By: AJ McClellan
It was a great night for big bold bottles at Graileys! The SQN, Grange, Insignia, and Bryant were each drinking well in their own fashion. Each bottle had one thread in common, some huge tannins and big fruit! The Bouchard and Meo helped to balance out the big bruisers, but it was still a heavy hitting night…
2004 Bouchard Corton Charlemagne – A beautiful example of Corton! Popcorn on the nose with a great minerality on the palate backed by a pleasant note of toast and vanilla bean.
2001 Grange – The 01 Grange was drinking like a champ! Huge black fruits with tongue drying tannins and a lovely smoke and tobacco finish.
2001 Insignia – The Insignia was drinking well but it could still use another 5 years on its side. Big tannins with sweet black fruit and huge dark chocolate.
2001 Bryant – We popped the Bryant to compare with the SQN and Insignia. I thought the Bryant was drinking well with blueberries and purple flowers, but most of the people around the table disagreed with me saying the wine had a green note and a short finish.
2005 SQN Atlantis Syrah – Every time I try this bottle it surprises me with how elegant a massive wine can be. Huge tannins but the wine was still soft on the palate showing big bold black fruits with massive pipe tobacco and loads of cooking spice.
1998 Meo Camuzet Corton Clos Rognets – This is just a great bottle of wine. The first thing that I always notice when I open this bottle is the rustic earthy notes of mushrooms and forest floor, accompanied by a beautiful floral note and sour cherry finish.