by | September 20, 2011

Dinner with Sharon Hage

By: AJ McClellan

Saturday night we had Sharon Hage cater in a 5 course tasting meal for our members. The night was wonderful with a great selection of wines and excellent wine pairings. After the meal the members opened some exceptional bottles for the table and Sharon sat down with us to enjoy in the festivities.

 

NV Henriot – This is such a superb bottle for the price. The nose is of light yeast with big pear and light lemon zest. The palate was not overly aggressive with a light effervescence and a pleasant backing of minerality and stone fruits.

1989 Jadot Griotte Chambertin – This bottle is very unique. The nose shows barbeque pit with pulled pork ribs and a great black earth backing. The palate was bold, for a Burgundy, in body and flavor with a long finish.

1990 Vieux Certan – A wonderful bottle of Bordeaux. The nose showed rocky earth with a black fruit backing. The palate was very approachable but the tannins were still hard. This bottle drinks well now but needs another 10 years.

2007 Jones Family Cabernet – A great Cali Cab that delivers every time. The nose was sweet black and red fruits with spice rack and cedar. The palate was ripe blackberry, cherry, and black currants with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove on the finish.

1994 Colgin Herb Lamb – One of my favorite bottles of Cali Cab. Every time we open this bottle it shows an impressive array of ripe black fruits with a luscious velvety texture on the palate. This is a wonderful bottle of wine!

1982 Pichon Lalande – One of my all time favorite bottles of wine. The nose always has a distinct green note that normally I would not appreciate in my wine, but somehow, in the Pichon is just another lever of complexity that sets this part aside from all others.

1969 Remoissenet Les Combottes – As always this was a stunning bottle of wine. The nose was very expressive showing dry old fruits and a plethora of spices. The palate was soft but still crisp with a great acidity and long finish.

1996 Grange – Grange is such a great bottle of wine. The 96 was very approachable for a younger bottle of Grange. The nose was classic Grange with eucalyptus, plum, and wood spice.  The palate, while massive, was round and very drinkable.

1971 Camile Giroud Clos de Vougeot – Soft on the nose and palate with old dusty cherry and big earthy notes of forest floor and garden compost. The palate was as light as the nose with an elegance and finesse that is difficult to find outside of Burgundy.

1992 Dujac Clos de la Roche – This bottle was the opposite of the Camile Giroud with a massive tannin backing and big bold earth and fruits on the nose and palate. We opened this bottle almost 8 hours before service and it was still massive in the glass. A great wine but it needs a lot more time in the bottle.

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by | September 16, 2011

A Good Day For Wine.

By: AJ McClellan

Yesterday was a good day for wine. We put together a great spread for the members that we had in and everyone pulled out a bottle to plonk down on the table. Great food, great wine, life does not get much better…

 

1998 Groffier Bonnes Mares – An outstanding bottle of wine. The nose shows bright cherry pie with notes of subtle spice and a great backing of clean earth and forest floor. The palate was bright with a crisp acidity and great minerality.

1999 Ponsot Griotte Chambertin – This bottle was a real treat to drink. The wine took a while to get going but once it got on a roll the wine was stunning. A nose of dusty cherry and autumn leaves with light aromas of tobacco smoke and broken twigs. The palate was wonderful, a medium bodied wine with great depth and complexity that grew exponentially with more time spent in the glass.

1995 Joseph Drouhin Puligny Montrachet Pucelles – The best of the Drouhin’s I have had recently. The nose still showed some oxidative notes with honey and big caramel. The palate was flabby with pleasant fruit notes of white peach, quince, and apricot.

2000 Vega Sicilla Unico – This wine just makes me laugh; it is like chewing on an old wooden sandal… So much wood! The nose was powerful with big sandalwood, cedar, plum, blackberry, and dill. The palate was massive and tannic with huge wood notes and powerful fruit. Give this bottle a good couple of decades to mellow out…

1992 Meo Camuzet Clos de Vougeot – I was impressed with this bottle of wine it was drinking great out of the gate with bright red and black fruits and hints of spice. The palate showed ripe cherries with curls of dark chocolate and a finish of earth.

