by | September 19, 2012

Chateau Boswell/Jacquelynn visits Graileys

 

We had some fun time with Matt Simpson who stopped by Graileys last Friday with the 2010 releases of Chateau Boswell and Jacquelynn wines. With a few members already poised to start their weekend, we opened the 2010 Jacquelynn Cuvee Blanc as a starter. Looking towards Bordeaux for inspiration, this barrel-fermented wine, equal parts Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, was very aromatic with intense fresh cut grass, lemongrass, apricot, and honeysuckle notes wafting from the glass leading to a palate that was medium-bodied with a textured mouthfeel.  A riper fruit of melon, apricot, and nectarine marked the palate. Zippy acidity. The 2010 Chateau Boswell Chardonnay ‘Voyage’ Russian River Valley was popped open next. This was classic California in its hedonistic, rich, well-oaked style. Toasty, poached pear, brioche, and peach on the nose and palate. This is a mouthful of a Chardonnay that screams for food. The 2010 Chateau Boswell Chardonnay Dutton Ranch Rued Vineyard that we tasted next showed a crisper, more exuberant side with a pronounced minerality and citrus overtones that I preferred to the Voyage’s luscious style. The 2010 Chateau Boswell Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was poured next. There was no mistaking Napa’s trademark in this bold, forward fruit, supple Cabernet Sauvignon. Tons of vanilla, blackberries, black cherries, and cassis characterized this wine’s nose and palate. This was followed by the 2010 Jacquelynn Beckstoffer-Dr.Crane and the 2010 Jacquelynn Oakville. Beckstoffer Dr. Crane was rounder on the palate with silkier and more refined tannins on the entry before finishing with some grippy tannins. This was more approachable than the Oakville bottling which was firmly structured with big, grainy tannins. Personally, I liked the Oakville better. It showed more complexity and flavor depth adding savory notes of espresso, earth, and tobacco to the ripe black fruits. The Oakville Cabernet needs a long decant if not at least another decade of cellaring to resolve the tannins and allow the fruit to push forward.

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by | September 12, 2012

Tasting With Maria Ponzi

By: AJ McClellan

We had Maria Ponzi in from Ponzi Vineyards on Monday, and boy! What a tasting. The wines were a perfect representation of the elegance and finesse that you can get from Oregon.  I was particuarlly impressed with the Pinot Gris and their entry level Pinot Noir but the Reserve was a heavy hitter and a wine that will be fantastic in another 5-10 years….

2011 Ponzi Pinot Gris – A beautiful example of Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley. I have been very impressed with the recent efforts of Pinot Gris from the North West and this is no exception. Lovely floral nose of lilacs and lilies with a fresh white peach note and a soft finish.

2008 Ponzi Reserve Chardonnay – This was a very typical Chardonnay with rich buttery notes and fresh lemon/lime citrus on the palate. I liked the crisp acidity that the wine displayed along with a lighter body that balanced out the buttery finish nicely.

2009 Ponzi Pinot Noir – A very pretty Pinot Noir that was light and agile on the palate and very expressive on the nose. The wine was drinking immediately out of the bottle with a great acidity and long finish. This is an exceptional value Pinot that is a good pop and pour for the patio.

2010 Ponzi Tavola Pinot Noir – A single vineyard attempt by Ponzi. The wine was good but lacking, a little heavier than the Willamette Pinot but lacking in complexity that both of the 09’s had.

2009 Ponzi Reserve Pinot Noir – This bottle was a great attempt by Ponzi, showing bold red fruits with a complex mineral finish. This is a blend of eight different vineyards which they feel brings the best of each vineyard together in a complex palate pleaser. I though the wine was excellent but in need of another 5+ years in the bottle before it starts to really show what it can do.

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by | September 12, 2012

Domaine des Chezeaux

 

I have been eyeing this wine for months now as it sat on our must-sample rack. We finally popped this bottle open last Friday and it was a beauty! I am not familiar with this domaine so I didn’t know what to expect. But, this wine just oozed gorgeous aromatics straight out of the bottle– deep cherry and raspberry along with red currant pie notes. An underlying earth, spice, and undergrowth suggested maturity. Medium-bodied that gained in volume and intensity from the mid-palate. Succulent and vibrant. There was persistent finish with an interesting red apple twist.

