Well this just happened… It was a little less crowded Friday evening but the bottles and the company made the entire week that much more sweet. Starting the evening when we opened two of the three great B’s of Italy: 1998 Oddero Barbaresco, 1999 Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga and 1988 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino. On behalf of the Graileys’ team, I would like to state that the ‘99 Marchesi Barbaresco takes the cake – it was smoking and we were still talking about it after the weekend passed! It offered an absolutely stunning nose: loads of dried rose petals, preserved red fruit of strawberries and raspberries with deep complex spice. The palate was even better with added layers of sweet licorice, rounded spice with a touch of menthol; it was incredibly fresh, silky and ridiculously delicious.
How does one top stunningly aged Italian bottles of wine? By opening a bottle of ’94 Colgin Herb Lamb Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon or a bottle of 2007 Ridge Monte Bello. Or both… Colgin Cellars for me has been one of my ‘game changer’ wines in my wine career and Colgin did it again with the ’94 Herb Lamb Cabernet. As it has done in past tastings, it completely stopped us in our tracks with its freshness and depth in its profound levels of awesomeness (please excuse my lack of professional wine describing terminology). It has a powerful richness and ripe concentration while portraying itself in elegance and grace. This is a wine to be experienced as words cannot give it justice.
Finishing this ‘humble’ night, we opened a small lineup of Champagnes that are all show-stoppers in and of themselves. From the Champagne house favorite: Krug Grand Cuvee to a magnum of 1998 Krug, 1996 Dom Perignon OEnotheque and 2005 Cristal, it was a killer way to finish the week with a Champagne lineup like this. If Krug is king at Graileys for Champagne, than the OEnotheque is its queen. With a powerful structure, the ’96 OEnotheque really takes our breath away by each bottle we have opened. It’s flinty yet clean, citrus and orchard fruits are generous yet poised and the spices are all well rounded and seamless.
We had a fantastic night of great bottles shared by even greater friends. All of the bottles showed very well, but these were the winning wines of the night for me as I find them to be absolutely timeless.
Other Great Bottles from the Night
Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne
2007 Arnaud Ente Meursault
2010 Ardhuy Corton Charlemanage Grand Cru
2010 Kelly Fleming Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Cape Mentelle Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon