by | July 26, 2013

My week with Dom P

Who thought a dead monk could be so romantic?

The past week was hellishly crazy with a new cellar brought in packed with ‘50s and ‘60s Bordeaux as well as a vertical of Dom Perignon and Cristal. So, yes, romance was just what the doctor ordered.

We first opened a 1982 Dom Perignon on Friday before we brought in the cellar. This bottle’s elegant notes of brioche, marzipan and roasted apples along with a vivid and refined effervescence and a silky texture was an excellent preview of what was to come from this cellar. Complex with impressive length and freshness. A second bottle was opened on Tuesday when member Matt J stopped by to pick up his stash from this recent cellar. His bottle was just as beautiful with an intriguingly more pronounced undertone of yeast and baked bread. The effervescence also seemed more subtle relative to the first bottle. Simon followed with a bottle of 1985 Dom Perignon that showed more structure and power and a mineral backbone. Very high acid. Chalky with a saline component; citrus and unripe peach.  To me, this seemed more tightly wound next to the 1982. A third bottle was tasted on Wednesday courtesy of member James R and this was absolutely stunning… buttery with almond paste, ginger, clove, juicy golden delicious apples. Yeasty and biscuity with a nice coffee-like finish. I thought this was the best showing from this parcel.

Although Dom P seemed to be the prevailing theme, some notable guests to this week that brought their A game included a dramatic and opulently structured 1997 D’Auvenay Meursault Les Narvaux. A parade of flavors reminiscent of buttered toast, apple custard, quince and peach were backed by a full body, mouth-coating richness and (thankfully) a vibrant acidity that kept the wine’s richness appropriately in check. This is definitely a flamboyant guest that defines grand entrance.

A fully mature 1989 Clerc Milon also stopped by… mellow and harmonious with eucaplyptus, tobacco, earth, licorice and a touch of plums. Resolved tannins, medium bodied and elegant on the palate. Drink now.

A fresh, elegant and perfumed 2002 Joseph Drouhin Clos Vougeot made a great showing this week as well. Tangy red fruits, spice, wild berries with silky tannins and long, sour cherry-tinged finish. With air, the wine’s fruit got sweeter becoming more generous and succulent on the palate. Thank you, Mary F!

This was followed by a 1979 Markham Cabernet Sauvignon that was interesting in how this was hanging on to life albeit barely. Fully mature notes with dusty black fruits, herbal notes, eucalyptus and damp earth.  Drink now, no stuffing left for further aging.

A bottle of 1989 Les Forts de Latour was likewise tasted this week which showed beautiful aromatics:  smoky plums, cassis, tobacco, dried herbs, black cherries and sweet spice. Fleshy and structured with the ripe cassis and licorice becoming more pronounced as the wine opened in the glass. Fully mature and in a good drinking spot.

 

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by | July 24, 2013

The Minutia of Bocce Ball

By: AJ McClellan

A few months ago Graileys took our members on a trip to Napa to have a great time tasting wines at a few of our favorite wineries. It was during this visit we stopped into Jones Family and over several great glasses of wine we played around 5 games of Bocce Ball. In fact we would have stayed there all night, the scenery was so beautiful and the company was great, but we had another appointment that night for a wonderful dinner with Bob Egelhoff.

Well, last week Graileys got its long awaited Bocce Ball court! After playing in Napa everyone had such a great time that Simon decided that we needed one in Graileys. There was some trial and error involved. At first we tried ordering just the balls, but after a few trial throws we learned that it is very hard to play Bocce Ball on stained concrete. We put our heads together and did a little research to find a solution to the problem. Then we came up with the idea of astro turf! It wasn’t long before we had a few rolls of the fake green grass to play on…

As soon as we got the court it was time to give it a roll. As chance would have it Dave was in town for the event and we immediately split up into teams. The blue team was Greg and Dave while the red team was Simon and I. We popped a stunning 2002 Joseph Drouhin Drouhin Chambolle Musigny as a little bit of Burgundy always helps the games begin. The wine was the antithesis of the Bocce Balls, soft and supple with sharp acidity and a finish that lasted through the game. And what a game it was! Simon and I started off with a 3-0 lead but it quickly went downhill as Dave and Greg continued to make great roll after great roll… After popping a 2010 D’Ardhuy Corton Charlemagne to calm the event we finally broke down after the blue team made a very controversial roll. Simon and I had to consult the Bocce Ball authorities to see if team blue indeed won the game…

After much deliberation (aka very vocal arguments) and a cream and rich 2001 Vincent Girardin Le Montrachet we have decided that the GBBC (Graileys Bocce Ball Championship) is still undecided. Although I did discover that all of the staff here at Graileys is very competitive when it comes to any forms of sports… Stay tuned for more details of the GBBC and upcoming tournaments that we will be holding.

