By: Simon Roberts
A Very cool weekend in every sense of the word was spent in Telluride last week, the occasion – A couple of our members birthday’s and what better way to celebrate than with a few very special bottles . A small group gathered in a beautiful condo overlooking the mountain and sipped on some superb wines. A Trio of Spottswoode was first up, vintages 91, 94 and 07.
The 91 was showing beautiful fruit with a Bordelaise nose of earth and underbrush, the tannins have melted on this wine and it is drinking superbly well. Next up was the 94 which was for me a bit of a disappointment, it was slightly stewed and just never gained any momentum in the glass. The 07 made up for everything though, this is a legend of a wine in the making. massive fruit, perfect balance and with layer after layer of pure cabernet essence.
The second flight of wines was a gift from one brother to another. 1974 Hanzell Pino Noir that was still showing great fruit, this was a classic vintage in California but my first foray into aPinot Noir from 1974 and it rocked, I have tasted older Hanzell chardonnays and been impressed in the past but this Pinot was full on and still strutting it’s stuff . Next was a sensational bottle of 1991 Chapoutier Hermitage La Pavillon, A wow wine in every sense of the word. The nose was pure Barbeque pit, smoky, meaty and earthy. The palate was stunning and my glass blossomed into greatness as the night progressed. How about a 1983 Mouton next… why not. The 1983 vintage is often overlooked due to the greatness of 82 but make no mistake there are some stunning wines from this vintage and in true Mouton style this bottle showed it ‘s class and pedigree as the night and wine developed. Classic pencil lead nose with tobacco, leather and perfectly integrated fruit. A great night in a stunning location was topped off with a 1990 Leoville Las Cases, no descriptors here, if you can find this wine in good shape get after it, it tells its own story.