By: AJ McClellan
Friday night was a good one around the table at Graileys. We started strong with some great wines out of the gate; then half way through the night one of our members pulled out a 3 liter of Mondavi Cabernet to kick the party into fifth gear. After the big bottle came out, a plethora of other bottles were dropped on the table as to not be out done. All in all it was another successful night with a great lineup.
1999 Leoville Las Cases – When first opened the wine was quite tight but after a good three hours the nose opened to show black currants, leather, smoke, and tilled earth. The palate was hard but in balance with a great structure.
1988 Jean Lionnet Cornas Cuvee Rochepertuis – We opened this bottle out of curiosity and it gave us a bit of a roller coaster ride. The wine started with a very woody nose, as to smell corked to one of our members, but with some time it blew off and revealed a smoky earthy wine with a dark fruit backing.
1995 Domaine Jacques Prieur Chambertin – I was very impressed with this bottle of Burgundy. The nose showed dusty red fruits with a hint of blueberry followed by compost soil and a chewy liquorish on the back end. The palate was soft and smooth with delicate tannins and a crisp acidity.
1996 Dominus – The Dominus was drinking well with dark fruits and chocolate on the nose. The palate was still firm with rock solid tannins followed by a hint of cooked jalapeno and tanned leather.
1987 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 3 liter – This bottle was suspect at first but with some time it opened up to show some good dried fruits and a giant backing of saddle leather and sandalwood.
1997 Emmanuel Rouget Echezeaux – A very impressive bottle of Burgundy. It was stellar right out of the gate with a dark cherry and plum nose and a big earth backing. The palate was holding up well with smooth solid tannins and a bright acidity on the back end. After some time in the glass the wine continued to open up showing a rocky minerality and long finish.
1988 La Mission Haut Brion – This bottle is in a great place right now drinking with velvet tannins and an earthy backing that is so prevalent in southern Bordeaux.
2004 Quilceda Creek – Massive is too light of a word for this wine. This 99 point bottle was showing huge black fruits and giant leather notes followed by Asian spices and a slight floral note.
1997 Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Les Pucelles – 97 is turning out to be a bit of a sleeper vintage for me. I am finding more and more bottles of white and red Burgundy that are in a great drinking window right now. The Leflaive was very nice with hazelnut, vanilla, pear, lemon, and limestone.