AJ McClellan
After the ball got rolling there was no stopping it as our members went into their lockers picking their prized wines to share with Robert after he had been so kind to share his wines with us.
1995 Flaccianello – We have been drinking a lot of Flaccianello recently yet this one surprised me with a large amount of eucalyptus. Dusty red cherry with a slight hint of red liquorish and something that reminds me of sneaking into your grandfather’s attic, like dusty floorboards. Great body and balance with a finish of spiced plum cake and red roses.
1997 Flaccianello – This is somewhat of a legendary bottle around the table at Graileys, it has gone up against 100 point Bordeaux’s and Italy’s finest and come away as the best in show. It was exciting to try this wine again, and with the present company Flaccianello’s legend would be put to the test. As I nosed the wine I found, to my horror, that it smelt of damp cardboard and moldy cork, the bacteria TCA had gotten to the wine and alas it was corked. Luckily we had a second bottle on hand and as disappointed as I was in the corked bottle I was more excited when I took my first sip of the new bottle. Dry blueberries and dusty cherries up front with a slight leather twinge on the back; classic forest floor that was ever-present and showing nicely. After dissecting the wine further I discovered a field of violets planted in a bed of tar with slight toast and cedar aromas dancing in the wind. This wine is the epitome of elegance and with a finish of dry leaves cracking in autumn the Flaccianello had set a high bar for the rest of the wines.
1999 Rayas Reserve – I have always loved Rayas with its relative lightness compared to most other Chateauneuf du Papes but depth of complexity and character. The 99 was classic with bacon on the bone, white pepper, and whole black peppercorns. Upon closer inspection the nuances began to come out and I discovered mint, honeyed ham, tart raspberries, and unripe plums. This was Roberts favorite wine of the night.
1993 Grange – Big baked cherries on the nose with eucalyptus, mint, wet tar, and overripe juicy plums, blackberries, boysenberries, and black mulberry. This wine was like drinking Jam with its think concentrated tannins and juicy fruit. There was however a layer of cooking spice thrown in adding some spice to the wine.
1975 Latour – After doing some running around I got into my glass of Latour, it was sorely disappointing. Simon said it was drinking quite nicely to begin with but it fell off quickly, it took me about 45 min from the time I poured the wine until I had a chance to try it and by the time I had gotten there all the complexities had faded away and all I was left with was a nice Bordeaux but nothing fantastic.
1979 Jaboulet Cornas – After the Latour Robert went into the cellar to have a look around and see if there as anything else we wanted to try. Since he enjoyed the Rayas I recommended Jaboulet’s Cornas, after a little debate Robert swore that the Cornas was far too old to be drinking well. With that Simon scooped up the bottle and immediately opened it. Forest floor, barnyard, and vegetable ash flooded the room immediately after opening the wine. This was most defiantly the most aromatic wine of the night. The palate was light on its feet and still very lively, with strawberries, blue cheese, dried tobacco leaves, and bits of old moldy log foraged from the forest floor. The tannins were soft and smooth and the acidity was crisp and easily cut through the wine keeping it in perfect balance.
2005 Favia La Magdalena – You can’t argue with anyone who wants to open this bottle. It is so easy to drink that before you know it the bottle is gone and someone is in the background struggling to open another bottle. Melted chocolate with roasted plums and black cassis on the nose the palate was pure velvet with big cooking spice, dried tobacco, sliced black plums, and violets.
