By: Simon Roberts
It was one of those nights last night. A motley crew steadily walked through the front door and I had a feeling it was going to be a big night. Corks started popping as the night gathered speed.
First in and tasting was Scott and Ken, Champagne men through and through. NV Gonet-Medeville Rose kicked us off and as usual this great find did not disappoint. It would be hard to find a racy Rose that drinks like this in any price range. Strawberry parfait with bubbles!
Matt was up next with a 2002 Eyrie Pinot Noir from Oregon. It was very impressive; light in color and delicate on the palate, a very nice wine to start the evening off. If I were tasting this blind, I would not have pegged it as Oregon Pinot, but it was and it was showing really well.
Next up was a 1999 Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Les Combettes. Laser-like focus on this white. It showed vibrant flavors of lemon zest and stone. It tasted young yet it is 13 years old. You have to love these single-vineyard Chardonnays from Leflaive as they definitely get better with age and this vintage is singing right now.
Ivan, our intrepid California cabernet aficionado, tasted us on Futo’s O.V. 2009 vintage which showed nice ripe fruit that was extremely well balanced with big, but soft plummy, blackberry and blackcurrant backbone and a lingering finish to boot. This was a great bottle of cabernet and I decided to pick up a few cases for our members ($95/bottle).
It was my turn next and I opened a 1998 Pride Mountain Reserve Cabernet. Bob Foley made this and his mark is all over it. Super concentrated, blockbuster cabernet with balance, complexity and style. The 1998 vintage was trashed back in the day and the critics were way off. There are some serious wines from this vintage in Napa and this bottle proved it.
DD turns up next, which usually means double trouble, and he did not disappoint opening a very nice 1989 Pichon Lalande. As always, Pichon shines through. This bottle had all the boxes ticked: Soft tannins, well integrated fruit, cedar, tobacco and deep black fruits. Yummy as always.
A 1985 Leoville Barton got opened next. This was drinking like a champ. I think 1985 as a vintage is drinking much better than the heralded 1986 vintage, especially from the Left Bank. Pencil lead, tobacco, smoke with that telltale dusty St-Julien finish. I am missing Bordeaux; time to reload.
“Let’s do a blind,” was suggested around the table. I thought, “Great idea!”. I really don’t know why we do not taste everything blind. It is way too much fun and you get to look very silly at times.
Our first blind was poured and my gut said old Bordeaux. This had a killer nose that just jumped out of the glass with pure stinky earth and plowed fields. It has to be Bordeaux, and a good one at that. The palate was stunning, this wine is in perfect balance with dusty forest floor nuances, velvety mouthfeel with very little tannin. I went for 1982 Ducru. Another guess was 1982 Pichon Lalande. No way I thought, this wine has a very distinctive nose. Ivan mentioned the mint on the nose…could it be an older California Cabernet? The reveal – 1982 Chateau Montrose. A stunner. What a success the 1982 vintage is. It gets stronger as time passes.
The next decanter was poured. The wine was deep, concentrated with a red, almost black core. On the nose, Asian spice, camphor, and toast. Huge tannins. Go with your first instinct right? Straight out of the chute, I dive in. This has to be a California Syrah, a good one. It is massive and brooding. My mind was made up, maybe a young S.Q.N , a Reva, a Saxum? Two more guesses around the table… three of us now collectively using our astute wine knowledge and going for young but very good Cali Syrah. Greg sniggers before the reveal , as does DD and I know I am way off…why would he laugh? I thought as the brown bag was slowly removed to reveal – a friggin’ 2007 Screaming Eagle. Blind tasting…y0u have to love it. My face, as well as Ivan’s and A.J.’s were as red as the wine. Way off. Go Figure! I popped a 2008 Favia La Magdalena next to the Screaming Eagle for curiosity purposes. Now I knew what the wine in front of, me with the camphor nose and concentrated finish,reminded me of: Andy Erickson’s Favia. We all agreed, Favia is the real deal and about a 10th of the price of the screamer.
One more blind poured out of decanter. This one showed big, soft cedar fruits, nice balance, creamy texture. A few guesses around the table were mid-nineties California cabernet; Bryant, Colgin Herb Lamb, Harlan were all thrown in the mix. Reveal – 1995 Silver Oak Alex. Never judge a book by it’s cover. This really was the blind leading the blind !