by | December 20, 2010

Some Great Wines for a Friday

By: AJ McClellan

It is always a good time when our members get together. Last Friday we had a good group together popping some fun little Cali Cabs….

2007 Robert Foley Merlot – The nose of this wine was plush and fruit forward showing ripe cherries and plums. The palate was sweet with rich fruit forward notes and a subtle backing of wet earth and big spice.

2006 Cinq Cepage Cabernet – A great bottle of wine for the price. We just got in 20 cases of this wine and they have flown off the shelf… Ripe fruit showing blueberries and blackberries on the nose with notes of black liquorish and cedar on the finish.

2006 The Sisters Cabernet – One of the better Cabs of the vintage in the $60 price range. The fruit was sweet but not overbearing and the wine showed excellent balance on the finish.

2007 Hourglass Merlot – Ripe red fruits on the nose showing raspberry, and red currants. The palate has a pleasant note of cooking spice on the back end to compliment the vibrant red fruits.

1973 Silver Oak Alexander - Big liquorish with sour cherry and hot chocolate on the nose. With 30+ years of age this wine was light on its feet and showing plenty of life. The palate was still vibrant with rich fruits and a slight note of cedar but without overwhelming oak. An excellent example of Silver Oak…

1981 Pichon Lalande – It is good to have a touch of funk after a night of California wines. The Pichon was showing remarkably well with forest floor, barnyard, and exotic Asian spices. Dry dusty black fruits on the back end adding complexity to an already excellent wine.

 

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by | December 17, 2010

A Nice Wednesday Evening

Our good friend and member Phil Roberts came in on Wednesday, it was a great night and we popped some brilliant bottles. Phil put his notes up on www.wineberserkers.com and I asked if we could borrow them for Graileys…

By: Phil Robert

97 Leflaive Folatieres - pop and pour, this really took some time to open up but I was relieved to see no oxidative signs at all. This is really what drinking good white burgundy is all about. Tropical fruits with stony minerality and a nice acid backbone. This did nothing but put on weight and character over the 5 hours I followed it. Drinking perfectly now.

74 de Montille Volnay - a recent find. Showed musty notes with a pop and pour, and we debated about whether it was corked or not. I figured we could come back to it later and it ended up being a very nice bottle for the price. Very light in color, still a fair amount of fruit left with tart raspberry and a hint of roses and spice. Clearly past its prime but definitely worth the price of admission. The last couple of pours were great.

82 Cos d’Estournel – served blind pop and pour, it had a nice floral component I thought it might be an old world syrah, but as it put on weight it was clearly bordeaux and an elegant one at that. Finely balanced, with dusty plum and cherry, cassis and leather. Another one that put on weight and character over time.

73 Dom Perignon – the fill level was suspect and there was little fizz remaining, but the flavor profile was one that I have not experienced. It was like a chameleon, changing every time you stick your nose in the glass. A little oxidative showing a nutty profile, but there were notes of chocolate, rasberry, caramel. toffee, flan. A cornucopia of flavors. Wow.

97 Guigal La Turque – pop and pour and followed over 3 hours. Carries that floral viognier component so distinctive to Lala’s. Showing meaty iron notes with fresh fruit, ripe berries and a trace of vanilla. Not the best I have had though.

89 Pichon Baron – smelled like a classic Cali cab blinded, pop and pour. As it opened up after an hour it was a stunner. Much like the bottle I opened a year and a half ago. Cassis and tobacco, fully ripe fruit with a hint of pepper and black berry. One of my favorite vintages of PB and did not disappoint.

A nice Wednesday evening for sure…

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by | December 16, 2010

Champagne Friday

By: AJ McClellan

It is good to open a bottle of bubbles every once in a while just because. We had a good group of members in and so what better reason could be have to pop a few Tete de Cuvee’s and celebrate life a little…

NV Bollinger Rose – Fresh and light with notes of rose petals and fresh cherries. The wine was drinking surprisingly well with a excellent freshness.

NV Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve – Heavier style of Champagne but with a refreshing acidity that cut through the wine and refreshed the palate. Ripe pears, and peaches were predominate in this wine but with a nice toasty finish.

NV Mumm de Cramant – This was the best of the NV wines for me. A blend usually saved for friends and family of the Mumm house the Cramant blend was delicious. The perfect amount of toast with light hints of tropical fruit on the nose. The palate showed excellent balance with exotic  fruits and spices.

