by | February 18, 2011

Good Times at Graileys

By: AJ McClellan

After a long day at work it is good to unwind with a great glass of wine. Well, that is why we are here! We had a great group of members drop in yesterday each with a great bottle in hand. The wine was flowing and good times hung in the air, that’s Graileys for you…

2001 Marcassin Upper Barn Chardonnay – Big peach and pear with green apple and notes of hay on the nose. The palate has a note of peach gummies, chewy with a slight waxiness. Big lemon drop candy on the palate with barnyard and a finish of Honeycomb cereal.

2006 Le Bon Pasteur – This bottle was not drinking as well as the others we have recently opened but that did not stop the bright red fruits from flowing out of the glass coupled with dusty barnyard and spice box.

2004 Ridge Monte Bello – I was very impressed with this bottle, when blinding it I called right bank Bordeaux. It was soft with excellent earth and rich blue and black fruits.

2007 O’Shaughnessy Howell Mountain – Very ripe on the nose showing crushed cherries and muddled blackberries. The palate was massive with big lush tannins and a mouth full of jammy fruit.

2006 Guigal La Mouline – I know, infanticide – I just couldn’t help myself…  When we first opened the bottle it scared the daylights out of me with a waft of cardboard, but the palate was fine, so I decanted the bottle poured myself a glass and forgot about it for an hour. When I came back to the glass, the cardboard had left the building leaving notes of hard apple cider, black tea, big tar, chewing tobacco, and big black pepper in its wake. The palate was massive showing smoked quail, blueberry bubblegum, and more pepper. Given 20 years in the bottle, this is going to be one heck of a wine…

1978 Pichon Lalande – A classic Pichon. The fruit was dusty but still showing well and the nose was full of clean earth and old forest. The palate was soft showing dried raspberries and old cedar with big forest floor and cooking spices.

1982 Pichon Lalande – One of my all time favorite bottles of wine. The ‘82 jumped out of the glass attacking you with fresh raspberries, plums, Bing cherry, moist earth, freshly cut firewood, soot, and tanned leather. After some time in the glass the wine began to develop a soft undertone of wet dog, graphite, and cinnamon. The palate was plush with ripe fruits, old earth, and miles of forest floor. This is a wine that is easy to get lost in showing layer after layer of complexities. Very Nice…

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by | February 15, 2011

Plumpjack and Cade Tasting

By: AJ McClellan

We were privileged to have John Conover, partner for Plumpjack and Cade wines, drop in yesterday to taste us on his new lineup. Both labels showed up nicely for the tasting and afterwards we popped a few bottles to thank John for taking the time to see us.

2009 Cade Sauvignon Blanc – With no malolactic fermentation this Sauvignon Blanc stands out in a crowd. Tropical fruits on the nose with a hint of straw on the palate and there was a steely finish. This wine was surprisingly heavy on the palate for a Sauvignon Blanc which is a nice change of pace.

2007 Cade Napa Cabernet - Very soft wine with a nose of blackberries, plumps, and crushed rocks. The wine was easy going on the palate with deft tannins and an elegant fruity finish.

2007 Cade Howell Mountain Cabernet – This Cade was a little more powerful but still sticking with the black fruit theme. The palate was structured and still a little stiff with juicy overripe plums and black currants.

2008 Plumpjack Merlot – This wine was drinking like a Merlot on steroids. Big ripe red and black cherries with hints of smoke and a nice soy sauce finish.

2008 Plumpjack Oakville Cabernet – Another excellent cabernet from this renowned estate. The nose spoke of under ripened boysenberries, currants, and black cherries. There was a note of tobacco with old leather and a rocky minerality on the back end of the wine. The palate was still a little stiff but with some age it will soften and turn into silk.

2006 Le Bon Pasteur – This wine was a pleasant surprise. It is not very often you can find great Bordeaux that drinks this elegantly out of the gate. Immediately upon opening, notes of dusty cherry, straw, forest floor, and worn leather split from the bottle. Once in the glass the nose showed more ripe red fruits with a great earthy background. The palate was soft and approachable with notes of tobacco, tar, cedar, and cardamom. The tannins were elegant and well developed for a wine this young. Great drinking Bordeaux that has the stuffing’s to age for another 10 years.

