Aw Crap...

I just lost my entire post... I'll get into details later... but Great: 1999 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru; 2002 Rudd Oakville Estate Red; 2002 Rudd Chardonnay Bacigalupe Vineyard; 1999 Banfi Brunello di Montalcino; 2003 Pride Mountain Syrah (2 days open); 2004 Rudd Sauvignon Blanc (screwcap!) Good: 2002 Rudd Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon; That's about it last night... good stuff. Oh yeah, the 2001 La Tour Blance Sauternes that's been open for 2 weeks now is spectacular!!!

When La Grand Dame Isn't Good Enough...

"A, R, He Cancelled"... AW CRAP! Oh well... no 82s or 55s tonight... It's amazing how your palate gets used to tasting unreal wine, and isn't satisfied with anything less - one could say your tastebuds are dissapointed. Oh well, such is life. The 1996 Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin "La Grand Dame" was nice - but very, very different than Krug. The nose was extremely yeasty revealing beautiful toasty lemon, tropical fruits and a certain lightness that you can't get with barrel fermentation. A great wine, no doubt, but not what we were looking for. Maybe tomorrow...

Our Christmas Dinner

Opened a bottle of 1999 Avignonesi Desiderio, Cortona, Italy but unfortunately, was corked. Oh well... Seemed nice underneath. Have one left... then opened a heavy, chocolately bottle of 2003 Pride Mountain Vineyards Syrah... WOW! Big wine... not a super-long finish, but great wine non-the-less.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...

I have never been so tired in my entire life... but god, it was worth it! Christmas Eve brought a few nice wines, nothing great, but some good. First, the 1999 Domaine de la Romanee Conti Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru was beautiful, but incredibly tight. Edgy with hints of spicy earth, this wine needed time to reveal a beautiful sweet strawberry finish. Power with finesse. The 1995 Ducru-Beaucaillou, St.-Julien smelled wonderful, if not a bit over done. I didn't taste it, but I am sure it was not spectacular. On to Christmas...

Christmas brings many things... Joy... Peace... Smiles... Family... 100 Point Wine... 1990 Chateau Margaux (?!!!)... yup. 2 bottles of it, too. The first was violets and cedar from the start. So soft and plush... very much a Margaux, and all of the 100 Points Mr. Parker gives this wine. Wait 10 years to drink it... The second was tight, austere and rubbery from the start... didn't appear to be a great bottle. Fast forward three hours and the wine blossomed like a hubiscus... unreal finesse, silky texture, again violets and cedar, but this bottle was certainly more closed and despite my initial thoughts, the better bottle of the two. Christmas was kind this year. It's hard working on Christmas, but the wine was wonderful... Krug Rose was a nice nice (!) bubbly to try... powerful, yet very elegant and round. Unfortunately, the wine was far too young. The 1995 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg was phenomenal, but again, was just a baby. After the Margaux, this wine was pure sweet fruit, with layers of soft tannin, black earth, black currants, plums, strawberries, and on the finish (if you could find it!) sweet cherries. Unbelievable Burgundy (WS 98). Also, a 1985 Remoissenet Charmes-Chambertin was nice, earthy, almost perfect nose. Power and elegance. But none of the wines were even close to the 1978 Chateau Petrus. The 78 Petrus doesn't even merit a 90+ rating from any of the big boys (RP, WS). I, however, would doubt that they ever had a bottle of this magnitude. For if they had, I think their rating would vastly change. Clearly the wine of the evening (and remember the company it's in...) I've had the 78 before and never thought it to be anywhere near the 75. Perhaps it's not, but when the Petrus is better than the Richebourg and the Margaux, that's something. All cedar, sweet currants, and rosemary, this wine was a powerhouse. While not the longest finish, the power of the wine blew me away. This one, despite what the other critics say, goes on my Top List. All in all, an amazing night. Funny thing is... we have a client coming in on Tuesday that we think has 4 bottles of 1982 in mind... Cheval-Blanc, Latour, Mouton, and Lafite. Together. To see which is the best. I can't wait, and I'll keep you posted. Cheers, and Merry Christmas!!!

Twas the night before the night before Christmas...

and all through the restaurant... a million Champagne bottles were stirring... The bottles were tucked in their ice with care, with hopes that a celebrant soon would be there... And so they came... to drink Krug, Vranken "Damoiselles" Brut Rose (an extremely dry rose - much more so than Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Rose), and Veuve Rose (96, thank you). They also drank my last bottle of 1995 Joseph Phelps Insignia, which was fabulous. But, ironically, the 2001 Opus One was spectacular! I'm not an Opus lover, but for some reason the wine really stood out last night. It's classic black anise and underripe plums were certainly right there. Pretty nice!

If you're up for a fabulous wine book (certainly more on the reference/techincal side of things) then pick up Richard Juhlin's "4000 Champagnes". Without question the single greatest resource on Champagne that exists. Describing every village and every single Champagne house, he goes on to rate just about every Champagne made today, and many going back to 1892! As if that weren't enough, he gives the varietal breakdown of each of the wines, from the basic Cuvee to the Cuvee de Prestige... Bravo!

Brrrrolo!

Sorry... I've been waiting for a while for that one... had one of my top 5 Italian wines of the year last night. The simply stunning 1993 Bruno Giacosa Barolo, Nieve, Piedmont. Like sticking your nose in a bowl full of dried clove and dried cranberries! A quite powerful and tannic wine, even at 12 years of age. I love these wines... they are so haunting when they are mature. Also had a nice glass of Krug and a taste of the 2001 Silver Oak Alex for then nth time... still don't really love it.

Ho Ho Ho!!!

Well... it's almost here. Last night the team got together and had a wonderful feast... thank you V! And some wonderful wine! To start... a magnum of Tattinger La Francaise Brut (this is NOT Brut Champagne... it's just not!) which is always a nice way to start an evening! Then, onto a 1999 Dom. Louis Latour Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot which took a little while to open up, but was spectacular. Nice lemony classic LL finish. Nutty and rich. Then, a very special bottle... a 3L of 1997 Trefethen Reserve Cabernet from the Trefethens themselves. I'm not usually a big fan of Trefethen, but this wine was great! It could have used some more time, but was still nicely chocolatey, cedary, and beautiful. With cheese, we had a 1989 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape that was unreal... smelling completely of cigar-leaf-wrapper, this wine was earthy, rich, and stinky. Great wine!!!! Better than most of the 1990's that I've had, but certainly ready to drink now. And with desert, a 1981 M. Chapoutier Banyuls that was nutty, rich, oily, and perfect! A great night....

The Musical Wine

1997 Opus One... 2 bottles... for the first time in a while, I actually really enjoyed the few tastes of Opus One. Cedary, at the point of maturity, lost it's overly-anise quality. Excellent!

A Few Goodies...

mmmm I'll get right to it... last night was a 1961 Haut-Brion. First things first. DO NOT DECANT THIS WINE!!! I tasted it right upon opening, after being decanted for 2 hours, then from the bottle after 2 hours. The best was right after opening, then from the bottle 2 hours later, then decanted. The decanted wine completely fell apart, while the wine from the bottle was still rich and spicy with a hint of black plums. The wine, though, was outstanding. Not incredible, but outstanding. Black fruits, mushrooms, leather, bacon and luscious, round earthiness. Haut-Brion to a "t". Not powerful like the Latour in September, but graceful and elegant. Wonderful. Then a 2000 Remoissenet Corton-Charlemagne. Very, very closed even after I decented it. Meaty hazelnut and tropical fruit core with loads of power. A nice wine, I'd let it sit for 5 more years. The 2001 Robert Mondavi To-Kalon Reserve Fume-Blanc was killer! No one, I repeat, NO ONE makes Sauvignon Blanc from California like this. Big, luscious, clean passionfruit with a bright ruby-red grapefruit finish with hints of clove, lemongrass, and a touch of green tea. Amazing wine.

I haven't had a lot of time to write lately, but the other day was the 2002 Quintessa. A big, black, powerful wine, perhaps the best Quintessa has ever produced. Certainly the most powerful. Needs some time, but is so full of black smoke and black plums, it should end up outstanding.

The other Drink with Bubbles...

Ok... beer... met R for lunch... learned I was off tonight. Had 2 Anchor Steams for lunch. Stopped by a specialty beer place R has been raving about. He was right. Wow. I bought a few and I'll write the notes as I drink them (not all tonight, mind you). First up is Abbaye-Abbey Val-Dieu Blond, Belgium. Wowzers. Big time ale. Yeasty with loads of tropical fruits. Very creamy, rich, ale. Outstanding.

The Best Drink Of Them All Is...

CHAMPAGNE (include sparkling wine in here)!!! Don't get me wrong, I love all wine, spirits, beers, etc. New World, Old World, White Red, Inexpensive, Overpriced, Single Malt, Blended, Sour Mash, Pilsner, Stout, Porter, Lager, Single-distilled, Double-distilled, etc. I love it all. But, Champagne is the single most adaptable beverage on the planet. It is a perfect aperitif. Makes a great cocktail (Kir Royal, Bucks Fizz). Goes very well with a large variety of food. Great with dessert. And best of all... it makes you SMILE! The general public in the US seems to have the idea that Champagne is for celebrating - and celebrating only. Champagne makes every day worth celebrating. The bubbles make you smile... Champagne doesn't get you drunk (although the hangover the next morning might tell you otherwise)... it makes you high on life! I can always drink a glass of Champagne. Let's just not drink it only for celebrating... go out and buy or open a bottle of Champagne tonight - it's worth it for the smile!

Another Crazy Night...

And by crazy I actually mean boring... poured relatively boring wine. And I do mean poured. Not recommended. Just poured. It's so boring I won't mention the contents here... except the 1994 Pichon-Longueville Baron... tasty little wine. Not great. Just good. Pretty mature and ready to drink.

No Title

Yup... no title... Last night was Tattinger Prelude - their "answer" to Krug, but honestly, it's not even close. Also, 1994 Domaine Robert Ampeau Meursault - nice wine, lots of oak... ready to drink. 2001 La Tour Blance, Sauternes - nice wine, VERY minerally... not as good as the Rieussec... 1996 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape - if anyone wants to know what "barnyard" is, open a bottle of this. The nose stinks so badly of decaying leaves, it's almost hard to get underneath... great wine though.

Is that just from Margaux?

There's Margaux, then there's Margaux Margaux. I won't explain. The 1978 Chateau Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux, France was certainly the best bottle I've had of this wine, and could be the best Margaux I've ever had (better than the 1990? Maybe... 1982? Maybe...). When I first opened the bottle there was a touch of must and I was asked to taste it. I asked R to taste it. It was phenomenal! Black earth, cedar, black plums, crushed violets on the powerful front, then on the back side - sweet cherry fruit and a very delicate, elegant finish. Classic Margaux structure. Outstanding wine, even if this bottle was quite atypical of what I've experienced with this wine before. But alas, it was a fleeting moment, for when I tried it 2 hours later the wine had fallen apart - the fruit replaced by earth and wood. Poof! If you have a few, drink them now. Far less impressive, and a wine I was looking forward to was the 1999 Quintessa, Napa Valley. From the moment I stuck my nose in it, it was completely wrong. The wine was in perfect condition, I just don't think it was a good wine to start with! Completely stemmy and green, with very little ripe, jammy fruit (unless you consider green pepper ripe and jammy) that I always associate with this wine. Very anise-y as well. I hope this is just a dumb phase, but I honestly doubt it. It smells as though they picked too early or didn't destem and pressed too hard...... oh well.

