by | July 11, 2012

“I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a Grand Cru Burgundy today…” – Wimpy

By: LA Perkel

Now, even Wimpy would likely promise to pay you Friday for a taste of three Grand Cru Burgundy on a Thursday. Grand Cru, the highest level of vineyard classification of Burgundy represents just over 1.3% of the region’s production. So opening three on a random afternoon must be a particularly special day. Well, ordinarily… it is a way of life at Graileys. This particular Thursday was no different.

A 1997 Remoissenet Richebourg was first in the line-up. Initially tight with subdued flavors, and firm acidity. It eventually opened to reveal darker fruit of dark plums, black cherries, raspberries along with spice and espresso. Full-bodied and opulent with slightly sappy tannins on the finish; very primary right now. I would love to see this wine with another 10 years of bottle age.

The 1998 Jadot Clos de Beze followed suit showing high toned aromas of  tea leaf, cherries, red currant, beetroot and earth. This wine seemed more evolved with harmonious acidity and tannins along with the savory tea leaves and earth notes on the palate. I really enjoyed this wine’s definition and fresh acidity. Persistent length.

The 1997 Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin was opened next. This is a domaine wine as opposed to a negociant bottling; Drouhin owns .53 hectares in Griotte. This was a wine of beauty and finesse. The “fruitier” of the three with bright cherries and raspberries, a nuance of rosehips, silky tannins, fresh acidity. Drink now.

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by | July 9, 2012

A Fun Saturday Night!

By: AJ McClellan 

Saturday was a great night in Graileys! The 99 Blankiet surprised me with how softly it was drinking, but the wine of the night was the 99 Charvin by far. A lovely CDP with all the classic earth notes that you are looking for in an old world wine!

 

1978 Silver Oak Alexander – An interesting bottle of wine. The fruit had faded to an old dusty plum that lent heavily on a wall of old oak and spice. There was also a huge note of allspice, cardamom, and cigar box.  

1999 Blankiet Estate – I was very pleased by the 99 Blankiet. The nose showed delicate black and red cherry with notes of lavender and chewing tobacco. I thought the wine was a little light for its age and while it was drinking great in the glass I don’t think it has much time left in the bottle.

1999 Jaboulet La Chapelle – This was my first time to try the 99 La Chapelle, and unsurprisingly it was fantastic! Familiar notes of black fruit, tanned leather, smoke, and game came from the glass. Another triumphal vintage for this great wine.  

1996 Pavillon Rouge – I had a lot of fun with this bottle. When we opened it the wine stank like used baby diapers but within five minutes it had morphed into a lovely wine showing classic Bordeaux earth and forest floor like qualities. The longer I left the wine alone the better it got evolving to show some black currants and smoky minerality.

2006 Hourglass Cabernet – This is a great bottle of Cabernet showing boisterous black fruit with pine and clove on the back end. The palate was very nice with tannins that were just beginning to soften and a lovely finish of purple flowers and wood spice.  

1999 Domaine Charvin CDP – A classic CDP with earthy aromas of animal fur, tar, leather, and barnyard. The fruit was light but still crisp with boysenberry and brambleberry with a long finish.

2002 Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer To Kalon – This wine was kicking with big tannins and thick black fruit. Once you waded through the tannic black cherries and over ripe plums you get to a more delicate layer of violets and lavender. The finish showed dark chocolate with pipe tobacco.  

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by | July 2, 2012

Recently at Graileys….

By: LA Perkel

It was a smorgasbord-of-wine-kind-of-night, with a 2008 DRC Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru ‘Cuvee Duvault-Blochet’ serving as opening act early in the day. Lifted aromatics of tobacco, minerals, pomegranate, tea rose, red cherries, plums and a palate that was rich and luscious, dense and velvety showing some tannins in the back end. Finish had a touch of rose petals and a persistent length. Needs time to resolve some of the tannins, but perfectly enjoyable now for its fresh, well-integrated acidity and sexy texture. This cuvee isn’t produced every year. Its debut vintage was 1934, made a reappearance in 1999, was bottled again in 2008, and once again in 2009. This is a product of younger vines or second passes in the vineyards that are then blended and vinified as Cuvee Duvault-Blochet. On years that the wine isn’t bottled, the juice is simply sold off.

