By: AJ McClellan
We had a great tasting yesterday catered by our very own Chef Derrick Paez. The food and wine was wonderful, outdone only by the company. After the dinner we went back out to the main room and finished up the night with some great wines from the members’ cellars.
2008 Dog Point Chardonnay – Brilliantly paired with the crab stuffed squash blossoms; if I may pat my own back for a moment. The nose was clean with a hint of toast and big tropical notes. The palate was crisp, showing pineapple and limestone on the finish.
2000 Remoissenet Le Montrachet – Another great pairing, this time with a salmon that was cooked to perfection, poached in tomato water, and served over a homemade polenta that was delicious. The Remoissenet was a wonderful pairing showing honeysuckle and banana on the nose. The palate was round and thick with a heavy minerality and long finish.
1985 Margaux – Maderized…
1985 Las Cases – A great bottle of Bordeaux! We served this and the Guigal with a grilled lamb chop and while the Las Cases was a great bottle of wine the true pairing was with the La Turque. On the nose the Las Cases was classic Bordeaux showing earth, leather, forest floor, and dried red fruits. The palate was complex showing dried red cherries and currants with a hint of lavender and a big note of cedar.
1996 Guigal La Turque – Always a stunning wine, this was a terrific pairing with the grilled lamb. The nose showed pepper, smoke, leather, and cooking spices with a hint of plum and black cherry. The palate was rich and creamy with a big dark fruit component and a long smoky finish.
1977 Croft – As dessert, one of our members pulled the ‘77 Croft for the table to share. A great bottle of Port showing sweet currants, spice, and lavender on the nose. The palate was terrific with cinnamon and spice all over the place.
After dinner we moved out to the comfy chairs and popped a few bottles around the table.
1981 Gaja Sori Tildin – I have put Gaja on a pedestal and that may contribute to my continual disappointment in his wines, but for the money, I was very disappointed with this wine. The nose was as funky as a ten day old gym sock wrapped around some fruits and smashed between a moldy tree and a giant boulder. The palate was actually quite nice with bright dusty fruit and a solid backbone of minerality. The wine was palatable, but for the price I was disappointed.
2005 Kosta Browne Kanzler Vineyard Pinot Noir – Another big name wine that under delivered. The nose was pleasant with bright red fruits and hints of vanilla and cedar. The palate was heavy but one dimensional with big fruit and huge wood spice.
1990 Hudelot Noellat Clos de Vougeot GC – I was very impressed with this wine. The nose showed classic black currant, forest floor, dusty cherry and black coffee of a Clos Vougeot. The palate took almost 2 hours to come around but it was wonderful once it got there with a brilliant balance and long finish.
1997 Parusso Bussia Vigna Rocche Barolo – A nice bottle that took a long while to come around but once it got there it was quite nice. Very Italian on the nose with forest floor and almond extract. The palate was soft and easy drinking with a pleasant fruit note and finish of cooking spice.