to be around $95.00 a bottle I’d say the value here is recommended. (92 pts.)
  
• 2000 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  WIML90,PURPLE92,NOWA,NOWS
  
  Tasted May 5, 2006 at Lola’s in Dallas, TX. Opened and decanted, serving over two hours from decanter, in a Spiegelau Cabernet glass. Plum color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of smoke, dark fruits, pepper and crushed red cherries. Later gave of some anise. Flavors of red cherries and red berries with maybe a little ginger; fairly straightforward at this very youthful stage. Tannins and acidity are good so since this wine is so tight right now I’d recommend holding for two more years before trying again. Estimating the price to be around $90.00 a bottle I’d say the value is somewhere between acceptable and recommended at the moment with the potential for improvement with age.
  
  Note: I’m pretty sure we had the regular bottling of this wine. Somebody please correct me otherwise. (90 pts.)
  
• 2000 Château Smith Haut Lafitte - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  WIML92,PURPLE92,WA94,WS90
  
  Tasted May 5, 2006 at Lola’s in Dallas, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Cabernet glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Trademark SHL nose of leather, dried herbs and briar patch. Flavors of black berries and cherries. Later on showed a little red licorice. Balance is good, just not showing a lot at the moment. I’d recommend holding at least 2-4 more years before trying again. Estimating the price to be close to $60.00 a bottle at this time I’d say the value is recommended with the possibility for improvement. (92 pts.)
  
• 2000 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave St. Joseph - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph
  WIML90,PURPLE90,WA87-89,NOWA,ST90
  
  Tasted May 5, 2006 at Lola’s in Dallas, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Cabernet glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Gamey nose of bacon fat, meat, blueberries, mint and pepper. Flavors of Bing cherry, bitters, red cherries and a little cassis. Balanced. Drink and enjoy over the next 2-3 years. Estimating the price to be $40.00-45.00 I’d say the value is recommended.
  
  Note: I think this is the same wine Wine Advocate rated 87-89. I’m pretty certain it’s the one Stephen Tanzer rated 90. (90 pts.)
  
• 1986 Château d'Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  WIML96+,PURPLE94,WA98,~WS83-95
  
  Tasted May 5, 2006 at Lola’s in Dallas, TX. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Sweet Wine glass. Yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of apricots, honeysuckle, crushed almonds and orange marmalade. Think and unctuous on the palate, never ending flavors of apricots, honey, hazelnut and crème. Being an extremely youthful wine I’d expect improvement with more time in bottle. Should drink well for decades. Estimating the current price to be just shy of $300.00 a bottle and knowing we’re talking about d’Yquem here (there is no peer) I’d say from a luxury bottle standpoint the value is highly recommended. (96 pts.)
  

Although a bit pricey before it was all over with I'd have to say it was a really fun evening of friendship, food and wine. Many thanks to all that participated.
Posted from CellarTracker

Mahalo for the notes sir.

Super notes as always WIML.

Especially interesting to me is the Yquem. I haven't had the 1986 for probably 10 years. It is probably just know entering its prime drinking window 20 years after its bottling. And like you say has another 20-30 to go.

"Think and unctuous on the palate...": I certainly agree with that. There's not another wine that makes me think so hard about all those lovely complex flavors .