2004 Franois Gaunoux Meursault 1er Le Goutte d’Or – A fun little Burg that showed a round honeyed nose out of the gate. There was a subtle hint of honeydew, peach, honeysuckle, and white flowers on the back end of the nose. The palate was full and round with a little heat that blew off very quickly. The fruit was more subdued on the palate but the mineral notes were running rampant with a finish of limestone and flint mixed with honey this was a great and interesting wine.

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by | February 9, 2011

Celebratory Bottles

By: AJ McClellan

An easy going day of catching up from our snow days ended when one of my favorite members dropped in yesterday. Naturally we had to celebrate by popping a bottle of Cristal and, of course, a few other bottles…

2004 Cristal – This bottle of Cristal was surprisingly delicious. Crème Burlee, banana Fosters, glazed pears, and a slight yeast note was on the nose. The palate showed green apples and lemon zest. Very crisp with a lingering finish made this wine a pleasure to drink.

1989 La Conseillante – The nose of this wine was explosive with big funk, dark earth, plums, black cherries, and spicebox. The palate was very smooth and easy drinking, a little light on the mid-palate, but very nice overall. Velvety with notes of clove, lavender, cigar, star anise, cinnamon raisin bagel, and a great funky overtone of moist earth and fresh mud.

1995 Cheval Blanc – The Cheval Blanc was slightly muted on the nose. After some time you could pick out fresh red currants and rose petals. Very full on the palate with blooming flowers, sweet tobacco, notes of old leather, and plush red fruits. A subtle note of sweet red currant lingers on the back end of a long finish. The texture of the wine was very smooth with no rough edges and what it lacked for on the nose it made up for on the luscious mouth feel.

 

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by | February 8, 2011

Super Bowl Warm Up

By: AJ McClellan

Dave and his friends Mitch, Alex, and Majdi dropped into Graileys while in town for the Super Bowl. The original plan was to have a bottle or two then head out for dinner… Half a case later everyone was having such a great time that the decision was made to enjoy the Graileys atmosphere, throw a few steaks on the grill, and blow it out with some great bottles of wine.

1987 William Hill Cabernet – A nose of ripe red cherries and cedar with a touch of clove and tobacco on the end. The palate was surprisingly fresh with ripe red fruits and smooth rich tannins.

2006 Sisters Cabernet – Always a treat, the nose showed blue and red fruits with a background of cooking spices and leather. The palate was rich and easy drinking with sweet chocolate and ripe fruits.

2007 Crocker & Starr Stone Place Cabernet – This 500 case production wine is one of my favorites from the 07 vintage. The nose had hints of smoke and tobacco with soft black fruits. The palate was very refined with notes of star anise, smoke, and rich ripe black fruits.

2007 Caymus – One of Napa’s classic wines, the Caymus, was showing well with wild cherries and big spice. The palate was hard and in need of some time to smooth out but very drinkable.

2005 Fousalette Reserve – Opulent on the nose with black liquorish, mushrooms, wet soil, and crushed wild black fruits. The palate was powerful and chewy with dark fruits and a mouthful of tobacco and barnyard.

1999 Monbousquet – Huge out of the gate with an unusually high alcohol level of 14%. After the heat blew off, the wine showed concentrated black fruits with tobacco, mocha, and graphite. The palate took a few hours to come around but once it did the wine showed a magnificent earthy display with forest floor, mushrooms, damp leaves, and dried bark.

1998 Domaine Jean Grivot Richebourg – This wine was brilliant right out of the gate.  A seductive ruby red color in the glass with a nose that jumped out and grabbed you, showing bright Bing cherry, blooming red rose pedals, and a hint of red liquorish. The palate was silky with soft tannins and a complex combination of perfume, exotic spices, and ripe red fruits.

