By: AJ McClellan
Mondays at Graileys are always exciting, you never know who or what will walk in the door. With Simon out of town we expected a slower day but were happy to see a few of our favorite members walk in the door for a few glasses before dinner.
1989 Clinet – One of my favorite bottles of Bordeaux. The Clinet was drinking with dark fruit notes up front and a load of damp earth on the back. Huge black liquorish, forest floor, wet tobacco, and cracked leather showed on the nose and palate of the wine.
1991 Gaja Sperss – This bottle started slow but ramped up quickly after a few hours in the glass. Big earth with a little red fruit on the edge that then moved into old leather shoe and big cooking spice on the back end.
1952 Remoissenet Clos Vougeot – This wine is always drinking well. Bright red cherries and raspberries on the nose than then turned into big barnyard funk and substantial spice notes. This wine has a slight iron note on the finish that was a little off putting for me but all in all the wine was very good.
2009 Pierre Henri Morel CDP – This is a great bang for the buck wine showing some pleasant earth notes in a young wine and plenty of black and red fruits.
2008 Hudson Syrah – One of the more unique Syrahs that I have tasted recently. This wine is very consistent giving off a nose of crushed strawberries covered with a fine mist of black pepper. The palate has a softer feel, not the huge monster that most Napa Syrahs are but a little softer. Well integrated tannins and a long finish make this a great bottle of wine in my book…
2010 Ulacia Txakolin – This is just a fun bottle of wine. A nose straight off the beach showing sea salt and ocean water with brine and crushed oyster shells. The palate has less moister than chalk and a searing acidity that somehow pulls the wine together and makes it work. This is a wine that you will either love or hate and I absolutely love it!
2007 La Nerthe CDP Blanc – This wine was a bit of a disappointment. The wine showed some stone fruit and fruit loops but with little acidity making it feel flabby and out of balance. This is a primary example of what can go wrong with a CDP Blanc….