On November 11th, we convened a 4th anniversary dinner of the original group, most of whom met on the WS boards. The dinner was held at a local restaurant which shall remain nameless since BYO is illegal in Colorado. We were put in a private room upstairs so as not to disturb the other patrons. dry.gif
Most of the wines were not tasted blind. People were encouraged to bring great wines from their cellar for a night of decadence. Of the 12 attendees, only 10 drink, so pours were relatively ample. The dinner lasted approximately 5-6 hours, though nobody knows for sure. Fortunately for wines of this caliber, very little wine was leftover at the end of the night. More fortunately, most of the couples stayed at the JW Marriott for the night. The one couple without a designated driver was smart enough to call a ($60) cab, rather than try to drive home afterwards.
Wines are not listed in any particular order. Food was ordered off the menu, and people were encouraged to pair the wines with their chosen dish as they thought appropriate.
The initial walkaround/socializing wines were:
2004 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Mosel (11/11/2006)
Decanted for about 5-1/2 hours before tasting. But on the nose, still some big time sulphur, which took another hour or so to blow off. On the palate, white fruits (pear noticeably), with some stone fruits (peach) in the background. Full middle, and a medium-length finish with some minerality. Not overly sweet at this point, but it is way too young. Let them sleep a few more years. (90 pts.)
2000 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (11/11/2006)
Not tasted blind. On the nose, lots of lemon and oak. On the palate, full bodied and complete, with butter, lemon, citrus and well integrated oak. Long finish, but seems to be drying out a bit. I would drink these over the next 6-12 months. (91 pts.)
Pat (FreeTheGrapes) also provided a wine to try double blind and play "guess that wine." Sometimes I hate when he does that, though admittedly he has turned me on to Mexican cabs, Greek wines, Chinese merlots, Kansas ice wines, etc. ohmy.gif But sometimes they are also spectacular wines, so one never knows.
2005 River Village Cellars (Kinkead Ridge) Viognier-Roussanne - USA, Ohio, Ohio River Valley (11/11/2006)
Tasted double blind. My initial guess was new world, either rousanne/marsanne or viognier. Later, I narrowed it to viognier before unveiling.
On the nose, violets, golden raisins, and orange blossom. On the palate, on the light side of medium-bodied and adding stone fruit and kiwi notes. The Rousanne had a heavy influence on the palate. A short finish kept this from scoring higher. (87 pts.)
Very interesting. Had he told me the wine was from Ohio, I would have known better than to even taste it. Preconceived notions and all that. But this was a nice quaffer.
Sitting down at the table, the featured attractions:
1971 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Mosel (11/11/2006)
Opened (not decanted) for about 30 minutes before tasting. On the nose, lots of petrol and cotton candy. On the palate, still some good acidity and sweetness, with lots of tangerine and apricot and a long finish. May be a bit past its prime (storage was not the best according to the person who brought it) but still a lovely wine. (92 pts.)
1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc de Millenaires - France, Champagne (11/11/2006)
On the nose, lots of yeast and bread (pizza?) dough. Very small bubbles and slightly tart, with citrus (esp. lemon), very yeasty. Very persistent in the mouth, but somewhat tight other than strong doughiness. This could use more time to open up some more. (92 pts.)
2002 Kistler Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (11/11/2006)
On the nose, a little bit of stink, along with some herbal tones and lots of cherries and raspberries. On the palate, medium to full-bodied, smooth and velvety with lots of cherries and spiciness. Very well balanced, medium to long finish. Drinking very well right now (92 pts.)
2005 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Land's Edge Vineyards - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (11/11/2006)
Unfortunately, I can't read some of my notes on this wine. Somewhat of an off-putting nose of blackberries, can't read the rest. Did not have near the depth of the '02 Kistler '02 SC tasted this night. On the thin side of medium-bodied, not very deep. Blackberries and other black fruits and some earthiness, a little bit chunky with a medium length finish. Not sure how long this was decanted, but it was obviously a very young wine. Pretty worthless note, but I will try to pick up another bottle to evaluate again. Not rated at this time to be fair to the wine, but the person who brought it was raving about a bottle he had earlier in the week.
1982 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (11/11/2006)
Beautiful bottle, decanted for about 1-1/2 hours before tasting.
On the nose, lots of leather and blackberries, with a cherry undertone. On the palate, full-bodied and deep, with nice acidity, lots of cherries and blackberries, and leather, leading to a long finish where some cedar notes appear. This bottle was still young, looking and tasting a decade or more younger. Beautifully balanced. Unfortunately, my wife loved it, but I hope we can keep our hands off the three remaining bottles. Or at least one anyway. (96 pts.)
1989 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (11/11/2006)
Decanted for sediment only, and poured back into bottle. Tasted 3-1/2 hours later.
