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Sacred Cow
Wine Thief
Posts:2764
 | | 02/22/2005 4:58 AM |
| We celebrated my 45th birthday with a dinner at Elway’s Saturday night. We were joined by davidandrose, benthewineberg and his wife, and two other people who are not on any boards. As we were eating our entrees, FreeTheGrapes and his wife joined us from their prior commitment to help us taste the wines.
Our big concern about going out last night was the crowds. With the NBA All Star game being held in Denver this weekend, we could not find hotel rooms anywhere near the restaurant (Cherry Creek). Downtown was even worse, as the bling was out in spades. So were the police, which is what made us consider getting a room, so we would not have to drive.
With all of the bling in town, limos were also sold out. Well, almost. A client that came into my office last weekend told us about a service they have used in the past that operates out of the south metro area, and we managed to get a limo for the evening. Darn good thing too, with how much wine we ended up drinking.
As we went around picking up the celebrants, we started with a bottle of 2002 Pride Merlot.
2002 Pride Merlot
This wine was decanted for one hour prior to leaving the house, then poured back into the bottle for serving during the trip in the limo. This wine is still drinking very well, with no sign of closing down yet. Absolutely knock out nose of blueberry, coffee, milk chocolate and vanilla oak on the nose. The palate followed through, with prominent coffee notes, especially towards the finish. Medium bodied. I think the last time I had this was in October, and it is still drinking very well. Hedonistic, I doubt my last two bottles will last for a year. I want to catch this one while the fruit is upfront. As I think I may have said before, less structure for aging than the 2001, but very enjoyable now. This was a great way to begin the evening.
Upon arrival at the restaurant, we handed them the five bottles of wine that we were bringing for dinner. Since BYO is illegal in Colorado, the restaurant requested that we bring the wines in bottles that they would bring to our table and pour into decanters.
Despite the crowds at the restaurant, this was the only real glitch we had during the evening. The Riesling was brought to the table almost immediately, to drink while we perused the menu. It took a while before the other wines were finally brought out to the sideboard near us, and poured into decanters for serving.
2003 Schmitges Riesling Qba
This was a pleasant wine to drink while we perused the menu. Medium bodied, with relatively good acidity for the vintage (I am having a problem with the low acidity levels of some of the higher level wines). White and tropical fruits (pear?) on the nose and palate with a rather clipped finish, it helped to cleanse the palate well before starting on the big guns.
The next four wines were poured after we ordered our appetizers. Spiegelau stemware was provided for all wines. The restaurant kept bringing out fresh glassware as needed, and cleared all empty glasses on a timely basis. Despite the crowds, there was no shortage of glassware, at least for us, and we never felt rushed to finish off a glass. This allowed us to follow the wines over a sufficient period of time.
1994 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
This wine was decanted at home for one hour, before being poured back into bottle for transport. The restaurant then poured the bottles back into decanters for serving. At first taste, the wine had been open for maybe three hours.
Wow. This wine was decanted perfectly. Most tasters thought it was drinking at or near peak, but with no sign of slowing down. Initially, the nose had rather a rather prominent saddle leather element, with dark fruits also noted. On the palate, it had an incredible middle of dark fruits and leather, leading to a long spicy finish. Tannins were still noticeable on the wine, but definitely in check. The balance on this wine was amazing. This was a very nice pairing with the lamb fondue, and again later with my ribeye steak.
I think this wine still has a long life ahead of it, but I was very happy to open it on this night. Don’t be afraid to try it now if you have a few. My WOTN and the group #2, I may have been partial, since this is a wine that I brought.
1988 Giacosa Villero Barolo
Let me preface this by saying I am no expert on Italian wines. As a matter of fact, it is very rare that I have found one that I enjoyed. I purchased this on the recommendation of another Denver wino whose area of concentration is Italy. Most of the Italian wines I have tasted have been very young, so this is only my second attempt at an aged Barolo. Yet, this is from an unheralded vintage, and a wine that was trashed at release by WS (rated a 70!) and unrated by RMP. My local expert had this at Thanksgiving and raved about it, and introduced me to his source.
This wine was also decanted at home for an hour, and then poured back into the bottle for transport. At the first taste, it has been opened for about three hours.