 

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by | July 22, 2013

Great Old Classics

By: Ryan Tedder

Another great day with some new wine friends at the old Graileys. The conversation was lively and bottles were-a’poppin!

Simon opened an old bottle of 1990 Col d’Orcia Brunello di Montalcino Riserva to get things started off right. The tart red Sangiovese fruit was still prevalent in the wine as were the strawberry, sweet balsamic, cigar wrapper, dried fennel and gravelly minerality.  Dried roses, dry leather and a bracing acidity framed the wine. I would dare to say this Brunello needed more time in the bottle as it was far from done but not overly expressive.

Next we had a little treat from Bob Lindquest from Qupe. He tasted with us a few weeks back and mailed us a bottle of 1996 Qupe Syrah Bien Nacido Reserve. It was really beautiful wine-it tasted of crushed red plums, black pepper, animal, dried savory herbs, stems, dried cherries, tar and smokey bacon fat. A great new world expression of this lovely grape that was mature, soft and round.

Then we drank a bottle of one of our favorite aged Napa Cabs – 1987 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet. These Dunn wines need 10-15 years to be anywhere close to showing their full potential and this bottle of 1987 showed both the pedigree of Dunns vineyard and how fantastic the vintage was.  The ripeness of the fruit was still evident in the brambly blackberry, black cherry and black raspberry flavors that were still round and inviting. The classic “old school” napa herbaceous qualities of eucalyptus, mint and dried herbs helped balance the fruit and the gravelly, volcanic ash mountain tannnin of the wine made for quite a flavor combination.

My wine of the night (WOTN) was the 2000 Monbousquet St. Emilion Grand Cru. The Chateau has been known for a while but the quality in the latter half of the 90s took a giant leap forward. I remember the 1998 being one of the best Right Bank Bordeaux I had ever had in 2005. This was my first time to try the 2000 and now I find myself missing it lustfully. The 2000 has plump black, purple and blue fruits, tobacco, pipe tobacco, clay, potting soil, dried violets and roses,  ferns, bitter chocolate and a nice subdued herby quality. The wine was rich yet balanced and the finish just didn’t quit. A wine to find and stock up on!

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by | July 18, 2013

Bon Voyage Vino

By: Ryan Tedder

A dear friend came by this week and he told us he is moving to Hawaii next week! As sad as we are to see him go we are very happy about being able to go visit him!  Always a lover of only the best wines, he decided to pop some of his best to celebrate a safe voyage.

We started with 1978 Perrier Jouet Fleur Rose out of magnum. This wine is a year older than me and it was simply fantastic. It was tight out of the bottle but blossomed quickly.  Dried roses, frozen raspberries, underripe peach, apricot, orange peel and red currant filled the glass. The wine was still powerfully textured, full of chalky minerality and fat and long on the palate-a real stunner!

Next we popped an ancient bottle of 1968 Vega Sicilia Unico that was equally awesome.  The pedigree of this wine was hard to not be impressed with.  It took 30 minutes to open up and it really started wowing at an hour.  The layers of tobacco, coffee grounds, espresso, stewed red plums, strawberry, fig, Medjool date, walnut, gravel, and pork.  The Unico was still very well endowed and the size in the mouth was stunning.  This is a bucket list wine.

The hits just kept coming!  1997 Colgin Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon was a beast of a wine that still had unbelievably ripe fruit, velvety yet grippy mountain tannins, a nice herbal back note of thyme, marjoram, and green tobacco, and one of those long milk chocolate and caramel finishes.  If you want one of the best wines in the world that just tastes damn good and doesn’t have to be explained to you-it really is hard to beat Colgin Herb Lamb.  Too bad they aren’t making it any more:(  The 1994 was a little more red-fruited and seductive for my taste comparatively but its like rating the 1994 as 100 and the 1997 as 99-more personal preference than anything.

We also had a great magnum of 1998 Phelps Insignia that was drinking like perfectly aged, sweetly fruited Bordeaux and our new “house favorite” 2010 White Burg, the 2010 Domaine Ardhuy Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru.  If you have gotten an email about this wine from us-you need to pick up some of this one. A dazzling wine of richness, complexity and nuance-just a stunner.