 

Next, I decanted a bottle of 2001 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino. Dark and saturated ruby/purple core hinted at this wine’s powerful structure. Intense tar, smoke, black cherries, and tobacco characterized the aromas. The palate was compact, firm, and tight. This needed a lot of air. Fortunately, we had time on our side. The wine’s owner was not going to be back at Graileys for another four hours. Score! Fast forward four hours, the wine showed a more opulent palate, more fruit intensity, and complexity. Hint of dried herbs, plums, cured meat and minerals. But it was still aggressively tannic for casual drinking sans food. A big slab of dry-aged porterhouse or bone-in ribeye will certainly melt those tannins. Or additional five years in the cellar. Excellent wine, just not ready for prime time.

 

As palate cleanser, a 2000 Remoissenet Montrachet ‘Cuvee Thenard’ was poured. I love the subtle power of this wine. Acacia, stone fruits, citrus, and a hint of minerality. Broadly textured, smooth and refined balanced by a vibrant acidity that further lengthens that incredible finish. A memorable Chardonnay. The 2007 Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru ‘Sous Le Dos d’Ane’ that came next was a dramatically different rendition of Chardonnay. The Meursault had a discernible oaky vanilla to the nose than the Montrachet. It seemed riper on the palate as well with pear, white peach, lemon, quince flavors along with a touch of pineapple on the finish. A 2003 Jadot Clos Vougeot was opened next. It was ripe with intense dried cherries, plums, sweet spice, oak, roasted coffee and undergrowth. Noticeable sweetness of fruit. Fleshy and dense on the palate. The 2001 Jadot Bonnes-Mares also hit the table and I really liked the nose on this wine; perfumed with bright black raspberrie, cherries, and spice on the front and more savory notes of leather and cedar hovering in the background. Nice hint of minerality. Seemed more together than the Clos Vougeot and fresher in its plush palate.  The 1997 Christian Remoissenet Romane-St-Vivant was up next. It was muted and hot at the same time. With air, the palate did show a roasted cherry, damp earth, and stewed plums. It seemed flat and it just fell off on the finish. Didn’t like this wine. The New World was represented by the 2009 Chateau Boswell Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. I enjoyed this wine’s upfront aromas of black cherries, cassis, mocha, and a touch of floral note. Rounded mouthfeel, supple and well-integrated tannins. Cassis-filled finish. This wine is drinking well now providing pleasure with its ripe fruitiness and opulent texture.

 

 

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by | June 26, 2012

Saturday Night Wines!

By: AJ McClellan

Saturday evening has become a great night to stop into Graileys for a relaxing evening. Last Saturday however was crazy with half a dozen members dropping by, all with bottles in hand to pop and drink on the hot summer night…

2009 Chateau Boswell Cabernet – This is a sensational cabernet, especially for the age of the bottle. Soft tannins with big pronounced fruit. This wine is drinking great right now!

1989 Cos d’Estournel – This bottle of Cos was not drinking as well as I was hoping. For a great vintage the wine was a little lean with astringent tannins. The fruit was still there showing notes of black plum and cherries.

1997 Leroy Corton Charlemagne – This wine is superb every time we open it. Popcorn notes with citrus fruit and great acidity.

2003 Pavie – This wine is still in its youth with giant prime fruit and impenetrable tannins.

1998 Domaine Leflaive Les Combettes – This Burgundy was showing almost as well as the Leroy with more honeyed characteristic.

1988 Poggio Al Vento Brunello – A great rustic wine that was showing sour cherry, dried black currants, tanned leather, tilled compost, and smoke meats.

2000 Dominique Laurent Beaune 1er VV – A fun bottle of wine. Soft tannins with bright red fruits, great minerality, and a lengthy finish.

1996 Krug – This could be the wine of the night. A fantastic bottle with great minerality, and great complexity on the nose and palate.

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by | June 21, 2012

Chardonnay Thrilla at Graileys….

By: LA Perkel

Okay, this wasn’t just any Chardonnay, this was a wine quartet representing three Burgundy grand crus – the grandest forms of Chardonnay. It’s always a (rare) great opportunity to taste these wines side-by-side as only then can one get the nuance that comes with vineyard site, producer, and vintage variations.

The 2000 Ramonet Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet was absolutely amazing – powerful and broad with  grilled hazelnuts, roasted pear, toast, graham cracker, and butter notes. The wine’s racy acidity was a great foil to its tremendous richness; seamless mouthfeel. The long finish was marked my great density.

