Is it September or February?

Busy, busy night... First, I'll comment on the bottles of 1994 Shafer Hillside Select. I am stunned at both the consistency and the sheer power that this wine posesses at 12 years of age. I had previously tasted the 1991, the 1997, the 2000 and the 1994 in a vertical with Doug Shafer and it was my favorite then... the 1991 had died, the 1997 had died (yup... one of the great tragedies was the over-hyped 1997 vintage.) but the 1994...

Last night... the 1999 Fontodi Syrah was good, but a bit oxidized with ripe raisins and prunes. None of the black earth that I associated with past vintages of this wine. We'll see if another bottle reveals the same thing. The 2001 (magnum) and 2002 (750ml) Sonoma-Cutrer "Les Pierres" were both outstanding. Those of you that know me know my general disdain for California Chards, but this is not like "the other ones"... it's clean, minerally - in the model of a premier-cru Puligny-Montrachet. For R & A, the 2002 was better - I personally thought though the 2001 showed more oak on the nose, on the palate there was less prevalant alcohol and more length and depth of flavors than the 2002. The 1997 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum) was dead... not completely shot, but just not anything special. Two different bottles of 2003 Pride Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon were pretty... very sweet style with perhaps a bit less concentration that this wine can achieve in its best vintages. Still wonderful.

Tequila!

Wow... that is some good stuff... Cabo Wabo is it... even the Silver is awesome... The Reposado rocks, and the Anejo is other-worldly.

Wine? Sure.... This week saw 3 bottles of 1994 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon go out. Each bottle was different, but all of them had one thing in common - they were all extremely youthful and they were all incredible bottles of wine. Cedar, anise, graphite, black plum, crushed rocks - about as complex as any wine I've ever had. One of the 2 or 3 best wines I've ever had from California.

More

Another 1994 Shafer Hillside Select... and 1985 Charles Heidseick "Champagne Charlie"...

Too long

Too busy... 1994 Shafer Hillside Select CS (2x), 1998 Caymus SS, 1990 Gruaud Larose

A Night At Home

with friends... the 1990 Alfred Gratien Brut is awesome... a completely oxidized style (even moreso than Krug) with tons of teeny bubbles. Beautiful in the mouth... a great Champagne. The 2001 Hacienda Monasterio Crianza, Ribera del Duero had loads of smoke, dirt, leather, and mocha. A pretty wine in a somewhat flamboyant style for Spain... the 2002 Lewis Cellars Alec's Blend was all that I hoped for. Decanted for 2 hours, this wine really opened with with classic Lewis extraction and silky texture. Black plums, sweet fruit and hints of cedar. Showing beautifully... I don't think it will get much better than that...

Saturday Night

Got a suprise the other day in my order, and we sold one on Saturday Night... I'v long considered the 1994 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon one of the best Cabs I've ever had from California. I hadn't tasted it in roughly 2 years - and I am pleased to say it is still improving. A beautiful cedary nose with black plums, black currant, and anise. The wine is showing just hints of browning on the rim, but nothing significant. On the palate, the cedar gives way to the powerful black fruit and graphite that I associate with Stags Leap District wines. A gorgeous wine with tons of power and lots of life left, though I think this wine is perfect right now, I wouldn't hold them! The 1999 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Rose has all of the hallmarks of a great rose - when it finally matures in 10-15 years. This is a baby and is not giving up much except some sweet strawberries on the nose. The non-rose 1999 Cristal is showing much, much better. The 2003 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon has started to lighten and show some elegance along with all of that class. A beauty (still)...

Singular

2001 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvingnon Reserve, Napa Valley - a deeply concentrated, slightly-cedary Cab with decent balance - the alcohol, though only 14.2% came off much hotter than that really was. Other than that, I could drink it...

One More

Forgot this from Saturday night... the 1999 Louis Roederer Cristal is one of the most mind-boggling young Champagnes I've ever had. I am not usually a lover of young Cristal, but this was sharp - very full with some real richness and an incredible mid-palate that went on into a long and smooth finish. Lots of pear and toast, with just a little bit of yeastiness coming out - if you have a few bottles, hold them for at least 5 years, but I think this wine will still be getting better in 20....

Just One

and it's a beer... but a great beer... Orval Trappist Ale rocks... not as heavy as Chimay's Reserve or Special Reserve, but almost more mouth-filling. Tons of fruit (citrus) and flowers... expensive, but wonderful.

