Great to be back at Graileys after vacationing in the mountains of Virginia to help friends open their first restaurant. I heard I missed out on another great week at Graileys, but I sure did jump right back into the Graileys’ flow with a great Monday night. We tasted a 1982 Beychevelle which was just as brown as Crayola can get and was filled with notes of mature leather, toasted cedar, and espresso grinds. The palate was also dominantly showing espresso and charred tobacco with only slight hints of brambly blue fruit coming from the good percentage of Merlot that is involved in this Cabernet Sauvignon leading Fourth Growth. The tannins were soft and the finish was shorter than expected, but boy (along with the First Growth of which I am about to describe) what a great “Welcome Back to Graileys” the wines were last night.
We also tried a 2001 Mouton Rothschild which was explosive on the nose with juicy, candied red berries, red apple skins, cinnamon spice and sweet red flowers hitting the nose along with fresh herbs, cedar, sweet cigar paper, and young leather. The tannins were softer than expected but the finish was long with tobacco, red fruit, and a touch of sweet smoked spice that delicately lingered on and on.
A 2009 Arnaud Ente Meursault Les Petits Charrons was opened which always makes me happy. It had Meyer lemon curd, sweet herbs, and a wonderfully long finish that I fall in love with every single time. Perhaps I am biased towards the Ente brothers’ wines, as Benoit Ente crafts killer wines from vineyards and neighboring villages not too far from his brother Arnaud.
I tasted some great wines whilst in Virginia too. One of the most memorable wines we had was during a special dinner at my friends’ not-yet finished restaurant: the 2011 Von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Abtsberg Riesling Spatlese (which we have available on Graileys’ shelves). It had sweet stone fruits like yellow peach and fresh apricot with layers of passion fruit and quince. The vibrant notes of lemon curd and limestone minerals balanced out the sweetness of the fruit and it had this amazing creamy, mouth coating texture and a great long finish. We paired it to a wild watercress and potato soup with shredded potato and pickled onion salad with herbs and lemon and this combination was striking! The wine is great on its own, but with food: it really turns into something else.
As great of a time I had away, it feels so wonderful to be back. So far we have enjoyed a flight of Billecart-Salmon and the favorites were the 1999 Nicolas Francois Grand Cru, the NV Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru and the Billecart Brut Rose. The wine I am enjoying now as I type this blog you ask? 1992 Emmanuel Rouget Echezeaux Grand Cru, 2000 Leroy Savigny-les-Beaune, 2000 Louis Jadot Le Musigny Grand Cru. And it is only Tuesday… Graileys truly is a one of a kind experience for Fine Wine. It feels SO great to be back!
Other Great Wines from Monday Night
2005 Winstong Hill Red Blend, Rutherford, CA
2001 Verite Le Desir Red Blend, Sonoma County
2000 Leoville Barton
1993 Bruno Giacosa Barolo
2010 Favia Cerro Sur Red Blend, Napa
2012 Roar Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands
2000 Chateau Potensac Delon
2003 Del Dotto Connoisseaurs’ Series Missouri U Stave Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
2004 Seven by Vineyard 7 & 8 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain, Napa
1995 Antinori Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino
2008 Prunotto Bric Turot Barbaresco
2010 Clos Saint Michel Chateauneuf-du-Papes Grand Vin Cuvee Speciale
1988 Mastrojanni Riserva Brunello di Montalcino
2009 David Sterza Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
2012 Migration Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
2012 Scholium Project Gardens of Babylon, Suisun Valley Red