 

The 1996 J-M Boillot Corton-Charlemagne was sadly suffering from premature oxidation (or premox) with sherry-like aromas of almonds and salty minerality. Apples, butterscotch and honey dominated the luscious, creamy, rich palate. I next got a sip of 2000 Bouchard Chevalier-Montrachet ‘La Cabotte’. The nose showed complex flinty, citrus, and floral aromatics that led to a full-bodied yet delicate structure on the palate. Incredible depth, finesse, and balance. With air, the wine started showing golden delicious apples, quince, and more lemon notes. Elegance in a glass. I admit I’m becoming smitten with Bouchard lately. A taste of the 1998 Latour Corton-Charlemagne came my way next. Ripe fruitiness infused with vanilla marked this wine’s nose. The palate showed the same ripe character. Fleshy, rich and creamy textured. Lemon cream pie, anyone?

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by | June 18, 2012

The Montrachet Shake….

By: LA Perkel

The golden, viscous liquid being poured into a glass looked decadent. As each of us reached for our glass and took a sip, a unanimous “ahhhh” can be heard around the bar area. The 1995 Lamy-Pillot Montrachet is in prime drinking window. We all instinctively started swaying and shaking; this wine was perfection inspiring the “Montrachet shake” moniker. With Amy Winehouse’s The Girl from Ipanema in the background, we swirled, sniffed, and tasted this luscious, complex, and elegant wine. Toasty, spicy, floral, with grilled hazelnuts, brown butter, buttered popcorn, and mushroom undertones. Creamy and rich palate, amazing depth, and impressively balanced. The luscious texture was complemented by spice and persistent acidity. Very long finish.

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by | June 11, 2012

Happy Birthday!

By: AJ McClellan

One of our members had a smashing birthday party here with us Saturday night. As you would expect, some absolutely remarkable bottles were opened during the party but there were a few that were held in reserve for the birthday boy. Below are the highlights of the night…

1991 Remoissenet Chevalier Montrachet – A great example of white Burgundy. The wine showed slight signs of oxidation but nothing out of the ordinary for a wine with twenty years of age on it. The nose has a hint of almond with toffee, lemon custard pie, and great minerality. The palate was complex with a great finish.

1996 Pichon Lalande Magnum – The 96 Pichon is a great bottle of wine and out of a 750 it is drinking very well right now. In Magnum the wine is still a little young although after some time to open up the wine flourished showing slight notes of jalapeño, forest floor, and dark red cherries.

1999 Mouton – Another bottle that was a little young but with some time it opened up beautifully. I was immediately struck with a nose of bramble and barley with a slight floral notes and hard black fruits. The palate was grainy with rough tannins but I think in time it will mellow out a little and become a very nice bottle of wine…

1995 Bacchus Merlot Jeroboam – Now this was an interesting bottle of wine. I feel that it was in a perfect drinking window right now and the wine went down smooth as silk. Brooding blueberries with straps of well worn leather and pipe tobacco on the nose and palate.

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by | June 7, 2012

Hella Tuesday….

By: LA Perkel

Well, it started out quietly enough with a member walking in around 4pm by his lonesome. Simon promptly opened a bottle of 2007 Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru ‘Sous le dos D’Ane’. This is a recent buy for us and we were so impressed by the wine’s purity and precision that we sent out an offer to our clientele singing the wine’s praises. Needless to say, we had a successful run with it. It was great to revisit this wine and we were ecstatic that it delivered. The nose showed wet stones, lemon, green apple, and a hint of oak. On the palate it had a round texture with roasted hazelnuts, stones, quince, pear, and a vibrant, focused acidity. Still for a Meursault, this wine lacked a middle palate structure and showed a more racy side, although with air, it did gain some richness with subtle tropical notes. The finish hangs on with a chalky note.

The white was followed by the opulent, ripe, and mouth-coating rich 2006 Scarecrow. This wine is a hedonist’s delight as it doesn’t hold back. It’s like a blackberry pie with shavings of bittersweet chocolate and a touch of licorice. Just because this is Graileys and we heed our own rules, the elegant, vibrant, and complex 1969 Remoissenet Clos Vougeot hits the table next. Compellingly fresh with bright red fruits, savory rhubarb, and a touch of earth and mushrooms. Silky textured. We’ve enjoyed some great moments with this wine. The sad news is, there’s one bottle left in someone’s stash. But on a good note, we’ve had great moments with this wine. We vowed that we were going to save that last bottle for a very special occasion… we’ll see. 2001 ‘Bin 707’ Cabernet Sauvignon from South Australia was opened next. This was clearly a great wine for the long haul; tannic structure balanced by massive fruit. Unless I had 24 hours to decant, I won’t touch this bottle for another 5 years, at least. It was more expressive on the nose with mulberry, eucalyptus, cedar spice, blackberry, and plums, but the palate had grippy tannins, brooding and compact core, it was an effort getting to the fruit. In contrast, the 2004 Beringer ‘Steinhauer Ranch’, Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain was open and plush with smooth, sweet tannins and pronounced fruitiness. Aromatic cassis, vanilla, black cherries and a touch of loamy earth.

