Bay Area Maison Ilan 2011 Tasting

I’m in the process of organizing a tasting of 2011 Maison Ilan wines in the Bay Area (somewhere between San Francisco and Los Gatos). Priority will be to MI customers and particularly those who have wines to contribute, though I think we already have enough people to provide the six larger production wines. If there are people willing to contribute Corbeaux or Feusselottes (assuming they arrive :slight_smile: ), they will get priority.

For now this is just a call for interest. I’ll keep a list of people and what wines they could contribute. I think it will be difficult to line this up before the holidays so it will likely be in January.

Please let me know either by responding in this thread or by PM if you are interested, and which wines you would be willing to put in (nobody will need to contribute more than one bottle). Those of you already on my list, feel free to respond or not. I will keep your spot either way.

After some discussion among a few of us, I think we’re leaning toward the following format with either 10 or 12 tasters:

  1. Single-blind pour, taste, rank, discuss
  2. Reveal
  3. Non-blind refill, taste, discuss

List:
(Maison Ilan customers:

  1. Craig
  2. Scott
  3. Cary
  4. Alan
  5. Paul
  6. Ed
  7. Leon
  8. Wes
  9. Vamsi

(Others)
1.
2. Dan
3. Joe

Waiting list

  1. Rich
  2. Andrew
  3. Ashish

Edit: I’m firming up the list with 12 people. If you need to drop, let me know.

Definitely in, assuming I’m in town (will be in Rio 17th-24th)

I’d be interested if you allow ringers.
I have Chambertin and Charmes Chambertin.
No biggie if you are strict about MI only wines.

I could also buy MI if any available, I suppose.

We’ll have some ringers in any case. There are 8 2011 MIs, only 6 guaranteed.

Interested, and should have the Corbeaux or Feusselottes fairly soon.

I’d be interested in joining but have no MI wines. I could bring a few others from the same vintages/vineyards for comparisons.

BTW if the list looks too big and there is more interest, we can try to organize two tastings or one with two bottles, so please don’t assume it’s full.

Ditto

I am in if the date is after Dec 18th.

I would have access to my 9 bottles (they’re at friends waiting to be brought back by them from the US), but can’t get out in January. If you by some chance move it to mid-May, we could talk business :slight_smile: I have tentative but fairly determined plans to be in SF on May 17-19 or so.

In any event, if you have it in Jan, I will certainly look for the TN thread.

Well, I think that’s too far off to delay this particular tasting, but having another Maison Ilan-themed tasting or having some in the line-up in May would be no problem. Some of us have '09s and '10s. We may even have '12s by then.

Please post good/bad dates for January. We’ll pick a few candidates and try to find one that works for everyone. As of now, I think I’m okay for anything except 1/29.

Highly recommend decanting/and or opening early on in the day the wines. They show much better with time. On pop and pour even the Chambertin smells/tastes very reduced.

I just saw this thread. I’m interested, though I’m not a Maison Ilan customer. Let me know if you end up having space and want someone who can bring another wine.

First 2 weeks of January are best for me. The 3rd week I’ll likely be in London. The 4th week I’ll have my global team here in SF but should be able to attend with advanced notice.

Looking forward to it. I can bring a ringer as well if it makes sense to do so or 2 bottles of whatever I have.

My only known conflicts aren’t scheduled yet. One is a (weekend, probably Saturday) soft opening for my friends’ tasting room. The other I’ll be presenting for a winery at our Thursday tasting group.

If there is a way around the freezing temps, I’d be happy to supply a bottle to fill in a hole in the lineup. We’d need to find someone who is traveling to Minnesota between now and your tasting. (I can’t make it out during the hockey season)

Let me know if I can help out.

I’ll be down for January. Hopefully I can avoid work travel.

When are we going to set a date? :slight_smile:

It’s going to be after Alan’s trip, so 1/25 or later. I’m open to suggestion on dates. Would the weekend of the 31st work (1/30, 1/31, 2/1)?