Domaine Chezeaux controls roughly 60% of the vineyards of Griotte-Chambertin. There are no winemakers in the family so all their holdings are on sharecropping agreement with Domaine Ponsot, Phillip Leclerc, and Berthaut. When it comes to the Griotte holdings, both Ponsot and Leclerc farm, make, and bottle the wines for their individual domaines as well as Domaine Chezeaux’s. Ponsot has been in charge of the original Griotte parcel since 1982 while Leclerc oversees the newer parcel acquired by the domaine just in time for the 1994 harvest. Since 2002, the winemaker has been specified on the labels of Domaine Chezeaux Griotte Chambertin.

 

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by | September 10, 2012

Favia Wines

By Simon Roberts

Friday was a relaxed one here at Graileys, not hectic all. But I did have two very good wines courtesy of our friend and member, Ivan Thornton. He stopped by bearing some gems from his portfolio. First tasted was Andy Erickson’s 2009 Favia Cerro Sur. The wine sported a beautiful nose of camphor, black fruits, and cocoa. There is no hard edges on this wine; just this gorgeous mouth feel. It builds in the mouth with flavors of clove, cedar, cocoa, and black currants intermingling with subtle oak flavors that leave a very satisfying finish. I could only pry five cases away from Ivan.  It is $159 per bottle and worth every cent! We have tasted with Andy here on numerous occasions; earlier this year, we did the first ever vertical tasting of Favia’s Cerro Sur and La Magdalena wines. That tasting proved to be a great testament to his genius as his wines showed how they could age beautifully. Andy and his wife Annie are making some of the best reds Napa Valley has to offer today. These are not your typical big blockbuster wines, rather, Andy has fashioned a very stylish wines that hits on many levels.

Opening the next bottle to taste was totally a selfish act! After all,  I personally get six bottles each year of his tiny production Favia Cabernet Sauvignon. It is truly Napa’s best kept secret. It is pure magic in a bottle and a wine that is getting me back into California Cabernets. The 2009 Favia Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulously lush and smooth textured with tons of ripe fruit perfectly balanced by great acidity. If you can find some get some.

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by | August 29, 2012

Pre-happy hour

First to walk in on a quiet Monday afternoon was David E who was armed with a 2001 Tardieu-Laurent Vacqueyras that he discovered in his cellar as he was doing his inventory. The wine’s aromas were more youthful than I expected with plums, black cherries, Asian spice, and a touch of smoke. The palate was medium-bodied with a zingy acidity. It was dried out in the mid-palate and the finish was clipped. Promising nose, but it did not deliver. I think this wine’s better days are well in the past.  Shaun M, one of our out-of-town members, walked in next. I already had a 2007 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon waiting for him in a decanter. The wine was a powerhouse yet elegant at the same time. The palate was still tightly wound showing a tannic structure encased in great fruit concentration. Layered flavors of blackcurrant, blackberries, earth, tobacco, licorice, and gravelly undertones started showing after more time in the glass. This is structured for the long haul – needs to be decanted for at least three hours or better yet, forgotten in the cellar for another 10 years. The 2006 Quilceda Creek Galatzine Vineyard was opened next. This was more forward, expressive, and silkier-textured than the previous wine. The aromas brimmed with blueberries, crème de cassis, blackcurrants, black cherries, and baking spices leading to a broad, fleshy palate. This was a pleasure to drink now, a few more years in the cellar should provide more complexity.  We next tasted a pair of Richebourgs. The first one tasted was the 1997 Christian emoissenet Richebourg. This wine was thin and hollow while the finish fell through. There was stewed fruit and not much else. Way past its prime. The next one up was a 1997 Remoissenet Pere & Fils Richebourg and this one was superb with classic Remoissenet iron note along with black raspberries, plums, and underbrush.  There was tremendous richness that coated the palate, a bright acidity, and a persistent finish on this wine. After all that red, David opened a bottle of 2004 Ceritas Chardonnay ‘Porter-Bass Vineyard’ from Russian River Valley whose vibrant acidity was a great refresher to the tannins from the reds. The wine was full-bodied, ripe, and tropical-fruited but it there was a minerality and a citrusy acidity that kept the wine in check. This is a California Chardonnay I can drink especially with poached lobster with butter sauce or mushroom risotto. Then we went back to California Cabernet  with 2008 Jones Family Cabernet Sauvignon courtesy of Simon. This was expressive, rich, and opulent right out of the bottle. The palate was packed with black fruits, toasty vanilla, blueberry, and sweet spice. There are tannins here definitely, but they’re ripe, refined, and very well-integrated. You only get the glimpse of all the power and structure with the grippy tannins on the finish. This is drinking very well now.

