By: AJ McClellan
With a great day behind us we decided to pop a few excellent bottles around the table. As more members rolled through the door the evening turned into a game of guess that wine. Bottle after bottle poured from the lockers each in a brown paper sack held by members with wolfish grins hoping to stump everyone around the table with their selection.
1994 Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon – Easily blinded as Cali Cab by the sweet fruit and hot finish. I had high hopes for this bottle as it was my first time drinking it but I was disappointed. While it was not a bad bottle it failed to reach the level of excellence that the bottles reputation had lead me to expect. Slightly disconjointed and with the alcohol obtrusively apparent this wine was disappointing.
1993 Colgin Herb Lamb – One of the greats of Napa this bottle was drinking like a champ. Fresh plums and black cherries with cooking spice and hints of cedar on the nose. The palate was full and rich with big fruit and smooth tannins.
2001 Bacio de Vino – We had opened this bottle the previous day but failed to finish off the wine. Soft and smooth with ripe fruit and heavy spice it was interesting to see how the 18 percent of Sangiovese affected the wine.
2005 Domaine Dujac Morey Saint Denis – Phil blinded us on this one and while I hedged with a newer Burgundy I ended up calling it a 05 Grenache based wine out of CDP. Big spice with a heavier body than one would expect from Burgundy. After the wine opened up it showed more characteristics true to its regions with black and red currants and a healthy dose of earth and minerality.
2002 Pierre Peters Les Chetillons – a great bottle of bubbles showing a hint of yeast with a light effervescence. White rock minerality on the palate with classic lemon and lime zest.
2000 d’Aremberg Coppermine Road Cabernet – This was an interesting bottle of wine… I blinded it as old Cali Cab as it was showing a lot of oak and big ripe fruits. I did not expect to see the vintage 2000 on the bottle. For a wine with only 10 years of age on it the juice was a old rusty color and the wine had almost faded to nothingness.
1996 Guigal La Turque – Easily blinded as Guigal with giant black pepper and huge smoked game. After a few hours the leather and tar started coming out and the wine softened to show an excellent balance and finesse.
1970 BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet – I was torn between old Pauillac and old Cali Cab. In the end there was something that hinted at California so I went with my gut calling it late seventies Cab. Excelletn fruit for a wine with 40 years of age on it. There was a heavy dose of wood spice and a finish of earth and leather.
2001 Solaia – This bottle threw everyone for a loop with guesses ranging from Cali Cab to Northern Rhone. The wine was as fantastic as it was hard to peg down. The nose showed sweet red fruits with hints of pipe tobacco and lavender. The palate had fresh red and black fruits dusted with black pepper and a superb balance.
1998 Joseph Drouhin Musigny GC – A great wine to finish the night with. We committed some infanticide with this bottle but after a good four hours in the glass the wine started to open up and show its true colors. Great dark fruits with savory earth and roasted tobacco.
2007 & 2008 Dos Logos Cabernet – We blinded the 07 and 08 Dos Logos together and got many different responses. The 07 was called Cali Cab by most while the 08 was named many things from young Bordeaux to Humboldt Syrah. I was impressed by both bottles but I think the 08 was drinking more forward right now while the 07 is about to go through a dumb faze.