One Fine Day (or Night)

hmmmm.... wine... The 1995 Chateau Talbot was not the best bottle... not sure what happened with it other than perhaps it was still a bit shaken from delivery (got them in a week ago). Showing massive earth, cedar and leather with little of the black plum that I love about this wine. Not a great wine by any means. The 2003 Flor de Pingus, Ribera del Duero is still a blockbuster... tasted this a few weeks ago with similar notes (although this bottle showed a bit more mocha than the last... I think this was even better). The 1995 Monsanto "Il Poggio" Chianti Classico Riserva is a baby... loads of underbrush (twigs, dried leaves) with a healty amount of oak and dried cranberries. A long finish... one of the greatest CCRs out there... try the 1968 - it's spectacular. The 1999 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Echezeaux is beautiful... after a few hours it really opened up revealing clove, turned earth, ripe wild strawberries, raspberries and rhubarb. A long, long elegant finish to this fabulous wine... it's only getting better!!! Last, but certainly not least... a wine I vastly underrated and criticized the other time I tasted it... Clearly the greatest young Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine I've ever tasted... even more opulent and robust than the 2001... the 2002 Harlan Estate has blossomed into an amazing, mouth-filling, super-concentrated, weighty monster. Maybe just a little less balanced than the 2001, but I attribute that to it's more-concentrated, powerful style that hasn't completely come together yet (which is scary). This wine is everything anyone could ever want out a young Cabernet. Of all of the "perfect" California wines, this takes the cake by far... better than 1997 Bryant, 1994 Colgin Herb Lamb, 2001 Harlan, 2001 Shafer Hillside Select, 2002 Vineyard 29, 2001 Pride Reserve Claret, 2001 & 2002 Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer-To-kalon - this is the stuff. I am completely amazed at the transformation this wine has had in the last few weeks... I wish I had a bottle - because I'd wait one more year - then I would drink it. Don't wait... This is California at it's finest... by the way, I've officially pushed the 1982 Chateau Latour to the top of my list... with the 2002 Harlan in second, followed by the 2001 Harlan, than the 1961 Chateau Latour (notice a trend?)... these are the two best Cabernet producing estates in the world, without question.

First Day Back

from being closed for a few days... The 2003 Louis Jadot Clos des Duc Magenta Chassagne-Montrachet "Morgeot" 1er Cru was exceptional... one of the finest 2003 White Burgundies I've had... while still a little ripe with a touch too much alcohol, the wine showed elegance and class behind all of that power. Let it sit for another year, then drink up! Honeysuckle, pear, peach, and apples with a slight lemony-mineral finish. The 1970 Chateau Latour was very good, not spectacular. As I continue to read up on this monumental wine, I am finding that there is quite a bit of bottle variation. I would attribute the less-than-stellar performance of this wine to just that - a not so great bottle. The fill was wonderful, at the base of the neck. The fruit was lost for the most part with just spice and cedar notes (actually, almost Lafite-like in the amount of cedar on this wine). a powerful, brooding finish though.

A Gusty (sort of) Day

Well that was a big pile of nothing... better safe than sorry, I guess. Drank a bottle of NV Roederer Brut last night... my favorite of all of the house cuvees. Nice toastiness, crisp finish, not too rich, but just a little hint of creaminess. The right price too...

Yahtzee!

Not a night for great wines (though a few went out, I didn't taste the 1997 Gaja Costa Russi again)... the 2000 Keenan Chardonnay was done... very bitter, not a nice bottle of wine. It's a shame this estate went where it did, but my goodness - these wines have come back since 2002. Try the '02 reds - spectacular stuff. Just down Spring Mountain Road from Pride... The 1996 Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafite (rouge) was good - a beautiful Graves nose with cedar, crushed stone and black fruits. Unfortunately, the finish was a touch rough - a bit of underripe tannins. The 2005 Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is ripe, jammy and powerful. Not quite as balanced as the 2004 which was superb, this wine needs a good year for things to start to come together. The 2003 Patz & Hall "Hyde Vineyard" Chardonnay (magnum) displayed lots of butterscotch, peach, ripe apples and clove. The oak needs to integrate better as the finish was a bit dry with loads of oak spice. I think in a year or two this wine will eventually sort itself out and become fabulous. The 2000 Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon (3-Litre) is fully mature and was beautiful... lots of black and red fruits, though much more earth-driven at this time - clove, black earth and cinnamon. Great stuff, especially out of the big bottle.

Yummy

The 2002 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley is starting to shine... tasted a few months ago, this wine was closed, but the potential was there. Now the wine is opening and showing beautiful graphite and anise notes along with very concentrated black plums and currants. Great wine with a very, very long finish. The 2003 Flor de Pingus, Ribera del Duero, Spain is an amazing wine... I haven't had this before last night and I am completely blown away. Though a thin-skinned grape, the amount of extraction in this wine is immense. Very, very floral - it seems like it should be an extremely powerful wine, but along with the power is very refined elegance. Lots of violets on the nose - an extremely floral wine - with lots of smoke as well. Beautiful!