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by | July 17, 2013

Love at First Sip

Last Friday was one for the books… again. There was a parade of awesome juice opened last Friday that these wines below are just the highlights of that evening.

Simon was in the UK for about a month and I suppose he missed a good ‘ol California Cabernet because as soon as 5pm struck, he was behind the bar popping the cork on a 1994 Colgin Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a compelling wine demanding your full attention with its bold, boisterous aromas of blueberry/black raspberry jam, blackberry, licorice, mocha intermingling with whiffs of lavender and dill. The palate was equally riveting replicating the same richness and expressive character. Unbelievably seamless and expansive on the palate seemingly gaining in richness and weight as flows from the front to the back. The refined, ripe and sweet tannins make this wine sumptuous to drink now. Ah-mazing! And just for good measure, a second bottle was opened and it was just as impressive.

Matt J walked in and promptly opened a red Burgundy. It was poured blind around the table and we had fun dissecting the wine. Gorgeous perfume emanated from the glass; red cherries, red plums, iron, dried flowers, Asian spice and undergrowth. The palate was structured, meaty and showed a darker fruit profile reminiscent of red cherries and a dusty component. Beautiful freshness and vibrant displaying a long, succulent finish. I thought this was an Hudelot-Noellat Romanee-St-Vivant or Richebourg while MM called this a 1996 red Burgundy. Simon, on the other hand, was going back and forth between Musigny and Richebourg settling on 1987 Drouhin Musigny. This turned out to be a 1996 Anne Gros Richebourg.

As we sipped the last of the gorgeous and vibrant Richebourg, Simon and Greg went to the cellar and fished for the next bottle. Again, this was tasted blind. This next red sported a dark, saturated ruby core and an opulent nose packed with cassis, chocolate, violets, plums and black raspberries. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate with a vibrant floral, red berry nuance that lent this wine a ‘pretty’ dimension. Resolved tannins giving the wine a rounded mouthfeel. Long finish marked by a roasted coffee/dark chocolate note. This displayed a pronounced floral nuance and expressive aromatics that it was easy to call this a Cabernet Franc-dominated right bank Bordeaux. This turned out to be a 2002 Joseph Phelps Insignia Magnum.

As is de rigeur here at Graileys, the situation only gets crazier as the night progresses… so it was no surprise that a magnum of 1989 Latour somehow materialized on the table. Pronounced notes of cedar, incense, floral, leather and cigar box laced with blackberry jam and sweet oak nuance. Full-bodied, smooth textured and unbelievably fresh.

 

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by | July 8, 2013

Independence Juice

By: Ryan Tedder

It was a ‘Merica type of long weekend at Graileys. We had a nice group of members new and old beating the summer heat and holiday weekend chicanery by sipping some tasty treats in the wine cave.  The selections were as diverse as they were delicious.  Here’s a quick run down.

My wines of the night were the 1997 Domaine d’Auvenay by Leroy Meursault les Narvaux and the 2009 Hundred Acre Kayli Morgan Cabernet Sauvignon .  Both were generous and powerful in their own right. The Meursault producer really sets my bar for the best white wines I have ever had. Domaine d’Auvenay is simply stunning-this is the personal Domaine of Lalou Bize-Leroy of Leroy fame. They measure production in bottles not cases. I have had several other bottlings of Les Narvaux and they did not even begin to hold a candle to this amazing wine.  Caramel corn, quince tart, baked apple pie, honeyed richness, a broad swath of limestone minerality-simply majestic. It’s a shame we only have 2 bottles left (tear forming in eye…).  The Hundred Acre was fantastic as well. The Kayli Morgan vineyard is up in St. Helena and this wine can hang with the best in the area.  It had saturated black, purple and red fruits and undeniable power yet the tannins were round and inviting and the oak was lush and caressing. There is a reason Cabs from Napa are so well liked-they are rich, aristocratic, generous, sweetly fruited, savory with cedar and tobacco, and seamless all at the same time. Quite a feat!