What exactly is a perfect wine?

Ok... you see them (or at least read about them) - those "100-Point" scores. If 100 is the best, then shouldn't there only be one wine ever rated 100 points? Hmmm... And if bottles do in fact vary (which I assure you they certainly do... we'll get to that in a minute), then the 100-point wine you read about will most likely be different than what ends up in your glass. Wine is such a subjective thing, that one person's 100 is another persons 90. Now, I will say that every wine that I've ever had that was rated 100-points by someone turned out to be a pretty spectacular wine. Maybe not 100-points spectacular, but in general ranks pretty high up my list. Take last night, for example. I had 3 different bottles of 1990 Chateau Latour - 100 Points Wine Spectator (I'll call them A,B,and C). Bottle A was certainly NOT a 100-point wine. While relatively dark in color, it was full of mature-cedar on the nose and had a long sweet cherry finish. Not the 100-point wine I was expecting, but still a spectacular wine. Bottle B was massive. Intensely dark, with just hints of cedar while displaying loads of pencil lead, black turned earth, black plums, and a deeply concentrated finish. This was the "100-point" wine I was expecting. Finally, bottle C was almost as dark and concentrated as B, but combined the black fruit and pencil lead with just a hint of cedar and earth. The finish had a touch of sweet cherry and was the longest of the 3. I would also call this a "100-point" wine, better than B to drink now, but in the long term, B is the bottle I would like to have in my cellar. Now, all three bottles came from the exact same case and have been stored in the exact same manner since purchase. As if wine isn't complicated enough. Ok, so take bottle B and compare it to some other 100-point wines that I've had - like the 1982 Latour. The 1990 isn't even in the same league. Sure, it's one of the greatest Bordeauxs I've ever had (I will say that none of these three bottles are better than any of the other times I've had this wine), and it might make the best list, but I doubt it. The 1982 is a much more powerful wine. Confused? You should be... I know I am. I wouldn't even put it near the 82 Cheval-Blanc, the 98 Grange is better, I think... But isnt' that what makes wine so interesting? Everyone can have a different opinion. I still haven't found my perfect wine, but I will. Or at least I'll never stop trying. Also had the 1999 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon last night, after the 1990 Latour. Should of had it before. Now, I've never thought of this wine as "fruity" - put it next to a classic Latour and it's Australian jammy. Not really ready to drink just yet, but still a great concentrated California Cab. Last bottle. Cheers!

Those Poor Forgotten Wines...

Not really, but it makes for an interesting title. Last night the star was the 1998 Chateau Figeac, St.-Emilion, Grand Cru Classe "B"... despite being way too young, the classic Figeac aromas were already present, albeit hidden under a mound of chocolate, black fruits, and truffles. Once you get past all of that, you get to the cedar, tobacco, and sweet cherry fruit that is just starting to show. These 1998 right banks are tremendous... From Sunday night... just a few drinking wines. The 2002 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montachet Les Ensigners was melony-minerals in a glass. Tight and steely, not terribly elegant. Great poker wine though... also the 2000 Willakenzie (sp) Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon was much, much better than I thought it would be. Earthy and stinky, with a wonderful combined black and red fruits. Nice finish... a very admirable effort. Would glady drink another bottle.

Coming Soon To A Wine Shop Near You...

Well, it's only going in 8 states, so maybe not near you... but near me certainly. I got to taste the 2002 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon yesterday... This is a $50 retail Napa Cab... but oh my! Black currant (screaming out of the glass!), black plums (very plummy), a touch dusty, anise, and smoke with traces of cinnamon and clove hinting at the new French Oak. This is a blockbuster wine! It needs to settle down a little bit, but it's one heck of a drink! Did I mention it's from the family that makes Quintessa? And it's sourced from the Quintessa Vineyard? Outstanding... Worth seeking out.

G'Day!

It's that time of year again - the annual Penfold's tasting. Always a highlight, this year it certainly disappoint, though the best wasn't what it usually is - Grange. I won't go through all the wines, but the 2002 Penfold's Bin 389 Cabernet-Shiraz was spectacular. Called "baby-Grange" because it uses the reverse of the Shiraz-often time Cabernet in Grange, plus it uses the previous years barrels that Grange is matured in. Wonderful black plums with hints of spice. Excellent. On to the big-boys... the 2002 Yattarna Chardonnay was not as rich and buttery as in years past. Rich, warm tropical fruits, with just hints of minerals(?). I can't believe I actually liked it! The 2002 Magill Estate Shiraz, the original estate where Grange was first made by Max Schubert back in 1951, was slightly disjointed and unbalanced - perhaps just being youthful, but it just didn't make it at this tasting. The 2000 Grange was almost black with black pepper, black plums, graphite, anise, cedar and leather. It is quite a bit more fruit-forward and a bit lighter than other young Grange's that I've had. Great wine, but not a blockbuster. I think even better than the Grange was the 2002 RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz. Stick your nose in the glass and it's like smelling black licorice... loads of anise with cedar, smoke, meat and black fruits along with a nice dose of black pepper. A great wine!!! Finally, my favorite of the tasting was the 2002 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon. I have always liked this wine, but never loved it. This is a blockbuster 707 - full of black currant and red cherry fruits, with gripping tannins, clove, tobacco, smoke and leather. The finish is long and sweet. This is a jammy cab, but outstanding. Very nicely balanced. While the Grange wasn't the highlight of the tasting, it is also 2 vintages behind the outstanding 2002, which in a few years should be an outstanding Grange. They were talking that it may be as good as the 1998... we'll see! Also had some leftover 1996 Moet & Chandon Brut Rose that was spectacular... too bad it was the last one!

Good to the last drop...

A very busy Saturday night - finally! A few great bottles, but generally good wine wine all around. The 1996 Fontodi Syrah is tremendous... It reminds me of a great aged Cote-Rotie, even if it is from Italy! It's not a bottle that people would just order in the restaurant, but neither R nor I sold him the bottle - he picked it out. Drinking beautifully right now, and a great comparison to the Fontodi was the 2000 Guigal Cote-Rotie "Brune et Blonde". So earthy and tarry with the signature black olives and black fruits. Nice wine. Even better was the 1997 Louis Latour Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Chenevottes" - a beautiful, lemony, rich, minerally, melony Chardonnay. If you have some, drink them. They are just hitting their peak. Staying with White Burgundy, the 1999 Albert Pic Chablis 1er Cru Montmains had nice hints of clove and cinnamon, coupled with classic Chablis limestone/ wet rocks (that ones for you A)/ steely, tight finish. Would love to try this one in a few more years. Then the big guns came out... first, the 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Premier Cru, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France was perhaps the best bottle I'd ever had of it. Wonderful Lafite cedar/tobacco/pencil lead sweet cherry nose, with lovely wood spices, and underlying power. Very long, commanding finish. Not as good as the 82 Latour or 82 Pichon-Lalande, but close. The night couldn't be complete without a little Krug, could it? Certainly not... but not what I was expecting - One of the great wines I've ever had, the 1990 Krug Clos du Mesnil was stunning. A beautiful Blanc-de-Blancs from the greatest Champagne producer there is. Arguably the finest Champagne that there is, this single-vineyard Champagne is generally released quite a while before the regular vintage Brut is. Yeasty, with incredibly tiny bubbles, the wine is light gold, with tropical fruits, melon and ripe Granny Smith apples. Absolutely stunning. I'm not sure it was better than the 1990 Krug Brut I had in September, but that might have been the environment just as much as the wine. I'd love to do a comparison... After that bit of bubbly, which J literally tasted the final few drops, we finally left to wind down. R & I had the same thought - more bubbles! The 1995 Gloria-Ferrer Royal Cuvee was just what we needed... apples and more apples, with some yeastiness, and nice cardimom spice notes. Nice wine... Cheers!

The bus came by and I got on...

That's where it all began... Flashback day yesterday. Had a nice tasting with Louis Latour yesterday... including my favorite... 2002 Corton-Charlemagne. Always one of the most consistant producers of that fabulous Grand Cru, the 2002 had changed in a magnificent way since I'd last tried it. It opened up to reveal beautiful minerals, and a terribly intense classic Louis Latour lemon finish. Beautiful wine... even better was the news of older vintages... more to come on that.

When Good Wine Turns Bad...

It should have been a night of great wines... they were there. They had the pedigree. But in the end, they stumbled and fell. Wow. Never have I been so dissapointed in a group of great wines... 1982 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, 2nd Growth, St. Julien - after walking away with an 82 2nd Growth Horizontal a few months ago, this wine was a complete dud immediately upon opening. It was flat - showed some cedar, but mostly wet leaves. There was no fruit, no magic. This was a completely different bottle than the last time... night and day. Then, just as I have been saying for a while, and this is by no means a blanket statement - the 1997 California Cabernets are destined for soup - the vast majority of them are falling apart like you wouldn't believe. I would be drinking them all now. Seriously. The 1997 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon was beautifully classic when it was released. Soft, mellow, round, velvety Cabernet Sauvignon. The bottle that was opened last night was a piece of crap. There was no fruit - there was no velvet - there was just tannin and wood. As the great DM says "Wine is all about the fruit" - well, I'll mostly agree with him. The 1997s are loosing fruit so fast - they are big, tannic, wood-bombs. Certainly there are some great 1997s out there, but the 1994s have surpassed the 1997s and I believe that the 1999s, 2001s and 2002s will far surpass the end result of the 1997 vintage. Ready for another dud? The 1963 Fonseca Vintage Port. One of the great port vintages ever, and I've had this a few times before. This was all alcohol. None of that beautiful nuttiness that defines old vintage port. Nothing doing. I'll chalk this one up to bottle variation, however. But, with every gray cloud there is a silver lining. And last night it was the 1983 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg. Now, if Pinot Noir is supposed to be such a short-lived varietal, how is it that in an off-year such as 1983, Pinot Noir can be better than an 82 Bordeaux, an 97 Cali Cab, and a 63 Port? You know why. Because when from a top estate, Pinot Noir gives the drinker more complexity, more feel, than any other wine. This was classic old DRC Richebourg with a beautiful Coca-Cola nose, dried leaves, sweet cherries, and even the slightest bit of black earth. The wine was certainly on it's way out, but from the moment the nose hit, I knew it was a spectacular wine. Great stuff. Also had a 2003 Pfaffenberg Scheurebe (cross between Riesling X Sylvaner) Spatlese (sorry, forgot the village and einzellagen) from the Rheingau that was good, but tasted chaptalized (?) or acidified (?) or both. Nice minerality for 2003 vintage. Also had the 1994 Chateau Pichon-Lalande which was nicely round. Drinking very, very well right now.