1979 Pichon Lalande – This bottle was drinking a little older than some of the other 79’s we have had but it was delicious none the less. Big earth with compost, forest floor, and barnyard all rolled up into one wonderfully dirty nose. The palate was much of the same with a faint note of blackberries and prunes.

1978 Las Cases – For not the best vintage the Las Cases was drinking like a champ. The nose showed bright fruit with a powerful earthy backing. The palate was soft and drinking well with silky tannins and a long finish.

2002 Boillot Batard Montrachet – An impressive Batard Montrachet with a wonderful nose of white flowers, lemon, peach, and slate. The palate was lean and crisp with a great mineral finish.

1988 Gilette – This is a fun bottle of wine; it spends 20 years in concrete before being bottled to maintain its youthfulness. In the glass you get great color and a very bright nose but on the palate there is a complexity that can only come with age.

 

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by | September 15, 2011

Some Old Burgs…

By: Philip Robert

1949 Remoissenet Clos des Reas – This was a real treat to drink.  Still retaining fruit but definitely moving into the tertiary nuances that I love with older burgundy.  Lots of mushroom and forest floor with dusty red cherry fruit. Faded black tea leaves show up on first whiff and this is definitively burgundy.

1966 Remoissenet Lavaux St. Jacques – Another beautiful old burgundy.  I love this specific site which I think has a character that just lights it up for me.  A little burlier than the other two Remoissenet’s showing a blacker fruited profile and a little more Asian spice.  A great nose on this one.

1969 Remoissenet Les Combottes – Just a beautiful representation of older burgundy.  Still packing fruit, more red than black with a little licorice and tea.  I could stick my nose in these things all evening.  We have had such great success with these bottlings, just good stuff.  As an article I read stated – while some are not earth shattering, those that are good are VERY good.

1961 Guichard-Potheret et fils Santenay – We just had really good luck tonight.  This was one of the nicer bottles on the table.  Damp leaves and tea, brown sugar and baking spices with dusty cherry lurking in the background.  A real treat.

2008 Rivers Marie Summa Vnyd Pinot – I haven’t had an RM in a while and opened one for the table.  This was VERY good for a new world pinot.  While still larger framed it had great balance and purity of fruit.  This was best after about 3 hours (I had saved some in my glass).

2007 Hartford Court Macleans Block – Another good showing by new world pinot.  Bright cherry fruit and a nice nose.  Tasty quaffer.

1978 Haut Brion – This was brought in by one of our members .  Unfortunately this had been opened for a while and for me was just over the hill.  Not a representative bottle.

1992 Shafer Hillside Select – This was drinking beautifully with dark inky colors and a chewy cocoa black raspberry mocha going on.  Just delish and totally in balance.

2007 O’Shaughnessy Cab – Good for what it was but with so many elegant wines on the table this was just lost on me.

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by | September 13, 2011

A Great Lineup of Burgundy

By: AJ McClellan

Thursday night was Burgundy night as we popped a lineup of six great Burgs from six different regions for everyone to try. It is interesting to see how close the wine regions are to each other while noting how completely different they are in color, smell, and taste. There are a lot of manipulations that you can do in the winery, but when you are dealing with world class producers that pride themselves on allowing a terroir to speak for itself it is plain to see that the diversity of the Burgundian valley is truly unique…

 

1999 Joseph Drouhin Batard Montrachet – This bottle was just starting to come out of its shell after two hours of being open. There was a slight oxidative note but just enough to add character to the wine. The nose showed honeysuckle and almonds with a note of white peach and apricot. There was a distinct note of burnt caramel on the palate with a medium plus viscosity that made the wine coat your palate like honey.