NV Pierre Peters Rose – Pierre Peters is always a delight to drink. The Rose was fresh and clean with a lively floral nose and fruity palate of red cherries and watermelon.

2000 Pierre Peters Les Chetillons – This bottle was fantastic. This is a excellent example of quality grower

1999 Amour de Deutz Blanc de Blanc – Soft and creamy like drinking crème brulee. There was the perfect amount of toast on the palate followed by a soft hint of white peaches and tropical spices. Dangerously easy drinking…

2002 Perrier Jouet Fleur de Champagne – I normally associate Fleur de Champagne with yeast bombs but this wine was remarkably plush with an excellent balance and while it had a classic hint of yeast it was in no way overpowering. Pears, green apples, and lemon zest on the palate with a nice minerality and soft finish.

2002 Perrier Jouet Fleur de Champagne Rose – This was the most pleasant surprise of the night, a wonderful nose of light red fruit and stunning minerality. The palate was like floating on clouds of strawberries and cream  with a soft silky sensation that was incredible on the palate.

1999 Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d’Or – Brutish and powerful Champagne but with fantastic balance. The nose showed of ripe apples and ripe pears followed by blooming white flowers and ending in a splash of limestone minerality.

1997 Salon – The Salon was very young needing another 5 years to come around and soften the edges. That being said it was very complex with a plethora of fruits and great backing of acidity and minerality. A very nice way to end the night.

 

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by | December 9, 2010

Chablis , Champagne, Condrieu, and Cote Rotie. What more could you want?

We had a really fun tasting last week. Todd Mathis came in and tasted us through Martines Rhone portfolio with a few bubbles and Chablis thrown in. The tasting went great and as usual there were some awesome wines opened after the fact. One of our members who also posts on Wine Berserkers took some great tasting notes that I thought I would share with you…

By: Phil Robert

Had the opportunity to taste through a nice batch of producers I was not familiar with. The Chablis were fantastic, Champagne good to very good, but the Rhones were outstanding both in quality and price.

Patrick Piuze – new producer to me but he has made wine for Brocard, Verget and Olivier Leflaive previously. This guy is one to watch for sure.

08 Chablis “Terroir de Chichee” really good, crisp, good cut, hint of pineapple and lemon zest.

08 Chablis 1er Cru “Montmains” - very clean, lemon and green apple, nice minerality, stony.

08 Chablis Grand Cru “Bougros” – creamy, more muscular than the rest, a step up, finesse and a touch of baby fat relative to the cut of the previous 2 wines. Really outstanding though, and got way better as I saved my glass to follow over another hour.

Saint-Chamant Champagnes: Another new grower for me. Found the wines good, and they tended to have more yeasty characteristics. Primarily Chardonnay with a small amount of Noir and meunier.

NV Blanc de Blancs Brut – 85% from 01, 15% from 99 and 00 – disgorged 09. Fairly straightforward, nice bread dough and green apple.

00 Blanc de Blancs Brut – disgorged 09. Nice fine bead. Presenting more yeast notes, fairly crisp and dry.

99 Blanc de Blancs Brut – disgorged 09. this one had the most prominent doughy/yeasty notes, preferred the 00 as this was just a little too funky for me.

Stephane Coquillette Champagnes – I found these very good and the les Cles to be outstanding.

NV Blanc de Blancs “Cuvee Diane” Brut – nice straightforward green apple and fairly lively.

NV Carte d’Or Brut – very good, clean crisp exuberant nice bead with floral notes making this very attractive.

NV Blanc de Noirs “Cuvee les Cles” Brut – excellent, red fruited strawberry profile with some crisp red apple, really danced around the palate and very light on its feet.

Georges Vernay Condrieu and Rhones

09 Condrieu Terrases de l’Empire – super creamy, fragrant, honeysuckle? Almost a vanilla note in there, pretty damn good.

08 Condrieu Chaillees de l’Enfer – tart ripe fruit, masculine with some stone fruit peach pit.

07 Condrieu Coteau de Vernon – very tight and still very young. There was a little alcohol on the nose and heat on finish that detracted a bit from what otherwise was a nice wine.

