TN: Gulfstream with the Dudes 2.0 - Dominus,MDooker,Insignia,Forman,MtEden,Aubert

GULFSTREAM WITH THE DUDES 2.0 - Gulstream, Newport Beach, CA (12/15/2009)

The Hee Man Woman Haters Club got together for another edition taking advantage of the Hillstone Group’s lack of corkage charge to rip open some great bottles and on each other. This was our best edition yet with a ton a great older wines and even a couple younger ones. I can’t pick a WOTN as I liked a lot of them a lot. High lights would be the Fevre, Insignia, Dominus, Barolo, Forman and the Mt Eden. Our evening was nearly thwarted by a national security event involving unpasteurized cheese but we managed to have a great evening of great wines and greater company.

• 2006 Movia Ribolla Gialla - Slovenia, Primorje, Goriška Brda
  Served blind. Flowery mineral nose but not real expressive. Some soft pear notes but the acidity overwhelmed the fruit on this. Possibly too cold though.
• 2004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
  Nose like a wet sidewalk. Very pretty on the palate with a great balance of rich fruits and stony acidity. The lively acids and minerals on the finish pick up complexity in the glass. Excellent stuff.
• 2004 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  Big round ripe tropical nose. Thick ripe tropical palate. Touch of heat here and didn’t seem to have the more classy lines the Auberts often have for me.
• 1984 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Bottled - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
  Remarkable bright coloring showing no sign of bricking. Light but pretty cherry nose showing some minerality and ample fruit. Clean and balanced with more minerals. This is still going strong though with not a lot of complexity. Very good.
• 1999 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Fairly ripe on the nose for a Forman with huge fruits, a touch of brown sugar and a slight note of brett. Tons of fruit yet well checked with acids bringing nice balance. Rich and very tannic showing classic Cab lines in a still young way. This has a long way to go. Excellent.
• 1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Bit funky but a classic Cali Cab nose bringing cassis and wood notes with a touch of mineral. Juicy and fruity but nicely balanced. Slight note of tar in there. A well aged Cali Cab that would appeal to those who like the modern styled wines and well as those who like the classics. Very good.
• 1996 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  Young nose showing tar, wet bricks and violets. Palate still on the young side as well showing good balance. Touch of spice with a ton of tannin still and some tartness. Bit hard still so needs some more beauty sleep to me. Very good potential.
• 1999 Yarra Yering Dry Red #1 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
  Classic old Cal Cab type of nose with spicey green bell pepper coming out with air. Complex lively palate with cedar and dill type notes. I could see where the greener notes would trun some off but I dig it. Outclassed by the heavy hitters on the night but definitely in my wheel house.
• 1995 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Rich nose but the palate is very astringent. Very tight and tannic on the night. Maybe it needs a long decant as it did not seem flawed.
• 1991 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Complex nose showing a good dose of a dill like quality. Very rich on the palate like a classic Bordeaux can be yet still so young. A great wine with its best years ahead of it making me think of the 91 Monte Bello. Excellent.
• 2005 Mollydooker Shiraz Carnival of Love - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
  Nose of milk chocolate and hot chocolate. More mocha and chocolate on a short thick palate showing a tinge of heat. Not my type of hype but I know some folks who would dig it. Drink up before it falls apart.

Posted from CellarTracker

that barolo note sounds like n excuse burg drinkers make cris ;p. my burgundy would have been lost in this crowd with such mature drinkers (the wine and you old folks).

eden sounds yum tho

Thanks, Cris - I’ll add my notes below. What a great lineup it was, truly.

• 2006 Movia Ribolla Gialla - Slovenia, Primorje, Goriška Brda
  High acidity on this wine (despite what Paul Lin thinks), and an interesting, if short-lived, flavor profile and abrupt finish. Everybody but the great Jim Dietz was unsure what varietal it was - Dr. Dietz correctly named it tutti frutti, then tried to say it was some sort of fruliano or something. Interesting wine.
• 2004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
  Great minerals and soft fruits on this one, with creaminess, sweet citrus and apple, good minerality on the palate and finish, and a very silky mouthfeel. Great wine, just at the very start of its drinking window.
• 2004 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  I called the alcohol at 15.1% - it’s high, but in check for the most part. Big sweet tropical fruit nose - that can’t be said enough about this wine. It was like a pineapple sundae. Even on the flavor profile, tropical fruits were the strongest effort. It was cloudy in appearance from being unfiltered, and the oak treatment was very well in check. Very nice wine, and I probably would have loved it even more if I hadn’t recently had Fevre.
• 1984 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Bottled - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
  This wine looks to be from perhaps 2003 or 2004, or more recent even than that. Bright colors, bright, vibrant nose with great fruit, any hint of funk blew away within 30 minutes of being open, and even on the palate this wine was just singing - must be ready to go at least 10 more years.
• 1999 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
  This wine overtook the Insignia for me - the fruit was more balanced and less sweet than the Insignia, yet it lacked nothing in structure or mouthfeel. I agree with Cris that this wine could use more time, but was drinking very well already, and was fantastic for me to get to taste a Forman with even a little age on it, as all those I have had were recent vintages.
• 1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley
  This was more in the ‘quintessential’ camp for me in terms of high quality aged Napa Cab, however, the fruit was rather strong and quite sweet, so while I did very much enjoy it, the Forman was more to my taste - I believe I was in the minority with that, however. Great acidity and mouthfeel, just enough brett and old cab ‘funk’ to keep me interested, dark and red sweet fruits, meatiness, and a very long finish. Was a great pairing with my ribeye
• 1996 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  My notes are posted here on this wine - TN: 1996 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate (Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo) - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
• 1999 Yarra Yering Dry Red #1 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
  This surprised me, as I think if tasted blind, most would have pegged it for a CA Bordeaux blend of high quality. It had all the classic Bordeaux flavor profiles, well made wine, just outclassed among the rest as Cris said. A pleasant surprise, however.
• 1995 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Tight as a drum for me - I couldn’t coax much of a nose or any fruit on the palate on this wine, and even pairing it with a rich food didn’t help. It just seemed young.
• 1991 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  I love Dominus - love it. Love the brett that you find on the nose, that seamlessly blends with tobacco and red fruit - Dominus has one of the most elegant noses of any wine I know well at all. This was ready for more time, but ready to be enjoyed, and enjoy I did. Rich red fruits, earth and soil, cooked meats, long finish, silky mouthfeel .
• 2005 Mollydooker Shiraz Carnival of Love - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
  I would explain this as a cherry chocolate shitshake. Thick, extracted, huge oak, nose that smelled like candy concentrate and malolactic acid, and just HUGE on the palate - not at ALL in my ‘wheelhouse’

A fun night out. Let’s do it again soon … although not too soon.

GUYS’ NIGHT OUT - Gulfstream - Corona del Mar, CA (12/15/2009)

• 2006 Movia Ribolla Gialla - Slovenia, Primorje, Goriška Brda
  Aromas of lemon verbena, almonds, and SweeTarts candies. A bright chalkiness on the palate with a mild finish. Pleasant, but could have used a touch more acidity. N.B. Because I arrived late, I tasted this about 45 minutes after everyone else, so my impressions are based upon the wine having been exposed to more air. (89 pts.)
• 2004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
  Fresh hay, lemon pith, wet stones and crushed shells on the nose. A little flat on the palate with a simple lemon and mineral character. Pleasant but unexceptional. 85-86 points. (85 pts.)
• 2004 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  This is my 6th time with this wine. Life is rough. Tropical aromas of fresh pineapples, mango, and guava, which evolve towards citrus with more air exposure. Great presence on the palate with exceptional fullness and balance. An outstanding wine. 92-93 points. (92 pts.)
• 1984 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Bottled - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
  A beautiful aged Pinot Noir. Notes of raspberries, strawberries, and cherry blossoms coupled with an element of hard spices and black tea. Elegant on the palate with a slightly-austere tea-like finish. (90 pts.)
• 1996 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  Gorgeous floral aromas of tar, anise, violets, and white cherries; as the evening progressed a touch of soy and mushrooms emerged. Rich and succulent on the palate with savory notes of plum skin, red clay, dried cherries, black tea and Shiitake mushrooms. Fine-grained tannins and a long glorious finish. This would have been my WOTN had the wine not started to turn a little tart late into the evening and for which I docked it a point. A terrific Barolo nonetheless. 93-94 points. (93 pts.)
• 1991 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Notes of saddle leather, green peppercorns, red currants, wet earth, and minerals. Nice purity of fruit with a black tea-laced finish. 90-91 points. (90 pts.)
• 1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley
  This wine kept getting better and better as the evening progressed, and I dare say that it would have outlasted us all had we not polished it off by dinner’s end. Notes of graphite, wet soil, dried currants, and saddle leather were my initial impressions. When I returned to it later in the evening, I picked up roasted red peppers, sweet tobacco, and brown spices in addition. A bold magisterial expression of the Napa Valley and a wine that is just beginning to enter its peak drinking window. Outstanding and my WOTN. (94 pts.)
• 1995 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  A little horsey on the nose complemented by wet earth and iodine. Hard, tannic, tart and austere. I suspect that this wine might be shut down for it was rather unforgiving on the palate. No rating.
• 1999 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
  A little sour on the nose with hints of latex bandage – i.e. our buddy Brett. Robust on the palate with sweet and savory notes of roasted red peppers, currants, red licorice, and pipe tobacco. 86-87 points. (86 pts.)
• 1999 Yarra Yering Dry Red #1 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
  Did not taste.
• 2005 Mollydooker Shiraz Carnival of Love - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
  This wine was out of place in our tasting, as pretty much all the other wines came from the 1990s. Some wines are meant to be Mozart while others are meant to be Motley Crue. The Mollydooker is definitely in the latter camp. Having said that, I found this wine to be a very ripe and hedonistic expression of Australian Shiraz. Jammy red and black fruits dominate the nose followed by a rich and broad palate of sweet blueberries, blackberries, dark chocolate, molasses, and creamy vanilla. Opulent to be sure, but not at all out of balance. This was a pop and pour, but it really needed to be decanted and just kept getting better and better as the evening progressed. (92 pts.)

