Our dinner group dined at Lucky`s to enjoy some fine wines and some of the tastiest food in our area. Our wine theme, in addition to the usual champagne, Rieslings and white Burgs, was to bring a few Shafer Hillside Select and a few other stellar Napa Cabs. Everyone stepped up righteously:
2006 POL ROGER SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL BRUT- I`ve had 2 superlative bottles of this fine bubbly and expected this to follow suit; it did not; it was slightly oxidized which became more pronounced with time; the first clue of something not right was the cloudy straw yellow color; I was certain the previous bottles were clear and more golden yellow; the nose seemed to offer OK aromas initially so did the taste profile with spicy, licorice accented citrus notes with lemon zest most prominent; however, the next time through, I picked up something that was not right and then it was more clear but still subtle as advanced notes of caramel and butterscotch joined and then some stone fruit peach and apricot appeared along with a touch of nuttiness and now it’s clear, it’s pre-moxed; for me, there was enough to enjoy to the extent of drinking the first pour; for a couple others, it was tossed.
A bit of history: Sir Winston Churchill’s relationship with Pol Roger dates back to 1945 when, during a luncheon given by the British ambassador to France after the liberation of Paris, Churchill met the charming and captivating Odette Pol-Roger. A friendship began which, indulged by his wife Clementine, lasted until his death in 1965. Each year on his birthday, Odette would send Churchill a case of vintage champagne. So close was his relationship with the family that upon his death, Pol Roger put black-bordered labels on all of their bottles destined for the UK. In 1975, Pol Roger went one step further and named their prestige cuvée after him, producing it in the robust and mature style that he liked so much. The exact composition of this cuvée is a family secret but it is likely that Pinot Noir dominates 70-80% of the blend with the remainder being Chardonnay. The grapes are all from Grand Cru vineyards which were under vine during Churchill’s lifetime.
NV CHARLES HEIDSIECK ROSE RESERVE- an old friend shows up as I use to have a bunch of this and the Brut and kind of missed both; after a somewhat disappointing 06`SWC, this served to clean out and refresh the palate as it gave nice spicy fresh strawberry and red cherry/ berry fruit which was prominent throughout while being delivered in a frothy, feel good medium; the dosage is noted to be in the 6-8 gpl range.
As an aside, 80% of the years wines are made up of equal portions of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay with 20% of the reserve wines made up of 50% Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Next up came one of the best 2 bottle white Burgundy vertical tastings I’ve experienced in the last few years:
2015 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY CUVEE NICOLAS et MATHIAS EN REMILLY SAINT AUBIN 1er Cru- this consistently fabulous bottling provided such a treat offering pleasing aromatics, taste and mouthfeel from the nose through the tail; early on and throughout, there was a touch of minerality and match stick along with lemon lime notes; all of the attributes seemed to expand and grow with more richness and expressed flavors; the viscous texture seemed to just cap off the complete tantalizing sensory experience this offered.
2018 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY CUVEE NICOLAS et MATHIAS EN REMILLY SAINT AUBIN 1er Cru- this is the baby version of the 15 having all of the makeup, but with less maturity; as such, it was full of promises and potential, elegant and stately and mellow with unexpressed power; as was the 15, its already nicely balanced and worthy of being tasted as long as one has more in the cellar.
Before moving into the wine theme for the night, we enjoyed a fine under the radar wine:
2018 CLAUD RIFFAULT LES CHASSEIGNES SANCERRE WHITE WINE- what a great QPR this is; it’s made from organically farmed Sauvignon Blanc vines from the estate north of the village of Sury-en-Vaux, fermented in stainless steel tanks and barrels without undergoing ML which they believe to be detrimental to the character of their Sauv Blanc; mineral infused lemon grass and citrus prevails throughout along with touches of apple and pear and accents of chalk, flint and pine; it has a uber pleasing oily mouthfeel and enough stuff to hold ones attention and appreciation while partaking.
BTW, Les Chasseignes is the name of lieu-dit plots in the Sancerre and identifies the parcels installed on the famous “cailottes" hills.
After a pretty fine start, we moved on to the featured wines of the evening starting off with 3 Shafer HS.
2004 SHAFER HILLSIDE SELECT CABERNET SAUVIGNON STAGS LEAP DISTRICT NAPA- not decanted; outstanding wine here as it had all of the traits one looks for in a marquee CA Cab and maybe a bit more; it was so vibrant and nicely evolved and even though it still can stand some more time to reach its apogee, it’s loaded with leather, earth, cedar and mild chocolate laden black currant and a hint of blackberry and black cherry; the velvety texture adds a serious tactile sensory component that along with its impeccable balance seals the deal.