1988 Beringer Private Reserve – Dusty on the nose with old leather and spice box. The palate showed some dried black fruits with soft well integrated tannins and a long finish.

1996 Pichon Lalande – This Pichon was drinking exceptionally well, the past few bottles I have had of the ‘96 were excellent, but in need of some more time in the bottle. Not so with this wine, the nose was forward showing ripe cherries, plums, forest floor, crushed rock, and classic Bordeaux funk. The palate was smooth with notes of autumn leaves, black liquorish, and vanilla bean. Long finish coupled with a slight sweetness to the tannins.

1998 Cru d’Arche Pugneau – Glazed apricots on the nose with green pears and honey. The palate was caramel apples and butterscotch.

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by | February 1, 2011

A Unique Cast of Wines

By: AJ McClellan

A unique cast of characters assembled around the table at Graileys and brought with them an excellent selection of wines. Moving from California to Burgundy and at last finishing in Bordeaux this was a great night with some fun bottles of wine scattered around the table.

2007 Jack Quinn Agave Rose Vineyard – This bottle is always a pleasure to drink. The nose spoke of roses and violets with ripe plums, black cherries, currants, and chocolate pound cake. The palate always has a creamy velvety texture that gives it strength and allows it to drink with incredible smoothness. A nice finish of spice box and cigar smoke linger on the back of the palate for a good 30+ seconds.

2007 Insignia – Monster wine, we decanted this bottle for two hours before serving it and it still was wound up incredibly tight. Black fruits with sandal wood, match box, clove, lavender, vanilla, and tobacco on the nose. The palate was nice if you could get around the mammoth tannins that sat in the middle of your palate drying your mouth out like a raisin. I am convinced that this is a good bottle but any who drinks it within the next 5 years is committing infanticide, and you should really wait another 10 before popping the cork…

1997 Trapet Chambertin – I have commented several time on how much I love the 99 vintage of this bottle, not so much with the 97… the 1997 lacks freshness and complexity showing a meager display of red fruits with a clump of dirt and pocket lint.

1982 Talbot – This is possibility the best bottle of Talbot that I have ever consumed. Perfumed nose of red roses, a hint of spearmint, classic Bordeaux pencil shavings, barnyard, a touch of hay, and a dribble of kirsch. The palate exploded with pink rose petals, exotic dark fruits, cassis, star anise, notes of worn leather, and a hint of red currants and pomegranate. The wine has excellent balance with a long finish showing deep mocha, coffee, and brown sugar notes. I decanted the wine for an hour before serving it and the wine was immediately drinking very well, after another 2-3 hours in the glass the wine began to fade a little. I think this wine has another 5 years in the bottle left but don’t wait too long to serve it after you pop the cork.

1979 Pichon Lalande – Classic Pichon with notes of bright red fruits, scorched earth, crushed boulders, red flowers, and leather. The palate was complete and complex showing a montage of fruits and earth combined with subtle Asian spices and floral notes.

1986 Montrose – I was disappointed with the Montrose, out of a vintage where most of the wines I have tried were still young with powerful tannins the Montrose was lean and very old. The fruit had completely faded into nothingness and the wine was very thin on the palate. The nose showed big earth with notes of old spice and cloves. The palate was like a watered down mud soup seasoned with a few spices. Maybe it was just this bottle, but I was unimpressed.

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by | January 26, 2011

Good Times and Good Wines

By: AJ McClellan

Dave has dropped in for the next few days and you know what that means – Good times and good wines. For his first day in town we had a classic group around the table and popped some great bottles of wine.

2001 San Felice Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico – A classic Chianti with dusty red cherries and a bucket of forest floor. There was a nice spice box nuance on the back end of the palate that completed the finish of this wine nicely and made us open a second bottle just because.