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by | August 24, 2012

Jamonero at Graileys

By Simon Roberts

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When a member walks in with a whole leg of Jamon Iberico over his shoulder and there is a 2007 Guigal Cote Rotie ‘La Mouline’ already open, you know it is going to be a good one. Tasting that wine with thinly sliced Iberico was a superb experience, but what made it even better was the people sitting around the table and the conversation that flowed afterwards. If anybody epitomizes the Graileys feel, it was the gang gathered around the table that day. John Wall, the generous Jamon donor, is just recently back from a trip to Spain where we set him up with a memorable visit to Vega Sicilia. As he sipped his pour of La Mouline,  he told us all about his Spainish escapades at the winery. DD, coincidentally, had opened the Vega Sicilia Reserve Especial, which was a monster of a wine. Even with a two hour decant, this wine didn’t move. This was just way too young to drink now and badly needs more cellar time. At least the Guigal was magic in a glass; pure pepper on the nose with a rich, creamy, vanilla core and superb depth, balance and layers of flavors. Guigal when on like this is always steals the show, until  Brad hits his locker and pulls a 1957 Chateau Montrose. LA, Greg and AJ, all of whom had been working hard finalizing a three day inventory, finally sauntered over to the table. The Montrose was still alive showing plenty of fruit. There was a little browning on the edge but still ohh-so-good; this was definitely a well stored old Bordeaux. Dinner plans were hastily made. Suddenly, John pulled a magnum of 1989 Latour and DD fished out a NV Krug Rose from his locker. I know I just had to add to the party and so I threw in a magnum of 1992 Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes. We all head out to eat at Cedars Social, ordered some great plates and poured away. The 1989 Latour has improved significantly since my last time tasting it. This magnum was pure Paulliac with pencil lead nose, soft sweet tannins and all the flavors that make a first growth great. The Krug was well…. Krug. Perfect balanced and superb acidity with toasty nuances and tiny, fine bubbles. The 1992 Ponsot Clos de La Roche from magnum was a stunner. It poured into the glass like silk, vibrant for the vintage with smoke, earth and musty mushroom flavors. This was an exceptional night at Graileys and afterwards. You just don’t know what will happen on any given night.

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by | August 22, 2012

Pigging out at Graileys

One of our pioneering members walked in last week armed with a whole leg of Jamon Iberico de Bellota. Yes, you heard that right, a whole leg of the holy grail of Iberico ham! Nope, there was no special occasion. It was just a day when he happened to receive this special package from Dean and Deluca. You should have seen us circling this baby like piranhas as John tried his damndest to make very precise, thin slices using a Santoku knife.  It looked like a challenge. The thin slices glistened with their perfectly marbled fat. Each piece was succulent and rich with subtle and complex meaty/salty/nutty flavors. It tasted like a melt-in-your-mouth, super-rich salted butter, only better.

 

For this rare treat, we opened a bottle of 1999 La Mission Haut-Brion whose component of minerality worked exceptionally well with the jamon’s salty minerality. The 1999 was an elegant, lighter, and more herbaceous style of La Mission. It was soft textured with a good core of acidity and subtle notes of tobacco, cherry, and blackcurrants. The tobacco and dried herbs added another layer of complexity to the flavor experience.

Only at Graileys, folks, only at Graileys.

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by | August 21, 2012

Rosemary Cakebread Visits Graileys

By Simon Roberts

 

We were delighted to host Rosemary Cakebread at Graileys last Thursday. She was in town to introduce the current releases of her Gallica and Suzuri projects. In a casual setting, our members had the opportunity to ask her anything Napa Valley. Her 2010 vintage of Suzuri, a Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre blend, was its debut release. The grapes were sourced from the Shake Ridge Ranch Vineyard in Amador County, a rising vineyard star. The wine sported a lot of interesting flavors. On the nose, it had expressive spice box along with red currants and plums from Grenache. The Mourvedre provided backbone while the Syrah contributed a touch of gamey and Indian spice aromas and flavors. It was a beautifully integrated and complete wine. Rosemary’s 2009 Gallica Cabernet Sauvignon is a big cabernet that was complemented by intense fruitiness. Layered notes of dried cranberry, cardamom, and black tea led to a palate that was lush with moderate tannins.  Beautifully balanced with good acidity. These were two very nice wines from a very gracious lady. We look forward to her next visit to Graileys.

