By: AJ McClellan
We had a fun night yesterday. One of the busier days we have had in the shop, it was a great opportunity to taste some fantastic wines! A few I have had before but it was nice to try the Laurent, especially when it went form not very good to pretty darn tasty. The Sea Smoke Ten and Kosta Browne side by side were also very interesting….
1999 Dominique Laurent Clos de la Roche – This is a fun bottle. When we first opened it up I thought that the wine was possibly heat damaged. The wine was not showing well with burnt notes and muted fruit. After about twenty minutes the wine started to come to life showing rustic sour cherry with a great minerality and lovely finish.
1993 Dalle Valle Cabernet – The cork was a little dry and broke when I was trying to open the bottle. I thought the wine was a little oxidized showing notes of iron but many of our members around the table liked the wine…. Just goes to show, the only good wine is a wine you like.
2005 SQN Atlantis fe2 – Every time I try this wine it just seems to get better and better! Dark fruit with smoky tannins and a lovely finish of plum, leather, tobacco, and anise.
2008 Sea Smoke Ten – This is a big, bold bottle of Pinot! Huge black fruits with a moderate acidity and surprisingly some rocky minerality.
2002 Pilliot Batard Montrachet – A great bottle of Batard. Rich and creamy on the palate with notes of honeysuckle, quince, and honeyed pear.
2010 Kosta Browne Russian River Pinot Noir – Another giant Pinot Noir. The Kosta Browne has big fruit with some spicebox and notes of leather and syrah like qualities.
1999 Arietta Merlot – This bottle was somewhat disappointing. The palate was a little flat with fading fruit and no real tursherary characteristics to speak of.