By: AJ McClellan
Every night is an adventure at Graileys and you never know what will be opened around the table. Today we had a small collection of members but each of them pulled a massive bottle. The wine to start it all was the 1995 Anne Gros Clos Vougeot a little closed down out of the gate, but after it opened up it showed a beautiful nose of black raspberries and dark cherries backed by a moist earth and subtle spice. The palate was pure silk soft and supple in the mouth with a long complex finish.
After we polished off the Anne Gros we moved onto a bottle of 1995 Bryant Family Cabernet Sauvignon. We had a bottle of the 94 Bryant win “Wine Of The Night” in a previous tasting and because some of our members were not there they decided to see what all the fuss was about regarding this great bottle. There is something about the Bryant that when you open it the wine engulfs you spilling out of the glass and showing exotic spices and fresh ripe fruits. The Nose was brilliant with soft fruit, hints of leather, and tobacco then finishing with cardamom, allspice, lavender, and toasty oak. The palate was dense and chewy with dark raspberries, cherries, and blueberries.
Not to be outdone the next bottle to come out was a 1995 Guigal La Turque with a nose of bacon fat, black pepper, star anise, and plums this would be easy to identify in a crowd. The palate was massive with a rich black fruits and a floral spice of crushed dried potpourri. The finish was lingering showing fresh coconut husk, leather, and tea leaves.