By: AJ McClellan
A great day yesterday! The wines were wonderful and the company was even better. We tasted some great bottles that surprised me in their quality; we also tasted a few old reliable wines that are always a pleasure to pop.
2006 Sisters – Not a bad way to start out the night. The ‘06 Sisters has become a great go-to wine for us here at Graileys. The nose is big and ripe, full of red fruits and cooking spice. The palate is in a great drinking window showing soft tannins and a long finish.
1980 Opus One – The second bottling of Opus One, after drinking this wine I can tell why Opus One has such a great following. The nose showed dry tea leaves, cloves, sandalwood, cedar, dried blackberries, and currants. The palate was still full with soft dusty tannins and a velvety texture that made the wine a pleasure to drink.
1985 Cos d’Estournel – This was one of the first great bottles I tried when I started at Graileys and it has been a favorite of mine ever since. The nose is full of earth and spice with hints of tilled soil, raspberries, black cherries, and cinnamon. The palate is silky and classic Bordeaux with a touch of graphite, some old dried fruits and a handful of rocky soil.
1997 Jean Grivot Richebourg – A very tasty bottle of Burgundy showing a bright nose of blueberry, red cherries, toasted vanilla bean, scorched earth, and jasmine. The palate, while being soft and pleasant, was not as good as the nose. I gave the wine about 2 hours to let the palate catch up, but while it put on some weight and filled out some, it never reached the heights that the nose promised.
1982 Branaire Ducru – Very old on the nose, when I smelt the wine I expected to see a pile of dust in the glass instead of wine. Old earth and barnyard on the nose with straw and some old dry fruits. The palate was soft but faded; drinking like it is on the cusp of falling off. A good bottle of wine but one that needs to be drunk sooner rather than later.
1994 Jaboulet Cornas – A surprisingly delicious bottle of wine, although it shouldn’t be a surprise as Jaboulet is a fantastic producer. The Cornas was spicy with black pepper and huge game backed by old leather and big black fruits. The wine was drinking very well for a younger bottle showing silky tannins and superb balance.
1989 Le Gay – I have had this bottle several times in the past and enjoyed it very much. This bottle on the other hand was disconjointed and not showing very well. I do not think that bottle was flawed but rather just going through a dumb phase. If you have this bottle in your cellar, wait for another 6 months before opening it.
2001 Palmaz – I love this wine. We have been drinking it a lot recently and I think it is just a superb bottle for the price. The nose shows dusty cherry, blueberries, currants, tanned leather, apple pie spices, and a note, that for some reason, always reminds me of purple PEZ candy. The palate is another big contributor to why I like this wine so much; it shows an almost grainy texture that is ruff in the mouth. The wine is also very plush and boisterous on the palate, letting you know it’s there. If I didn’t know any better, I would say there is a heavy dose of Cabernet Franc in the wine, but I have been told that it is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon…