Graileys Fine Wines Blog

With Easter weekend, Friday was pretty slow and I thought I would not have much to write about for today’s blog. Boy was I wrong! Nothing stops us at Graileys from opening up something fantastic and even though it was quiet, it was nice to spend it with close friends over great bottles of wine. We first started out with stunning reds from Burgundy, Bordeaux, and California; but with spring season upon us, we finished the evening with a Chardonnay focus and opened stellar examples from their respectful regions.

We started with a comparison of two amazing Grand Cru white Burgundies: 2004 Vincent Girardin Corton Charlemagne and 2001 Bouchard Pere & Fils Montrachet. The Corton Charlemagne was elegant with evenly layered spices: candied ginger, soft vanilla and nutmeg with hints of wet stone minerality- an absolutely wonderful bottle of GC white Burg. However, to be honest, the 2004 Girardin Corton Charlemagne seemed like a middle child when we tasted it next to the 2001 Montrachet by Bouchard and the 2011 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay- a little overlooked and underappreciated.

The 2001 Bouchard Montrachet was the stunner and completely dynamic! From the start it was loaded with wet rock and lean citrus zest. With time and more air it melded into weightier orchard fruits of candied pears and preserved lychee in the mid-palate with layers of wild yellow flowers. The complex spice and flinty notes were persistent from the beginning to the very awesome end.

We also opened two Chardonnays from the New World that made quite an impression. The 2011 Leeuwin Estates Art Series Chardonnay from Margaret River almost stole Montrachet’s limelight. Deeper in honeyed stone-fruits, orange zest and fresh orange blossoms, the acidity was on point, cutting through the rounder exotic fruits and the fatty, toasty nut. This was the glass we all kept going back to throughout the night, after we finished the Montrachet that is.

Going full throttle, the 2007 Mayacamas Vineyards Napa Valley Chardonnay offered concentrated white pineapple, notes of candied banana, juicy ripe melon and sweet fresh herbs. Rich in texture as it was in flavors; this is not a Chardonnay for the light-hearted- full bodied and mouth-coating with unyielding flavors.

Other Killer Bottles of the Night
NV Godme Pere et Fils Champagne
2012 Georges Noellat Vosne Romanee
2005 Rapet Pere et Fils Corton Grand Cru
2011 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
2010 Macan Rioja (Collaboration of Benjamin de Rothschild and Vega Sicilia)
2010 Jack Quinn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
1995 Marchesi di Gresy Martinenga Camp Gros Barbaresco
1990 Chatea La Louviere Pessac Leognan
1997 Dalla Valle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Is there ever a bad night at Graileys…?… Because Friday was not bad at all! It was a killer night focusing on great old Bordeaux and sexy California Cabernet. We opened Gaja’s Super Tuscan label: 2012 Ca’Marcanda Promis to share with our members. Opulent and exceptionally dense, this Merlot, Syrah and Sangiovese blend from Bolgheri was very approachable with dark juicy black and red fruit, a touch of fresh herbs and mint, and an enticing texture that was incredibly supple. Truly a great value, everyday drinking wine; with its weight and concentration, this Italian wine was a bottle that was enjoyed by all.

Aside from our Super Tuscan bottle, it was back to the Graileys’ grind and boy do I love this “grind” with many bottles of old wonderfully complex, aged Bordeaux and bold and juicy California Cabernets. The standouts of the night were the 1990 Les Ormes de Pez- softened fruits and elevated dusty earth, dried herbs and tea welded together with dried red petals, old tobacco, spice, and cedar. The ’95 Pichon Baron showed exceptionally well this evening with its signature PB power and depth. I can’t not talk about the 1998 Mouton. It was only powerful and majestic with deeply concentrated black fruits, graphite and espresso with perfectly integrated layers of soft leather, cassis, and spice. Did I mention there were never-ending layers of dried herbs, cedar, and sweet fruit with silky tannins that lead to a supremely long finish…?

From this side of the great pond, we opened many bottles of big, juicy, attention grabbing California beauties. The 2011 Gargiulo G Major 7 never lets me down. Deep sweet black berries, licorice, sweet mocha and smoke all intertwined in a mouth-coating velvety texture. Gargiulo is one of my guilty pleasure Cabs I can’t resist. Speaking of guilty pleasures… the 2012 Pahlmeyer Merlot gets me every time! We have gone through at least a case of this merlot by now at Graileys and this can keep on coming. Super plump black and red cherries, sweet violets, cocoa, sweet vanilla and spice. Smooth, generous in flavors in that same mouth-coating velvety package- it’s just a rocking merlot that always delivers. 2012 Gandona Encosta Cabernet Sauvignon has been my new Cali Cab craze. From Pritchard Hill by Philippe Melka, you can’t go wrong with this bottle. Powerful, concentrated, yet incredibly balanced. Sweet violets and blackcurrants start off its lively aromatics with juicy currants, wild berries, and plums in the palate. Within all that sweet fruit and strength, there are notes of charcoal, cocoa, and herbs; but with this wine, I’m all about the juicy fruit it has to offer. I saved the biggest wine for last with the 2011 Tusk. Also by Philippe Melka, the Tusk is literally a sexy beast. Huge, monstrous, powerful, brooding; this gargantuan Cabernet can rest for decades to come and still come back with a powerful blow.

