By: AJ McClellan
Last night was an interesting one at Graileys. We had a fun New World vs Old World wine tasting in which several members pulled out some great wines from France to match up against some wines from California. All in all I was very unimpressed by the Frenchies and the Cali wines were showing very well. It was a fun day with some very nice wines.
1994 Leroy Nuits st Georges Les Boudots – This wine opened with a pleasant note on the nose but with a slightly metallic nuance on the palate. After some time in the glass the wine opened up some but never really blew up. Red cherries with subtle floral notes accompany flat acidity and sour earth notes on this less than impressive wine.
2010 Kosta Browne Sonoma Pinot Noir – Interestingly this wine was the exact opposite of the Leroy. Huge fruit notes of Bing Cherry and red currants mixed with big sandalwood on the nose. The palate was full an rich with loud fruit and big woodspice.
1998 Guado al Tasso – I was really excited for this wine, but unfortunately it was corked…
2005 Chateau Montrose – This 95 point wine was a tannic monster. This wine was obviously far too young to drink. After two hours in a decanter the wine was still tight with a closed down nose and a palate that would suck your face dry. I look forward to trying this wine again in another 10-15 years.
2008 Foley Claret – Another great example of a young California wine blowing its European counterpart out of the water. This wine was stunning. The nose was full of deep black fruit mixed with dark coco and baking spice. This is a seamless wine with excellent tannic structure and a lovely finish.