09 Syrah de Miebaudie – little roasted meat, white pepper, nice florals – really good.

08 Syrah Fleurs de Mai – really stole the show in this flight, excellent QPR. Bright and fresh, funky nose.

08 Cotes du Rhone Ste. Agatha – violets, white pepper, earthy and meaty

07 St Joseph – tough one for me, just wasnt giving up as much – good but way outclassed by the other two in this flight

08 Cote Rotie La Blonde du Seigneur – great aromatics, peppery with a bit of spice, iron and meat. Really good.

07 Cote Rotie Maison Rouge – was just killer, big brute of a wine but yet very balanced with no noticeable heat. Great floral aromas, bacon, roasted meat, pretty much stole the show and one of those wow wines around the table.

A great variety of geographies and character to drink and a super educational tasting.

Other wines we had:
07 Mugnier Clos de la Marechale – still tight and just a baby, red fruited profile, nice drink
89 Leoville Las Cases – gorgeous bottle of wine and drinking perfectly right now. Structured, plenty of fruit, beautiful
94 Diamond Creek Red Rock Terraces – still holding plenty of fruit but the tannin has receded and is a rather plush soft wine, I’d be drinking these up.
90 Montelena Estate – this was drinking nicely pop and pour, still structured and balanced, cedar and dark berries.
1997 Castello di Verduno Barbaresco Faset – this would have been very good with food, but pop and pour it was drinking nicely with still a fair amount of acidity.
89 Chateau Rayas – had to have been a slightly off bottle with a touch of tomato and missing that great strawberry profile I associate with Rayas.

Probably missed a few others but a really fun evening drinking with friends….

Thanks for the tasting notes Phil.

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by | December 2, 2010

Beringer Vertical Tasting

By: AJ McClellan

Beringer is one of the oldest remaining wineries in Napa. There is a reason that this wine has been around for so long and that reason is found in the superb quality of their Private Reserve wines. We had the National Sales Manager Beringer in yesterday and he took us through a great vertical lineup of the Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

1997 Beringer Private Reserve – Great structure with ripe dark fruits, great wood spice, and tobacco on the nose. The wine was very well developed in the glass showing great fruit with a pronounced minerality and soft acidity. The tannins were very smooth helping to make this wine drink like a champ.

2001 Beringer Private Reserve – The 01 had more liquorish on the nose but kept the big tobacco and dark fruits. There was less minerality to the wine but still a nice powerful backing. Very dark on the palate but with smooth tannins and a long finish.

2002 Beringer Private Reserve – Brighter than the last two wines with fig and red cherries instead of the plums and blackberries. There is still an echo of tobacco in the background but much lighter than in the previous vintages. Cherry pie with a rocky minerality on the palate. The tannins were softer making this a more elegant vintage.

2003 Beringer Private Reserve – Sweet fruit with loads of spice, plum, red cherries, and a rocky minerality on the back end. A little hollow on the back end but that will fill up with a few years in bottle I think.

2005 Beringer Private Reserve – Big and bold, this wine needs some time to calm down and get in the rhythm. There is a great potential with tannins that have and edge of silkiness and I think with some age this wine will mellow out a little and get that great supple mouth feel that Beringer is known for. Great structure to the wine, the wine is a little thin in the middle but I think it just needs some bottle time.

 

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by | November 30, 2010

Turkey Wine

By: AJ McClellan

We had a great tasting in preparation of the upcoming Thanksgiving Day feast. Of course we concentrated mainly around Pinot, a great turkey wine, but in true Graileys fashion we found some other great substitutes to have with your Thanksgiving day dinner…

2001 Vincent Giradin Batard Montrachet – Oxidative character on the nose showing big caramel and honeyed pears. The palate was expansive with big almonds, vanilla extract, and those caramelized nuts you buy at the fair…

2007 Morgan Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir – A very nice Pinot Noir. Soft on the palate and showing a crisp acidity that made it want food. Cranberries, cherries, and raspberries coupled with a nice spice background.

2006 Abiouness Pommard Clone Pinot Noir – Powerful with massive fruit. There was a nice backing of minerality and spice. Big all the way around with a complex palate and balanced finish.

2007 Faivley Mercery Clos de Myglands – Great little Pinot for the money. Prevalent earthy aromas backed by a light layer of crisp red fruits. There is a great structure to the wine and potential to age for 3-6 years.

2006 Perrot Minot Morey st Denis 1er La Riotte – Upon opening this bottle it spilled toasted black fruits and earth all over the room. Huge dark walnut and black fruits backed by soft rich earthy aromas on the nose. The palate has a pleasant toast to it with cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, and black tea. Great bottle of wine!

