Tasting held by Christies.

The Classic Red Wines of Penfolds
23 October 2003, 6:30 pm
20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York

Fee: $95 per person
Reservations: Lisa Bottomley, New York
Tel: +1 212 636 2097

Host: Peter Gago, Chief Red Wine Maker, Penfolds. Wines to be tasted include Penfolds Bin 60A Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon & Coonawarra Shiraz 1962; Penfolds Bin 7 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon & Kalimna Shiraz 1967; Penfolds Grange, Vintages 1976 and 1998; Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz 1990; Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1991; Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz 1991 and Penfolds Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon 1996.

The Great Vineyards of Domaine de la Romanée Conti
10 December 2003, 6:00 pm
20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York

Fee: $175 per person
Reservations: Lisa Bottomley, New York
Tel: +1 212 636 2097

Hosts: Aubert de Villaine, Domaine de la Romanée Conti and Anthony Hanson, M.W. Senior Consultant, Christie's International Wine Department. Wines to be tasted include La Tâche, Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Vintages 1988, 1990, 1993 and 1995; and Romanée Saint Vivant, Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Vintages 1991, 1996, 1999 and 2000.

Anyone interested in going with me to either or both?

I'm VERY interested in the Penfolds tasting..... If you're going, I'm going.

'76 Grange is supposed to be absolutely brilliant, and you know about '98 I'm sure... lots of older stuff here, this looks great.

OK cool...So far

Revlis
ttepper

I'll call and make a reservation in the morning for the Penfolds tasting...Anyone else?

The 1976 Grange is quite tasty (Lucky Bas*ards). If I was in NYC I'd definitely want to go to the DRC tasting.

Yea, me too! Just hard to commit that far away during the holiday season.

It *is* DRC though.......

I think I'm really just still making up my mind.

They both sound great, but it's hard for me to commit this far in advance for a weeknight. I'd love to go to both.

Board-O can go... you can count on it.


Hmm.. ya know, my mother never really did tell me it's not polite to speak for other people.....

You're a bad man, Revlis.

hehehe Board-O. Naw... I just hope to see you there is all.

Parkers ratings:
Penfolds Bin 60A Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon & Coonawarra Shiraz 1962
(Feb 2002) Robert Parker (no rating given) Drink 2002-2009
I would be remiss in not reporting on this museum wine tasted at the conclusion of the Grange tasting. The wine only appears at auctions in Australia, but it was excellent.

An exceptional, compelling wine was the 1962 Bin 60A, also a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, with the Cabernet coming from Coonawarra and the Shiraz from Kalimna in the Barossa. This wine showed amber in the color, but a fabulously complex nose of cedar, fruitcake, jammy blackberry and currant fruit intermixed with licorice, plum, and prune. The wine is intense, full-bodied, very sweet, and succulent. This wine should continue to drink well for another 6-7 years

Penfolds Bin 7 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon & Kalimna Shiraz 1967;
(Feb 2002) Robert Parker 93 points Drink 2002-2007
The 1967 Bin 7 Coonawarra, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra and Shiraz from Kalimna in the Barossa Valley, was rated 93. The wine is still very much intact, with sweet, charcoal-infused blackberry and cassis flavors intermixed with some notes of cedar, spice box, and licorice. A very complex, full-bodied, opulent wine, it is fully mature yet seems very fresh and intact. It should continue to drink well for another 4-5 years

Penfolds Grange 1976
(Feb 2002) Robert Parker 100 points Drink 2004-2020
Consistently one of the most awesome wines ever made at Grange, this blend of 89% Shiraz and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon (13.9% alcohol) was the first Australian wine to cost $20 upon release. I have had this wine six separate times, every time rating it between 96 and 100. It had a phenomenal showing at Penfolds' Magill estate. The color is an opaque purple, the wine massive, full-bodied, and to me, the quintessential Grange. Notes of blackberry liqueur intermixed with cassis, charcoal, new saddle leather, and underbrush resonate from the glass. Huge, thick, unctuously textured, with extraordinary concentration but perfect harmony among all of its elements, this is a prodigious Grange that is still not fully mature. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2020. A legend for sure!

Penfolds Grange 1998
Wine Advocate #143(Oct 2002) 99 points Drink 2006-2030 $185.00
The 1998 Grange will be a legendary example. A blend of 97% Shiraz and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, it tips the scales at a whopping 14.5% alcohol. The inky/purple color is followed by an extraordinarily intense nose of creme de cassis intermixed with blueberry and floral notes. As the wine sits in the glass, aromas of meat, plums, and cola also emerge. It is a seamless effort with sweet tannin, well-integrated acidity, sensational extract, and layer upon layer of blackberry and cassis fruit that stain the palate and fill the mouth. Its harmony, freshness, and remarkable length (the finish lasts nearly a minute) suggest an all-time classic. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2030.

Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz 1990 NR

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 NR

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz 1991

Penfolds Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 NR

I will go as well as we approach closer to the day of event.I will probably book if still available after I get back from NAPA end of October...............

Sounds great Tahiti. Look forward to seeing you there. I'm really looking forward to this event.

Rev, did they say anthing about the dress code?

I would be interested in the DRC tasting. At $175, if seems like a fair deal considering the wines that will be poured. I'll know for sure in a month.

jb

Nope, didn't hear anything about the dress code.

I'm coming with boxers, socks, and shoes at minimum. Maybe a bowtie as well.

B & B (boxers and bowties)

LOL

AI...

Fine. Is that for the girls too?

no, ju st bowties for them

ttepper-

Just saw this post. We actually will be in NYC on Thursday so Penfolds is a possibility. Have to run this by the boss.

12/10 is a bit far away, but I've never had Burgundy PN on this level. Will check my work schedule and le you know.