The Sum is Greater Than the Parts

When I'm dining out, if the food is average, but the service great and my overall impression is stellar, I'll be going back over and over. One of the greatest pieces of advice I've ever gotten and it's something I base my service on, is "What would you like to experience?". It's not just a meal, it's an adventure. If you give someone an amazing experience, they will remember it forever. Oh yeah, almost forgot about the wine... 1997 Ramonet Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, Grand Cru, Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy. This wild, toasty, melon-infused lemon & mineral bomb was tremendous. The finish was so nice and long... beautiful powerful White Burgundy, though I've had better BBMs.

A New Wine Label...

You know what it is J... DG. Anyway, great wine again last night. That makes 3 in a row. First, a beautiful, mature, silky 1976 Joseph Phelps Insignia. What a great bottle of wine! So cedary, with lots of dried leaves, sweet cherry and currants. Long, fabulous finish. Then, 1989 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion. I've had this wine several times in the past, one of those bottles even made my favorite wines I've ever had list. Unfortunately, this bottle does not. It was beautifully balanced, nice concentration of classic Bordeaux fruit, but this bottle didn't have the amazing depth and backbone that I've experienced in the past. With that being said, it was still a spectacular wine. Looooong finish, just wish there was more there. Last night after work we had a discussion, as we often do, about the 1855 Classification in Bordeaux (doesn't everyone?). If I had my way, I'd drop Mouton down to Second Growth, and I'd bring in La Mission Haut Brion and Pichon-Lalande as first growths. They deserve it. Also, had the 1996 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac. Wow. Wow. Wow!!! One hell of a wine here... It only took, oh 3-4 hours to start to open. But, when it did. Oh my. The makings of a classic wine... Amazing intensity, but not over-done. Fabulous balance and amazing length. What a round, powerful, elegant, bold wine. While not the 1982, it sure is close and certainly the best Pichon in that time frame. Grab one if you can find one and put it away for another 10 years. Classic Pichon-Lalande.

Tis the season...

Walk into work... a huge Christmas tree in the bar... wreaths and garland everywhere. Beautiful. Made me smile. So did some great news about a friend - Congratulations to C & W! On to the... 1998 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino - ready to drink, but a nice Brunello. Nothing compared to the 1996 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape! What a stinky, barnyard nose full of garrigue, decaying leaves, black plums, and wild strawberry. The palate was so powerful right up front, then just slowly died away. A great wine. Could go for a while, but drinking nicely right now if it's decanted. Now, I wish I could have tried the Les Pavots that I had Thursday against the 2001 Pahlmeyer Red Wine that I had last night... While the Pahlmeyer was lighter (if you can believe anything is heavier than the wines they make), it had that same sort of rich-vanilla, fruit-driven, dried leaf nose. Clearly from the same breeding. In the words of R - "It's pretty frickin good!". Cheers!

Turkey...

The bird, not the country... Hope everyone had something good to drink on Thanksgiving. Here's what I had... 2002 Bouchard Pouilly-Fuisse made into Kirs! So tasty... then a 1/2 bottle of Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose (perhaps the best non-vintage rose champagne out there), and finally 2002 De Ponte Cellars Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon (not much to say about it except I wish the alcohol would have been in balance with the rest of the wine - 14.4% - come on, that's a little high for a Pinot isn't it?). At the restaurant last night... 1995 Joseph Phelps Insignia - beautiful. Wonderful classic Insignia cedar/black licorice nose with wonderful black fruit. A great wine, but it's not even close to the 1994... 1997 Silverado Limited Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - a great wine, but starting to show it's age. If you have them, drink up. 2001 Cain Five - a huge wine, beautiful classic coffee bean/vanilla Cain nose. One to lay down for a while. This is the 5th time I've tasted this wine and it's starting to close perhaps just a touch. And finally, the best wine of the night, 2001 Peter Michael Les Pavots... this is one hell of a wine. Hugely powerful, with the richness of Bryant Family, but clearly a wine all its own. None of the sweetness that comes with Harlan, but along the lines of Shafer Hillside or Colgin. Rich vanilla, cassis, black currants, black plums, hints of mushrooms with tons of clove. This is a WS 98, RP 95 point wine and I think they hit it right on the head. It's a classic wine on all accounts, but it's missing just a little bit of the depth that makes a wine magical. Close... I'd love to try it again in a few years to see what's happened to it.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Well, it's time for Turkey! And others of us have to work... well, anyway J&J - we'll miss the Jones Family - a Thanksgiving tradition to be revived someday... Anyway, nothing special last night. The 1999 Meyer Muenchberg is still drinking superbly. Wish the 2002 Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf-du-Pape was... Light in body, light in flavor. It was ok. There is just so little of anything in the 2002 Southern Rhone reds... the whites are generally excellent. Anyway, everyone enjoy!

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

Sometimes not... sometimes you just feel like having a nice glass of wine. Like, the 1999 Julien Meyer Riesling Grand Cru Muenchberg Grand Cru with its incredibly oily texture and beautiful length. Or perhaps its the 2002 Domaine Serene Chardonnay Cote Sud easily confused with a Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru. Or perhaps its a monolithic bottle of 2000 Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge? Could be your in the mood for a 1993 Opus One - showing a nice bit of classic Opus cedar and anise. Maybe instead the 2002 Kruger-Rumpf Munster Dautenpflanzer Riesling Spatlese with it's mindblowing melony-stoniness. All are great choices. Or perhaps it's just a glass of Krug MV. Oh, something older? 1990 Robert Ampeau Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru though starting to fade, still has tons of toasty oak on the nose. Too old? The 1994 Ampeau Meursault? 1994 Ampeau Auxey-Duresses Rouge? 1994 Chateau Pichon-Longeuville Baron? 2001 Louis Latour Chassagne-Montrachet Chenevottes 1er Cru? 1996 Conterno Barolo "Cascina Francia" and all of the classic power from Serralunga d'Alba? Enough for one night? What about adding in Tattinger La Francaisse in magnum? 1996 Chateau Cos d'Estournel, 2nd Growth, St.-Estephe (tight and powerful)? 1999 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley? Or was it the last wine of the weekend, one of the great wines of the 1990 Bordeaux vintage? The 1990 Chateau L'Evangile was spectacular after being opened for 2 hours. It was at first a wash of cedary-chocolate. Then, after 30 minutes, the beautiful fruit started to really shine. Black plums, graphite, and that classic cocoa. Great earth. A wonderful wine. Yup. Had all of them, over 2 nights. Outstanding! Last night had a 2002 Girardin Santenay 1er Cru "Les Maladieres" that was fruity with a great deal of earth. A nice burgundy. Not bad for a birthday weekend... plus had 29 various California roses, whites, and reds at a tasting today. I'll put up the goods tomorrow.

Pinot Rocks!

Not just any Pinot mind you... but Pinot Noir. Specifically, Pinot Noir from Burgundy. Where else in the world do you get wines that are just so darn expressive! They let you know about where they've been, how they were made - and they are wines you can not fake. It's either you made it correctly or you didn't. As the wines ages, the truth becomes even more evident. Wow. 1976 Dom. Leroy Pommard- Arvelets. It's the stuff. I've gone on and on about my love of Mde. Bize-Leroy and her family's wines, so I won't continue. Lets just say, for people that know their wines, this is an unbelievable glass of earth. Wet wool, raw meat, black-fruits and sweet cedar. Dried earth, dried barnyard, cranberries. And the power - wow. Even at almost 30 years of age, this wine has the power of Pommard. That's not something you can fake. Had 3 different bottles last night of this. All of them were very similar - very profound. Would make it the 4th time I've tasted it. Anyone have one? Drink up.... Cheers.

Tequila!

When your friend asks what you'd like to drink... it's never a good idea to say "whatever"... anyway... some interesting wine (finally!) last night. Started out with J having us taste (blind) a 2000 Helmut Lang Chardonnay Trockenbeerenauslese, Neusiedlersee, Austria. Not too fond of it. It had quite a botrysized nose, but lacked any defining minerality or depth. 1998 Domaine Serene Cote Sud Chardonnay was spectacular. Who says high-quality American Chardonnay doesn't age well? Even more stunning and Chassagne-Montrachet like than the 1999, this is a spectacular Chardonnay. While certainly new world (lush tropical fruit), there is certainly an underlying richness and minerality, along with some ruggedness that makes this drink like a Premier-Cru. Really beautiful stuff... The 1999 Pride Cabernet Sauvignon was killer... a beautifully-massive, jammy, mature Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. This is mountain fruit, but in a completely different style than perhaps Dunn or Diamond Creek. A great, great wine. Too bad it was the last bottle. Also, 2002 Etude Pinot Noir vs. 2003 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir - wow, what a difference. Tasting these two side-by-side was a nice exercise. While both had lush ripe fruits, the Etude was much more of the ripe cherry and strawberry variety, while the Cloudy Bay was so black and earthy and rugged. Both great Pinots, both entirely different. That's why Pinot is the best... and then it can be part of Krug... Every day this week. A few sips is all I need. I am never dissapointed.

Bordeaux fever

I wouldn't really call it "Bordeaux fever" but my creativity is at such a low right now, I couldn't come up with anything else to say... Only thing creative this week that went out was a 1995 Lynch-Bages that after 4 hours started to open. It was a beautiful wine, perhaps not quite as powerful and massive as the '89 we had on Sunday, but it was still much bigger than most of the other Lynch-Bages I've had (perhaps including the 2000). It was just starting to show some bottle aromas - cedary leather, sweet cherry fruit, etc. This wine was classic Pauillac - power matched with amazing elegance. St.-Estephe gives you raw earthy-power, Margaux is much more floral, very seductive; St.-Julien is round and elegant; but only Pauillac has the power with elegance. Oh yeah, had a little Krug every night this week... LOVE IT!

Celebrate!

