By: Ryan Tedder
The monsoon Spring continues in Dallas so we beat the humidity with great company and fine wine. Everyone enjoyed the long holiday weekend and we started back in earnest with a nuclear selection of older wines that were all drinking quite well.
The Pierre Morey Les Terres Blanches 2007 was showing wonderfully for the vintage. Pierre Morey was the winemaker at the legendary Domaine Leflaive for a number of years and his skill in less than amazing vintages really shows through here. The wine sang with distinct chalky minerality, high toned yellow and white flowers, quince, lemon, green pear and green plum. The wine possessed beautiful acidity, a slightly creamy mid-palate and a long finish. The only drawback to the wine was that it was the last one we had 
Next up we popped a bottle of S. Anderson Stags Leap District Cabernet 1989. This unsung producer and his vineyards were purchased by Cliff Lede in 2002 and the wines are a more “international style” now with Abreu and Rolland putting their hands all over it. This 1989 Cab was a loving blast to the past. It reminder me of a ripe older vintage of good Left Bank Bordeaux. Alcohol clocked in at around 13% and the nose and palate spoke of red currant, bing cherry, kirsch, red licorice, cedar, tobacco, gravelly minerality and a distinct dried herb aromatic. Old school California love! The wine was holding up well and drank great for the 45 minutes it took to kill. They don’t make Napa Cabs like this anymore… (cue nostalgic music)
Lastly we drank a delicious bottle of Fisher Coach Insignia Meritage 1997 that was singing. The fruit profile of this full-bodied wine was more black cherry, cassis, fudge, mocha, coffee roast, dried roses, and anise. There was a turned wet earth character, dried pyrazine and spice box tertiary note to compliment the fruit. The wine had considerably more tannins and oak than the 1989 and it unfolded over the course of 2 hours. I think this wine has a lot of life left in it.
All in all a great little line up of juice!