2008 Domaine Bertagna Vougeot 1er Les Cras – A wonderful white wine that has thoroughly impressed me. One of the only whites to be produced out of this region of Burgundy, this wine has a nose of white summer flowers and banana bubble gum. The palate is intriguing and complex showing a crisp minerality of limestone and schist followed by tropical fruits and notes of peaches and cream. There is an impressive weight on the palate and a soft lushness that make the wine a treat to drink. While this bottle is amazing right now, I can’t wait to see how it is drinking in 5, 10, and 15 years.

1987 Beringer Private Reserve – Old Beringer is always a pleasure. Crushed red fruits on the nose with cedar and cloves. The palate shows a light tobacco and leather notes with dried red fruits and a handful of cooking spices.

2008 Petite Petite – Massive. This wine is jet black in the glass with a nose of plums and pepper. The palate was surprisingly soft for such a young wine. Black pepper, black fruits, and currants are blatant on the palate with a subtle note of tar and tobacco.

2001 Magrey Fonbrauge – Still very tight, when I tasted this wine I thought that it was a 2008 that I had under my nose. The wine was highly extracted and almost sweet showing rich red and black fruits and notes of dusty earth and cigar box. The palate was thick and very heavy weighed down by massive tannins that are still wound tight. My advice is to not touch this bottle for another 10 years.

1986 Santa Cruz Mountian Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir – I might have to call this “Wine of the Night”. An amazingly complex old Pinot that when blinded tasted like old La Chapelle.  Smoke and bacon were first to the nose but after you got over breakfast there was notes of crushed red currants and black raspberries, old earth, and crushed rock. The label noted that the wine is 100% Pinot Noir but I am not fully convinced…

1996 Pichon Lalande – This Pichon was drinking great as usual. It was in need of a few hours in the decanter because of the unusually high amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, but after it opened up the rich black fruits spilled out along with graphite, cassis, and toasty oak.

2006 Hourglass Cabernet – I rather liked this wine, although some others around the table were doubters.  Big ripe extracted fruit but balanced with well structured tannins and a pleasant acidity.

2005 Pignan Chateauneuf du Pape – I was pleasantly surprised by this bottle. Smoke, meat, game, pepper, raspberries, and beef jerky. Classic CDP in all of its glory.

1963 Grahams – One of my favorite ‘63 Ports I have had to date. Soft and well rounded, a little hot at first but it mellowed out after a few minutes in the glass.  Sweet currants with dried leather and dusty spices.

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by | January 24, 2011

You Show Me Your I’ll Show You Mine Pre-Game

By: AJ McClellan

The You Show Me Yours tastings are always a big hit, and more often than not the wines that are opened before and after the tasting would compete with the main event. This tasting was no different, below is a list of the great wines we warmed up with before the tasting.

1983 Beringer Private Reserve – The 82 Beringer was drinking well but it was a little tired. I think the prime of this wine passed 2-4 years ago and it is now on its way out. The red and black fruits were dry and faded there was a nice spicy oak background but the nuances were tired and not showing to the best of their abilities.

1964 Pichon Lalande – This Pichon was even more amazing than the last time I had a 64 Lalande. The fruit was still vibrant with a subtle forest floor backing of moist earth and spice box. The palate was very boisterous for a wine with 50 years of age on it with dried red fruits and a plush earth and spice backing.

 

1986 Guigal La Mouline – A wonderful wine. Immediately upon opening  you could smell this wine across the room. Leather, tar, allspice, cedar, black currants, raspberries, and a rocky minerality. The palate was as complex as the nose showing a fruit medley of dark fruits, complex earth aromas and a brilliant minerality on the back end. I kept some of this wine in my glass for the rest of the night and every time I went back to it the wine seemed to change and expand in the glass showing a different face to the same coin. A brilliant wine.

1955 Grand Mayne – This was an interesting wine. At first impression it seemed almost stewed, but after sitting in the glass for over an hour the wine did not fall apart or decline in the way you would expect a flawed wine to do. Stewed fruits but otherwise a very complex wine showing classic Bordeaux notes and a nice finish.

2001 Kongsgaard Roussanne/Viognier – I was very impressed with this wine. The nose was tropical and complex showing pineapples, peaches, mango, honeysuckle, limestone, and a petrol note. The palate showed pear wax, vanilla bean, fruit loops, tropical fruits and spring flowers.