Friday Night Lineup
Doyard Cuvee Vendemiare Premier Cru
2002 Piper Heidsieck Rare
Krug Grande Cuvee 375ml
2009 Arnaud Ente Meursault Clos de Ambres
2012 Benoit Ente Bourgogne Chardonnay Golden Jubilee
2009 Kosta Browne Kanzler Vineyard Pinot Noir
2012 Ca’Marcanda Gaja Promis
1990 Les Ormes de Pez St Estephe
1995 Pichon Baron Pauillac
1998 Troplong Mondot St Emilion
1998 Mouton Rothschild
1995 Duckhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
1999 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Gargiulo Vineyards G Major 7
2011 Tusk Cabernet Sauvignon
2012 Pahlmeyer Merlot
2012 Gandona Encosta Cabernet Sauvignon

What a crazy good night it was last Friday. The front room was packed with great friends and of course, great bottles of wine. The tables were a different field this night with Italian wines dominating the glasses compared to the usual Bordeaux and California stars. But whether it was from Bordeaux, Italy, California, Burgundy or Champagne, this was a night filled with favorites… but I should have foreshadowed the bottles to come as this night started with 30 year old bubbles of Dom Perignon. Classic Dom Perignon… Can Ah-mazing be my descriptor? ~Because it is. Deeply colored, cherry pith, baked apple and pear with a touch of honey, yellow flowers and layers of toasted nutmeg spice with hints of deep flinty minerality and sweet lemon rind. Like I said… Amazing.

1988 Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino- I died and went to wine heaven and the angels pour this by the glass. Dried plums and preserved red fruit, soft leather, dried rosemary and herbs with intricate layers of rich spice and hints of savory balsamic notes all perfectly woven with seamless tannins into a beautifully refined Brunello.

1989 Mascarello Barolo Monprivato- My favorite of the night! Ridiculously delicious. There was no dominant layer here- all of the flavors have bonded in complete delicious harmony.

1990 Gaja Barbaresco- The baby of the bunch with incredibly fresh and juicy black fruit, graphite, licorice, and dried floral tones, spice, and cedar with a touch of smoke. All were showing perfectly and lusciously and was great to try next to Marchesi di Gresy’s single vineyard Barbaresco.

1997 Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Martinenga Gaiun- Another favorite of the night! Wild flowers and aged spice, loads of star anise, wild herbs, roasted cardamom, mocha and cigar all locked flawlessly with its plump cherry and dark plum fruit. This was the wine I kept going back to all night and each taste was a like a new experience with different flavors weaving in and out as I revisited this glass.

1995 Louis Latour Chevalier Montrachet GC Les Demoiselles- A wonderful treat! It showed its full power yet with elegance and charm. Intense golden apples, bruised pears, ripe melon and hints of wild honey rocked out the mid-palate while white and yellow flowers, candied ginger and sage with loads of toasted spice lingering in the extended finish.

1978 Remoissenet Pere & Fils Volnay Clos des Chenes- I feel like every other wine is described as a ‘favorite’ of mine, so let’s proceed and call this red Burg a favorite too! Dried black berry and red cherry preserves, soft earth, dried rose and spice. Wonderfully savory, yet beautifully polished and the lively minerality and acidity kept the wine deliciously fresh to the end of the night.

1994 Chapoutier Cote Rotie La Mordoree- Heavy hits of blackberry, raspberry, smoke, gravel and black peppered meat struck the palate with each taste along with silky layers of violets, herbs, olive tapenade and sweet tannins softening its blow. This was a perfect flavor pendulum of savory and fruit, continuously striking monstrous flavors without a hint of being ceased.

1966 Ducru Beaucaillou- This was the curve-ball of the night that shot a home run towards the end. (I clearly have never played baseball nor have I watched a single game from start to finish.) This ’66 Ducru was just waiting to be opened as it expressed power, depth, and grace with its proud deep herbaceous notes, preserved plums and black currant, dark pepper spice, cedar, and rich tobacco.

Last Friday was a great night at Graileys, hanging out with the one and only Ivan the Fiver and winemaker extraordinaire Mike Herby. We began our Funday Friday with a tasting through Mike Herby’s delicious red wines: Relic Wine Cellars. My favorite of his lineup was the 2012 Kashaya Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir that expressed sweet black cherry and baking spice through a rich palate that was counterbalanced by integrated acidity and focused minerality.

A lot of bottles were opened Friday night, so I am only hitting my favorites from the bottles I have tried. There were two ‘90s California stars that were incredibly memorable. We opened the inaugural bottle of Galleron Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon- 1993 vintage- rich dark fruit, layers of leather, spice, dark chocolate and deep graphite all in a ridiculously seamless body with a long finish. A mighty fine bottle of 1999 Bond Matriarch was also opened and showed amazing deep black berry, black currant and dark plums were still opulent as smoke, gravel, and licorice weaved throughout the palate.

We also opened a 2000 Valandraud that was my favorite of the night! Sweet black plums and dark wild berries, espresso, dried violets, dense layers of charcoal, toasted spice, mocha and matured leather- I can go on and on but I will stop at Awesome!

The 1999 Le Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape was fantastic! Dried red fruits and spice perfectly blended with earthy, rustic notes of garrigue, herbs and deep minerals finishing with great length that was reminiscent of preserved strawberries and hemp oil- although I am sure that was not the exact description Friday night. It had been a slower week in Graileys with everyone out of town on Spring Break but that did not stop us from opening great bottles of wine to conclude the week.