My other highlights for night (and there were plenty!) were 2002 Dom Ruinart - one of the finest Blanc de Blancs made and a true benchmark for fine Champagne. It was like drinking an effervescent and creamy white, yellow, tart green fruit melange with high-toned aromatics, honeycomb, buttered toast and lillies. Just great. The 2007 Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape was showing beautifully as well.  This wine showed more ripe pineapple than almost any wine I have ever had. The tropical notes married with honey, cream, lemon oil. 2010 Jones Family Sauvignon Blanc was oaked SB but did not taste one-dimensional and was light on its feet. It tasted like some of the best White Bordeaux made-vanilla, lemongrass, tangerine, orange, green apple, green papaya, light spice and a round, rich mouthfeel and long finish.  The 2011 Aubert Eastside Chardonnay was brought in by a member and it was a dead ringer for great Cote de Beaune 1er Cru. Buttered popcorn, baked pear, distinct mineral, and richness with finesse showcased this lovely Chard. Without a doubt one of the best American Chardonnay producers.

For reds the 1989 Chateau Olivier was showing its pedigree and how well the 1989 Bordeaux are drinking now.  Cedar, tobacco, graphite, cassis, red currant, gravel, leather, and blood-outstanding!  The 1989 Remoissenet Mazis Chambertin Grand Cru had shed its baby fat and was all raspberry tart, roses, cherry cordial, morel mushroom and silky length.  1997 Gaja Sperss Barolo was just coming into its drinking window. Tar, black truffles, black berry, cigar wrapper, dried roses, and dried black cherry was married with still striking tannins and refreshing acidity.  2010 Sine Qua Non Five Shooter Grenache was as impressive as it always is. I would love to blind this against Clos des Papes or some other riper, barrique driven CdP’s.  Lovely aromatics, lush but balanced fruit and an endless finish mark this beauty.  2009 Tortuga Cabernet Sauvignon and 2010 Zeitgeist Cabernet Sauvignon were both absolutely fantastic as well.  The Tortuga-sourced primarily from Pritchard Hill-showed its terroir with purple and black fruit, fudge, dried herbs, plum, and toasty, creamy oak. The Zeitgesit tasting like Spottswoode mixed with Abreu Cappella-oh wait-it kinda is that! Grippy velvety tannins, brooding black fruits, black licorice, black pepper, dried rose petals and an great flavor expression from attack to finish make me a believer in this wine.  Great drinking!

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by | July 3, 2013

Victory Lap

Wednesday’s Marcassin versus Burgundy tasting was one for the books. Marcassin clearly dominated the blind comparative tasting placing first, second and third places for the White Flight and taking first and third places for the Red Flight.

Well, Ivan the Fiver did a proper victory lap last Friday sharing a bottle each of the 2008 Marcassin Chardonnay ‘Marcassin Vineyard’ which catches your attention from the moment it is poured from the bottle showcasing a deep, lemon-yellow core with hints of pale gold. This wine did not hold back displaying power, richness and concentration. Still primary with upfront aromas of sweet toast, vanilla, lemon custard, corn kernel, sweet citrus and peach balanced by a mouth-coating palate loaded with ripe orchard fruits, vanilla, and sweet citrus. Fortunately, there was enough acidity to rein in all that richness and density. I’m envisioning ricotta pancakes here as I write these tasting notes. Talk about power brunch!

This was followed by the 2007 Marcassin Pinot Noir ‘Marcassin Vineyard’ which was expressive, ripe and succulent. Flavors of crushed black raspberries, blackberries, baking spices, minerality, floral and oak nuances emanated from the glass giving way to a sumptuous palate that was velvety textured, concentrated and persistent on the finish. The palate displayed remarkable freshness given its super-ripe fruit. Impressive harmony and balance. This is an incredible bottle of wine.

Victory is sweet…Right, Ivan?!

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by | June 28, 2013

One Fine Sangiovese

 

We live in a bubble. There, I said it.

So many compelling examples of wine have been poured and shared at Graileys that there are days when it feels like I am simply going through the motions. Worse is, unless the wine shows its absolute best, it is met with comments like, ‘there’s nothing technically flawed about the wine, it’s just not showing its best’.

Then one day, a wine is opened. I sniffed and knew this was going to be a special bottle. Deep aromatics of saddle leather, damp earth, dried herbs, tobacco, balsamic undertones with a core of sweet black cherry notes emanate from the glass. The palate was full and structured yet the seamless, velvety texture and the bright acidity made the wine seemingly more elegant. The sappy tannins get you on the finish with flavors of coffee and more red fruit holding court on that extremely long finish. The 1997 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino ‘Montosoli’ brought it to the table last Tuesday. I couldn’t ask anything more of this wine at this stage. As a member said with her glass in hand, ‘this is a thinking wine’… ‘I don’t even want to drink it with any food because it might dilute this perfect drinking experience.’

