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!