By: AJ McClellan
All good things must end and after his short stay Dave was leaving to head back up to Boise. Here at Grialeys it seems like we can find an excuse to open a great bottle of wine no matter what; we took this opportunity to pop a few and before Dave could get on his plane we had a litter of bottles in front of him to send him off in style…
1997 San Filippo Brunello – This is a Great example of Brunello. Classic earthiness but with a strange fruit forwardness like candied grapes. The back of the palate showed big black liquorish with dried black berries, crunchy blueberries, and sour cherries. Rocky minerality with slate and limestone. Long finish and very impressive and full in the glass
1986 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Corton – This wine blows me away! Butterscotch, honey, toasted almonds, hazelnut, ripe Asian pear, quince, lilies, rose petals, and limestone on the nose. A complex poem of flavors paired in stanzas of fruits and flowers followed by minerality and earth and finished off with a coup de grâce of toast and honey. The finished lingers for more than a minute leaving you with a ghostly impression of a beautiful hillside blooming with flowers and bathed in honey…
1996 Marcassin Hudson E Block vineyard Chardonnay – Out of all of the Marcassin wines we have had recently this one was a little disappointing. It was still a great wine singing of lilacs, honey comb, pears, apricots, and a great minerality of slate and limestone. I don’t know if it is because it followed the Briailles or if it just wasn’t as put together as the other Marcassin wines we have had…. Don’t get me wrong, this wine would still blow out any other wine tasting, but in the present company I was just a little underwhelmed….
2002 Masseto – I blushed as I committed infanticide by opening this bottle, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do… A tight core of ripe cherry, currant, plum, tobacco, leather, hard packed earth, black coffee, and peppercorn. Drinking with a soft silkiness even in its youth but with a tight tannic structure that made it hard to not look like Dolly Parton from the severe pucker factor. At the end of the night the tiny morsel of wine that I had left in my glass began to open up showing big tobacco, caramel nuts, rich red/black fruits, and black dirt. I would recommend opening this wine 4-5 hours before serving it. In 20+ years this wine will be a stunner!
1978 Cheval Blanc – Dried prunes with crushed dried leaves and slight red liquorish. Crushed red raspberries and crumbled milk chocolate followed by loads of tilled earth with soft well worn leather notes and dried cassis. The palate was like lying between silk sheets; soft with crisp cool acidity and a finish like rolling into a pile of leaves in fall.
1998 Rayas – Rayas has always been one of my favorite Chateauneuf-du-Pape’s made from 100% Grenache it speaks of elegance from a region known for power and brute strength. White pepper, clove, spiced plum pie, and smoked bacon on the nose. The palate was smooth and easy going peppered with cherries, plums, saddle leather, and loads of white pepper. Long floral finish of purple roses and violets.
1981 Jaboulet La Chapelle – Drinking as beautifully as we expect from La Chapelle. Tilled earth, saddle leather, smoked meats, game, pepper, and meaty plums on the nose. The palate was robust and chewy with silky tannins.
1988 Filhot 375ml – Floral nose with big white flowers coupled with dry green apples and light hay. Soft on the palate with honey and creamsikle. A little light for a Sauterne but drinking really well.
1981 D’Yquem – The 81 D’Yquem has been bashed in just about every review I have read, however this is the second time I have tried this bottle and it is absolutely astonishing! Honey covered toasted almonds with caramelized apricots and pears served with dried white flowers and succulent tropical fruit medley. Chewy on the palate with a vibrant acidity and a hint of sweetness that have been softened by time.
See you next time Dave!