By: Simon Roberts
So much fun last night, what started as an unusually quiet Friday afternoon turned into a proper Graileys night. Wines started flowing around 5:30 as members started digging into the cellar. First up Doc Scott pulled a nice 1998 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne. Next our friend Ivan opened up a 2001 Pride Reserve Cabernet that was drinking like a champ, Bob Foleys fingerprints are all over this perfectly balanced cabernet, it still drinks very young and has long life ahead of it. My Man Mike Moore was next through the door, picking up a few recently purchased bottles of Harlan the Maiden. Mike opened the 2002 Maiden and told us how he met the winemaker, Bob Levy, back in the day. Bob had told him to buy Maiden, lots of great fruit from Harlan goes in the blend he was told. It was great advice, if the 02 is anything to go by I will be stashing some of this wine back for myself. It had a superb concentration of fruit and balance, a smooth finish with gobs of black current flavors that kept lingering. Todd Mathis dropped by next. Todd imports a very good Portfolio of European wines from Martines. He is in for the Tex / O.U. game this weekend with his buddy Waldo, a guy who had us all surprised as the night developed.
Todd opened a stunning 2008 Mortet Gevrey Chambertin VV that was pure class in a glass, this Pinot was superb and had the whole table talking. The wine was flowing, a 95 Togni Cabernet that rocked, a 99 Bouchard Bonnes Mares and a 99 Anne Gros Clos Vougeot was opened, bother were extremely tight, lets decant them and see what they do… John and Imee were in next picking up a bunch of goodies that John had recently purchased. In true Grailey’s fashion John opens a 1997 Etude Cabernet that was wine of the night up to this point, a wine that has the wow factor. My man Mike moore decides to get everybody around the table introduced and more members arrive – John and his lovely girl arrived and opened very nice 1997 Pride Cabernet Franc, Norman and his lovely wife joined in the fun and opened some more superb older Burgundy, a 1990 Faiveley Charmes Chambertin. As everybody sips and shares Waldo introduces himself, it is his first time in Graileys and he is loving the atmosphere around the table. So much so that when he revealed he was an Opera singer it kind of felt right for him to belt one out, and belt one out he did. We have had some great singing in Graileys in the past at various events but Opera……never, especially like this .Waldo absolutely killed it, he made the wine taste that much better I swear! What a talent this guy has. The sound coming from his lungs paired ever so perfectly with the group and the wines, awesome Graileys fun.
The wines in the decanters begin to strut their stuff. The 99 Bouchard is smoking good and the Anne Gros is starting to sing. Todd picks a gem from the cellar and opens a 87 Drouhin Musigny that was just stunning and flying right under the radar. It is time to pull one from my stash, how do I top this table. I dig around in the back and come up with a 2001 Rousseau Clos St Jaques and it was nearly as good as Waldos singing! So much great wine, I thought I may have won wine of the night until a 94 Colgin Herb Lamb was opened for the table. This really is a very special wine and it topped the night off in true fashion. When I say special I am putting this on par with some of the most pleasurable wines I have been lucky enough to taste, including 61 Petrus and 50 Lafleur. It is the second time I have tasted this wine and my best descriptor for it is EXOTIC in every way. This glass of wine just keeps giving, it has a magical personality that hits your senses on every level. The nose reminded me of walking through the perfume isle in the mall, hints of lavender and underbrush but when you taste this wine it envelopes every part of the mouth, massive fruits that are just perfectly in balance with the acid, this is a full on hedonistic wine and worth every bit of it’s pricey reputation. What another great night at Graileys.