This was a proper precursor to last Friday’s Members Appreciation event. The handful of members we had in were in no mood to wait until Friday to pull a good bottle to share around the table. First in to inventory his cage was Bill S whose wine of choice for the task at hand was a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvee. This bubbly is simply delicious with orchard fruit, a touch of white flowers, citrus and minerals leading to a palate that is medium-bodied, creamy-textured with refined fizz. Gotta raise my glass to a man who inventories in style – here’s to you, Bill! Next in the door was DD who is knee-deep in construction dealing with the finishing touches of his new digs. The cellar sounds cool although I expect nothing less. He makes his way to his cage in the back and just stared at his wine racks. He asked me to pick a bottle… “just not the 1982 Pichon Lalande. I heard it took months to find a replacement bottle for my last one.” I pulled the 1981 Pichon Lalande which was the embodiment of elegance. Layered bouquet of tobacco, cedar, floral, licorice and black raspberries led to a palate that was silky, vibrant with perfect harmony. This is drinking at peak now and will probably stay in this window for another five years. I just kept going back to this wine and with each sip, I come up with ‘feminine’, ‘elegant’, ‘stunning’, ‘magical’… all well-deserved. My WOTN. My man Mike M walked in next with one of his new BFFs, Mitchell. He was in a Bordeaux mood and pulled the cork on a 1990 Leoville-Las Cases which showed muscle and structure. Spicy with notes of blackcurrant, gravelly undertone and complex oak nuances (espresso beans, toasty vanilla). Firm tannins, chewy texture and tremendous flavor concentration suggest this wine is meant for the long haul (easily another two decades).
Next up on the table to share was a 1996 Cos d’Estournel courtesy of Bill. This had an intense nose of ripe cassis, blackberries, roasted coffee, Asian spice, incense and licorice. Powerful and dense on the palate with well-integrated, refined tannins with a dark, bittersweet chocolate on its long finish. With these wines in the line-up, I was hoping I prepped my palate for an onslaught of crazy wines for Friday.