We’ve said this before and here I go again, Monday night’s are truly the greatest at Graileys! There was great energy in the Front Room with killer bottles of wine, but the company was what made the evening shine. There were stunning bottles of our Italian favorites and an unforgettable vintage reflection of the Grailey’s House Bordeaux courtesy of Dr. Richebourg. Other stars were opened as well such as the 2002 Dominique Laurent Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Beaumonts which is at a stunning spot right now; beautifully aromatic with wild rose petals and dried red cherries and crushed red raspberry. The palate was filled with the same red berries and rose with very well integrated notes of wild herbs, mushrooms and organic potting soil. The texture and finish was divine!
What a thrilling Italian lineup- these are some of the best of their regions, non of which are less than a decade old! The ’97 Valdicava Brunello was a stunner and at nineteen years of age, it still has a great life ahead of it. The 2005 Paolo Bea Pagliaro Sagrantino was as phenomenal as animal flavors can get- rustic, powerful, dense and wild. The bottle that stood out the most to me was the 1998 Ornellaia…. a dream bottle come true… Dense rich soil, leather and mocha lead the palate with rich dark berries intertwined profoundly in between. It was like drinking a pile of wonderfully spiced old leather, leaves and preserved wild black berry and plum.
Dr. Richebourg opened quite a lineup of Graileys’ House Bordeaux- Pichon Lalande. The ’83 was the surprise of the night, with a solid showing. There is no doubt the ’89 Pichon is absolutely fantastic and a favorite of mine, but last night, the ’75 Pichon made quite an impression! After four decades, the wine was beautiful in aromatics, the palate and its texture straight from the bottle! Ripe black fruit, dried tobacco, sweet cigar, fresh bay leaves, compost, aged leather and wonderful savory spices and herbs. Every element was absolutely perfect in this bottle and it gave us just enough time to appreciate its full glory before it fell off into Bordeaux heaven.
Other Fantastic Monday Night Bottles
2010 Perfect Season Cabernet Sauvignon
2015 Azur Rose
2002 Dominique Laurent Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Beaumonts Vieilles Vignes
1983 Francis Coppola Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Nicolas Jaboulet, Perrin Freres Cote Rotie
2012 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Clark & Telephone