1997 Joseph Drouhin Musigny – This bottle was great out of the gate but mellowed out and eventually fell off after 5 hours in the glass. The nose showed bright red cherries with a minerality of limestone and sandstone. The palate was alive with a bright acidity and showing great fruit with a long finish.

1997 Anne Gros Clos Vougeot – This wine was the opposite of the Drouhin, slow to start but after several hours it opened up beautifully to show soft red fruits with a pleasant minerality and a long finish.

2003 Groffier Bonnes Mares – This wine was a little tight. I have had this bottle once before and it showed much better than it did for this tasting. The nose did not give up much and after several hours in the glass the palate did not reveal anything at all…. Maybe it’s going through a dumb phase?

1999 Hudelot Noellat Richebourg – This bottle is wonderful. I have had it on several occasions and it has been stunning each and every time. The nose shows spice, black fruits, and great minerality while the palate is full and rich with great expressive plums, black cherries, limestone, and cloves.

1969 Remoissenet Nuits St Georges Les Cailles – This bottle is always a treat. We opened one up as a thank you for our members that came to the tasting. The nose showed old forest floor with dusty red fruits and a hint of cedar. The palate was still vibrant with a long lasting finish.

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by | September 8, 2011

Leroy!

By: Philip Roberts

Some nice little wines last night.  A small group of clients, distributors and importers – all with very good palates.  All wines were served blind as we really enjoy the challenge of it.

 

We started the evening off with a 1970 Mouton served blind (pop and pour).  I got cardboard and mustiness to begin with, and thought it was corked.  There was some fruit behind it though muted.  Unfortunately, at least for me it never got rid of that mustiness throughout the evening.  A shame.

97 Blaine Gagnard Criots Batard Montrachet (pop and pour) – I served this blind to everyone as I wanted to check in on this bottle for a client.  As a preface I have never had this producer but I found the wine to be very well made, still lively and overall very very tasty.  Guesses around the table ranged from late 90’s early 00’s Muersault or Batard.  It didnt have the round creaminess I usually associate with Muersault, but had more focus and lemony characteristics that I usually get out of Batard.  A really enjoyable wine that is drinking well now.

97 Leroy Corton Charlegmagne (pop and pour) – I was a little stumped at first as I have had this wine before on several occasions but this bottle was a little fuller and more round than the last I had tried.  I guessed late 90s Muersault.  Initally this was a little soft but I followed it over the course of almost 2 hours and by the last sip it was a truly gorgeous wine, totally blossoming out of its shell.  Layers of complexity, minerality and flavors.  Simply delicious stuff.

91 Armand Rousseau Les Cazetiers – served blind (pop and pour) there were lots of guesses that this was late 90s or even 02 burgundy, with the consensus being late 90s.  I called it as a 91 though I had no idea whether it was Gevrey or not.  This we knew would only get better after being in the glass for a while and rightly so.  Bing cherry and black tea dominated the taste profile for me and it was still very silky.  i usually associate Gevrey as having a little bigger frame and a little more animale but I think the age has mellowed this.  Quite lovely.

 98 Domaine Leroy Clos Vougeot – served non blind pop and pour – OMFG.  I drank an 02 DRC Richebourg recently and this was in that category.  A killer nose of rose petals, violets and strawberries.  So silky and elegant, readily approachable even on a pop and pour.  This was just a stunner with truffle and asian five spice just so delicately in balance.  one of the best young burgundies I have had this year.

97 Kistler Sonoma Coast Pinot – served blind pop and pour – ok, so we had some pretty decent palates around the room and with one exception called this CdP. this – to me – did not even remotely resemble a SC Pinot. yes it was massive but it had so much syrah and grenache characteristics that we were completely fooled. I didn’t like it at all.

