By: AJ McClellan
Good Friday was a great night at Graileys. We had a slew of excellent wines opened around the table and each bottle was showing very well.
1986 Pichon Lalande – The Pichon was drinking great! Classic Bordeaux with a very earthy nose backed by dried red cherries. The palate was soft and plush in the middle with subtle floral notes and big forest floor.
2009 Corra Cabernet – The Corra Cabernet is always a pleasure to drink. The 09 was showing rich chocolaty notes with big cooking spice and ripe blue and black fruits.
1996 La Mondotte – This wine was very tight when I first opened it and unexpectedly funky. Hugh barnyard notes with sweaty horse hide and saddle leather were bounding off the nose of this wine. After some time in the glass the wine calmed down and the rich dark fruit started to shine.
2005 Ornellaia – The Ornellaia was drinking much smoother than I thought it would be. Plush red and black fruit on the nose and palate with pleasant earthy aromas and a subtle minerality on the finish.
2007 Gargiulo Vineyards Money Road Ranch Cabernet – Typical high end Cali cab. Great fruit with solid tannin structure and a rich finish.
2007 Spottswood Cabernet – I was very impressed with the 07 Spottswood. Last year when I tasted this wine it was showing great potential but it was wound so tight I thought it would take a few years to soften up. The 07 we had last night was in a great drinking window with well integrated tannins and a great mouthfeel.
2009 The Vineyardist Cabernet – This bottle was brought in as a sample from a local distributor. The wine was good showing dark fruit and pleasant cooking spice but simply fell short of its price point in my opinion.
2009 Encosta Cabernet –Another sample bottle that was not showing as well as its price point would suggest.