By: Ryan Tedder
My inaugural Graileys post is full of enjoyment from this last weekend. We paired some amazing White Burg, Bubbles, and young Barolo with some of my favorite domestic producers-Favia and Robert Foley. It was such a pretty day we propped the door open and watched March Madness with the crew-what a great day!
We started with Gonet Medeville Rose Champagne from 3 premier crus and a whopping 1 hectare of fruit! This is a house favorite and this bottle was more of the same: floral rose petal notes, red currant, wild strawberries, and dried raspberries with an enjoyable chalky minerality and a long dry finish.
Next we had two amazing white burgundies side by side and both were amazing, albeit different. First we enjoyed the Marc Pillot Chassagne Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru 1999. The wine was drinking beautifully and showed a mature nose of marzipan, buttered bread, apple tart and yellow and white flowers. The palate added honey and cream-a rich full expression of mature Chardonnay from a great premier cru.
Next was the Bouchard Chevalier Montrachet ‘la Cabotte’ Grand Cru 1998. This wine was showing power and beauty and contained more floral notes and more balance versus the latter White Burgundy. The nose was loaded with orange blossoms and honey suckle moving into perfectly ripe bosc pears and kumquats. The palate was rich and layered with similar flavors as the nose with a crushed stone minerality and balanced acidity. The Bouchard was a delight to drink as every 15 minutes more nuance and complexity filled the glass. The saddest part was the last sip…
We moved into reds with Robert Foley’s Purple Label Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2009. You have to love how well Robert Foley makes wine! This is 100% varietal from a great year and it delivered in spades. This is not a Cab that hits you over the head with tannins and alcohol-its caressing you into delight with violets, espresso and fudge on the nose. This is followed by crushed ripe blueberries and blackberries on the attack. There is a nice creamy mid-palate where more chocolate, mocha and plum make appearances. The wine finishes smooth, long and polished.
Next was the Favia Rompecabezas GSM 2009. This is a big bold GSM from Amador County. Andy Erickson makes this wine and his signature class is all over it. The wine leads with roses and cinnamon on the nose. Black cherries, red licorice, brambly ripe wild berries, and cocoa nibs lead on the palate with grippy mouth-coating tannins. The wine had a meaty, powerful finish.
Both of these wines were so ripe and yummy we decided to counter-balance it with some tannic, hearty baby Barolo to keep us honest. The baby we decided to murder was the Gaja Dagromis Barolo 2006 – homicide has never been so delicious! The wine was young but ample-dried roses, road tar, dried fennel and red currant filled the glass. On the palate the tart red fruit included bing cherries, raspberries, and red licorice. The fennel and dried herbs paired with a nice turned earth and wet forest minerality as the wine opened. There was also noticeable spice-both hard oak spices and pepper notes. The tannins and acid fought it out bringing a nervy, long finish to the wine.
After all the meat, funk and spice we finished with a warm blanket of a wine- the Robert Foley Kelly’s Cuvee Syrah Napa 2010. If more people made Syrah like this people might actually start to seek it out! Foley tell-tale oak signature was apparent on the nose followed by a myriad of blue, purple and black fruits. Blueberries, blackberries, plums, huckleberries, mocha, cocoa, violets, fruitcake, and creamy fudge fill your mouth. Everything is balanced in a hedonistic new world Syrah lovers package. Drink up!
Cheers!