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by | September 2, 2011

Scholium Project Tasting

By: AJ McClellan

We had a great tasting with Abe yesterday. This was our second time to have Abe in, and he was just as much of a pleasure as the last time he was in. Abe is the owner of Scholium Project wines and an expert in Petite Sirah and Syrah. His wines are big and jammy with extraordinary depth and great ageability. After the tasting our members opened some great bottles, as usual, and the good times ensued…

 

2009 Naucratis – Naucratis (loosely translated as “the city that wields power over ships”) was the name of the first Greek settlement on the Nile River in Egypt.  Redolent of stone fruits and melon, this wine is made in a non-malolactic style, with a sense of freshness and crisp acidity, much like a strong Grüner Veltliner. 

2009 Marcher Sur La Lune (MSL) Reserve – This partially skin-fermented Verdelho from a rocky hillside is smooth and luscious.

2008 Gardens of Babylon – A rich and extracted wine, this is a blend of six different grapes from different vineyards in California.  When blended together, the end result is expansive and impressive. 

2005 Babylon – 98% Petite Sirah, 2% Chardonnay… Tenbrink Vineyards are just far enough from Napa to represent the mysterious, distant East (hence the name “Babylon”).  Intense and textured, there are fine layers of detailed fruit and complex notes of smoke, dark spices, dried grasses and flowers.  Ripe tannins provide structure to this outstanding wine.

2008 Babylon – The richest Babylon yet, this wine has Amarone-like qualities without being raisiny or overblown.  Dark fruits are accompanied by star anise, Balsamic vinegar and rosemary.  49 cases produced.

2008 Androkteinos – Androkteinos is the epithet of Hector in The Iliad – it means “Slayer of Men”.  These grapes come from the “Widowmaker” block of Lee Hudson’s vineyard, so called because of a strikingly shaped dead tree in the corner of the vineyard.  Whole clusters of grapes were fermented in oak puncheons.  The wine has aromas of Jamón Iberico, green olives, olive oil, blood and metal, with flavors of dark fruits with meaty overtones.  99 cases produced.

After the tasting the members threw down some great bottles for the table….

 

NV Walton Tawny Port – One of our members opened a couple bottles of this right after the tasting for the table. A great bottle of wine and one of my favorite “Ports” from California. Big praline pecan on the nose and palate with pleasant dark fruits and a long finish.

1999 Anne Gros Clos Vougeot – To be honest I was rather disappointed with this bottle. I gave it all night to open up and it never got there. Maybe the wine just needs some time in bottle to evolve but I am not impressed so far…

1994 Jaboulet Cornas – A great bottle of wine, full of pepper, bacon, spice, and black fruits. The palate was soft and very drinkable but with a potential to age for another 10 years. All in all, a great bottle of wine.

1990 Angelus – This is what Bordeaux should be like. The nose showed leather, currant, graphite, forest floor, tilled earth, and dark fruit. The palate was classic Bordeaux with soft tannins and great earth notes followed by a long finish.

1998 Domaine d’Auvenay  Lalou Bize Leroy Meursault Les Narvaux – This bottle is absolutly mind blowing. The nose is full and complex showing honeysuckle, daffodils, lilies, peaches, and lemondrop candy. The palate was amazingly complex with thousands of nuances that made this wine a delight to drink.

2003 Palmer – For a younger bottle, I was quite impressed. The fruit was strong with purple and black berries followed by a hard layer of dark earth layered with leather, tobacco, and cooking spices. There is a lot to look forward to in this bottle, right now it is a little tight but in another 10 years this will be a stunning bottle.

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by | August 29, 2011

Great Impromptu Tasting

By: AJ McClellan

Friday was a great night at Graileys. A few members got together and decided to do an impromptu tasting with an arrangement of wonderful world-class bottles. The wines were dropped off earlier that day and I opened them a few hours before the tasting started. I served the wines blind for fun and the game turned out to be a little harder than everyone expected. Although we all knew what the wines were, it was still difficult to pick out which one was which… Even the DRC was confused with the La Turque by a few people…

 

2001 Solaia – The Solaia was drinking wonderfully well with a nose of dusty cherry and dry autumn leaves. There was a distinct Italian note to the wine on the palate an almost bitter finish of walnuts and dry dusty fruit.