2006 Perrot Minot La Rue de Vergey – This wine was not quite up to snuff with the La Riotte but it gave a good run for its money. Softer and not as complex, but a little lighter on its feet and showing more red fruit than black.

1996 Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze – Fantastic bottle of wine! The nose showed toasted aromas with burnt raspberries, slate, limestone, melted milk chocolate, fantastic earthy notes of moist earth, with rustic leaves, and a touch of exotic spices. The palate was as complex as the nose showing star anise, dusty cherry, forest floor, and a nice mellow toast. Terrific balance with a million subtle complexities leading to a long lasting finish.

1970 BV George de Latour – Iron notes with old dry fruit. This wine is a little past its prime showing old rubber tires, cedar, and loads of cooking spice. Classic old Cali Cab.

2009 Kongsgaard White Blend – Fruit loops all day with pears, green apples, and a touch of lemon grass on the nose. A very interesting with that has great potential to pear with foods. This reminds me of a great Condrieu although it was described by another member as “Stripper glitter”…

2003 Pavie – This wine was a monster in the glass. Huge extracted tannins and giant fruit. This wine might turn into one of the greats in 15-20 years but right now it is almost undrinkable.

1990 Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle Alexandra Rose – Brilliant glass of bubbles! Creamsicle, strawberry shortcake, and orange blossoms swirl from the glass. While retaining and unbelievable elegance the wine showed great, depth and complex. Notes of yeast on the palate with strawberries and crème, summer flowers on a sunny day, and loads of orange. The was amazingly light on its feet with a finesseful finish that was an absolute treat to drink.

1982 La Dominique – Huge Earth with plenty of funk on the nose. This was a great bottle of Bordeaux! Classic Bordeaux with hay, barnyard, dry blackberries, and plums on the palate. Crushed boulder minerality on the palate with a big coffee backing. This bottle is excellent now but still has great aging potential.

1997 Paolo Scavino Cannubi Barolo – Blueberry bubblegum with tobacco on the nose. Very unique with a huge tannin structure but light body. Heavy handed on the oak with hard tannins. Needs 10 more years.

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by | November 24, 2010

Another Friday Night

By: AJ McClellan

Every Friday we have a different tasting here at Graileys, and somehow every Friday we end up with a world class collection of wines scattered across the table. This past Friday was no exception with all the usual suspects coming through the door there was no doubt that we would have a killer night.

2000 Domaine Thenard – Remoissenet Le Montrachet – Lemon grass and honeyed tropical fruits such as kiwi, mango, papaya, and Asian pears on the nose. Big limestone/white rock minerality followed by fresh white flowers. More honey on the palate with great minerality and balance. Beautiful wine with a great mouth feel – pure elegance in the glass.

2005 Nicolas Rossignol Pommard – Ripe plums and cherries with cola and milk chocolate. There was a nice rocky minerality on the back end giving an excellent depth to the wine. Chewy tannins, crisp acidity, and a long finish give this wine a great potential to age.

1990 Domaine Bruno Clair Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix – Slight oxidative character with notes of iron, muted dusty cherry and big minerality on the nose. Light rustic notes of autumn morning after a heavy rain with damp dried out leaves. The palate was more expressive than the nose showing big dry fruits, a kiss of peppermint, dusty cherry, moldy boulder, clove, and cinnamon with exotic spices on the back end. Showing a crisp acidity but the tannins are lost and faded.  Seams a little tired and light on the back end.

1996 Haut Brion – Right out of the gate this wine was showing massive earth and gravel on the nose with big earth, plums, a note of gun powder, flint, and steel. There was a note of greenness but nothing obtrusive; it was like having green grass under a blanked of dry purple fruits… After the first 10 minutes the wine shut down and would not give anything else up. I thought the wine was done and maybe going through a dumb faze, but towards the end of the night Richard brought me what was left in his glass and the wine had exploded. After sitting for several hours the wine blew up with black tea, rustic spices, big stewed cloves, black cherry cough syrup, and a great earthy finish. The last sip was the best of the night…

1993 Faivley Corton Clos Des Cortons GC – This was the best Burgundy of the night showing classic earthy notes of dry crushed leaves, exotic spices, forest floor, and faded rustic fruit. The wine had all the complexities of age but with a vibrancy that made it sing on the palate. There were notes of brown sugar, ground coffee, burnt rubber, cooked blueberries, singed pine, and sandalwood. Very complex wine. The finish showed light notes of compost and a hint of barnyard. Brilliant…

1996 Sassicaia – At first I thought this wine might be corked, it was showing wet cardboard and notes of wood covered in sawdust. However after several hours in the glass this wine perked up and started to strut showing ripe red fruits, liquorish, earthy forest floor, and red roses. The tannins were dusty and well developed which helped with the excellent balance when combined with a crisp acidity and full body.

