Went back to Charlotte, NC for the first time in 2 1/2 years... had loads of fun and it was great to catch up with good friends... of course, there was wine involved. Lots of it....
1992 Chalone Pinot Blanc... what can you say about this wine??? It just ages so well (!)... I was fortunate enough to taste a 1982 Chalone Pinot Blanc (could have been 83, I'll have to check my notes) a few years ago and the wine was still alive. This wine was still a baby. Showing a slight oxidative character (typical for this wine), the wine was honeysuckle, hazelnuts and minerals. Beautifully rich and creamy. The 2005 Kongsgaard Chardonnay (just released) was beautiful. Not overly oaked, but a beautiful balance of ripe fruit and great acidity. A true "breakfast wine". The 2003 Aubert "Ritchie Vineyard" Chardonnay had bunches more oak, and was creamy and rich (we actually drank this at the end of the evening and it was perfect after all of the red wines - see below). I didn't like it as much as the Kongsgaard, but it's still tasty!
I won't go into details, but rather just list the wines... the theme was Robert Foley Wines (Hourglass, Switchback Ridge, Poison, Pride Mountain, Robert Foley Vineyards)...
1998 Pride Cabernet Franc, 1998 Pride Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002 Switchback Ridge Merlot, 2003 Pride Merlot (x3), 2002 Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah, 2004 Robert Foley Claret, 2003 Poison, 2001 Pride Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 Pride Cabernet Franc (x3), 2003 Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah, 2005 Robert Foley Claret, 2003 Robert Foley Claret, 2004 Pride Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002 Pride Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003 Switchback Ridge Merlot, 2000 Pride Reserve Claret, 2002 Pride Cabernet Franc, 2001 Pride Reserve Claret, 2004 Robert Foley Petite Sirah
Some were repeated and I just didn't write them down, but that's a whole lot of Robert Foley. Blind. Speed wise... was 27 Robert Foley Wines total.
Also while I was there had Duval Leroy Brut - really, really great, dry true-brut Champagne. The 2005 Reichsgraf von Kesselstadt Piesporter Goldtropchen Riesling Kabinett was beautiful... already showing petrol notes, this wine was ripe and floral with tons of minerals. The 2004 Joseph Drouhin Cote de Beaune Rouge(declassified Clos de Mouches 1er Cru) was fabulous. Took a while to open, but the fruit is there. The structure is there. A great bargain! The 2004 Verrazzano Chianti Classico was stinky, but once the funk blew off - terrific, classic wine from this superb vintage. The 2003 Chateau d'Arche Sauternes was so good... a bit riper than normal (that's 2003!) and lower acid, but a great finish!
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