 

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by | August 20, 2012

Wine Heaven

By Simon Roberts

 

Friday afternoons are gaining great reputation here at Graileys: good wines are always opened, people are relaxed and in a generous and sharing mood collectively enlivened by the weekend ahead.  So, as usual, we had a plethora of wines shared around the tables last Friday. Some of the stunning standouts included a 1996 Jones Family Cabernet Sauvignon popped open by Keith who was hanging out at Graileys killing a few hours as he waited for his wife to finish shopping. This is a well made wine and standing the test of time. The palate has fleshed out, the tannins were softer and more approachable showing a well-rounded finish. Next up was a 2003 Vega Sicilia Valbuena 5  which was opened by The Don whose whole family was in for a pre-dinner tasting. The nose was really expressive with sandalwood, spice and big black currant flavors. For me, this wine needed a longer decant or better yet, lay it down for a few more years. This wine clearly has everything in balance, it just needs time to realize its potential. Doc Scott was in fine form again last Friday opening a 1998 D’Auvenay Meursault Les Gouttes D’Or. Wow!!! This is one of those wines that defy everything. It tastes like nothing you have had before. There was so much going on in this glass; for me, it was liquid gold showing a perfect balance of fruit with very strong mineral and wet stone flavors. The mid-palate was sensational with cream of butterscotch. It tasted like a piece of cake that you know is very bad for the arteries, but so worth the risk. I wanted more as the glass drained out. Brad strolled in next and opened a 1966 B.V. Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon. He’s had some great luck opening classic aged cabernets of late, but his luck ran out with this bottle. It was dead as a doornail. In true Brad fashion, it was time to move on and the next wine pulled from his locker was a 1991 Leroy Corton Renardes that was singing. I kept going back to this classically-made Pinot over the next two hours and it got better and better with air. Note to self: going forward, I am going to pour a couple of ounces and hide it until the end of the night and see how wines evolve over time. That is if, I can keep my stash away from L.A. Corks started popping as more members filtered in. Dr. Ellis opened a very good 1999 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon. I love Togni cabernets, they are so individual in style, so elegant and complex and always deliver. Everyone had a Friday head on such that when Keith’s wife Jean walked in the door, a 1996 Dom Perignon Oenotheque , was waiting for her. As the bottle was passed around and shared amongst everyone, this place just went nuts.  For me, this is one of the best Champagnes I have had the pleasure to taste. The nose was not at all overpowering. At first sniff I thought it was quite muted but once I tasted this and rolled it around my mouth I knew… this was a special wine. On the palate, it exploded with a myriad of flavors and completely enveloped the taste buds. Aawesome, just friggin’ flat out stunning, crazy good wine! Matt commented it may be the best Champagne he has ever tasted. Iit was superb. I did not think it could get any better but it did. Not to be outdone, Doc Scott opened a 1971 Dom Perignon. Once again, it was passed around and gasps were heard all over the room. Tasting a classic, perfectly-aged Champagne like this is a rare occasion. I had to personally police this bottle as once you get a taste of this, you instinctively want more. It is like nothing you have had before with nutmeg, brioche, butterscotch, and sourdough pulp. It tasted like a great old Montrachet with a slight effervescence. I may have to summon St. Peter to man the door next Friday the way it has been going on here at Graileys wine heaven.

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by | August 16, 2012

Greg Passed his Level 1 Sommelier Exam!

By: Simon Roberts

Congratulations to our operations manager Greg Laman. Greg has been here a year and has taken his first step to Graileys Stardom, he passed his introduction course for the court of Master Sommeliers recently at the Tex – Somm event here in Dallas.

We celebrated with a 96 Cristal and bloody lovely it was too. I have a feeling Greg will go all the way here at Graileys, our members regularly continue to comment on his personable attitude. Keep up the good work Greg.

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