Jay Miller organized a sort-of farewell gathering yesterday at Chelsea Wine Storage, which has been the site of some of the most enjoyable wine-sharing experiences for me over the past seven or eight years. (What is it about drinking at 55F?) Many of us will be moving out with the big rate increases next month under the new owners.
It was a good and varied line-up of bottles pulled from people’s lockers.
1996 Roagna – Barolo – La Rocca & La Pira (375ml): This was tough as nails on release and it’s still tough as nails. Not much on the nose and just very hard tannins on the palate. Not so pleasant now. Did I mention that it’s tough as nails? I won’t open my one bottle for a loooong time. I went long on 96s, but this wine is what I’m afraid of. May be great in 15-20 years, but I’m not sure I can wait.
1997 Clos Rougeard – Saumur-Champigny: Nice touch of cab franc green on the nose – just enough to lend interest. There was a trace of that on the palate, too, along with some lovely earthiness and fruit. Very silky at this stage. Really lovely. 90-ish points for me.
2004 Peyre Rose – Clos des Cistes – Coteaux de Languedoc: I didn’t know the Peyre Rose wines. Like the Saumur, a very silky texture, but with the fruit of a warmer clime. Not super complex, but gives a lot of pleasure. 90-ish.
2004 Peyre Rose – Syrah Léone – Coteaux de Languedoc: The only wine served blind, after the other Peyre Rose had been sampled for some time. Some reduction on the nose reinforced someone’s guess of syrah. Some tannin showed at first, but the fruit tamed that with a bit of air. (Unlike most of the wines, this was not decanted.) More depth than the other Peyre Rose, earning it another point-ish from me: 91.
1995 Ch. Montelena – Napa Valley – Montelena Estate – Cabernet Sauvignon: Fairly tight on the nose, but very giving in the mouth. Tannins have largely evolved and are in perfect balance with the fruit. How rare it is to have a Montelena where the tannins aren’t hard! If I’d had this blind, I think I’d have guessed a Napa cab from Mt. Veeder or the southern end of the valley – Oakville, say. None of the ash/darkness of Calistoga. 91.3 points.
1995 Ch. Musar: Others liked this better than me. I got some VA in the nose. In the mouth, this was shot for me – faded, tired fruit and some VA. This was not decanted, but I think it had been open an hour or more when I sampled it and the bottle was half empty.
1986 Ch. Canon – St. Emilion: This bottle, which I bought in 1994, was a hit. Definitely has the vintage’s character: It’s taut still and has tannins. It’s not caressing the way the 82 and 83 are; it’s a bit stern for a St. Emilion of this age. But it’s still really good. 92+ ish. Others might go higher.
2001 Egon Müller – Wiltinger Braunekupp – Auslese: Golden hue. And, whoa, what a wine! This is way, way beyond Auslese level, well into BA territory. Extraordinary concentration, with great acidity and botrytis to offset the sweetness. 94+
1996 Dönnhoff – Oberhauser Brücke – Eiswein: Thick, prune juice color but utterly fresh flavors – no prune. Very, very intense, but with the sugar and acid sustaining each other. Just a tad behind the 01 Egon Müller. 92.8-ish. (Footnote: I usually find Eiswein less interesting than the more botrytised wines, but this was outstanding.)
2009 Egon Müller – Scharzhofberger – Spätlese: Sampled a bit quickly near the end, after the 01 and the 96 Dönnhoff, which really wasn’t fair to this lovely wine. “Very nice indeed,” as Clive Coates might say.
