Last Saturday, we hosted our first Saturday social with a full out BBQ, Texas style! The heat didn’t phase our beloved member, Brad Donnell, as he hitched his giant smoker to Graileys to cook up a heaping serving of meats for our event. With all this great bbq, even more bottles of wine were passed around in true Graileys’ fashion. We thank all of the members who joined us for this terrific event!
From Burgundy to California and Spain in between, there was not a single bad bottle in the lineup.
2012 Michel Gay Chorey Les Beaune- Lovely little red Burg with crushed red fruit and fresh minerals that drive the wine. Gorgeous layers of rose, cinnamon and a touch of clay round out the palate. This is a beautiful light red wine to enjoy for the summer heat.
2012 Domaine Droughin “Laurene” Oregon Pinot Noir- tart red cherries, raspberries and crushed cranberries with notes of lemon and orange zest. Lots of crushed limestone minerality in this pleasing Willamette Pinot.
2008 CVNE Vina Real Rioja Gran Reserva- I always love this over-achiever Tempranillo! Powerful and full of earth, spice and dried red fruit all seamless and delicious.
2011 La Grange Veuve de Figeac Saint Emilion- One of my favorite Bordeaux for the daily glass! This bottle showed a lot more tertiary notes upfront, but after some air, the black and blue fruit pulled through.
2014 Vernay Cotes du Rhone Sainte Agathe- Earth, olive tapenade, rosemary, crushed raspberries, star anise, tar, thyme, herb de Provence, ripe plums and smoke- this was the perfect bottle for the bbq! If you like your wine ripe and dirty, Vernay is the wine for you and the Cotes du Rhone Sainte Agathe is a stunning value to stock up for the summer.
2012 Mauro- Great juicy red for a solid crowd pleaser.
2010 Mauro VS- this bottle shows the power of Tempranillo with its mouthcoating, velvety texture and dense flavors. This is a full throttle red wine that is beautiful and easily seductive in the glass now, but I’d like to see where this massively structured wine could go in another decade or more.
2011 Macan Rioja- One of my favorites from the lineup! Beautifully complex with multidimensional notes of gorgeous red and black berry fruit, shaved coconut, fresh dill, and leather jumped out of the glass while concentrated spices of orange zest, vanilla and cardamon and iron, rose petals, fresh bay leaves and wild herbs added complexities to this stunning wine. The finish lingered persistently with notes of crushed red berries, leather and coconut.
2012 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon- the favorite Cabernet of the night, the ’12 Beringer Private Reserve was fantastic straight from the bottle with polished fruit, silky texture and ripe sweet tannins.
2012 Kamen Cabernet Sauvignon- Concentrated, sweet juice of black berry, black currant and black cherry; this is a commanding Cabernet! The fruit is ridiculously ripe, plump and sweet and everything that follows knocks the palate over with intensity.
2012 Ulysses Cabernet Sauvignon- a true knockout! My personal favorite Cabernet from the lineup, this Oakville project by Dominus rocks in every way! It takes some time to open up, but about an hour in the decanter and this smoking wine soars! It becomes beautifully expressive with wild violets, mocha, black berries, black currants and vanilla. There are layers of chunky gravel and forest floor that adds an element of complexity, but its the seductive fruit that I am fully addicted to in the Ulysses Cab!
The BBQ was great! Thank you Brad for the amazing brisket, chicken and ribs!
We can’t have an event without bubbles! We had a spectacular showing of rose champagnes for our bbq!
NV Drappier Rose- bright and loud with expressive juicy red fruit, hints of lemon zest and fresh minerals! This is an easy drinker and perfect for sipping on a summer evening or all day by the pool.
NV Ruinart Rose- Also bright and fresh but with a more sophisticated structure than the Drappier. More polished overall with seductive, ripe fruit, beautiful minerality, and with great lift.
NV Henriot Rose- House favorite, really creamy, toasty notes of smashed strawberries, raspberry pie, brioche, sweet cream and clove.
A birthday toast and cheers to AJ by Member #9! As you can see, the entire event was nothing but smiles, good food, great wine and spectacular company! Thank you to all those who came out and was a part of this memorable Saturday afternoon.