Graileys Holiday Party!!

What a crazy night!!! It’s not a party until you bring out the big guns and we did last Thursday for our members for this year’s Graileys’ Holiday Party!  As a 3 Liter bottle of 2014 Azur Rose was splashing around the tables, our beloved members were greeted with a 6 Liter- that is correct- a SIX LITER bottle of 1986 Joseph Phelps Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and wow was it showing at a beautiful place!! Blind this bad boy and anyone would have called it an aged Bordeaux. Talk about dried berries and tobacco!! The flavors were beautifully seamless; black berry, black currant and raspberry with chunks of gravel, condensed baking spice, leather, dried herbs, compost and dug up forest floor with wild eucalyptus and black tea. It was stunning!

holiday party 6L phelps

Well one 6 Liter bottle wasn’t enough… In Graileys’ fashion, we opened another one- another 6 Liter 1986 Joseph Phelps that is! This time, Backus Vineyard. Compared to the Eisele, the Backus was big and meaty with sweet condensed, purely black fruit. Crazy rich, crazy huge, crazy good, but I enjoyed the Eisele Cabernet a little more.

holiday party 2015 simon

This year, Simon changed things up a little bit. In previous years, our members discreetly shelled out their finest for a mega blinder for us sommeliers to conduct. Last year we blinded around 40 bottles of wine, which was a lot for any palate. This year, we turned the tables and our members who were the ones to blind the wines! After a flight of six wines, two white wines and four reds; great food; many laughs and more great wines, Simon announced the top three winners of our blind tasting.

holiday party 2015 tasting

Wines From The Blind Tasting

2012 Donelan Nanci Sonoma Chard

2013 JM Boillot Domaine Les Roques Roussanne

2012 Domaine Arlaud Chambolle Musigny

2008 Leeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyards Margaret River Cabernet Merlot

2006 Pontet Canet

1992 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel

 holiday party 2015 cabs

There were many terrific wines but these were the wines that shined throughout the night…

2009 Leroy Domaine d’Auvenay Meursault Les Narvaux!!! Holy Grail wine!! Popcorn, candied pear, caramel, pink salt, crushed rock, sweet herbs and golden flowers. Merry Christmas indeed!!

 

1987 Le Pin!! The holy liquid in the Holy Grail!! Sexy Sexy!! Opulent, dense, smoky goodness with beautiful rich red and blue fruit with soft, sweet leather, damp soil and the perfect amount of spice.  No words on a screen will do this wine justice; this wine might go on my top 10 best of 2015.

 

1996 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne Romanee Premier Cru Les Beaumonts- Woah… this is still a young one! Ripe red cherry, cranberry and bright spice with a killer structure that could put any big boy Cabernet to shame. As much as I wanted more air to hit the glass, it was just too good not to keep sipping.

 

1982 Pichon Lalande- it’s ’82 Pichon Lalande- need I say more?

 

2011 Tusk- Tusk is my jam!! Rich, supreme fruit with sweet petals, licorice, spice and everything nice from Pritchard Hill.

 

holiday party 2015

The Many Terrific Bottles of the Night

1998 Dom Perignon P2

2002 Piper Heidsieck ‘Rare’

1993 Chapoutier Ermitage ‘Le Pavillon’

2004 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame

1983 Leoville Las Cases

2007 Jack Quinn

2009 Buccella

2011 Le Dome, St. Emilion Magnum

1986 Joseph Phelps Eisele Vineyard CS 6L

1986 Joseph Phelps Backus Vineyard CS 6L

1996 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Beaumonts

2014 Azur Rose 3L

NV Jacques Selosse Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne

2009 Domaine d’Auvenay Leroy Meursault Les Narvaux

1978 Lafite Rothschild

2000 La Conseillante, Pomerol

1998 Domaine Ponsot Chapelle Chambertin

1982 Pichon Lalande

1981 Pichon Lalande

NV Krug Grande Cuvee Brut Champagne

2010 Quintessa

2003 Leoville Barton

2012 Domaine Arlaud Chambolle Musigny

2009 Deus ex Machina Clos St Jean Chateauneuf du Pape

2005 Araujo Eisele Vineyard Syrah

2006 Marita’s Vineyard Select Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

2009 Rudius Panek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

2010 Domaine d’Ardhuy Grand Cru Corton Charlemagne

2011 Favia Cabernet Sauvignon

2012 O’Shaughnessy Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

2011 Robert Foley Claret Mag

2012 Futo OV|SL

2011 Tusk

2013 Guiberteau Clos de Guichaux Monopole Bizay, Saumur

2007 Monprivato Mascarello Giuseppe E Figlio

2004 Le Brun Servenay Exhilarante VV Brut Millesime Brut Champagne

2007 Vazart Coquart Special Club Grand Cru Couilly Brut Blanc de Blancs

2007 Arnaud Ente Clos des Ambres Meursault

2007 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape ‘La Crau’

2005 Match Baconbrook Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2010 Switchback Ridge Merlot

Krug Brut Rose Champagne

1981 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Magnum

2009 SQN The Thrill Of Stamp Collecting

2013 Antica Terra Botanica Pinot Noir

1998 Clinet

2004 Quiceda Creek Galitzine Vineyard Red Mntn Cabernet Sauvignon

2011 Futo Big Futo

2012 Domaine Arlaud Chambolle Musigny

 

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