AJ McClellan
I always have the feeling when Dave comes into town that something crazy is going to happen. Today started just like any other until Dave strolled in and declared it was time to open a bottle of wine…
2007 Kesner Chardonnay Old Vine – After a long hot day there are few things that are more pleasant than sitting down with a nice cold refreshing glass of killer white wine. Kesner has always reminded me of a great Burgundy in style with its floral honeysuckle nose and its toasty palate. This is the perfect wine to accompany you in sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying a summer afternoon.
After cooling down with the Kesner our members decided to heat things up with a lineup of extraordinary wines from their lockers.
1997 Flaccianello – I think Flaccianello is going to be our new mascot here at Graileys; every time we open this bottle it is sure to impress whoever is at the table. Big forest floor with black liquorish and freshly tilled wet compost on the nose backed by subtle floral notes of violets and red roses. The palate was expansive with a delicious bitter dark chocolate combined with sassafras, pine needles, tobacco leaves, dusty cherry, and roasted herbs. This wine is drinking fantastically right now but I would love to see how it is drinking in another 10 years…
1989 Haut Brion – Flaccianello is a tough act to follow but the Haut Brion managed to pull it off nicely. Everyone sipped on the Haut Brion slowly relishing all of the subtle nuances that this immaculate wine had to offer. My first impression on the nose was a kind of campfire scent, like burning firewood. Then the wine exploded, offering massive barnyard with chives, red roses, clove, cinnamon, haystack, forest floor, crushed rocks, dry tobacco, and black raspberries. It took me a good ten minutes to tear myself away from the nose long enough to take a sip. The palate was as amazing as the nose and after my first sip it took all of my self control to keep from finishing off the rest of the glass. The Haut Brion got better and better by the minute and after an hour it was astonishing how wonderful this wine had become. Dark chocolate, anise, cassis, and dense smoke evolved in the glass and added to the already overwhelmingly complex wine. I must say this is one of the best Bordeauxs I have had since the 1982 Pichon Lalande.
1995 Reserve des Celestins – As one of our members so eloquently put it – “This wine was half man half goat”. Loads of spice with white and black pepper caked over the top of the glass. After getting past the spice you receive a hardy welcome of bacon, blood sausage, black berries, boysenberries, and red hots. This wine was drinking nicely with firm tannins and a long finish, but I think it needs a few more years to mellow out.
1983 Guigal La Landonne – What is a wine tasting without a little Guigal? ’83 has proven to be my favorite year for Guigal and this bottle of La Landonne has kept the legacy going. It amazes me how almost thirty years in the bottle can soften a wine and allow syrah to drink almost like Pinot Noir. When we poured this wine it flowed out of the bottle like silk with a light rusty red color that is the precursor to a great bottle. Smoke, tar, green tobacco leaf, peppercorn, mushrooms, and a hint of old moldy log burst from the glass in true Guigal style, filling the room. When I closed my eyes I could picture myself sitting on the steep slopes of Cote Rotie with a warm breeze floating through the air on the last day of summer. After giving the wine some time to open up it developed a smoked meat characteristic paired with truffles and lentils.
1995 Leoville Las Cases – Big black fruits on the nose with an intense crushed rock minerality. There was a considerable amount of wood spice on the palate with huge vanilla, clove, cinnamon, and allspice coursing through the wine. The tannins were surprisingly soft allowing the wine to drink incredibly well for its age. I would like to see what it will have to offer in another 10 or 15 years.
1996 Salon – Salon is the only Champagne house that can rival Krug in my opinion and tonight just reaffirmed that belief. Like a soft creme brulee with a rich acidity backing up honeyed green pears and apricot with a hint of quince and an asteroid field of crushed limestone. This was the perfect wine to finish off the night with a light yeastiness and refreshing effervescence.
