By: Ryan Tedder
Well another week goes by at the best drinking wine spot in Texas and I cannot begin to describe the phenomenal selection s that were consumed last week – at least on the days that did not get snowed out! We had a great crew of nice people come by and the week started with these two crazy good bottles of wine. The 1983 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde was simply outstanding! This vintage is drinking at its apex and this wine was refined, extremely aromatic and 100% pure varietal Syrah from the hills of Cote Rotie. This was one of the finest expressions of Syrah I have ever enjoyed and the bacon fat, wood smoke, garrigue, black pepper, date, figgy pudding, dry lavender and animal. The finish went on and on and the silty, extremely fine tannins had the most beautiful caressing texture. The other stunner of the day was the 2002 Domaine Leroy Chambolle Musigny les Fremiers 1er Cru that was drinking like an angel. It was over the top complex after 3 hours of staying open but I could not let my glass last that long! There was the signature palate coating texture and purity of Nuits fruits – wild raspberries, strawberries, pomegranate. red currant, truffle, morel mushroom, light sois bois, sweet tobacco, wild roses, and exotic spices. The luxurious perfectly ripe fruit tingled and teasing the palate with Leroy’s insane precision. Her wines never disappoint! A real winner here.
The next day these 6 beautiful wines represented a kaleidoscope of flavor sensations that were amazing! We got to taste a bottle of Moet & Chandon’s Diamond Jubilee for Her Majesty The Queen. This wine was made specially for the Royal Wedding a few years back and I have to say it was delightful. A higher dosage made for a nice round Champagne with white and yellow fruit with a balanced, toasted bread, yeasty note. Lots o f citrus blossoms on the nose too. It was a nice counterpoint to the stunning bottle of 2003 Krug Clos des Mesnil Grand Cru Blanc des Blancs that I could still taste when I got to Fort Worth an hour later! Pure, precise, long and electric, this magnificent bottle of Chardonnays from Krug has so much minerality, steel, sea spray, citrus blossoms and raw power that I was craving some fine oysters or crab legs. The wine had astounding tension between dry extract and power with bright, even nervy green apple, green plum, lime, and green pear. I love this wine!
Next the four reds were all excellent in their own ways. The 1979 Pichon Lalande tasted every bit its pedigree with its signature green notes with cassis, camphor, sweet tobacco, cigar wrapper, cedar, leather and hard spices. The wine was very aromatic and smooth with nice length and no hard edges. This is a perfectly mature wine. The 1996 Pichon Baron hard just started to wake up and its was every bit the brawny brother to the feminine Lalande. The dark, rich fruit notes of black cherry, cassis, blackberry, and violets was impressive. The tannins are still a bit firm but have opened somewhat. This was a great, full-bodied blue chip Bordeaux that is evolving nicely. Decant for a few hours. Impressive. The 2000 Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia needed about 3 hours to properly open but once it did it was funky, freakishly good, decaying Barolo that was screaming for food! The dark fruit had a minced meat, blood pudding component to go with black cherry, red currant and black plums. The menthol, wet leaves, truffle and exotic wood smoke were great as well. Impressive juice here. Lastly we had a great bottle of 2002 Pahlmeyer Red that was drinking great at 13 years. The sweet fruit had a balanced nature to it with spicy, chocolatey oak. Some sweet tobacco and leather had come out to go with the blackberry, creme de cassis, huckleberry and fudge. This wine was damn good!
The next day we had these two amazing 1990s side by side. The 1990 Haut Brion was every bit a perfect bottle of Bordeaux. It has aromatics and flavors of scorched earth, black currants, plums, charcoal, cedar, and spices, the 1990 offers an aromatic explosion that is unparalleled. It is rich, full-bodied, opulent, even flamboyant by Haut Brion’s standards. It is an incredible expression of a noble terroir in a top vintage. Find this wine! The 1990 Vieux Chateau Certan was a really stunner as well but the Haut Brion casts a long shadow. The VCC was refined and complex that would have paired great with a fire and good book. Really a thinking man’s wine. A sweet bouquet of charcoal, licorice, roasted herbs, forest floor, and a meaty, truffle-like scent. A fleshy, full-bodied wine with exceptionally low acidity, plenty of melted tannin, and a long, layered finish. What a great pair!
Needless to say it was a great couple of days of wine drinking at Graileys!