For the first time since R passed his Advanced Exam and since I passed mine, the group of us hard-nosed wine geeks got together to do some heavy celebrating... and celebrate we did. Hangover? Absolutely. Worth it? Without a doubt. There were a total of 6, plus J showed up at the end after work for a few minutes to taste through the wines. Here we go... Started off with a pure varietal Xarel-lo from the Penedes region of Spain. A nice, clean, slightly spicy, oaky white wine. Nice stuff - it goes into the odd-ball bin. Couldn't tell you the producer... I'll ask R. Had a bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte Brut (This is NOT Brut Champagne! It's not Brut!) to toast with! After the bubbles the heavy-hitters came out, and we tasted them all blind - a task that gets increasingly funnier and more difficult as the evening wears on (as alas, there is no spitting). First was a 1983 Dr. Thannisch Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese, Mosel Saar-Ruwer. Guesses were Germany and Alsace, and settled on Alsace, due to the percieved lack of sugar. I've had this wine on several occasions, but never like this. The cork was slightly moldy and imparted a slightly off-odor into the wine. I decanted it and it made all the difference. Though slightly off-dry, this wine did not have the super-slate/petrol smell that usually comes in these great old Germans. It had tons of fruit - melons, green apples, etc. A great bottle of wine! To counter, D pulled out a 2000 Monbousquat Blanc. Now, I've had some great white Bordeaux, but 99.9% of it has been from Pessac-Leognan in Graves. This was a first. A white wine from St.-Emilion! This mostly Sauvignon-Blanc was huge. Tons of new oak - clove, cinnamon, vanilla (guesses were mostly confined to the old world, with Chardonnay being completely ruled out). This wine could have lasted for years... but after 15 minutes, we wanted RED! The first red of the evening? 1990 Trotanoy, Pomerol. This wine had the classic marking of right-bank Bordeaux and was quickly identified as a Pomerol from 1990. Cocoa and dark chocolate always brings me to Merlot, and the cedary-nose put it right into Bordeaux. A great wine. Was so young... Next was a great treat from T - 1983 Haut-Brion. I love Haut-Brion. It may not have the power of Latour nor the elegance of Margaux, but more often than not in blind tastings, I always put this at the top. It's just such a decadent wine! Guessed this one right on... but thought it was a 1990! Another guess of a 1990 was the 1989 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac. This was thought to be of the more tannic 1990 vintage, but was correctly guessed as a Pauillac. The power - the color. This wine was ink-black and beautiful! I can't wait to try it again in 10 years... it needs the time. After that came a nice closer to the Bordeaux reds of the evening... 1996 Ch. Palmer, Margaux. 1st, 5th, and now a 3rd(!). Way too young, this wine was tight and closed. Beautiful violet, the guesses started getting outlandish right now (Kekfrankos?), Fabulous structure. Another great wine. It was alas onto cake! And with the delicious cake... 1988 Ch. Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Sauternes (Bommes, as R pointed out, much impressing us all - it's amazing how clear the wine-induced mind becomes, if only about wine). Opened BEFORE the hurricane several weeks ago, this wine was simply incredible! The nose was so botrytis-layden it wasn't even funny. So beautifully balanced. An unbelievable wine! Ok, you can probably do the math at this point... 7 people, 9 bottles. That's a lot. But that's not all... You know how at the end of a really long, great-wine/great-friends evening you just start opening your really great bottles that you shouldn't open? Well... we did. But we should have opened them. I almost appreciated it more. 2001 Dom. Zind-Humbrecht Clos Saint Urbain Rangen Grand Cru Tokay Pinot Gris. For me, very possibly the wine of the night. A touch of sweetness, beautiful flowers, spices, melon, tropical fruits - it was lush, overpowering, but amazing balance and a huge finish. Glad we drank it. As a nightcap, we then opened one last bottle... 1987 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hills Cabernet Sauvingon. What a great way to end the night! Black and tannic, full of fruit and life. This was a tremendous wine! What a night... as we all said - we need to do this again soon! So the grand total - 11 bottles. It was worth it.

Viva Las Vegas - the reviews part II - Monday

JS really outdid himself this evening... Thank you to DE and RS for a great evening, along with JC, C&SL, The C's, The S's, and everyone else... especially to my parents for letting my wife and I tag along on their fabulous few days in Las Vegas. Dinner was at Picasso... Everyone I work with thinks I am a "foodie", well, I guess I am, but no more than a "wino". Since we pour Jacquesson Cuvee 728 at my restaurant, I was very familiar with the name, however, the 1995 Signature Rose was outstanding. Beautiful strawberry nose and just a slightly pinkish-hue. Tiny bubbles. Nice. Very Nice. First course saw two wines, one of which I am extremely familiar - 2003 Bodegas Godeval Godello, Spain - a great, simple starter wine. Not quite as crisp as Rias Biaxas, not quite as intense as Rueda, but a great seafood wine nonetheless. Also, was the 2002 Dom. JM Boully St. Aubin 1er Cru Pitangerets... Just to the west of PM and CM, this is an oft-overlooked area, but can produce good, if not stellar, wines. Minerals aplenty, but most just a nice white burgundy. Great with seafood... Next up, one of the stars of the trip (you'll notice pretty much the rest of them are) - 2002 Domaine Michelot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrieres - WOW. What a wine. This is what Chardonnay is all about - as good, if not better, than many Grand Crus (and widely rumored to be the next one), Perrieres is intense, nutty, buttery immensely powerful. Charmes is good, Clos de Richemont outstanding, but they are far below what an incredible Perrierers can be. This amazing white was better 2 hours later than when it was first poured. Classic minerals with nuttiness, a touch of oak spices, and a little bit of richness. Wish I had a few bottles in my cellar! To top it if, the pairing with the decadent Lobster and Corn Flan could be the best dish I've ever had... (I'm still clinging on to the White and Dark Chocolate cake I had to Paris all those years ago). The lobster was buttery and delicious, but the Corn Flan was to die for - and put the two together - blockbuster! Moving on... 2002 Dom. Labreuil Savigny-Les-Beanue 1er Cru Liards - while I prefer the SLB Serpentieres we had the night before, I this was a nice choice with the Pigeon. Could go a few years, but I think it's delicious now! Now, the big boys... 2002 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru, Morey-St.-Denis. I must admit, my love of Burgundy often propels me to become quite harsh on wines that are simply "spectacular" rather than "mind-blowing". While impressed, and certainly a better bottle than I had previously encountered, on it's own, it was a great wine. It had classic MSD elegance, with a nice touch of tannic power. This was extremely approachable from the outset, with some nice dried earth, dried cranberry, wild strawberries, and plums. Not too tannic, I would gladly enjoy this wine any chance I could. But it was alas far outshone by the last two wines of the evening.
You could say I'm more of a Chambolle-Musigny/Vosne-Romanee guy than Chambertin/Pommard/Corton (except for Corton-Charlemagne - don't even get me started! - but I am talking red here). I prefer the elegance with understated power rather than the sheer brute force. I don't think that this wine changed any of that - nor did the 85 I had last night... As far as Chambertin Grand Cru's go, I often do prefer Chambertin, Chambertin-Clos de Beze, and Mazis-Chambertin generally over Charmes-Chambertin, as well as the other 4 Grand Crus. But, when a 2002 Dupont-Tisserandot Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is put in front of you, you're going to drink it. If you don't, I will! Wow. Certainly the finest Charmes-Chambertin, and perhaps the finest of any of the Chambertin Grand Crus, I've ever had. Compared to the Lambrays, this was a monster. Hugely tannic, but round, ripe tannins. Amazing earthiness, but nicely balanced with the dark cherry, wild berry fruit. The power of Chambertin came rushing out of the glass - and all you wanted to do was smile! If I didn't drink any other wine this trip, this one was worth the effort. While not nearly as approachable as the Lambrays, I think in 5, 10, 15, 20+ years, this will go down as one of the great 2002 Red Burgundies. It clearly has the depth and balance to last that long or longer. I can only imagine... Last "wine" - I say that because it's technically not a wine, though it is made from grapes, and it has sort of been fermented... the 1993 Chateau Pajzos Tojaki Esszencia (there are 4 levels of Tokaji - Szasmorandi (dry), Aszu (sweet - measured in the number of puttonyas added to a gonc), Aszu Esszencia (super-sweet, a little of the gonc added to a puttonya), and then Esszencia (basically, the puttonya - completely free run juice)) was a mind-blowing syrup. Prunes? Figs? Botrytis? Oxidation? Sweet Cherry? All of the above and more... The finish isn't measured in seconds with Esszensia - it's minutes. Roughly 2.5-3.5% ABV (you can never really be sure as it's still fermenting and will do so for decades), this Furmint-Harslevelu-Muskatoly-Oremus Hungarian nectar is the stuff of the gods. How long will it last? Well, lets just say that my grandkids grandkids might have kids old enough to see it perhaps mature - and that's long before I will, as I always feel like a kid in a candy store.

Oustanding... may I offer you a to-go cup?

Seems like no one finished their wine last night! Interesting choice, as the bottles were spectacular?!? Also, R had a spectacular idea last night... of which we quickly got the support of the managers - 86 the Cordial Trolly (which was time-consuming and clumsy at best) and turn it into a decanting station! I love it! We just need to bring in an Ah-so, and we'll be all set! I love it! On to the wine... 1985 Remoissenet Charmes-Chambertin was a cigar-box, sweet cherry, earthy tannin monster! While the fruit was dying at the 3 hour mark, it was a simply spectacular bottle of wine! I think the 02 I had in LV will end up even better! Also, had a half-glass of a nice older bottle of Krug Grand Cuvee MV... I made the comment to a regular table last night that if I could drink Krug every night, I would almost give up any other wine (note the almost)... truth is, I do get to have a sip of Krug just about every night... It's wonderful stuff. MV Krug ages so well. You see that it's non-vintage, so perhaps it's not quite as good as other Cuvee de Prestige? No way. Krug is it. Give me Zind-Humbrecht, Raveneau, or Domaine Leflaive for white wines, Leroy for reds, Krug for Champagne, and of course d'Yquem for desert, and I'd be a happy man. Would make for a spectacular wine dinner, no? I digress... the Krug was so dense, yeasty, and beautiful! A light gold (darker than most Champagne, mind you), with unbelievably tiny bubble, golden delicious apples, peaches and pears. A long, long, long finish. The best!