1996 Comte Armand Pommard Clos Des Epeneaux – This bad boy give the Faivley a good run for its money showing big ripe cranberry with scorched earth, a touch of coffee, charred red fruits, and a slight whiff of smoke. The palate showed noted of smoked quail, crushed rock, cranberry, and earthy goodness…

1983 Cheval Blanc – What a brilliant way to end the night. Classic Bordeaux across the board showing graphite, barnyard, compost, rustic dried fruits, a slight hint of crème de cassis, and bark. The palate was brilliant with earthy aromas swirling in the glass taking you the top of a hill in Bordeaux overlooking the vineyards and watching as the leaves turn brown and fall from the vine. This was a wonderful example of what Bordeaux should be. Wine of the Night….

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by | November 16, 2010

Graileys Tasting of Paris

By: AJ McClellan

We decided to go for a double blind tasting here at Graileys to replicate the tasting of Paris, putting Bordeaux and Burgundy up against California Cabernet and Chardonnay. The tasting was a pure delight and a lot harder than I expected it to be…

2001 Vincent Girardin Puligny Montrachet – Slightly oxidized in style with white roses, honey suckle, and a touch of honeyed peaches. This wine was obviously old world with a pronounced limestone minerality and faded secondary fruit.

2001 Kistler Dutton Ranch – Pure popcorn on the nose with lemon zest, toast, and nice spice. This wine was on the fence between Old and New World. The fact that there was tons of oak on this wine without having a high minerality and a moderate acidity combined with the slightly high alcohol level made me think of New World for this wine.

2000 Bouchard Montrachet – A little thin on the palate which is interesting because I thought this would be the best wine of the night. Showing muted apricots and pairs with a nice slate and schist minerality and crisp acidity. Once you got into this wine it was without a doubt Old World but it was hard to tell at first because of how muted it was. On a side note I tasted this wine the following day and it was drinking great…

2002 Marcassin Three Sisters – Another disappointing wine… In my experience Marcassin always needs several hours to open up and I had opened these bottles two hours prior to service to allow plenty of time for the wine to start drinking. When we tasted the wine the only thing that was showing was the buttery oak with muted fruit. Again the big oak with big fruit showed this wine to be New World. As a side note we tasted this wine again several hours after the tasting and it had bloomed into a fantastic wine…

After we finished the whites we tallied up the scores and announced the winners. Fourth place was the Marcassin followed by the Bouchard in third and the Vincent Girardin in second leaving the Kistler as the champion in first place.

Now it was time for the reds. We all took a breath exhausted by the challenge of the white wines and got ready to dive into the reds. At first I thought the whites would have been the hardest and the red easiest but I was in for a big surprise as these reds were very difficult to tell apart.

1997 Havens Bourriquot – showing loads of earth and a slightly oxidative character. There was a touch of big Washington apple followed by smoke and purple flowers. This one was difficult for me and I had to set it aside and come back to it. After making the rounds I decided to call it New World because of the slight mint and iron that I typically get out of New World wines.

1990 Chateau Le Gay – New World or Old? Next to the Havens this was a challenge. There were notes of sandal wood, plums, and ripe cherries. There were some notes of earth as well which really confused me because I was all set to call this a great old Cali Cab. Fortunately after tasting the next wine it helped me to call this one Old World.

1986 Beringer Private Reserve – This bad boy fell on its face. I think there was some heat damage and the wine showed of stewed tomatoes. I have had this wine several times before and it had always been excellent, unfortunately this one was done for. It was easy to tell that it was New World because of its over oaked natured that was highlighted by the flaw. This wine helped me to narrow down some of the other wines that I was having problems with.

1990 Beychevelle – Massive on the nose and palate but classic Bordeaux. Graphite and big earth on the nose with dusty dark fruits on the palate followed by more forest floor and barnyard. This was my easiest call of the Old World bunch.