1975 Joseph Phelps Eisele Vineyard – Another excellent older Cali Cab. Dusty leather notes with dry red fruits and a slight note of dried tar. The palate was dusty but with a subtle strength showing bold fruits and powerful spice box.

1989 Cos d’Estournel – A great little Bordeaux that needs some more time in the bottle. The nose was full of purple flowers and dark fruits. After a few hours in the decanter the wine started to open up showing lavender, plums, and Bordeaux earth.

 

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by | January 24, 2011

You Show Me Yours I’ll Show you Mine.

By: AJ McClellan

A brilliant list of wines each with a minimum market value of $500 to be included in the tasting, although some of the wines exceeded $2000 market value. Interestingly enough our wine of the night was more moderately priced than the wines it beat out, just going to show that there are great deals out there to be found for the savvy wine buyer.

1966 Latour - Dried crushed raspberries and red fruits with a very earthy tone of terrior. Long long finish with wet earth and damp soil. A very nice wine but past its prime.

1983 Lafite – I thought this wine was in the top three although it did not rank so with the majority. A very unusual nose of black peppermint tea was my first impression. The wine was very light but extremely complex. Crushed soil, black liquorish, black cherry, and pomegranate moving into a chamomile tea on the finish.

1982 Pichon Lalande – Wine of the Night. Crushed fruits with a earthy terrior, sandal wood, vegetable ash, slight green note, but the kind that comes from ripe stems and adds complexity. I could smell this wine forever… Blueberry bubblegum and red fruits on the palate. Amazingly complex. This wine takes me on an adventure through the French countryside pointing out every nook and cranny of its vineyard.

1986 Margaux - Earthy with black pepper and a slight hint of iron shavings. Smoked meats with graphite and some cedar. Nice mossy earthiness on the finish.

1997 Abreu Cabernet Sauvignon – Leather, tobacco, healthy dose of allspice with some cloves and cedar thrown in. There was a sour cherry cough syrup note finished off by lavender.

1996 Margaux - Mint tobacco, barnyard funk, tobacco, black fruit, ripe on the nose and palate. Slight green  note on the finish. Very lively, needs 10+ more years in the bottle.

1986 Lafite - Allspice and black tea with slight black liquorish. The wine was very faint, you could tell the bottle wanted to be very complex and outgoing but it simply wasn’t. Very muted on the nose and palate with almost no redeeming qualities.

1990 Beausejour Duffau – Black in the glass with dark brooding fruit on the nose. I opened this bottle 5 hours before the tasting and it could have used more time in the glass before we started. Very soft and broad on the palate showing espresso, soft tobacco, and well worn leather. Excellent mouth feel with a long complex finish.

1976 Petrus – Number two wine of the night. Black tar with leather, tobacco, and spice on the nose. The palate was full and complex showing great earth and forest floor. There were spicy notes of lavender and mixed chopped fruits.  Long complex finish with an excellent mouth feel.

1997 Harlan – Number three wine of the night. Pure power… Big cherry cough syrup with black fruits, twizzlers, huge leather and big tobacco. The wine was big in the mouth with a heavy weight. Very complex with a great finish.

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by | January 19, 2011

Wine Tasting with Bob Foley

By: AJ McClellan

Last Friday we had Bob Foley in to taste us on his newly released wines. Bob has done it again! Each bottles showed excellent balance and finesse with just the right amount of fruit and a wonderful complexity that is difficult to find in this price range. I have always been a big fan of Bobs and I think that his personal label, the Robert Foley wines, always deliver exceptional value.

2009 Robert Foley Roussanne – A very small production wine that is almost impossible to find, this Roussanne is wonderful. Fresh and fruity with no malo and no oak this wine is pure and crisp, perfect for a hot summer day at the pool.

2008 Robert Foley Pinot Blanc – Soft stone fruit on the nose with a light and fruity palate. There is a tropical note of exotic fruits on the back end that freshened the mouth feel and makes you want to take another sip.