Large amounts of stink on the nose, covering the fruit. On the palate, full-bodied but very backwards, with blackberries, cassis, hints of blueberry, and lots of earthiness. Long finish, but quite dry tannins. Not a good showing for this bottle compared to the one a year and a half ago, but still reaches outstanding. (92 pts.)
1994 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/11/2006)
On the nose, a little bit of leather added some complexity to the blackberries and currant. On the palate, medium-bodied and velvety, with more of the dark fruits, some earth, and a long finish with some spiciness for interest. Superbly balanced, tannins are well-integrated. Beautiful bottle, and still an adolescent. (95 pts.)
1999 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (11/11/2006)
Not tasted blind. Deanted for 45 minutes, drank over about three hours after that.
On the nose, black licorice, cassis and other black fruits. On the palate, very full-bodied, with a completely full mid palate of blackberries, plum and currant with just a touch of mint. Absolutely beautifully balanced, with fine, round tannins and a finish that seemed to linger forever.
At about the two hours of drinking mark, some tobacco and cloves became apparent on the palate. An hour later, some cherries and vanilla made an appearance too. Stunning the entire time. (98 pts.)
2002 Torbreck Run Rig - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (11/11/2006)
No notes on how long this was decanted, but it was beautiful. On the nose, raspberry, background blueberry, mint and eucalyptus. On the palate, full-bodied but light on its feet, with dense raspberry, blackberry, licorice and tar, and a very long finish with lots of pepper and firm, but rounded, tannins. I want to call this elegant, even though I have a hangup about doing so for something this big and fruity. Excellent balance and structure for aging, but highly enjoyable now. (97 pts.)
2001 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (11/11/2006)
Nice bottle and still very young. On the nose, blueberry, raspberry, earth and a whiff of alcohol. On the palate, this is a big bruiser, intensely flavored from beginning to end with blackberry, blueberry, background raspberry, and a long, long finish with lots of pepper and firm, though round, tannins. Decanted for about two hours before tasting. If I had any I would let them sleep for another year or two, or give it extended airing, since it got better the longer it sat in the glass. (91 pts.)
2003 Cayuse Syrah Bionic Frog - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (11/11/2006)
No notes on how long this was decanted, but it was a baby. A big bruiser of a wine, and very tight at first. It opened up somewhat with time in the glass, but has a long way to go before it is ready.
On the nose, red fruits dominate, with some blackberry, oak and a hint of alcohol. On the palate, full-bodied and dense, with waves of red and black fruits, and a long, peppery finish where the oak sticks out a bit much. Overall a bit chunky and too young, but this was has high potential for the future. Once the oak integrates, this could turn out beautiful. (91 pts.)
Before the dessert orders came, Pat decided to throw in another ringer for "guess that wine." This one was nowhere near as successful, and more in line with what I would have suspected had it not been double blind.
2004 Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Franc - USA, Ohio, Ohio River Valley (11/11/2006)
Tasted double blind, and asked to guess what it was. On the nose, green and weedy with some green pepper and eucalyptus, some plum, and black cherry. On the palate, the green weediness dominates a thin palate of faint plum, which leads to a short finish. My guess was new world cab franc, but certainly not anything I had ever tasted before. Turned out to be the second Ohio wine of the night, this one highly UNenjoyable. (77 pts.)
Moving on to the wines we had with the dessert course. When we were discussing the night with other attendees later in the week, my comment was "It's a darn good thing I have sketchy written notes for the sweet wines, since I don't even remember drinking them."
2002 Château Rieussec - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (11/11/2006)
From 750, decanted about nine hours before tasting. On the nose, apricot and touches of sweet honey. On the palate, no more than medium bodied (maybe on the lighter side of that) with a viscous mouthfeel and moderate acidity, adding some lemon to the apricot and honey notes. Moderately long finish. Darned good wine, but not up to the level of some of the earlier vintages at this young age. Maybe the decanting was excessive. (90 pts.)
1994 Warre Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (11/11/2006)
No notes on how long this was decanted. My notes just say very enjoyable, with alcohol sticking out on the end, and the score. The hot finish is something I have come to associate with young ports, so I did not mark it down for that. (92 pts.)
At this point, the meal was over, and we retired to the JW Marriott lounge. Of course, with so many extra wines we (wisely) had not opened, we decided we would open one of our wines in the lounge. One of the attendees went to the bar to get glassware and water. The bartender refused to give us glassware, since we are not allowed to open our own wines. Once that bartender went in back, the second bartender came over and said it was a stupid rule and got out the glassware for us, came and poured our water, etc. She received a very healthy tip for her efforts.
The wine was the:
1997 Cardinale Red Wine - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/11/2006)
No notes that I could find. I do remember it being very tight upon opening, but enjoyable. It would be highly unfair to assign it a rating of any type.
We all still had a lot of wine in our glasses when the night manager approached us. After two separate raised voice arguments (we laughed at her the first time), we retired up to the guest rooms to finish our wines.
Moo |