By: AJ McClellan
Yesterday was a good busy day, and as with all the busy days around here we popped some interesting and fun bottles of wine…
We started with a personal favorite of mine, the 2002 Dauvissat Sechet Chablis, which was ROCKING! Amazing soft pear and melon on the nose with a rock hard minerality at the core backed with elegant flowers and subtle spice. This wine just got better and better in glass and I must say was without doubt my wine of the night.
After a great start with the white we dove right into the reds. Starting with a 2006 Pape Clement. About four or five years ago we bought an entire pallet of this wine because of its soft tannins and approachable fruit. The wine went through a little dumb phase last year where it was muted on the palate and a little austere. I am glad to report that it has once again bloomed like a spring flower to show off the gorgeous red cherry, supple forest floor, and classic graphite that was shining so brightly a few years ago. I still have high hopes for this wine and I think that with more time in the bottle it will continue to grow and evolve.
Staying with the Bordeaux theme there, was a very nice 1994 Montrose opened which proved quite interesting. The 94 vintage in Bordeaux was indeed one of the worst in recent memory and many of the wines I have had from the year were just dead in the bottle. So, needless to say, I was very surprised to see the Montrose was showing bright black fruit with pronounced earthiness and a decent complexity. I would easily put this wine up against the 94 Mouton or 94 Haut Brion that I have had recently. That being said, I do not think that it is going to be a stand out bottle for much longer and I would drink the wine ASAP if you have one in your cellar.
Moving from the old world to the new, we next opened the 100 point 2010 Colgin IX Syrah. I first tried this wine at old Graileys with Ann Colgin herself. At the time the wine had ranked only a 94+ score and we tasted it next to the IX Red Blend that had already merited 100 points. I can remember telling Simon that as good as the Red Blend was I preferred the Syrah because of the soft tannins and the beautiful fruit expression. Lo and behold, one year later the wine is re-rated to 100 points and when you taste it you can easily see why. Wafts of bacon fat and campfire filled the air around the bottle as soon as the cork came out. Once in the glass the wine showed lush tannins sticking to the palate like a snuggie on your tongue. The fruit was predominate and powerful showing no signs of fading with black currants, black berry, and ripe blue berry. This was a very nice wine with plenty of power and lots of complexities.
Up next on the Napa train was the remarkable 2010 Bond Quella. This wine was a powerhouse in the glass blowing out all kinds of black fruit, coffee, raspberry and cedar. The wine was surprisingly soft on the palate given the ferocity of the nose. The tannins were powerful without being obtrusive and finished with a softness that was beguiling.
What an awesome night! Thank you all for the fantastic wines….