One month down and it has already been an amazing new year. With exciting tastings behind us from Robert Foley’s annual visit to an exclusive Gaja luncheon to many more stellar bottles of true fine wines, we have been on an unremitting roll of mind-blowing wines and it’s only the second month… now this is how Graileys brings in the new year.
Boom! Look at these aged beauties… From Left to Right: 1906, 1964, 1959, 1985, 1990, 1962, 1997
Thank you Bill!!
1906 Marche Aux Vins Charmes Chambertin- BOOM!!! This is the oldest Burgundy Graileys has opened; ex-winery rebottled in 2009 and it took what goes down on a Graileys table to a whole other level (all glasses raised high to our beloved member Bill). Not a day goes by that I do not think about how I missed a chance to taste this masterpiece but from the reactions of my colleagues weeks after this tasting, this bottle must have been absolutely smashing!! From the words of my colleagues: “Just drank the oldest Burgundy in my life and it is riveting! A roller coaster of red fruits, flowers, sous bois, truffle and angel dust. Alive and profound with a two minute finish!”
1995 La Mission Haut Brion- Woah… absolute power, commanding flavors and a striking finish.
1964 Leroy Pommard Les Grands Epenots- the soft fruit, the wild earth, dirty mushrooms, deep spice. You can taste the grapes and the dirt underneath Lalou Bize’s nails and that is a very, very good thing.
Look at that brown liquid of honey.
1962 Suduiraut Sauternes- Unbelievable! Gorgeous honey, spiced orange and kumquat preserves, sweet lemons and ginger spice. This was absolutely outstanding! Although lacking Yquem’s precision, there was still a lot of life, breath and elegance in this 54 year old Sauternes.
1961 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo- Unreal!! And even better the next day!! Nebbiolo shows its maximum power, it was gripping and fleshy the moment we opened it. We thought we were blown away the night we opened it, but the next day the wine really showed its core beauty; the gorgeous red fruit, dried rose and spice were released as the tannins near completely melted away.
1998 Philipponnat Clos des Gouisses- With great intensity, overripe honeydew melon, juicy apricot and honey are balanced by pure briny, deep chalk minerality with overlying layers of white flowers, salted hazelnut and the warmth of toasted sour bread and sweet brioche that softened its mineral structure. The bubbles were plump and soft leading into a very lengthy finish. Philipponnat is a favorite Champagne house for those in the know and the fully ripened Pinot Noir dominates in this tiny 5.5ha single vineyard of Mareuil sur Ay- Clos des Gouisses.
1997 Calera Mt. Harlan Viognier- this was a blinder that shocked our palates! It was beautiful, intense yellow in color with an insanely rich, yet balanced, nose of sweet lemon preserves, grilled pineapple, papaya and sweet corn. The aromatics were vibrant with dried white flowers, honeysuckle and bee’s wax, while the palate offered deeper mineral elements of crushed rocks, paraffin, meaty mushrooms, sweet herbs and marzipan. The higher acidity gave it a powerful backbone which is not commonly seen in this grape.
We greeted the final weekend of the month with the rare, bold and the beautiful. We started the night with a 1961 Lafite Rothschild, not a bad start right?. Multidimensional to the max! The fruit was still there, more red and black fruit driven with soft damp forest floor, sweet fern, leather, soft tobacco and dried rose elegantly embraced the nose while notes of soft pencil lead, toasted orange rind spice and fall leaves seamlessly glided the entire palate in an ultra silky, polished texture. The spices and minerality matured gracefully with nutmeg and dusty mocha with hints of dry clay and iron. There were no dominating elements as all the flavors melded into one amazing wine experience.
What does one open after a ’61 Lafite? What about a rare bottle of 2007 Cayuse Vineyards Bionic Frog?! Boom! This was meat, bones, blood and fat to the core, covered by an impenetrable layer of sweet black fruit, crème de cassis, wild violet, lavender and raw star anise. As everything about the ’61 Lafite was elegant and soft, there was nothing soft about this rare Washington State Syrah. It was garrigue to the max but beautifully polished. Each sip launched precise explosions of insanely ripe blackberries, black pepper and olives followed by molten magma, smoke, char, ash and all that lead into at least a solid two minute finish. Uber perfumey with insane intensity as Simon calls it- “Guigal on steroids”.
1993 Harlan- the sweet dried black and blue fruit was infinite from the nose through the palate to a plunging finish with a lingering shadow. All encompassing in depth and flavors as dark minerals of deep gravel and compost, scorned tobacco and dried fern made a big impression to the seductive layers of dried rose petals, dried cherry, dark chocolate and cola spice that still held the lead. This is an ever powerful bottle with tannins still holding a demanding grip.
2007 Sine Qua Non Pictures Grenache- Tart and ripe bramble fruit with an insane amount of power and punch! Freshly snapped cinnamon sticks, intense Christmas spice, red and black peppercorn, licorice galore with thick layers of red plums, cherries, blackberries- and in SQN style, each flavor was demanding as the next and it didn’t get any more delicate as tar, espresso, dense wood, ripe leather and clay pounded through the sweet fruit and spice. With flavors this bold and quality this high, the super long finish was just as seductive as the palate, leaving you completely mystified and mesmerized.
2008 Colgin Cariad- Chocolate in every degree from black to white and molten to cocoa powder. Ultra creamy, velvety texture with expansive flavors and sweet ripe tannins that beautifully showcased the black cherry fruit. It was like drinking liquefied premium Luxardo cherries dipped in chocolate and coated with toasted coffee grinds and sweet cream. There is something about every single bottle of Colgin that just electrifies my palate and this ’08 Cariad did the same. Dark gravel minerality, hints of deep earth and eucalyptus balanced out the gorgeous Pritchard Hill fruit.
2013 Barbour Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon- A great premier for the killer and highly anticipated 2013 vintage, this Celia Welch and Jim Barbour collaboration is a knockout Cabernet! Ultra ripe blackberry, blueberry fruit. Blackberry pie, bramble berry, violets, plums, hints of eucalyptus, sweet plump herbs, baking spice, fresh turned soil, melted chocolate and cream, crème de cassis, rich coffee and pie!
Cheers to a great start at Graileys! We look forward to sharing many more great bottles of wine with you this year!
Other Kickass Bottles Opened in January
2011 Tusk
1963 Dows Vintage Port
1997 Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala
1959 Moulin Touchais Anjou
2012 Robert Foley Claret
1990 Krug Vintage Champagne
1995 Araujo Eisele Vineyard Syrah
1985 Guigal La Turque
2012 Robert Foley Merlot
2001 Cos d’Estournel
2010 La Fleur de Bouard
2000 Pichon Lalande
2012 Blankiet Rive Droite
NV Cedric Bouchard Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs Val de Vilaine Champagne
2013 Maison Roy Petite Incline Pinot Noir
2012 Kata Cabernet
2013 Domaine Faury Cote Rotie
2010 Angelus
1978 Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace Cabernet
2011 Favia La Magdalena (in magnum)
2006 Williams Selyem Hawk Hill Vineyard Chardonnay
1976 Reiler Mullay Hofberg Riesling Beerenauslese
2012 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Vaillons
2012 Comte Armand Pommard Clos des Epeneaux Monopole (in magnum)
2003 Pavie
2012 Gaja lineup