Viognier

2002 Francois Villard Condrieu Le Grand Vallon was a tangerine & honey fest in a glass! Almost too powerfully tart in the beginning... gave way once it warmed and opened up. An ok wine, not my favorite from this incredible producer.

Champagne

The 1995 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rose was, for lack of a better descriptor, dissapointing. Some nice yeasty notes on the nose with hints of strawberries, but on the palate, the wine is simply flat (not literally, it still has tiny bubbles). No life, no pizzaz, pretty boring actually.

Nightfall of Diamonds

2000 Patz & Hall Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay (magnum) is a cloudy, oaky, rich, minerally Chardonnay from one of my favorite producers. I think they have gotten better since the 2002 vintage, but this bottles shows what they can do. Great stuff... The 2003 Louis Jadot Chateau des Jacques Clos de Rochegres Moulin-a-Vent is showing more and more Beaujolais-esqe signs, though it still possesses a large amount of oak spice on the nose and palate. A powerful, concentrated, outstanding wine! The 1998 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvingon (magnum) could be the best wine I've had from this vintage. Just a little hint of green pepper on the nose, with lovely cedar and black currants with classic Special Selection silkiness. I think it has held up nicely out of magnum. The 2002 Bond "Melbury" however, completely blew it away. This wine is starting to shut a tiny bit, but otherwise, the tasting notes are the same as they have been.

Somefolks Look For Answers...

others look for wines! The 1996 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne was pretty. No where near the complexity and overall power of the 1990, but still a pretty wine. Very nutty with lots of butterscotch and honey. A rich, minerally finish with tons of lemon (a LL hallmark...) The 1990 Chateau Certan de May, Pomerol was good, but very, very cedary. Almost so cedary that I believe that it masked a slight bit of corkiness... It didn't smell like cork, but the mid-palate was short and the finish lacked the usual Pomerol finesse. The star of the night (as it is pretty much whenever we get a chance to open one) was the 1955 Chateau Haut-Brion. While not the best bottle we've had (we put this one at number 3), this wine continues to astound me. Full of smokey bacon-fat and gravel. This just blew up after 15 minutes into pretty cedar and had a tremendous, powerful finish. Awesome stuff... always a treat.

Here we go...

Sorry about the delays... been a busy few weeks. Last night, the 2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia was big and bold - a very extracted, full-throttle, Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blockbuster. Very intense... showing much better than the 2002 right now. Thursday night... the 1997 Jarvis Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon shows what a little restraint can do for a great wine. While I still completely feel that the 1997 Vintage in California could be the single most over-rated vintage ever, there are some wines that are still showing their stuff. This is one of them. Good extraction, but not over-the-top with alcohol. Lots of black fruits with hints of cedar and dried leaves. Soft, ripe tannins. Good, but drink them soon. From Tuesday, one wine that still has years and years left in it is the mind-boggling 1990 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. Still the greatest Chardonnay I've ever had, this wine continues to evolve - slowly. Loads of butterscotch, honey, minerals, hazelnuts and lemon and a very long, intense finish. Beautiful!!! The 2002 Quintessa is as it's been the last few months - the best Quintessa made to date. I won't re-hash the same review. If you have these wines, drink them young! The 1986 Chateau Cos d'Estournel is showing beautifully. I've tasted this wine upwards of 10 times, but this was clearly the class of the bottles I've had. It took a good 45 minutes to open up, then showed notes of forest floor, cassis, dried leaves, black plum, and cedar. A classic St.-Estephe wine with the typical rustic character. A good wine, especially at 20 years of age! The 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild is generally my least-favorite of all of the 1982 First Growths. While the wine is definitively Lafite with loads of cedar and cigar box, after an hour, this wine just sort of went "plonk" - and was gone! This bottle was not as good as many others I've had, but still... it just wasn't incredible. It was at first, with tremendous elegance and a long, long finish. But then the finish shortened up, the mid-palate went away and I was sort of dumbfounded. Nice to try it again though... In case you were wondering, of the "Great 7" red Bordeaux wines, here is how I rate them in the 1982 vintage... 1. Chateau Latour 2.Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 3.Chateau Cheval-Blanc 4.Chateau Petrus 5.Chateau Margaux 6.Chateau Haut-Brion 7.Chateau Lafite-Rothschild

Back In The Saddle Again...

Tomorrow look for tasting notes on... 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, 1990 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne, 1986 Chateau Cos d'Estournel, 2002 Quintessa, and 1997 Jarvis Reserve Cabernet Sauvingon, plus thoughts on German and Austrian wines...