1999 Tertre Roteboeuf – Humm… old or new? This wine and the Rubicon were a tossup. Both were different but excellent and each showed big ripe New World fruit followed by dust, earth, and a pleasant funk. I flipped a coin and called this one Old World because of a lower alcohol level.

1996 Rubicon – Another tough wine. This was the last bottle that I called waiting to narrow down all the others so I had a better idea of what I was dealing with. If I didn’t know that there were 3 Cali and 3 Bordeaux I would have probably called this Bordeaux. But as things were I narrowed it down to a great Cali Cab.

After we all finished with the reds we tallied up the numbers to see if California could squeak out another victory. In last place we had the Beringer followed by the Havens and then the Le Gay, next was the Beychevelle and then we had a surprise tie for first place between the Tertre Roteboeuf and the Rubicon. So how about dem apples…. I guess we will have to have a rematch to see who is the best next time around…

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by | November 5, 2010

Domaine de Villaine and Vieux Telegraph

By: AJ McClellan

A great night at Graileys… We had Pierre de Benoist, winemaker for Domaine de Villaine and nephew of Aubert de Villaine (owner of DRC) as well as Daniel Brunier, owner and vigneron of Vieux Telegraph in to taste us on their lineup of great wines.

Pierre was soft spoken but once you got him going he was very passionate and knowledgeable about his wines. His whites from Bouzeron immediately caught my eye, made from the Aligote grape. Aligote is known as a quaffable wine of no real complexity or aging potential. Pierre has taken this misunderstood grape and allowed it to blossom into an exceptional wine with great potential. We tasted his 09 and 06 vintages and the wine was a unique treasure that showed petrol on the nose backed by a white slate minerality and summer flowers. The palate was unique as well showing a richness mixed with a crisp minerality that made the wine a treat to drink. The 06 was showing very well with 4 years in the bottle proving that Aligote, if taken care of, can turn into a beautiful wine.

As if having Pierre in was not enough we also had Daniel Brunier sitting across the table. Daniel is the owner of Vieux Telegraph, one of the oldest houses in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and a staple of quality wine in the region. With quick wit and a dry sense of humor sitting the presence of these two ledgends was almost over whelming. The new vintage of Vieux Telegraph was amazing. The rouge was surprisingly silky and smooth given the youth of the wines and the white, OH THE WHITE! I was blown away by their blanc! While most CDP blanc’s have troubles because their broad, heavy palate is out of whack due to a lacking of acidity the Vieux Telegraph was in perfect harmony. A beautiful floral nose melting into soft minerality and notes of tropical fruits paired with a robust palate of pears, apples, apricots, white pepper, spring flowers, and even a hint of earth proved to be in perfect balance with a crisp refreshing acidity that brought the whole package together.

 

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by | November 5, 2010

Domaine de Villaine and Vieux Telegraph After Party

By: AJ McClellan

After the official tasting our members dug deep in their cellar to produce some real gems to offer up to these two producers of legendary wines…

1976 Jaboulet La Chapelle – Big bacon fat with tar, blood & iron, cloves, and baking spices right out of the gate. There was a nice floral note to the nose showing violets, and red roses. The palate showed red berries backed by vanilla bean, dried rose petals, more iron, and sugared plums. This wine always amazes me with its velvety tannins and crisp acidity even after more than 30 years in the bottle. Over the hours this wine continued to evolve showing tar, leather, massive tobacco, and ending with some good old Chapelle funk. I managed to hold this wine in my glass for about 5 hours and it got better and better till the last drop.

1986 Mount Eden Chardonnay – Honey suckle and limestone on the nose. The palate showed of schist, big Lemmon, sugar coated limes, nuts, and honey comb. This wine reminded me of one of my favorite childhood treats – Bit-o-Honey. Mount Eden is amazing how it stands up over time continuing to evolve. Even after holding this in my glass for 4 hours the wine refused to fall off and only smoothed out and became easier to drink… very dangerous… 10 more years

 

1985 Cos d’Estournel – An amazing wine that is always a treat to drink. When I first came to Graileys this was one of the first bottles of wine Simon opened for me and it has stuck with me ever since… Classic damp earth nose with notes of graphite and wet tobacco leaf. Full in the mouth with a broad and complex palate showing floral notes of dark red rose petals, hints of cinnamon, red liquorish, and scorched earth. The balance was superb with a silky finish.