1998 Grange – I was surprised on how well this bottle was drinking considering its youth. The nose was full of ripe black fruits and big eucalyptus with some telltale green notes on the back end. The palate was soft and velvety with big pepper and rich spice notes.

1997 Guigal La Turque – I always love the Guigal wines and I have had this bottle on several occasions, but the bottle that was opened on Friday was absolutely superior to any of the other 97 La Turques I have had. Now, it may just be that I opened the bottle three hours before serving it, but I tell you this bottle was amazing.

1996 Claude Dugat Charmes Chambertin GC – Wow, I wish I would have had more time with this wine in my glass. It was very strong right out of the gate showing a powerful dark berry nose with rich floral notes and a great forest floor funk. The palate was massive with bold tannins but the acidity cut the wine perfectly leading to a long finish of rocky minerality.

2002 DRC Richebourg – When I opened this bottle I was thinking that I would be greeted by a monster of a wine that would need another decade at least to be drinkable. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Richebourg was light as a feather, consisting of breathtaking finesse and ballerina like grace. The nose was full of elegant floral notes with bright black berry, Bing cherry, and fresh plum proudly on display up front. There was also a wonderful spice component that filled out the back of the nose with an exotic note and added another layer of complexity to this masterpiece. The palate was a dazzling array of bright approachable fruit with stunning earth and mineral notes and a surprisingly deft floral aspect that kept cropping up like an elusive whack a mole… In short this is one of the best wines I have had in a good long while.

1979 Pichon Lalande – Like a good friend, Pichon is always there when you need it, one of the most consistent Chateau’s I have ever had the pleasure to taste. The nose was full of good old world funk and classic Bordeaux earth, graphite, and forest floor. The palate was perfect for drinking with elegant tannins and plush earth. The fruit was dusty and dry but still strong on the mid-palate.

1992 Shafer Hillside Select – I was very impressed with this bottle, it is in a great drinking window right now. The nose showed chocolate, tobacco, black cherry, and cassis. The palate was soft with a powerful backing of fruit and tobacco with a dark chocolate finish. Quite tasty…

1994 Dominus – This bottle has set itself aside, in my mind, as one of the better California Cabernets out there. However, the bottle we had on Friday was not quite up to snuff. The fruit was almost gone and the earth had taken on a green mold note. The palate was not as clean as I would have liked and a little out of balance. That being said I would not kick the wine out of bed for eating crackers, it was still very drinkable and even bordering on delicious but the bar has been set so high for this bottle that anything less than excellence is a grave disappointment.

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by | August 26, 2011

Always Finish Strong

By: AJ McClellan

Last night ended up getting kind of crazy. We had a great group of members around the table, each popping some remarkable bottles. We all thought the night was finished when Simon and a member decided to pop a magnum of 66 Beychevelle and a bottle of 62 Haut Brion for the table to enjoy, you always have to finish strong….

 

2008 Chanson Puligny Montrachet – This bottle was drinking very well with subtle popcorn and apricot extract on the nose; the palate opened up to show some soft tropical fruit with roasted vanilla beans and a pleasant mineral finish.

2009 Patrick Piuze Terroir de Chichee – Patrick’s wines are always a pleasure to drink. He makes very classic style wines with a pure linear simplicity that makes his juice a joy to drink. The nose shows lemon and lime with shale and some floral components. A crisp acidity on the palate leads to acacia and key lime pie on the finish.

