By: AJ McClellan
It does not take much to put together an amazing collection of wines on any given night here at Graileys. Last night was one such night…
We started with the 100 point 2007 Scarecrow by Celia Welch. This great little Cabernet Sauvignon was drinking exceptionally well. Showing cassis and black liquorish on the nose with a subtle rocky minerality and lovely spring flowers. After some time in the glass the wine continued to open up showing more blue and red fruits as well as a long finish and soft tannins that were very approachable.
Next up on the docket was a 2004 Colgin Tychson Hill. At 96 points one would think it the inferior wine to the Scarecrow, but if you were to taste the two side by side blind I bet you could not find one to be 4 points the better… The Colgin was every bit as powerful as the Scarecrow, even with the extra 3 years in the bottle. The fruit was dark and brooding and the wine had an almost Bordelais feel to it with fresh truffles and mossy earth. While this wine was rocking out of the bottle I think that with another 6-10 years on its side this wine may receive that coveted 100 point score; and with only 168 cases produced this may be one to stock up on next time you see it…
At almost the same time as the Colgin hit the table we also got to taste a 1994 Araujo Eisele Vineyad. This may have been my favorite wine of the night! The 94 California wines are in such a sweet spot right now. We have been draining the cellar of all the bottles we can get our hands on. That being said I hope a few of the wines hang around because I would love to see how it evolves in another 5-8 years. I loved the play of the fruit as it went back and forth from black currant to red raspberry; intermingling with a pleasant minerality that the bottle age has brought to the front of the palate. There are also a very nice lavender and clove notes on the palate.
You can’t drink too many Cabernets in here without a Bordeaux popping up on the table. Sure enough after three Cali Cabs we got a rocking left bank Bordeaux in the form of a 1996 Leoville Las Cases. I find it interesting how similar the 96 Las Cases and the 94 Araujo are on the nose, both showing black and red fruits with great minerality. However as alike as they were on the nose the palate was that much apart. The Las Cases was still very powerful with big tannins and strong oak notes. This wine is supreme right now but it is just getting started, given another decade in the bottle I think this wine will be one of the better bottles in any cellar.