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by | June 1, 2012

A Good Night at Graileys

By: AJ McClellan

We had a fun night yesterday. One of the busier days we have had in the shop, it was a great opportunity to taste some fantastic wines! A few I have had before but it was nice to try the Laurent, especially when it went form not very good to pretty darn tasty. The Sea Smoke Ten and Kosta Browne side by side were also very interesting….

 1999 Dominique Laurent Clos de la Roche – This is a fun bottle. When we first opened it up I thought that the wine was possibly heat damaged. The wine was not showing well with burnt notes and muted fruit. After about twenty minutes the wine started to come to life showing rustic sour cherry with a great minerality and lovely finish.

1993 Dalle Valle Cabernet – The cork was a little dry and broke when I was trying to open the bottle. I thought the wine was a little oxidized showing notes of iron but many of our members around the table liked the wine…. Just goes to show, the only good wine is a wine you like.

2005 SQN Atlantis fe2 – Every time I try this wine it just seems to get better and better! Dark fruit with smoky tannins and a lovely finish of plum, leather, tobacco, and anise.

2008 Sea Smoke Ten – This is a big, bold bottle of Pinot! Huge black fruits with a moderate acidity and surprisingly some rocky minerality.

2002 Pilliot Batard Montrachet – A great bottle of Batard. Rich and creamy on the palate with notes of honeysuckle, quince, and honeyed pear.

2010 Kosta Browne Russian River Pinot Noir – Another giant Pinot Noir. The Kosta Browne has big fruit with some spicebox and notes of leather and syrah like qualities.

1999 Arietta Merlot – This bottle was somewhat disappointing. The palate was a little flat with fading fruit and no real tursherary characteristics to speak of.

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by | May 30, 2012

Sharing is Caring

By: AJ McClellan

There are many things that make Graileys unique. Not only do we have a great selection of wines, and a knowledgeable staff of sommeliers that can help you with any of your wine needs, but most importantly we have some of the greatest members that you could ask for. Friday one such member went above and beyond, opening a plethora of remarkable wines that brought the whole room together uniting us in our love for the juice.

Friday was an epic day. The whole room was full and we had several groups of members in. One member in particular was kind enough to not only pop some great bottles but he opened several of each wine so that everyone could get a good taste. This to me is what Graileys is all about, and I would like to say thank you for your generosity.

1969 Remoissenet Clos Vougeot – The 69 Clos Vougeot was phenomenal, drinking with soft tannins and fresh strawberry and cherry notes that defy the age of the bottle.

2 x 1999 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenue Batard Montrachet – One of the best bottles of white wine I have had this year. The nose had notes of honey and caramel with a hint of toast and popcorn. The palate was full of laser like acidity and had a limestone finish that was to die for.

3 x 1998 Penfolds Grange – A stunning example of what you can accomplish out of Australia. 98 Grange is a monster wine with big black fruit, smoked meats, bell pepper, eucalyptus, and a great rocky minerality.

2003 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet 6 Liter – This is a party in a bottle. The wine went all the way around the room and still had 2/3 of a bottle left. Soft black fruits on the nose and palate with silky tannins and hints of tobacco and leather on the finish.

In addition to the great contributions by one member, there were some other exceptional bottles of wine opened for the table that deserve mention…

NV Le Mesnil Rare Wine Co – This is a special bottle that was bottles just for the Rare Wine Company. The wine was lacking the sourdough note that many Champagnes have but the fruit was very fresh.

2004 Cristal – This bottle just gets better every time I taste it. The nose showed lemon peel with white peach, and great mineral notes.

1995 Dom Perignon – When opening this bottle I thought it would be a little too young but after pouring it in my glass I was pleased to find lovely yeasty notes with a dark honey and concentrated quince. A really fun bottle of wine.

2004 Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque – The tete de cuvee of Perrier Joulet, Belle Epoque, is drinking well but pales in comparison to the Dom. Bursting with yeasty notes and huge effervescence, this bottle drinks very well but needs more time in the bottle to calm down I think.

Below are some other wines that we had on Friday that deserve honorable mention…

Needless to say, it was a pretty awesome night!

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