Such moments with a wine remind us why a simple fermented grape juice continues to seduce so many of us. Because when a moment with wine happens, it inspires and makes us irrationally happy. Or maybe there was a simpler explanation for my reaction to this wine… well, it was my birthday and I felt blissful, enveloped in pure drinking pleasure. And there was nothing technically flawed about this wine PLUS it was showing its best!

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by | June 27, 2013

Marcassin vs Burgundy!

By: AJ McClellan

A few months ago member and friend, Ivan the Fiver, and I had a discussion about the quality of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay out of California and how it rivals the great wines of Burgundy. We agreed to have a tasting of California’s best vs equivalent Burgundian wines in a grand tasting at Graileys. We agreed that the best of the best when it comes to Californian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is undoubtedly Marcassin. Their wines, especially the chardonnay, have always been some of my favorites and I don’t know of anyone that would argue for any other bottles to compete against them. The picking of the Burgundies was a much more difficult task but one I was happy to undertake.

We served all the wines blind and allowed our participants to pick their favorites before revealing the wines…. It was a massacre. The Marcassins killed everything in the tasting, taking first, second, and third in the whites and taking first and third in the reds while tying for second with the DRC Echezeaux. I was incredibly surprised by the results but after tasting the wines I cannot argue with the outcome.

We started with the 2003 Bouchard Chevalier Montrachet La Cabotte which was showing some signs of premox with a honeyed nose and a distinct apple cider palate. The wine was still palatable and was not showing poorly but was no match for the Marcassin bottles. Next up was the 2006 Marcassin Vineyard Chardonnay which was showing typical white pepper and crispy butter. This bottle brougth of the rear of the three Marcassins coming in third place. Then we came up to a bottle that I thought would be showing very well but ended up being to austere for the palate of our tasters, the 2010 Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Les Pucelles. The wine was a big ball of acidity topped with under ripe bananas and fresh lilies. I liked the wine but you could tell it was in no way ready to be drunk.

Now came the cloudy 100 pointer, the 2008 Marcassin Vineyard Chardonnay. This bottle received first place for the whites and it deserved every bit of it. Superb toastyness followed with quince, pear, white spice, and a pleasant richness that added to the body and finish of the wine. The 2001 Vincent Girardin Le Montrachet that showed fifth was very disappointing for the prestigious vineyard. When I opened the bottle is was beautiful with ripe fruit aromas and a long mineral finish, but by the time of the tasting the wine had gone flat with little fruit and a finish that had jumped off a cliff a long time ago… Last but not least was our second place winner, the 2007 Marcassin Vineyard Chardonnay. I thought the 07 was the most unique among the Marcassin wines showing a more linier palate and more minerality while losing some of the richness of the 08 and 06.

We took a break for dinner then dove right into the reds… Starting with the 2006 Marcassin Vineyard Pinot Noir. The 06 got 3rd place among the reds showing great purple and red fruits and finishing with a almost Burgundian forest floor. Matching up with the 06 was the 1999 Jadot Estournelles st Jacques which was interesting because of the vintage difference but they had similar fruit and if the 06 had another seven years of age it might adopt the familiar earthiness of this fun little burg. Winning first place among the reds was the 2007 Marcassin Vineyard Pinot Noir which was, in my opinion, still showing very young in the glass. Boisterous fruits coming out of the glass with huge floral notes and a blackberry jam that added some sweetness to the finish.

Next up was the tying wine for second place, the 2008 DRC Echezeaux. This wine was amazing in my opinion and if it has another decade to age it would have been the wine of the night. Wonderful floral notes followed by a crystallized minerality and beautiful floral notes. The wine was not quite in balance but that would be rectified with time in the bottle. The DRC was followed by the tying second place wine in the 1999 Marcassin Vineyard Pinot Noir. I thought the 99 was showing very advanced for its age and I have doubts about its ability to go much further without losing that charming fruit balance that makes it so delicious. Very cloudy and throwing a lot of sediment I was very impressed with this wine and its perfect balance after fourteen years in the bottle. Lastly we tasted the 2006 Dujac Clos st Denis which was somewhat of a disappointment for me. I decanted this wine almost six hours before the event and served it last to make sure it would have plenty of time to open up. The wine fell on its face showing absolutely nothing on the nose and weak fruit on the palate. After the tasting was over and I was revisiting the wines the Dujac finally opened up with a masculine fruit nose and muscled earthy palate. I feel like the wine opened up at the end just to tease me…

The best part of the tasting was at the end, while Ivan was gloating at the end of the table, everyone around the table started bartering between each other for glasses of unfinished wine… Ill trade you 07 Marcassin for DRC! Or some Leflaive for the 06 Chard? All in all the tasting was priceless and a great learning experience. Next time we must try doing the event with a minimum of 10 years of age on the bottles… That would be a real treat!