The lighting was not particularly good in the restaurant, but this was definitely the lightest colored wine of the night, and had noticeable bricking on the rim. At first I was concerned because of the color, but there was no need to worry.
A perfumed nose of rose petals, tobacco, sweet leather and red berries led to a full-bodied mid-palate of spicy red berries. The wine has a finish that seem to last forever with leather becoming prominent. Very intense in the mouth, with a full structure still in place, this wine is in no danger of dropping off a cliff.
A fantastic experience, I guess there is still some hope for me and Italian wines. The group rating had this tied for 4th tonight; I had it as my number two wine. This was another wine that I brought, so take it with a grain of salt. But amongst our group, I think I like my wines with a little more age on them then the group does in general.
1995 Cardinale Proprietary Red Wine
I am not sure how long this wine was decanted before we tasted it. Maybe davidandrose can chime in here, since they brought the wine. But I think it was decanted before he left home, which would give it about the same amount of air time (three hours) as the prior wines.
For a wine that is almost 10 years old, this seemed very young tonight. It was much more closed than the other wines, especially on the nose, with very prominent tannins. Dark fruits, tobacco, spice and earth were all apparent with enough swirling, but the finish was shorter than the other wines, though still of medium duration. I am not really sure if this was decanted too long, or if it still needs to sleep for a while (I am guessing the latter). This is a very full-bodied, but tight wine. The group apparently liked it more than I did, voting it the number three wine of the night.
1993 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The taster that brought this wine did not decant it at home, so it received maybe an hour or 90 minutes of decanting at the restaurant before tasting. Being a Beaucastel, it was not enough time.
Can you say barnyard? For many of the tasters, the nose immediately put them off to the charms of the wine. This is still tannic and backwards, though some dark fruits do appear on the palate along with smoke. Somewhat austere, I would leave this one alone for a while. I am not sure if it will ever develop into an outstanding wine, but it certainly is not one right now. I don’t think this wine hit anyone’s scorecard, but I would have liked to try it with more decanting.
2002 Lewis Alec's Blend
Bought from the restaurant list for $70, this wine probably spent 90 minutes to two hours in a decanter before tasting.
This was definitely a huge wine. This is a bit overoaked for my taste right now, but still a great wine. Vanilla and espresso wrapped around a beautiful core of black cherries and other black fruits, this is still a baby, though very approachable. The flavors are very nicely structured, and should integrate with more time in the bottle. The tannins are present, but smooth and even silky, with a very long finish.
This is very hedonistic to drink now. If you have a few, go ahead and open one when you have some time to linger over it. But it should be better with a few years under its belt, when the oak softens and the fruit integrates a little more. This was the group wine of the night, and my number three wine.
2002 Lewis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Purchased from the restaurant wine list for $90, this wine probably had 90 minutes to two hours in a decanter before tasting.
Another huge wine, we did not give this one enough time in the decanter. Very tight on the nose, with tight, dark fruits on the palate, this wine finishes long with very gripping tannins. Overoaked to my tastes, which I think is a house style, give this one a few years before trying it again. I think the wine has a lot of potential if the oak subsides and allows the fruit to come out, but it is not giving much pleasure right now. Group rating tied for 4th, it did not hit my scorecard.
2000 Shafer Relentless Syrah
Purchased from the restaurant wine list for $75, this wine probably had 90 minutes to two hours in a decanter before tasting.
Even in poor lighting, this was probably the darkest colored wine of the night. Spicy oak, blackberries, blueberries, licorice and smoke carried from the nose onto the palate. A long, drying, tannic finish screams out for more time in the cellar. I think I liked this wine more than most of the tasters, but also more for its potential than for how it is drinking now. Will the tannins soften while there is still fruit? With the petite in the blend, it could be a while. Hold for a few years before trying it again.
As our meal concluded, nobody had any room for dessert, except for the chocolate cake they brought for my birthday. So we retired to the limo for the trip home, but had a couple wines to enjoy on the way. Needless to say, the notes are non-existent at this point, so these are from memory.
2001 Château Lamothe-Guignard Sauternes
I have no idea how long this wine was decanted. I know the taster who brought it had decanted it at home, so I would guess at least seven hours before tasting.