2002 Vieux Chateau Certan – This bottle was drinking great for a younger wine from a less than stellar vintage. The nose showed purple flowers with rich leather notes and plenty of red and black berries. The palate was soft with a tight tannic core. This bottle shows great promise for the future…

1997 d’Auvenay Lalou Bize Leroy Auxey Duresses Les Clous – An amazing bottle. The nose showed quince, apricot, caramelized pear, toffee, honey, lilies, and honeysuckle. The palate had a wonderful minerality to accompany the crisp acidity and wonderful fruit notes. Long finish with great balance, this might have been the wine of the night for me…

1969 Remoissenet Gevrey Chambertin Les Combottes – These 69’s blow me away every time. The nose shows scorched earth, hints of leather, dried flowers, and a big mineral finish. The palate has a distinct black currant and dry plum note followed by a shovel full of compost soil and floral notes.

1996 Remoissenet Richebourg – A wonderful bottle of wine. It was a little muted when we first opened it, but after a good two hours of sitting in the glass the wine developed a beautiful bouquet of crushed raspberries, currants, and black cherries followed by a subtle earthy aroma and a touch of spice on the back end. The palate was wonderful with a firm tannin structure that suggests this bottle has another good 20 years in it.

1962 Haut Brion – This was a real treat. The Haut Brion had a slightly low fill but when the bottle was opened the wine showed surprising liveliness for a wine with almost 50 years in the bottle. The nose was full of smoke, leather, tobacco, and graphite. The palate was very soft with big forest floor, prune, and a slight smoke note. After some time in the glass the graphite grew to take over the wine with a great earthy backing.

1966 Beychevelle Magnum – The Beychevelle was holding up very well with a handful of clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon on the nose followed by dry black fruits and crushed rose petals. The palate was soft and very approachable; the wine fell off a little after an hour in the glass but a very good bottle all around.

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by | August 19, 2011

White Rhone Tasting

By: AJ McClellan

Yesterday’s tasting focused on white Rhone varietals; I love Rhone wines for the simple fact that they are great with food. Rhone wines have a natural weight to the palate and richness that makes it delicious with food, especially an oily fish or light white meat…. After the tasting a few Burgs came out, as well as a great older Rhone.

 

2010 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas – This bottle was at the bottom of the barrel as far as this tasting goes. The nose was showing some white flowers and slate with a hint of white fruit. The palate was a little flabby and not overly complex.

2007 La Nerthe Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc – A giant step up from the Tablas Creek. The La Nerthe was showing the great floral notes that I love from CDP with white summer flowers, honeysuckle, and tangerine blossoms. The palate was big bodied with tropical fruit and a long finish.

2008 Quill Viognier – This was my favorite of the tasting. The nose was showing Fruity Pebbles cereal and daffodils with a backing of white peach and pear. The palate had a great waxiness to it with a thick viscosity and a lingering finish of white fruits and fresh flowers.

2009 Alain Jaume Vieux Terron Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc – This was a close second for the Rhone whites. The nose was beautiful with a floral complexity and light tropical notes. On the palate the wine was a little lighter than the other CDP Blanc but with a finesse that is hard to achieve in a white Rhone.

2009 Davis Bynum Russian River Pinot Noir – This was a very pleasant Pinot Noir, the nose was soft and fresh with red cherries and cranberries. The palate was elegant and light on its feet with charming red fruits and a moderate finish.

1995 La Nerthe Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Cadettes – A great bottle of wine with big earthy notes up front. The nose showed camel hide, black plum, forest floor, and big tobacco. The palate was soft and earthy with leather, sandalwood, and hint of pepper.

20006 Cedar Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon – A great everyday drinking Cabernet, the nose shows dark fruit with a hint of tobacco and cedar. The palate was very approachable with soft tannins and soft ripe fruit.

2008 Thibault Liger Belair Aloxe Corton 1er la Toppe au Vert – Thibault Liger Belair is quickly becoming a favorite producer of mine. I cannot get enough of these wines, in my opinion this is exactly how Burgundy should be constructed. The nose was bright with Bing cherry with a subtle earth and minerality on the back end. The palate was soft and rich with velvety tannins and a bright acidity that will lend this to wines ability to age for at least another decade.