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by | June 25, 2013

Bollinger Big Bottle Birthday Bash!

By: Ryan Tedder

We had quite the celebration this last Friday for the Birthday bonanza occurring this month at Graileys!  In the span of just a week AJ, LA, and Ryan all had their birthdays. We decided to mark the occasion with the always enjoyable Champagne Friday at Graileys featuring a massive 6 Liter bottle (an Imperial in wine geek speak) of Bollinger Special Cuvee.

 I don’t know what it is about big bottles but boy, grape juice sure tastes better out of them!  We popped the 6 liter to kick things off at 4pm.  The Bollinger Special Cuvee NV was brought by Ryan-it was a congratulatory gift from the great people at Republic National Distributing and Terlato International for his win at Texsom 2012 – the annual Texas Sommelier competition that occurs every August at the Four Seasons in Los Calinas.  The wine showed that distinct rich baked apple and lightly vanilla-ed rich round mouthfeel that Champagnes fermented in oak vessels take on. The wine tasted like a bakery-marzipan, baked bread, buttered croissant and quince jam all came through on this fantastic bottle of juice. It got better with each successive sip. What the wine lacked in finesse it made up for in power and generosity of flavor.

Other bubbly highlights included the oft criticized yet nonetheless oft enjoyed Armand de Brignac “Ace of Spades” Silver Blanc de Blancs NV – it came across with precision and crisp, earthy flavors. Green apple, button mushroom, mint, chalk and lime came through. Per haps it need a bit of bottle age to add more layers. We really enjoyed the Lanson Black Label as well. Lanson does not use malolactic fermentation on any of their wines and the resulting wine is crisp and pure with high toned aromatics and a long finish. Yellow and white flowers, fresh cut bosc pear, smoke, toast, honey and a long bone dry finish. Even a bit of dried cherry-quite a fantastic NV bubbler!

After the bubbles came out we followed up with a number of great Cabernet Blends from around the world and a couple of whites.  There were a number of great bottles enjoyed including Modus Operandi Sauvignon Blanc, Pahlmeyer Chardonnay, Tortouga Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (WOW!), Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Chateau Monbousquet 2000 (WOW X 2) & Chateau Cos d’Estournel 1990 (Triple WOW!!!)

Some other thought provoking wines included the Pape Clement 2006 – it had a very high percentage of Merlot (52%) and came across more Right Bank in style-purple, blue and black fruits, cigar wrapper, roasted clay, dried violets and cocoa. Interesting stuff. The Markham Cabernet Sauvignon 1979 – the third vintage for legendary winemaker Robert Foley is holding up extremely well in my opinion. This is a birth year wine for me as well-the fruit is now dry-black cherry, cassis, fig- and the secondary aromas somewhat dominate the wine-dried leather, tobacco, gravel, graphite, and dried green herbs- and the finish it probably not as long as it used to be. But by-the-by a great bottle of vinous vino.

The trio of Culty but balanced Napa Cabs finished out the tasting for me and all where delicious in their own way.  The Jones Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 is the perfect example of a wine that has amazing power and generous fruit but can have elegance and almost float across the palate with soft round tannins and great acid.  If elegance in a New World Cab is your thing this is hard to beat. Purple Flowers, sweet spices, plush black cherries, mocha, and juicy red and black berries.  The Barbour Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 is always simply fantastic-I have always called it Caymus Special Select with more class. The wine is wonderfully made and layered better than almost any other wine in Napa. A myriad of red and black fruit is framed by plush caressing tannins, light toasty, coffee bean oak, and a minute long finish. Kudos to you Jim Barbour!  Lastly Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 was drank again-this has been a house favorite the last few months. This wine is BIG and very grippy. Purple and Black fruit make you stand up and take notice of this regal Cab offering. Cassis, fudge, violets, blackberry cobbler, black licorice and a powerful, wound up mouthfeel showcase the potential and pedigree of this wine by Rosemary Cakebread. Quite a trifecta of delights!

I’m glad birthdays don’t come too often – I don’t know if we could indulge like this every day!!! All of our fantastic members came to celebrate and support and we greatly appreciate them. Cheers to you all!

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