A sweet-smelling nose of honey, citrus and apricots led to a full-bodied, almost syrupy-textured palate, with a long finish. Certainly not the finest Sauternes from this vintage, it is still an outstanding effort, if a little low in acidity.
1996 Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos Red Label
I have no idea how long this wine was decanted. The same taster brought this wine and the 2001 Château Lamothe-Guignard Sauternes, but I am not sure if he opened it in the limo or at home.
Orange and tea no the nose, this wine did not fell as heavy as the Sauternes that proceeded it. Much lighter, but well balanced, it had a spicy caramel palate, finishing with a slight note of cinnamon and other spices. Definitely not as sweet as the Sauternes, it was very enjoyable, and a lighter note on which to complete the evening.
Overall, it was a fantastic way to spend my 45th birthday. Other than the glitch with the wines at the beginning, the service was excellent. The food was also excellent overall, with a few minor exceptions. Even though Elway’s is not strictly a steak house, the menu does lean heavily that way. The appetizers showed some creativity and uniqueness, especially for a steak place. We did not have desserts, though one of the attendees said that on prior trips they had some unique items, “though they need to be kicked up a bit.”
As far as the atmosphere, despite the somewhat diffuse lighting, the restaurant is not as dark and stuffy as many of the chain houses, such as Del Frisco or Morton’s. It has more of a lively, almost contemporary feel, instead of feeling like a men’s club. Depending on what you are in the mood for, you may not prefer this restaurant. But as far sas the food and service, it may become my steak house of choice in the metro area.
And the pricing was not too bad either. Even with the large number of appetizers we tried, the three bottles of wine mentioned above, and tipping to 33%, we walked away paying only $110 per person with a lot of great memories.
But admittedly, one of the attendees did have a problem with the seating in the restaurant. It seems that his chair must have been a little off balance, since he fell straight backwards in his chair towards the end of the night. It certainly could not have been the amount of wine he consumed.
Mike | | | |
| Budman
Master of Wine
Posts:11841
| | 02/22/2005 10:11 AM |
| Mike,
Sounds like a great time. Excellent notes.
The restaurant appears to have a very fairly priced wine list!! | | | |
| dbw4
Grape Puncher
Posts:902
| | 02/22/2005 1:54 PM |
| Happy 45!
Does this mean that the group of us from vintage 1960 all have to have a great 45th party and drink lots of wine?
Ummmmmm.....
I think I'm OK with that!!
DBW
What wines go good with July? | | | |
| juggernt
Tampa, FL, USA
Wine Bottler
Posts:3380
| | 02/22/2005 5:24 PM |
| | Glad to hear you had a great time! And I'm sure it was the off-balance chair . | |
Visit The Butcher Block at http://www.butcherblocktampa.com/ | |
| wineismylife
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts:12048
| | 02/22/2005 5:44 PM |
| Sounds like you had a FANTASTIC birthday! Sounds cool. | |
Joe
-----
Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
| Rothko
Palm Beach
Wine Thief
Posts:2858
| | 02/22/2005 7:00 PM |
| | Wow, that's one heck of a nice birthday dinner! | | | |
| Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts:10619
| | 02/22/2005 8:51 PM |
| Good call on the limo. Thanks for the notes. | | | |
| stemor
Collierville, TN
Wine Thief
Posts:2813
| | 02/23/2005 1:11 AM |
| | Way to hit your prime in style. Sounds like a great time! | |
Cheers, y'all | |
| Sacred Cow
Wine Thief
Posts:2764
| | 02/23/2005 1:26 AM |
| Thanks for the well wishes everyone. It turned out to be a spectacular night, even with the chair issues.
Mike | | | |
| gus fleener
gilroy
Barrel Filler
Posts:1346
| | 02/28/2005 5:29 AM |
| mike,
a belated happy birthday & fair warning-- i'll be in the area in june. | | | |
| ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts:11169
| | 02/28/2005 5:38 AM |
| | Sorry I missed this. Happy birthday, o great enabler. | | | |
| Joseph Bembry
Wine Lover
Posts:4859
| | 03/03/2005 12:51 PM |
| I missed this also. Sounds like a great time. Happy B-day, Mike!
jb | | | |
| Dr_Tannin
Barrel Sampler
Posts:2498
| | 03/04/2005 3:28 AM |
| | And many more | | | |
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