2007 SHAFER HILLSIDE SELECT CABERNET SAUVIGNON STAGS LEAP DISTRICT NAPA- not decanted; this is the 25th vintage for the HS and it’s one of the better ones IMHO with lots of depth and complexity, richness, power and finesse; the iron fist in a velvet glove analogy fits perfectly here; the nose and taste profile included mint chocolate and licorice accented black cherry, plum and black currant; it was delivered all the way to the back end in a velvety soft medium; this wine can stand another decade for more evolution and if opened sooner, a long decant is advised.
2009 SHAFER HILLSIDE SELECT CABERNET SAUVIGNON STAGS LEAP DISTRICT NAPA- this is a wondrous wine that wants to give and has lots to share albeit in its infancy; following its inky dark purple color came aromas of fresh and ripe dark fruit which on the palate translated into black currant, blackberry, blueberry, plum and black cherry with a touch of graphite, leather and tobacco; it’s super soft and easy on the palate and the oak has integrated nicely; its full bodied with lots of depth and length and will benefit from extended cellaring for another 15-29 years; a few hours decant is suggested when opening sooner.
As an aside: The HS Cabernet fruit is sourced from the winery’s steepest hillside vineyard blocks on their Stags Leap District estate. These vineyards feature small berries and small clusters of fruit that are vinified and aged separately from the rest of the winery’s harvest, with special extended maceration and pump overs, and specially selected barrels. The wine ages for 32 months in oak before being bottled, and then another year in the bottle before released. About 2400 cases are made each year.
And now for the other 3 Cabs/ Cab blend:
2002 LEWIS CELLARS RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA- after the 3 Shafer HS`s, we took a deviation into a different expression of Cab as this had much more sweet dark ripe fruit in the form of black cherry and blackberry with some black currant in the background; accents of cedar, talc and sandalwood add a nice touch and its super soft mouthfeel added more class and elegance to this superlative rich and powerful wine; it is in a state of ideal balance now and each taste seemed to reveal a new and enticing nuance not experienced in the last one as it crescendoed toward a magnificent finish with everything coming together and then just hanging on to provide pure pleasure; there are some intense underlying tannins that are most evident at the end that seem to ensure this has the backbone to go for the long term.
2009 ARAUJO ESTATE EISELE VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA- 99% Cabernet Sauvignon with homeopathic doses of Cabernet and Petit Verdot; following its youthful vibrant dark ruby color came aromas of sage and chocolate covered plum and black cherry/ berry; the taste profile also contained cigar box and cedar accented black currant and black raspberry; the soft and smooth texture was so pleasing; it’s already achieved nice balance and it’s giving generously; this has so much energy, it just seems it would be even better with a resting period of say another 10 years or more.
2007 ABREU THOREVILOS ABREU VINEYARD YOUNTVILLE NAPA RED WINE- 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Cabernet Franc, 19% Petit Verdot, and 7% Merlot sourced from David Abreu`s private vineyard; this bottle was decanted 2 hours prior to serving; whereas the 5 wines that preceded this one were essentially 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, this blend seemed to have almost as much depth, power and complexity; following its vibrant dark purple red color came aromas of spice, talc and lavender laced blueberry and blackberry all of which continued onto the back end; it was silky smooth, full bodied with some weight and in perfect balance; this is the whole package and as good as it is showing now, it is structured for the long run and has decades to go.
As if the 6 of us had not had enough, 3 dental cavity forming dessert wines came out:
1998 KRACHER SCHEUREBE TROCKENBEEREN AUSLESE ZWISCHEN den SEEN NUMBER 12- 375 ml; dark maple color; notes and texture of maple syrup pervade throughout with hints of gingerbread and molasses coming by mid palate; it was so thick, one could almost chew on it.
2003 BERT SIMON SERRIG HERENBERG
TROCKENBEERENAUSLESE RIESLING MOSEL- 375 ml; this creamy rich wine could almost be considered to be in liquid form, but when I poured it, it came out in drops, well not quiet, but you get the picture; cinnamon and honey join pear and apricot fruit to make this a delicious treat.
2013 TIMBER WINERY THE ENCORE RIVERBENCH VINEYARD LATE HARVEST VIOGNIER SANTA MARIA VALLEY- 375 ml; 8.7% residual sugar; as stated on the back label, it’s pronounced “TAM- bar or TIM-bar as related to the character or quality of a musical sound as distinct for its pitch and intensity”; almond butter and honeyed apricot dominate the taste profile while there is a noticeable streak of alcohol taking over toward the finish.
Another fine evening with the troops. As usual, we ate, drank and communed extremely well and set up the next weeks theme and venue for another round.
Cheers,
Blake