2005 Bouchard Vigne de l’Enfant Jesus – This was a very nice bottle of wine but I think that it needs some more time in the bottle to calm down a little. It was slightly hot on the nose but with a very nice mid-palate that makes me think that with another 5 years or so, this bottle will be singing!

 

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by | August 18, 2011

Random Graileys Night…

By: AJ McClellan

Yesterday was one of those random Graileys days. Nothing going on but for some reason everyone showed up. We had a full house and the wines were flowing freely and with such highlights as Harlan, Colgin, Quintarelli, and Guigal, you know it was a good night!!

 

1970 l’Angelus – At first, I thought this might stewed, but we talked about it and could not decide if the bottle had seen heat or if it was just at the end of its life…. anyway, the bottle was dead…

1955 Grand Mayne – This was my second time to try this wine and I must say that it was much better this time around. Old earth and a four foot high pile of cow and horse dung stored in an old broken down shack would describe this bottle adequately…

2006 Bodega Chacra Cincuenta Y Cinco – This bottle impresses every time I open it. Still big on the palate it shows smooth black fruits with a long finish and great balance.

2006 Bodega Chacra Treinta Y Dos – The older brother of the Cincuenta Y Cinco with the vines planted in 1932. I like this bottle a lot; however, I feel that the Cincuenta Y Cinco is drinking better right now. I hope that in time the Treinta Y Dos will pull it together and outperform its brother.

1989 Armond Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin 1er – This bottle was drinking like a champ out of the gate with a dusty red cherry nose and a hint of earth and dried flowers. The palate was soft and in a great drinking window with great balance and a pleasant finish.

1992 Alain Burguet Gevrey Chambertin VV – This bottle was a little thin when we first opened it, showing some petite red fruits and light earth notes. Towards the end of the night I re-visited the wine and was blown away. The wine had filled out putting on an earthy weight and rounding the edges with soft black and red fruits accompanied by cooking spices and a slight floral note.

NV Egly Ouriet Blanc de Noirs GC – This bottle, while being a non-vintage, was kept by one of our members in their cellar for almost 7 years before being opened yesterday. The nose had a distinct note of wheat, sourdough bread, and caramelized pears. The palate was pleasant with just the right amount of bubbles and a long tingly finish.

1998 Quintarelli Amarone – Wow! This was my second time to try Quintarelli and I was very impressed! The nose sung of autumn with dried leaves, clean forest floor, dried cherry preserves, and warm apple pie spices. The palate was a dazzling array of complexities starting with dried and sweet fruits and moving on to a dry dusty floral component and last ending with a flourish of earth.

1996 Guigal La Turque – Guigal always impresses showing leather, tar, tobacco, and smoke. This bottle was stunning, as Guigal always is….

1997 Salon – This bottle of Salon has come a long way in the several months since I last tasted it. The effervescence has mellowed and the acidity has integrated nicely into the rest of the wine. White peach, pear, lemon, and limestone on the nose and palate.

2004 Harlan – This big boy needs to sit on the rack for a few more years. The nose was very nice showing black plums, cherries, and currants. There was a slight backing of leather and tobacco. While the nose was beautiful the palate was harsh and crass with huge tannins and overwhelming alcohol. I think this will be a great bottle in time but it has a ways to go.

1994 Colgin Herb Lamb – This is what Cali Cab should be. Sweet blue and red fruits with wonderful sweet leaf tobacco and a finish of cooking spice. The palate was an iron fist in a velvet glove hitting you with pungent fruit and flower notes and hard hitting tannins but finishing with such finesse that you could not help but to take another drink.

2006 Amuse Bouche – More akin to the Harlan than the Colgin, the Amuse Bouche was still tight and tannins but with great potential. More flowery and with more blue fruits than the Harlan, but I attribute that to the Merlot.

1997 Chapoutier Le Meal Ermitage – This bottle was showing well with dry dusty fruits and a very nice earthy finish.

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