By: AJ McClellan
A great night at Graileys last night. We have a good group of members come by to open some wonderful wines. We started with a round of killer Burgundies and then moved on to a second round of wonderful Cabernet based wines that knocked it out of the ballpark!
1988 Jadot Ruchottes Chambertin – This bottle started out a little muted but quickly opened up to show some great earthy notes as well as a stunning floral component. The wine continued to open up magnificently until the bottle was drained. Great red fruits on the back end with a long finish.
1994 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne – Banana foster pie straight out of the shoot. After the big banana and brown sugar notes faded a little it opened up to show some great toasty notes as well as a long mineral finish.
1978 Remoissenet Chambertin – This Chambertin was showing very well. The nose was full of life showing notes of forest floor, black pepper, and black cherries. The palate was soft and silky with a long complex finish.
2008 Bond Quella Vineyard Cabernet – A monster wine with huge tannins and massive black fruit. The wine opened nicely over five hours but is still showing very young. Big wood notes of cedar and pine with huge black fruit and mouth drying tannins.
1979 Las Cases – Great earthy notes on the nose that lead into a ripe palate of dark fruit and red currants. There was a slight note of anise and leather on the finish with big earth.
1997 Beringer Private Reserve – I love this wine. It took a little while to get going but delivered great notes of plum, lavender, coco, and smoke on the nose and palate. The wine ended with a seamless finish and great balance.