Viva Las Vegas - the reviews part 1 - Sunday

So many wines, so little time... I obviously can't post about EVERY wine, but here are my favorites/dissapointments. Sunday... Tasting with Rudi Wiest, the great German Wine importer... had 27 different Rieslings - a tremendous tasting - and yes, I spit (most of them, anyway). Favorites? 2002 Robert Weil Kiedricher Grafenberg Riesling Erstes Gewachs ("First Growth"), Rheingau - this was a stunner. A beautiful oily nose with tremendous minerality, peaches, and tropical fruits. This was like licking a wet stone - one of the best 2002's I've had. The 2004 Fritz-Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett, Mosel Saar-Ruwer - Apply, fruits, melon, lemon peel, slightly off-dry, slatey. A gorgeous young Riesling. These 04's were tremendous... very terroir-driven. Next, the 2003 Robert Weil Kiedricher Grafenberg Riesling Spatlese, Rheingau was one of the few 03's that I thought could be drunk now, or layed down for a while. This was an extremely floral, melony, peachy, semi-sweet, VIBRANT wine that showed some nice minerals, but really needs time.
A quick word about the 2003 vintage in general in Germany and Burgundy (because the question will come up)... It was HOT. Very hot. Lots of water stress on the vines = Concentrated wines. The problem I'm finding with the whites is that in general, it seems that a few winesmakers got very scared of acid levels (which helps act as a preservative), and added excess amounts of SO2 to their wines in hopes of giving them a longer life. Well, all that really seems to have done is to create a reductive/overly-sulphurous nose on a good number of otherwise great wines. Excess sulphur is a fault in my book. It may "taste" fine, but they certainly don't smell like they should - clean, mineraly, and rich. The good news is that the sulfur should eventually come out of the wine - provided it's not in a screwcap (this is the downside to screwcaps - a conversation for a later date) - and the wines will show in all of their glory in a few years. I certainly hope so.
I digress... back to the wine! Three greats to finish the tasting... 1964 Karthauserhof Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Kronenberg feinste Auslese Riesling, Mosel Saar-Ruwer (got all that ?)... wow. What a wine. If people aren't aging their Rieslings anymore, they miss out on wines like this. While the majority of the fruit was gone, there was so much non-fruit, it was crazy! Like drinking a can of diesel (that color!)... deep golden, bright, wet stones, honey, caramel, honey blossoms - a beautiful wine! Also had the 1990 Auslese #13 which was outstanding as well... showing beautifuly with nice diesel, wet slate, apricots, and honeydew melon. Last, but certainly not least, the 1976 J.J. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Beerenauslese, Mosel Saar-Ruwer was thick, rich, and full of life! Figs, apricots, slate, honey, creme brulee, dark- gold/orange in color, and after all this time, a very subdued, balanced sweetness.
Pre-dinner drinks at Daniel Boulud's restaurant bar the the Wynn... Thank you to J... let me know what I can do to help!... 1998 Domaine Leroy Bourgogne Rouge - seeing as how I have already proclaimed by admiration of Madame Bize-Leroy, I will only say this took an hour to open, and was by far the best Bourgogne I've ever had... If only some producers could make premier crus this good. Also tried the 2002 St. Henriot Blanquette de Limoux - first time having a BdL. Neat little wine. Made mostly from Mauzac in the L-R. Off-dry to dry, great fruit for a sparkler (MC). Had a lovely dinner at Alex at the Wynn that evening... fabulous Foie Gras, great Dover Sole. Wine? 2001 Smith Haut Lafite Blanc, Graves - a fabulous wine (but it took a while to show). Mineraly, oily (almost Mosel-like quality), spicy with tropical fruit. The semillion really shows in this wine. Why this isn't classified, I have no idea. 2002 Nicolas Joly Roche aux Moines Savienierres, Loire Valley - great wine. Typical Joly oxidation, great Chenin. 2002 Ecard Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru "les Serpentaires" - fabulous SLB. Earthy, fruit driven-nose. Will be even better in a few years. 2003 Domaine Slumberger Cuvee Catherine Guwurztraminer Vendage Tardive, Alsace - wine of the night. Great viscosity, power, beautiful apricot/ lychee sweetness. A great wine!

Back to work

Well... finally back to work! Nothing to speak of Thursday... last night there were three wines of note... first, 1990 Chateau Gruaud Larose, 2nd Growth, St. Julien, Bordeaux - this was a deep, dark wine, with some nice browning on the rim. Now, I have always been a big fan of Gruaud Larose (The '86 is tremendous - I think even better than the Mouton). Besides being one of the longest lived 2nd Growths, the wine is quintessential St.-Julien - soft, round, cedary-fruit with just a hint of earth. This was not that. I don't know if the wine was still closed, but it was not all that it should be. The fruit was gone, there was quite a bit of tannin, and the finish just fell off a cliff! The 1996 in half bottle was stupendous, however... Clash of the Pinot's... First, the 2003 Rochioli Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was so big, I had to decant it. Tremendous candy-apple, bright cherry, strawberry, and plum. Great wine. Needs a few years, though. Second, the 1999 Domaine Courcel Pommard 1er Cru Les Fremiers in half-bottle. The first bottle that I opened had a moderate ullage and smelled a bit oxidized (sour cherries). The second bottle was a waft of beautiful cherry and strawberry fruit, with powerful tannin. A great burgundy!

Viva Las Vegas!

Just got back from an exceptional wine-filled two day whirlwind trip to Las Vegas... I'll go into depth in the coming days... but a 1964 Karthauserhof Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Kronenberg Feinste Riesling Auslese and a 1976 JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Beerenauslese were on the menu as well as a stunning 2002 Dom Michelot Meursault Perriers... many, many more wines... I'll chat about them later. Back to work tonight (finally!)

Never know which way the wind will blow...

Wow. What a lady, that Wilma. She comes into town in the early morning, roughs everything up, then leaves her mess for all of us to clean up. Yuck. Not something I ever want to go through again... Well, with nothing else to do... we drank a few bottles... 2003 Pride Merlot, Napa/Sonoma, California and 2002 Isenhower Batchelor's Gulch Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, Washington. Give the edge to the Isenhower right now. It's the first time I've ever thought a Pride Merlot was light?!? Fruity, sure, and maybe it was just too darn young, but it didn't seem to have all of the guts that it usually does. The Isenhower was nice and easy - a little bit of fruit, ripe, round tannins. A nice Cab. Also finished off the rest of my 2000 Trimbach Hors Choix Gewurztraminer SGN and wow... it was just starting to show a hint of oxidation. Great wine. Glad I had the opportunity to try it over such an extended period.

My Top 14 Wines I've Ever Had...

I've been wanting to post this for a while, just haven't had the time. I couldn't narrow it down to 10, but I managed to get it down to 14. So here we go... I'll list the top three in order at the end. 1990 Krug Brut Champagne - an immense champagne. Tons of woody, spicey, citrus and melon. This was gorgeous. Deep gold in color, with beautiful bubbles. This one got better the longer it sat there. Amazingly long finish. 1993 Royal Tokaji Wine Company "Escenzia" - had this one because of a mistake... actually tried it on 4 separate occasions, several months apart. From the same bottle. 2.5% alcohol. 700+ grams/litre residual sugar (roughly 4 times that of a Sauternes). Pouring the "syrup" (and I'll call it syrup because the consistancy was far too rich to be called wine), the bouquet immediately wafted up. A delicious array of sweet cherry, apricot blossoms, citrus fruits, and rose petals was the first sign of an amazing experience. It coated my mouth completely, and I don't think I could have taken more than a sip of this - it's that sweet. It was clearly still fermenting, and after 4 months of being open (!), the wine started to develop an even more evolved complexity on the palate. Outstanding. 1947 Chateau Caillou, Barsac, 2nd Growth - A special bottle, as this wine is not distributed at all - only sold from the Chateau directly. This bottle was just released when we tasted it. A gold/orange/brown color, this was the perfect wine with both the seared Foie Gras and Foie Gras Cru (marinated in Grand Marnier). Rich in texture, but beautifully silky. Apricots, botrytis, and peaches. Beautiful long finish. Nice. 1982 Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac, 2nd Growth - For years, the best Bordeaux I'd ever had... Is now the second best 82 (you won't see Latour, Lafite, Haut Brion, Margaux, etc) I've ever had. Beautiful cedar, tobacco, cigar box nose. All-spice, anise, black currant, and sweet cherry fruit on the long, long, long finish. Beautiful Bordeaux. If it weren't for the 1982 Cheval-Blanc, St.-Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classe "A", it would be the best of the 82's I've had. But, they were completely different wines. The Cheval Blanc has more cedary cherry-sweetness than any other Bordeaux I've ever had. It had a velvety texture and a finish that lasted forever. Tasted in a Cheval-Blanc vertical. I'll stay with Bordeaux and throw out the 1989 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac-Leognan (Talence), Graves Classification and 1989 Chateau Haut Brion, Pessac-Leognan (Pessac), 1st Growth - I put them together not because they are similar, but because I tasted them side by side. The La Mission Haut Brion was a beautiful mass of black currant, graphite, tobacco, cedar, and hints of vanilla. Medium-full bodied with decades of life left. Amazing wine. The Haut Brion actually hits #4... the wine will age for another 50 years. Inky purple in color (at 15 years old!) showing no signs of orange, brown or any other aging signs. I called it a 2000 Bordeaux. That much concentration. Figs, black currants, plums. Outstanding Bordeaux. On to Italy and the 1998 Gaja Sori San Lorenzo - the earthy velvety texture on this wine is unbelievable. I've never found the same concentration of the textures with the flavors in any other wines. Angelo Gaja must do something special... I would love to try this wine every 5 years. Rhone? 2003 Domaine de la Mordoree "La Plume de Pientre" Chateauneuf-du-Pape (barrel sample). The biggest, blackest, meanest CDP I've ever seen. At the time, it was around 16.5% abv. Not sure if that's the published number, but the Delormes knew what they were doing with this wine in this abnormal vintage. The wine evolved over the course of a 3 hour lunch into a beautiful, inky-black, garrigue influenced, plum and fig, stony wine with a 60 second finish. Outstanding. Australia? 1998 Penfold's Grange - this wine is so young, it's not even funny. Maybe my kids will get to drink it(!). Full of spicy black tar, raspberries, black cherries, stewed plums - classic shiraz. Better than the 82, 81, 94, etc. Get one. White wine? 1988 Domaine de la Romanee Conti Montrachet - what a wine. Such grace, elegance and power - everything I thought this wine should be. Now, on to the top 3...
3. 1990 Maison Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru, Aloxe-Corton - this is the one that made me so crazy about wine. This honeyed, golden, nutty, wet-stone wine was mammoth. So powerful and beautiful. Not as elegant as a Montrachet, it is the wine I measure every other white wine against. Super-long finish.
2. 1961 Chateau Latour, Pauillac, 1st Growth - It's everything it is cracked up to be. Even at the tender age of 44, this wine showed remarkable youthfullness. While showing a touch of brown on the rim, the nose was a cedar/tobacco/blackcurrant bomb. So seductive! The finish - incredible. 3 hours later it was even better.
1. 1990 Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Musigny Vieilles Vignes, Grand Cru, Chambolle-Musigny - this is the wine I judge all others against. I can still taste it. The texture. The nose. The palate. All of it. It's still there. Its wild strawberry, red cherry, turned-earth, cedar and sweet fruit all rolled into one. Absolute perfection. I hated to drink the last drop. Unfortunately, we drank this again last month and the wine had vanished. It was nothing close to what it was last year. Wow. It's what wine is all about.

What do I drink?

Ahh... probably the single most asked question I get is "What do you drink, when you are out enjoying yourself, instead of just tasting?". Well, the answer isn't as simple as the question. In general, I drink whatever I might be interested in at the moment - or a better way to say - whatever I happen to have on hand that is pretty good. To be honest, I'd rather not drink anything than drink a mediocre bottle/glass of wine/beer. Tonight I happen to be off from work... I've opened two bottles of Pinot Noir... poured one down the drain. There was nothing wrong with it, it was just not a good bottle of wine. It was free, so I can't complain, but still. I am drinking a glass of 2003 Rutz Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. After R told me he drank a 1998 Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape last night, I was tempted to open one of my 2001s, but I'd rather wait. I was also tempted to open a higher-end bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir, but alas, I opted for this instead. Favorite song at the moment? Twisted Logic by Coldplay. Great song. Very symbolic. I don't know which way I'm going, I don't know which way I've come... Anyway, back to beverages at hand... This wine has nice fruit - a bit of strawberries (of the wild type), raspberries, and a touch of Maraschino cherry. Nice wine. Nice finish. I would buy this wine. I started out tonight with a bottle of Anchor Steam... still my favorite. I ordered a bottle of 2002 Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coulee de Serrant, Savenierres, Anjou-Samur, Loire Valley today. One of the great esoteric wines. I'll probably hold onto it for a decade before I drink it. It's so tight right now. Truly a work of art. Dry Chenin Blanc. Maybe when I turn 40...

