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.