2008 Robert Foley Charbono – Big and jammy, with rich red and black fruits. The palate was grapey with smooth tannins and a mouthful of sweet fruits.

Bob Foley and the gang hanging out before the tasting.

2008 Robert Foley Merlot – I have always been very impressed with Foleys Merlot. Typically it is my favorite in the lineup and Fridays tasting was no exception. The nose was full of ripe dark fruit combined with soft tobacco and cooking spice. On the palate the wine was expansive hitting all the right notes to make a very complex finish.  

2008 Robert Foley Claret – This is the flagship of Foleys lineup with a dark concentrated color that sticks to the side of the glass like molasses you know this wine is going to be a big boy. The nose is full and rich with massive notes of black berries, mocha, and dark chocolate. On the palate the wine has drying tannins and a weighty texture. This is a wine that needs some time in the bottle to mellow out, I recommend popping a case or two of the Merlot while waiting on this wine to relax a little…

2007 Robert Foley Petite Sirah – Just when you thought the wine could not get any bigger here comes the Petite Sirah. Pitch black, like a starless night in the glass, with a boisterous nose of rich black fruits and pipe tobacco. Before tasting the wine you must be prepared for a black tong and purple teeth. As tight and heavy as a brick on the palate, a brick covered in chocolate and that has been used to smash black fruits for the past hour or two…

2008 Robert Foley Griffin – This is a great red wine blend for those of you that like a big block buster. 42% Petite Sirah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Charbono, and 8% Merlot. This is a great everyday drinker to go with BBQ…

 

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by | January 19, 2011

Bob Foley After Party

By: AJ McClellan

Once the tasting was over with all the usual suspects went into the lockers and pulled out some real jewels to share with our guest.

2002 Robert Foley Claret – I think that this Claret has finally started to unwind, showing much softer than the 08 we had earlier with rich ripe black fruits and soft leather. The palate was ripe and sweet but with an excellent balance that made the wine drink like glass.

1974 Stags Leap Cask 23 – This wine blew my mind. I had it in my glass for almost 4 hours and the wine was brilliant from start to finish. This is one of the best Cali Cabs I have had in a long time. The nose showed star anise, tobacco, leather, dry sweet black fruits, and roasted blueberries. The palate was beautiful with bold liquorish and huge spice box followed by a light touch of cedar and a finish of spearmint.

1982 Cos d’Estournel – Maderized :(

1995 Monbousquet – Rather tight upon opening but after an hour in the glass the wine mellowed out show rich dark fruits with a light note of earth and forest floor. Interestingly the wine tasted to me like a well made California wine done in a Bordeaux style…

1994 Dalla Valle – A little woody, Corked? There was still some fruit there and the wine was drinkable but it was very muted and left a finish of balsa wood in my mouth.

1983 Haut Brion – This bottle just reminds me of why I love Haut Brion so much… Damp forest floor pours off the nose with highlights of red and black fruits, smoked cedar, cigars, and mud pie. The palate was soft but with a strong tannic backbone that made the wine sit at attention on your palate. A long finish completed the wine making it an absolute delight to drink.

1985 Cos d’Estournel – A beautiful wine full of dry red roses, tobacco, and black fruits. The palate was well balanced with earthy notes mixed in with cooking spices and a rocky minerality.

1990 Palmer – This bottle consistently impresses me. Rich fruits that are just turning from ripe to dry on the nose paired with classic Bordeaux pencil lead and barnyard. The palate is seductive with smooth tannins and a soft luscious mix of red cherries, tobacco, and earth.

1999 Comte Armand Clos des Epeneaux – A very small production wine, when I first opened it the wine showed absolutely nothing. After having the bottle open for an hour, still nothing. I left this alone in the glass for the rest of the night… After four hours I finally came back to it to discover that the wine had finally flourished into a brilliant wine with a dancing display of bright fruits, earthy minerality, and exotic spices.

 

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