Bordeaux vs California (plus some more bubbles)

Busy night last night... Several bottles of 2001 Pille Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Morgeots" - this was a very interesting wine as the nose was quite oxidative, but the palate was fresh and minerally showing little of the oxidation that was so prevalent at first! Weird... But very good. Reminded me of Jobard's Meursault "En la Barre", with less nuttiness. Also 1997 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Simply an amazing wine - for all the wrong reasons. In California we had a magnum of 1992 BPRCS that was spectacular. The nose on the 1997 was open at first, then completely fell apart after 90 minutes. By the time we tried it at the end of the evening, the wine had no fruit, no delicacy, nothing. The wine was dead. If 1997 was supposed to be such a spectacular year, why is it that the 1996's, 1995's, 1994's, etc are all drinking very well right now, but the 1997s are dying very quickly. Let's just say I'm glad I don't have a single bottle of 1997 California Cab in my cellar. Compared to the 1998 Chateau Sociando-Mallet, Haut-Medoc, Cru Bourgeois it was simply lackluster. And the Sociando-Mallet wasn't a great bottle either... it was just much better than the BPRCS. Some nice earth with coffee-bean and cassis on the nose furthered by a softness on the palate. Not harsh, nor overly tannic, this wine was very pretty. Nothing to blow me away, but a wine I wouldn't mind drinking. The best red of the night was the 1996 Chateau Lynch Moussas, 5th Growth, Pauillac. It was like smelling a tobacco leaf - with some nice hints of black currant, pencil lead, and just starting to show a nice cedary component. The finish was pretty darn long, and this wine is much better now than the 86 points RP gave it. Great wine. Have a bit more to sell, and at the price we're selling it for, it's a steal. To round out the evening, we had a little toast with some 1997 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut. Now, I'm not a big fan of Cristal. It needs time to come around and it's usually drunk way, way, way too young. It was a nice Champagne, just not a great one. For the money, I'd take the 1990 Krug any day of the week.

Bubbles and Burgundy and Rioja

Sorry it's been a week (!) since I've written... been a little busy... R passed his Court of Master Sommeliers Advanced Exam! He deserves it... he put the time and energy into passing it. Cheers! While he was gone (which was why I was so busy last week...) I got to try a few great things... first and foremost... the 1976 Maison Leroy Pommard-Arevetis (I'll have to check spelling later) was simply stunning. Still a beautiful ruby red center going towards a slightly orange/brown rim (but much less than I was expecting)... the nose was beautiful cedar, spice box, strawberry, raspberry, leather, and turned light dry earth - it was incredible. On the palate, the wine was silky-smooth and had a long finish. The amazing thing about this wine was that at 29 years old, it needed an hour (!) to open up and show it's true self. Right next to the Leroy was a 1980 Opus One. I was a little hesitant to bring this bottle out, but I thought what the heck. The wine was still in good condition (not overly oxidized, nor corked), but it wasn't really very good. It showed tremendous green stemmy notes right off the bat, and those only faded as all of the fruit left the wine completely. The color was still good, but not terribly bright. Oh well. Let me say something here... how is it that Opus One, made mostly from the long-lived Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend, can be dead when the generally shorter aging Pinot Noir can be 10 times the wine... Three words - Lalou Bize-Leroy. She is the great brains behind Domaine Leroy - in my mind, the single greatest wine producer in the world. She makes Pinot Noir give all that it has - and she does what she does better than anyone else. Amazing. If you've never had the thrill of enjoying a bottle or two of her outrageously expensive, but certainly not overpriced, wines - do yourself a favor and get a bottle somehow. Doesn't matter which one, I assure you, they are all spectacular.

From Burgundy to bubbles... and the Champagnes of Piper-Heidseick and Charles-Heidseick. Tried 10 wines with the best being Charles Heidseick Brut Reserve, 1996 Charles Heidseick Brut Rose, 1985 Charles Heidseick "Cuvee Charlie", and Piper Heidseick Brut 1998. Charles is more rustic, but has more body than the Piper-Heidseick wines. Piper wines are generally much cleaner - more classic champagne.

One more... 200o Muga Reserva Seleccion Especial Rioja - a great leathery wine... as R said "it tastes like I just licked a horse saddle"... but in a good way(!). Great rustic, classic Rioja nose. A good wine... had better, but worth the money.

Is Red Wine really better than White Wine? Part I

Lately I hear lots of "I only drink Red Wine", or "I won't touch the stuff (when referring to White Wine"... Why is there such a negative connotation about White Wine? Furthermore, what can we do to stop it? I often get the impression that people say they don't drink white wine to try to a) impress the sommelier b)impress their friends c)indicate that they know a lot about wine and that white wine isn't what "real" wine drinkers drink. I've got news for you... I drink a good bit of white wine. Generally, unless I know I'm going to be drinking a great bottle of red wine, I'd rather have a white. Now, not just any white mind you. You can have all of the California Oak Bombs for someone else. Give me a bottle of Riesling (German, New Zealand, Austria, Alsace, etc) any day of the week over most Cali Chard (notice I say most - there are still a few outstanding Chardonnay producers in California - Rochioli, David Ramey (his Hyde is amazing), Paul Hobbs, Walter Hansel, Flowers, and quite a few others. They all have a common thread though - they don't overoak their wine. Wines that I love are wines that express the flavor of the grape they come from, and the ground they grow in (yup, terroir). Riesling is probably my favorite white grape. It expresses its sense of place better than any other grape I know... achieving Pinot Noir like earthiness (in a different sort of way), with intense acidity. Amazing stuff. If only the Germans could get their wine laws straight... Chardonnay can be great... just look at the great White Burgundies - Drouhin's Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet is always mindblowing; the purity of Leroy's wines is unmatched be it a Premier Cru Puligny or another of her other incredible wines. Sure, red wines are what usually get us "hooked" on wine, but don't be afraid to try a great Albarino or Gruner Veltliner next time instead.

On to recent wines... 1996 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon - nice, not great. Showing some sweet cherry on the finish, but it wasn't much of a finish. A touch of cedar on the nose was nice. Just an ok wine. The 1994 Chateau d'Yquem was spectacular, and it was not a premier vintage for d'Yquem (though, that just drops their off-vintage wines from mindblowing to spectacular). Gorgeous honey, apricot, flowers. Great wine. The 2003 Chapoutier "La Bernadine" Chateauneuf-du-Pape is showing more alcohol right now than it was a few weeks ago. The fruit is still there, it's just got lots of alcohol.

Tis the Seaon

It continues to be that time of year again... lots of wine shows, lots of wine tastings. With all of these shows comes some great finds and some great dissapointments. Favorites of the tasting tonight? 2002 Anderson's Conn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (ripe blackcurrant, blueberries, and plums with the right amount of tannin and great balance. Outstanding classic Cali Cab); 2001 Blanck Gewurztraminer Furstentum VT (great elegance, lychee, rose petals, honeydew melon, and a good bit of sweetness); 2000 Guigal Cote-Rotie Chateau d'Ampuis (black earth, great balance, chocolate, violets, cinnamon, and clove. Excellent, classic Cote-Rotie); 2002 Amiot Morey-St.-Denis 1er Cru "Ruchots" (wild strawberry, rich, turned earth, some nice black plum, very elegant with a touch of power); 2002 Trapet Gevry-Chambertin V.V. Ostera (again, wild berries with nice earth, dried leaves, good bit of ripe tannins and nice finish); 2001 Trapet Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru (elegance - screams it; with boldness and power a secondary trait. Nice fruit, needs 5 years at least. These 2001s are so underrated it's not even funny... they are so classicly Burgundian - completely terrior driven); 2003 Littorai Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard (killer... big, bold, candy-apple, strawberry, and figs with great tannins. Drink it now or 5 years from now... great wine). 2003 Numanthia and 2003 Numanthia Termanthia (both very approachable now, but have so much to them. Black, black fruits, and deep, ripe tannins. Beautiful wines, but they are sneaky-powerful and will give you whiplash if you aren't carefull!); and lastly, 2001 Torre Muga Rioja (classic, powerful, rich Tempranillo. This is what Rioja should be... great wines). Duds of the night? Most of the 2003 Burgundies (mostly white) were over-sulphured and the nose is reductive. Not pleasant. This is what happens when your acids are too low, or you're scared your acids are too low. It's a shame. The 2003 Verget Corton-Charlemagne VV Caniculus was the best of the bunch, and usually my favorite White Burgundy... but it was simply "OK"... nothing more. The 2004s are too young right now, but the Macon's show great promise - very pure, very clean, great minerality. I certainly tasted much more than this tonight, but much of it was new vintage tasting that I did quickly just to get an idea of the wines. Cheers!

Conversations with a beer...

I love all parts of wine - the grapes, the soils, the microclimates, the smells, the tastes - all of it. The problem I have with wine is that 99% of the time, when I am tasting or drinking wine, I'm thinking about it - analyzing it - trying to figure out what in a particular wine makes it unique - makes it worthwhile to continue to analyze it. That's what I do with wines. I do it with spirits as well. Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados, the array of anise/caraway seed/grape/fruit spirits - this one is smooth, this one is not, it's fruity, sweet, grainy, harsh, etc. They all make my brain go crazy! I love it! But sometimes, my brain gets tired - I just want to sit back and relax and actually drink something (instead of spitting, which I do with 99.9% of all things I taste). For that I go to beer. Sure, beer has tremendous complexities (grain types, how roasted the barley is, the merits of top or bottom fermentations, etc), and allows for the same types of analyzations that we give to wine. Generally though, I love just sitting back on a Sunday afternoon, watch some golf/football/baseball (yesterday it was flipping back and forth between all three), and have a beer. My beer of choice is usually Anchor Steam. Why Anchor Steam? Other than the fact that it's brewed in one of the great cities of the world (San Francisco) and brings back great memories, it's darn good stuff. It's not an ale, it's not a lager (though Anchor Steam Brewing Company brews both as well) - it's a steam beer. Completely different fermentation. Completely different flavors. Just the right amount of hops, the right balance, it's halfway between an ale and a lager in body, color, and richness, but it has it's own unique flavors. Not bitter, not sweet, not fruity, but not overly spicy either. It's simply my beer of choice, generally wherever I am. Second choice? This time of year, it's got to be an Oktoberfest brew... I like Sam Adams Octoberfest, but I love Paulaner Oktoberfest (and love Paulaner Hefe-weizen even more ). All great beers. Other favoites? Anchor Porter (great, rich, chocolate porter), anything by Samuel Smith, anything by Chimay, and in deference to R, Sierra Nevada (though I think I've convinced him I don't like their ales...). And something I'll find again... Alaskan Amber is killer beer. Well, that's all I have to say about beer right now... I love it. It's easy. As much as I love wine, sometimes you just have to have a beer.
Best of luck to R this week on many levels... you're going to ace it. You know it. Just DO IT. DO IT. And if you do read this, what is the primary grape in Tursan VDQS?