2005 Sine Qua Non Atlantis Fe203-1b – I never knew that there was an extension of Cote Rotie in California… Very tight out of the bottle but with great potential, after 2 hours in the glass the wine started showing notes of smoked tobacco, plums, hard boiled leather, and dusty earth. After another 2 hours the wine started to show some dark chocolate with smoked bacon and chewy black fruits. I can taste the sunshine of California in the glass but with an unbelievable earthy texture that reminds me of Cote Rotie. I left a touch in my glass overnight and this morning the wine was singing, the fruit brightened up and the earth came out to play. This wine has the stuffings to go for a long long time… Possibly the best Syrah I have had out of California…

2004 Comte George de Vogue Bonnes Mares – I have a bad history with George de Vogue, every bottle I have had from this producer has let me down… When I opened the Bonnes Mares and poured a glass there might as well have been nothing in the glass the wine was showing such a muted nose. The palate was not much better showing hints of red and blue fruit and some meaty notes covered by a wet blanket. I set my glass to the side in disgust saddened by yet another disappointing bottle… At the end of the night, 5 hours later, I was revisiting the wines I had been saving and came across a lovely elegant nose showing ripe blueberries, milk chocolate, clove, soft blackberries, and a explosion of dusty minerality. When I tasted the wine I got Juicy black fruits backed by soft earth, crumbled chocolate, cooking spices, and blooming flowers. Lo and behold I was tasting my forgotten Bonnes Mares… Maybe I had judged the previous wines by George de Vogue to harshly and needed to give them another 4 hours in the glass… A great wine that needs another 15-20 years to plateau and will be drinking for another 30…

1999 Domaine Jean Trapet Chambertin – I am having a love affair with this wine. One of our members brought a bottle in for us to try and I did back flips over it. We immediately bought as much as we could get our hands on. This is my fourth bottle to try in two weeks and I can tell you it is true to Burgundian form with a somewhat irritating bottle variation… That being said whether it drinks straight out of the bottle or needs an hour or two… or four…. to come around, this bottle is fantastic. This particular wine was scary out of the bottle showing green jalapeño, and a earthy/meaty St Emillionesk palate. After a good long while in the glass  (4 hours) the wine blossomed showing dusty cherries, dry sun baked  earth, purple flowers, forest floor, and some great Asian spices. The body of this wine always impresses me with a silky elegance and a bold long finish.

Vieux Telegraph vs Rayas…

1998 Vieux Telegraph Chateauneuf du Pape – Bright on the nose with raspberries and red cherries. There was a great meatiness to the wine with excellent earthy aromas of barnyard and hay. The palate was plump still showing nice fruit combined with classic leather, roast beef, and notes of tar. Excellent balance leading to a long finish.

1998 Rayas – We tasted this side by side with the Vieux Telegraph. The Rayas was more rustic and slightly lighter on its feet. Nose of rust, smoked quail, blood, and roasted strawberries. Lighter on the palate with great rustic fruit and seductive earth showing garden compost and forest floor. The finish showed a crushed rock minerality with black pepper and black liquorish. Great little wine, it is surprising how different two wines from the same region can be….

1986 DRC Echezeaux – WOW! What a great wine. The nose started with a note of burnt earth and sugarcane but quickly shifted showing plump plums, blackberries, and a wet soil. After some time in the glass a sly note of baked bread started to surface paired with a more rustic earth note. The more time spent in the glass the wine gains complexity like a snowball thrown from the tip of a mountain and rolling down hill to cause an avalanche of exciting aromas and tastes. The palate was surprisingly fresh showing great acidity dancing vibrantly. There were notes of dusty red and black fruits backed by clean forest floor and a pleasant limestone minerality. There is a note of old dusty shoe found in your fathers attic like old worn leather, dust, and old musty wood…

1988 Chateau d’Yquem – Can you think of a better way to end a night? This wine was phenomenal on the nose with banana foster pie topped with caramelized nuts, drizzled with honey and served with fresh pears and apricots. The palate was surprisingly young and vibrant with lively acidity and a brilliantly complex palate.

1983 Chateau d’Yquem – Ah ha! Two bottles of d’Yquem are better than one! The 83 had more petrol on the nose and showed more burnt pears and honey comb rather than pure honey. There were still some similarities in the caramelized apricots and a nice toffee note. The palate was a little tired and was thicker, chewier, and was not a vibrant as the 88.

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