Graileys Fine Wines Blog

By: Ryan Tedder

Something you have to love about really cold weather that keeps Texans at home for a few days: It invariably causes out fine members to want to drink some great big reds once they can come in and warm up! Last week was such an occasion after the frost of the early week lifted, our members come to play with a purpose. You could say a special wine purpose (for the random “The Jerk: fans out there…)

We started the party with a pair of big, burly, modern and oaky super Tuscans that are seldom encountered-especially together.  We started with a bottle of 1997 50 & 50 by Avignonesi & Cappannella. This is a pretty special wine that I had only read about when 3 random bottles showed up at Graileys. This is a blend of 50% Sangiovese from Cappannella and 50% Merlot from Avignonesi and only 25 cases ever come to the USA each vintage. The wine is lavished with new French oak and it had fully integrated into the wine. A decant was required for this brute, but with a little air the dried saddle leather, cigar wrapper, dried, pressed roses, red currant, and soy/hoison came out. The espresso roast, bitter chocolate, roasted coffee bean come through as well. There was a wet forest savory quality to the wine with air and it just got better and better as it stayed open.

We compared that to the 1997 Fontodi Flaccianello that was opened shortly thereafter from a hidden stash recently unearthed from the depths above the lockers in the back. I would say the Flacc was a classier bottle of super Tuscan but for some reason my heart was still with the brutish bottle of 50&50. Maybe it was the rarity of the bottle? Flaccianello has been a favorite of mine for a long time. The is a single vineyard 100% Sangiovese with perfect Southeast aspect in the southern hills of the Chianti region. These ripe grapes get treated to 2 full years of 100% new French oak. This tasted like a fantastic bottle of Italian St. Helena Cab because the sweet oak tannins somewhat muddied that savory qualities of great Sangiovese. The fruit, leather and oak were generous yet balanced and the wine was also begging for a decant. It was my favorite Italian wine I have had this year so far-Bravo!

After that we were treated to 3 killer bottles of Bordeaux. The 1995 Vieux Chateau Certan was decidedly vinous in my opinion but was drinking beautifully for a perfectly aged bottle of Pomerol. The red and black plums were dry as was the mocha, wet tobacco, dry fern, and powerful turned soil and black truffle minerality. The tannins were fine and silty and the wine was drinking at its peak or slightly thereafter.

The back to back second labels of first growths did not disappoint for power, quality or value.  The 1995 Les Forts de Latour was opened by our favorite Cali wine lover and the bottle was drinking with hallmark Latour power-cassis, pencil lead, dried tobacco, cedar and light bell pepper presented out of the shoot. With air the tannins unfolded and the class and pedigree of the wine came out. You be hard pressed to find a better bottle of Bordeaux drinking right now with the amount of class this prestigious bottle of wine showcased. It did not last long because the wine tasted so damn good but I would have liked to see it develop a touch more before the next bottle got opened.

We finished with my favorite second label I have had in some time-the 2000 Pavillon Rouge by Chateau Margaux!  Where to begin? The provenance was perfect from an OWC with spinning capsules. You can find this exact wine online for a a little less at a few sources but you get what you pay for when it comes to properly aged fine wine. This wine needs about an hour in the decanter bc it was shut down out of the bottle. With coaxing a myriad of aromatic complexities that are the signature of great Margaux began to fill the glass and spill out into the room. Truly great wine can be smelled from a distance and this was one such wine. Violets, crushed blueberries and blackberries, pipe tobacco, exotic incense, black truffle, cassis, new leather and black licorice were but only a small list of the profundities of this wine both on the nose and on the palate. This wine tastes like it will be good until 2030 and I would LOVE to taste it in 2020 to see how far along this stunning second label had come. What a great way to finish!