The Hills are Alive...

with the wines of Shafer.... Ok, I've tasted it twice now on successive nights. I've tasted it right out of the bottle and also after being decanted for 4 hours. I found "it". I guess I should explain what "it" is... "it" is a quality that I always looks for in a wine - perfect balance, incredible mid-palate (where many, many wines fall flat), not overly-extracted - but not weak either, a super-long finish. The fruit is balanced with the oak, the oak with the tannin, etc. I am looking for that something that just lights up your mouth - immediately makes me smile. "It" means perfect texture - a mouth-filling satiny wash of fruit. They don't have to be red, though most of them are. In my mind - a perfect wine... I've only ever run into a few wines that have "it"... 1961 Latour, 1982 Pichon-Lalande, 1982 Cheval Blanc, 1998 Gaja Sori San Lorenzo, 1994 Shafer Hillside Select, 1998 Penfold's Grange, 1982 Latour, 1997 Bryant Family, 1985 DRC Romanee-Conti, 1990 JF Mugnier Le Musigny Vieilles Vignes, 1990 Krug, etc. In all, the list is less than 30. I just added another the last 2 nights. The 2001 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon has "it". It is a monster in a bottle - a gentle monster, though. The nose smells of violets, graphite, blackcurrant, slight vanilla, mocha, anise, plums, figs, and a touch of sweet red cherry. The palate is mind-blowing. Amazingly silky texture - the finest mid-palate I've ever tasted on a California Cab. Beautiful, ripe, rich tannins. The pure blackcurrant (classic Cabernet) finish is long..... wow is it long. On Saturday, I stopped the clock over 75 seconds into it. Amazing bottle of wine. If you're looking to get me something for my birthday, this is it. Also tasted last night were the 1985 Chateau l'Angelus (a rather ho-hum effort. This wine is mostly dead, but with some sweet blackcurrant and cherry fruit on the medium-length finish), and the bizarre (overly earthy, but a nice long finish and some dirty black plum) 1997 T.FX.T Aranchol, Mittelburgenland, Austria (believed to be a blend of Blaufrankish with maybe a touch of Zweigelt?). And in case you are interested, yes, I'm still sipping on my 2000 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Hors Choix SGN, and yes, it's getting even better. Have 1/4 bottle left. Cheers.

Who Drinks Merlot Anymore?

Merlot... "I'm not drinking any f*!*^% Merlot"so says Miles (or something close to that). Now, that statement would imply that all merlot is tasteless, bland, insipid plonk. Here's some news for you... Miles is right - mostly. I tried a Merlot yesterday afternoon that was green, chocolatey, acidic, dirty, and very fitting - a slight bit corked. It was an Italian from Friuli-Venezia-Guilia. Really nasty stuff. No one likes green peppers or stemminess in their wine! how is it that so much Merlot is garbage that people won't pay $5 for, yet two of the most sought-after (hence, expensive) wines in the world are Merlot! Petrus and Le Pin are MERLOT. Cheval Blanc has a good bit. Pride, Pahlmeyer, and Duckhorn turn out excellent Merlots year in and year out. I hear all the time "I don't want Merlot". Well I, for the most part, don't either. But give me a '78 Petrus or '88 Le Pin and I'm in heaven. Why? Because they're seductive. Because they're sexy wines. Because they simply can be amazing. So why do we put up with crappy Merlot? I, for one, am not. I have exactly 10 bottles of Merlot in my cellar - all of it what I consider "very good" Merlot. It's expensive, sure, but I'd rather spend $50 on a great bottle of Merlot than $35 on a mediocre one. So, go out and find yourself a great Merlot. The grape isn't going away despite all of the negative publicity. So, tell the winemakers how you like your Merlot! Vote with your wallet!

Back to Alsace and crazy nights

I have a bit of the 2000 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Selection des Grains Nobles "Hors Choix" left and I dare say, it's even better than it was on Monday! I think it's just beginning to open up and would probably last a few weeks if I let it... but I won't. It just too darn tasty! Last night it was a bowl of candied apricots covered in honey. Amazing stuff. 60 second finish. Sweet, but not fake-sweet. It had all of the guts to back up the sweetness. Great SGN. That was nice to come home to last night... at work I had a 1970 Graham's Vintage Port (decanted 3 hours). Whoa. I'm not a big port drinker, but wow. The nose was deep, dark plums, figs, burning alcohol, and caramel and chocolate (perhaps a touch of brett on this as well). The palate was rich - honey, caramel, chocolate, black mission figs. Really great port. But alas, I preferred the 1995 Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases. Though clearly not even close to being ready to drink, after 4 hours of decanting, it started coming around. Cedar, plums, and big-time anise really came through. A touch of bing cherry on the finish (long as it was) really let me know this wine is something special.

Wines from Sonoma Trip 2005

Sonoma Trip (184 Wines)
September 16th – 23rd, 2005

Friday, September 23rd (9)
Lunch
2 unknown wines (one believed to be Puligny-Montrachet)
In the car
2001 David Fulton Petite Sirah
In the room
2003 Kosta Browne Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (15.25% abv!)
1999 Pride Merlot
At dinner @ Portofino
1998 Whitewood (?) Pinot Noir (it was so bad, who really cares what the name is)
1982 Sassacaia
1994 Dunn Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum)
2002 Flowers « Andreen-Gale » Pinot Noir

Saturday, September 24, 2005 (37)
Kenwood
2004 Sauvignon Blanc
2004 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
2004 Yalupa Chardonnay
2004 Sonoma Chardonnay
2002 Sonoma Merlot
In the car
1999 Pride Merlot (finished off from the night before)
Walter Hansel (w/ Steven Hansel)
2003 North Slope Chardonnay
2002 Cahill Lane Chardonnay
2002 South Slope Pinot Noir
2002 Cuvee Alyce Pinot Noir
2003 North Slope Pinot Noir
2004 North Slope Pinot Noir (barrel)
2004 Cuvee Alyce Pinot Noir (barrel)
Lunch
Drank half-full bottles of Walter Hansel
Verite
2001 Archipel
2001 La Muse
2001 La Joise
2001 La Desir
1998 Verite (La Muse)
1998 La Joise
Hartford Court
2003 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
2003 Stone Cote Vineyard Chardonnay
2002 Seascape Vineyard Chardonnay
2003 Three Jacks Chardonnay
2004 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
2002 Seascape Vineyard Pinot Noir
2002 Velvet Sisters Pinot Noir
2003 Russian River Valley Zinfandel
2003 Fanucci Wood Road Zinfandel
2003 Highwire Zinfandel
Martinelli
2003 Terra Felia Syrah
In the car
2003 Sotor Beacon Hill Yamhill-Carlton District Pinot Noir
Before dinner
1999 Rochioli River Block Chardonnay (corked)
2002 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet
1986 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum)
Dinner @ Maxx
1987 Dominus (magnum)
1990 Pahlmeyer Caldwell Vineyard Red Table Wine (magnum)
1994 Ridge Monte Bello
2002 A. Raffanelli Cabernet Sauvignon

Sunday, September 18th, 2005 (43)
Lambert Bridge (w/ Greg Wilcox)
2004 Sauvignon Blanc
2003 Chardonnay
2004 Viognier
2003 Old Vine Zinfandel (cuvee)
2002 Merlot
2002 Cabernet Franc
2002 Cabernet Sauvingon
2002 Crane Creek Cuvee
2003 30th Anniversary Cuvee
2003 Syrah
2002 Petite Sirah
Mauritson Family Vineyards
2003 Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley
2004 Alexander Valley Chardonnay
2001 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
2002 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
2002 Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
Ridge Lytton Springs
2003 Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains
2001 Syrah/Grenache Lytton Estate
1996 York Creek Zinfandel
2003 York Creek Zinfandel
2003 Geyserville Zinfandel
2003 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel
In the car
2001 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon (375ml)
Rochioli
2004 Chardonnay
2004 Gamay
Gary Farrell
2004 Redwood Ranch Sauvignon Blanc
2003 Westside Farms Chardonnay
2003 Starr Ridge Pinot Noir
2003 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
Dutton Ranch
2004 Cohen Sauvignon Blanc
2002 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay (corked)
2001 Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir
2002 Syrah
2003 Merlot (corked)
In the car
2002 D’Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz (375ml)
In the room
1991 Opus One (magnum)
Dinner @ Cyrus
1990 J.F. Mugnier Musigny Vielles Vignes
1984 Dunn Howell Mountain (magnum)
1996 Pahlmeyer Merlot (magnum)
2002 Colin-Delinger Chassagne-Montrachet
1990 Krug
2002 Domaine de Savignor Quarts du Chaume
In the room
1995 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum)

Monday, September 19th, 2005 (33)
Rosenblum
2003 Fess Parker Marsanne
2002 Lone Oak Merlot
2002 Hillside Syrah
2003 Planchon Zinfandel
2003 Carla’s Vineyard Zinfandel
2003 Harris Kratka Zinfandel
2003 St. Peter’s Church Zinfandel
2003 Zinfandel Port Costanno Vineyard
Iron Horse (w/ Joy Sterling)
1997 Blanc de Blancs
2000 Classic Brut
2002 Wedding Cuvee
1996 Brut Late Disgorged
Lunch (at Iron Horse)
2002 Corral Vineyard Chardonnay
2002 Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir
2002 Benchmark (Bordeaux blend)
Paul Hobbs (w/ Matt Hobbs)
2004 Russian River Valley Chardonnay (barrel)
2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (barrel)
2003 Chardonnay Richard Dinner Vineyard
2003 Chardonnay Richard Dinner Vineyard Cuvee Augustine
2003 Hyde Pinot Noir
2002 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 El Felino Malbec (Argentina)
2003 Bramare Malbec (Argentina)
2003 Cobos Malbec (Argentina)
2004 Bramare Chardonnay (Argentina)

In the room
2002 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet Les Ensignieres
2000 Vincent Girardin Meursault Les Narvaux (oxidized)
2002 Carlisle Two Acres

Dinner @ Onne Curre (?)
1998 Ornellaia
1990 Ornellaia
1997 Arrowood Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Casanova di Neri Pieriadonice Sant Antimo Rosso
1991 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum)

Tuesday, September 20th, 2005(Napa Day) (35)
Keenan (w/ Michael Keenan)
2003 Napa Valley Chardonnay, Spring Mountain District
2004 Napa Valley Chardonnay, Spring Mountain District
2001 Napa Valley Merlot
2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Napa Valley Mernet Reserve
2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
2002 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc

Pride Mountain (w/ Bob Foley, Roumel, and Tim) – all barrel samples unless noted
2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2003 Reserve Claret
2004 LMT Merlot
2004 MME-B Merlot
2004 Syrah
2004 Petite Sirah (Robert Foley)
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (upper)
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (Caroline’s Vineyard)
2004 Corte Riva Cabernet Sauvignon (Roumel)
2004 Corte Riva Petite Sirah (Roumel)
2004 Petite Verdot
2004 Cabernet Franc (unblended)
2003 Corte Riva Merlot (375ml bottle)

Joseph Phelps
2003 Napa Chardonnay
2003 Le Mistral
2000 Monterey Syrah
2001 Insignia
2002 Insignia

Lewis Cellars (w/ Debbie Lewis)
2004 Sonoma Chardonnay
2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
In the car
2002 Numanthia
2003 Plumpjack Syrah
In the room
1996 Kistler Vineyard Pinot Noir
Dinner @ Dry Creek Kitchen
1992 Dunn Howell Mountain (magnum)
1995 Pride Reserve Claret
1999 Pride Reserve Claret
2000 Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah
1985 Phelps Backus

Wednesday, September 21st, 2005 (20)
Ferrari-Carano
2003 Alexander Valley Chardonnay
2003 Reserve Chardonnay Napa/Sonoma
2002 Siena
2002 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Tresor
Lunch @ Bistro Ralph
2002 Ramey Russian River Valley Chardonnay
2003 Rochioli RRV Pinot Noir
Seghesio
2004 Pinot Grigio RRV
2003 Keyhole Ranch Pinot Noir RRV
2003 Barbera Sonoma County (bocce)
2002 Sangiovese Alexander Valley
2003 Cortina Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley
2003 Old Vine Zindandel Sonoma County
2003 Aglianico Alexander Valley
2004 Arneis RRV (bocce)
2003 Sonoma Zinfandel (bocce)
In the room
2003 « Château Bocce »
Dinner @ Barndiva
1992 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum)
1997 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum)
1995 Caymus Special Selection
1995 Pahlmeyer Red Table Wine

Thursday, September 22nd, 2005 (7)
Lunch @ Boulevard
2003 Colin-Delenger Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes
2002 V. Girardin Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Epenots
Dinner @ Kuletos
2001 Dehlinger Old Vines Pinot Noir
1995 Kistler Pinot Noir Cuvee Catherine
2002 DuMol Syrah Eddies Patch
2001 Torbreck Run Rig
2001 Mas Doix Priorat
fin

The Purity of Alsace

Alsace is one of the great wine regions of the world, and arguably the 2nd best White Wine region in the world (sorry, my heart will always be in the Cote-de-Beaune in Burgundy). I just got back from a superb tasting with Jean Trimbach tasting through his 2000 premier cuvees, comparing them to the monumental vintages from the past. Wow. Terrior is indeed alive and well in Grand Cru vinyards in Alsace. Trimbach is one of the better known producers from Alsace, perhaps best know from grocery store shelves. I assure you that Mr. Trimbach's family is making some of the best traditional examples of Alsacian wines of any family in Alsace today.
The 2000 and 1989 Rieslings "Cuvee Frederic Emile" were an incredible way to start. Stony, slatey, and near-Mosel style petrol characteristics separate this wine from other Alsace rieslings. They have body, depth, and purity but were still somehow light?!? Amazing stuff... The 2000 and 1990 Riesling "Clos Ste.-Hune" were other-worldly. These are wines that are legends and soon-to-be legends. The 1990 still has DECADES to go!!! Deeper and even more expressive of their terroirs, I would love to have either of these wines in my cellar. I'll go into some of the others later... but let's just say that the 1976 Gewurztraminer "Cuvee des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre" 350th Anniversary bottling was unreal...

Friday Night Blues...

It was an ok night last night... life happens, you sometimes just have to go along with it. 2002 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon - whoa... what a bottle! Deep purple with NO rim variation at all (maybe a little light purple on the rim), but incredible black fruit, some sweet vanilla, toasted coffee beans, and nice cinnamon. Great wine. 1999 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon... our last bottle. This bottle was showing so Bordeaux-like last night. Had quite a eucalyptus nose to it with some cedar starting to come in. Beautiful wine, it's my favorite. 1995 Chateau Talbot (half-bottle)... showing very, very well right now. Pretty cigar-box and cedar just coming through with some nice sweet-cherry and black plums. More to come tomorrow.

Best of the week

I guess you could say I tried a few good wines this week... Highlite? The 2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia (tasted 4 times in the last 8 days). This wine has "it" - that special something that makes your eyes open up, the sides of your mouth rise. Beautiful chocolate/cocoa/roasted coffee nose with loads of black fruits. Outstanding. Not to be missed. Other highlites? 2001 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (closed, but gorgeous mouthfeel), 2002 Joseph Phelps Insignia (which may end up being better than the 01 - it seems to have more guts, but the 2001 is so good, who cares? Tasted twice in 8 days - showed better the first time), 2001 Chateau Pichon-Baron Longeuville, and the 2001 Chateau Plince. Last and certainly not least... the 2002 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand. Best pinot I've tasted from NZ yet... Earthy, ripe, rich and dark as merlot.

Back from California...

Well, I'm back. What a trip! I'll post the wines on here as soon as I get the list completed, and I'll post tasting notes on selected wines as I can get to it.

Last night was a bummer... big party, not great wine. The only upside was that while I was away we started pouring Krug Grand Cuvee NV and Jacquesson Cuvee 728 Brut by the glass so I of course had to try them... Krug is Krug - the best in the world. The Jacquesson was outstanding as well. Nice balance, lemony finish. Good stuff. Proud to be pouring them.

A highlite though was getting to taste the 2001 Chateau Rieussec (Saturnes, WS Wine of the Year 2004 - 100Pts.) Woah. What a wine. Huge, powerful and classic Sauternes. Beautiful nose of orange blossom, apricot, botrytis, and citrus. Hugely concentrated wine with a minute + long finish. This baby is tightly-wound and needs years (in half bottle) or decades (in 750's) to mature. Why is it that only Chateau d'Yquem gets recognition in Sauternes? A question to be answered later.

Going where those Chile winds don't blow...

2001 Domaine de la Solitude Chateauneuf-du-Pape... great for the $$!!! Classic French! Decent night last night... Peter Michael "La Cairiare" Chardonnay 2003 & Patz and Hall Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir 2000 - mighty nice stuff. Nothing of interest that I tasted... just a few slightly off bottles of Meursault.

Today, on my "day off"... and I say that with a smile, as despite the fact that I am not being paid for my time today, I spent most of the afternoon of a day off, where else? At work. Well worth it though. Tasted the 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1996 Almaviva (Concha y Toro X Chateau Mouton-Rothschild). Fabulous wines from Puente Alto in the Maipu Valley Subregion of the Central Valley. Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with bits of Carmenere (or was it Merlot? re: famous debate about whether the Carmenere is really Carmenere and Merlot is really Merlot) and Cabernet Franc. Bordeaux style. Beautiful purple wine with more and more orange and ruby as we tasted through the older wines. What's this? No signature green pepper? Ahhh... there it is in the beautifully mature 1996 - but not in any of the others. Killer stuff - silky smooth, earthy (god, the 2000 stinks - in a good way). Very pricy, but honestly, the best wines I've had from South America to date.

Off to California from Friday the 16th to Friday the 23rd. Will have lots to post then. Cheers.

New Zealand pinot's & Dinner with Kim Crawford

J, R and I headed down to Miami yesterday for an afternoon of New Zealand Pinot Noir with Kim Crawford. Now, I am a big fan of New Zealand Pinot - they have earthiness like Burgundy and candy-apple fruit like the Russian River Valley Pinots, but they never (ok, maybe not never) try to be something they're not. Kim set up a tasting of 5 regions of New Zealand Pinot's so we could taste the differences in the wines that NZ is producing - Marlborough (most consistent), Martinborough (nice), Central Otago (getting all the press for it's deep-colored, highly extracted earthiness), Waipara (Chambolle-Musigny like elegance), and Hawke's Bay (only 2 producers in the entire region...) And on to the tasting... Bubblegum? No... can't be... Yup. There it is again. Whole cluster fermentation. Oooooooooooh. Why not just suck it up and stop pretending and plant Gamay instead of the highly-expensive Pinot Noir? The Pinot's were ok, but as Kim described them as wines that the New Zealand wine producers would like to get people to just pop a bottle and drink, they fit that bill perfectly. Underwhelmed.

After a short break, an interesting tasting... 5 clones of Pinot Noir planted from the same vineyard, vinified the same (generally) way. UC Davis Pommard Clone 5 (the classic NZ Pinot Clone), Dijon Clone 114 (fermented with wild yeasts), Dijon Clone 115, Dijon Clone 667, and Dijon Clone 777 (the last 4 are from Morey-St.-Denis). I won't bore you (or myself) going through the differences, but there ARE differences! Very cool.

Kim made the comment that he thinks New Zealand Pinot Noir is 10 yrs behind Sauvignon Blanc... and I agree with him. The wines were ok, but not stunning.

Saturday, September 10th, 2005

Ahhh... What a night. Just when all hell was about to break loose, I hear the great words... "Andrew, we need the best '61 Latour you can find." R was thrilled... I was overjoyed! Of all the great wines I've had, I'd never had the opportunity to try the great 1961 Chateau Latour. And I found one with a fill half-way up the neck, with a pristine label. The cork was loose and spinning a little bit as R opened it up (he sold it, he gets to open it). He poured a touch in a glass after he decanted it. A beautiful garnet red towards ruby red then just hints of orange and brown on the rim. Amazing concentration for a wine that's 44 years old! The nose was gorgeous, if not a bit closed. Lovely cedar and cigar box spices, with hints of black plum and black currant still abound in this wine. Classic pencil lead and a touch of warm black turned earth finished out the backside of the prodigious wine. And that was just on the nose! On the palate, sweet black fruits gave way to that dark earthiness, cedar,truffles and hints of mint. What struck R and I both about this wine was the incredible concentration and amazing amounts of tannin still left in it after all of these years! Has many, many years to go. This was R's 4th time tasting this perfect wine, and in his words "by far the best I've ever tasted." This one goes right into my Top-5 wines I've ever had.

After that, the 2001 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvingon was quite a disappointment. With it's deep purple color, sweet coconut and blackcurrant-filled nose, it is classic Silver Oak... But it's not 1961 Latour....

On the other hand, the 2001 Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc was spectacular. A lovely stony-melon quality with layers of rich honey (almost Viognier-like - even though this wine contains no viognier!). Bourbelenc, Clairette, Grenache blanc, and Roussanne. This wine was wound so tight... Even after 3 hours it was still closed. I'd love to try it again in a few years.

After work, R & I split a bottle of NV Roederer Estate Rose... A nice bottle of wine. A touch sweet, but a nice wine. "It is NOT Brut."