By: AJ McClellan
Yesterday we had a torrential downpour yesterday we were expecting few, if any, members to stop into Graileys. These are my favorite days, when we have 5-10 people around the table all sharing some great bottles of wine and talking about the different intricacies and what makes one bottle special over another.
We started with a 1987 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard. The Heitz was classic in all sense of the word. There was the typical green note on the nose and palate that defines all the Martha’s Vineyard wines with dark plum, and black cherry for company. The body was pleasant, but a little thin on the mid-palate. After some time in the glass the wine filled out a little but was still not as good as some past vintages I have had. After the Heitz we opened the 2005 Domaine Coste-Caumartin Pommard 1er Le Clos Des Boucherottes which I was not very impressed with. The wine was pungently earthy on the nose with notes of manure and moldy wash rag. There was some fruit on the palate but they were covered with unsavory notes that did not give me any inclining to take another sip…
The wines started to look up when we opened the 2011 Domaine Leflaive Macon Verze. This little white Burgundy that could was stunning! Lemon zest with exciting minerality and a crisp finish. I was very pleased with the complexity in this bottle and it kept me coming back for more glass after glass. Wow. We finished the night with a couple bottles of 2009 Capture Alliance Red Blend. This bottle by Denis Mortet is one I was toting heavily last year. Well after some time in the bottle it has definitely gotten better. Soft tannins with lush red and black fruit are the calling cards of this wine. Lacking a little in minerality but there is still a nice balance to the wine and a long finish. All in all I would say it was a great night with great friends!