Let’s not forget the wine that was NOT there, except in memory: the 2004 Margaux RIP.

But it shall live again!!

Right. Too bad the Burgs you bring never taste as good as a low end Barolo from a weak year.

i heard the same excuse for the grand cru burg as well . If you don’t like the white burg I bring friday… there is no hope!

Chablis???

SEMI OBNOXIOUS DUDES @ GULFSTREAM 2.0 - (12/15/2009)

Wow. What a night. Lots of winners and no stinkers. Not often where every wine preformed of over performed. Thanks to everyone for sharing the goods

And good on Dr/VP Dietz for nailing my blind white wine from Slovenia.

And many orders of fried oysters did we go through.

• 2006 Movia Ribolla Gialla - Slovenia, Primorje, Goriška Brda
  Interesting but not something I would stock up on although I would be curious to taste in a few years. (87 pts.)
• 2004 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  After 2 years it seems this is getting softer and sweeter tasting. A nice cocktail. I found this tasting and a nice foil to the other bracing whites. Now very curious where this will be in 4 years. (90 pts.)
• 1984 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Bottled - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
  I was glad to see how youthful this wine still looked. Cork was soaked through and broke. It was covered in moldy stuff. This was a thing of beauty. I have not had many 25 year old cali pinots but this was near the best. No sign of fading during the night and drinking better than a group of 99s I drank the other night. Still has primary flavors too. (94 pts.)
• 1999 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
  I love the fruit/structure combination of Forman wines. This showing well be not totally in sync with itself. Certainly some brett elements going on. Seemed to have some Christmas spice going on. (92 pts.)
• 1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley
  This was absolutely singing. Hit between old world and new world. Very youthful but right where I would want to keep drinking it. I wish I had bought these 90s Insignias. I loved how at one sip I would enjoy tasty fruit and then eat some food and find enjoyment in the balanced acid and tannin. (94 pts.)
• 1996 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  I loved where this was drinking. Light pretty red fruits with tasty tannin. Lots of flowers and minerals. Something I could drink almost every night. Still has a lot of life but I would struggle to keep my hands off. (94 pts.)
• 1999 Yarra Yering Dry Red #1 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
  Probably the only wine that had pronounced green notes. More viscous than the other wines but nicely balanced. This was very nice but heavier and darker than the other wines. I did like the restraint on the fruit but it still had a big mouth-feel. (90 pts.)
• 1995 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Keep trying to get a handle on this. It seemed completely shut down. Maybe exacerbated being next to all the Cali fruit. Earth and big tannins. I wouldn’t touch for 10 years.
• 1991 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Far more dark, earthy and mushroom elements than the other Cali cabs. Distinct aromas and flavors. Very intriguing and still very young. I actually still remember tasting my first Dominus. I think it was the 90 around 1996 or 1997 and I got the same impression. Just very different than most Cali cab. A dark night and a beauty. (93 pts.)
• 2005 Mollydooker Shiraz Carnival of Love - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
  Wow. I think this was my first CoL. No surprises here. Mocha, chocolate, cream, boysenberry syrup. Big plush mouth-feel. The heat seemed to be in check. Just tasted like it is made in a lab. Along with the Aubert this was out of place but that is okay. I treat to taste. Probably would really struggle after a half glass to drink … but I did enjoy my half glass. Probably stick to the Boxer considering the price. (89 pts.)

Next time Dr/VP and Robo must bring the 04 Margaux with a little less decanting

Cheers,

Jason
Posted from CellarTracker

Jason, no notes on the Fevre? One of your go-to wines??

Good to hear that the '91 Dominus wasn’t Bretty.

It was, but in a good way - part of what makes Dominus one of my favorite reds.

Ah…missed your note. Just saw WetRock’s.

Interesting notes … actually a lot more consensus than I was expecting. Good to see the scatophiles at the table finally growing a palate.

Why don’t more restaurants adopt friendly corkage policies? We hit Gulfstream 1-3 times a month simply because of the free corkage (and the food is consistently decent). Marche Moderne charges only $10…going there tomorrow night. These are the places that get it.

Excellent collection of notes. It’s cool to see so many perspectives.

A night with the crazy Mo Fo’s.

2004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
I really enjoyed this wine, unlike many of the Chablis that Wetrock seems to find. Wet stone (not wetrock) with a hint of lemon on the nose. This wine had a nice minerality with a hint of sweet fruit poking through that went exceptionally well with the fresh fried oysters.

2004 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Tropical aromas of pineapple and citrus. When first opened, it was lemon Chiffon on the palate, but evolved with beautiful tropical fruits.

1984 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Bottled - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
This wine was quite a surprise and a real delicate beauty. This wine had a light cherry red color with good acidity and minerality. The wine was seamless and everything was in balance for me. This wine has really aged gracefully.

1996 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Lots of tar, wet pavement and minerality. I enjoy this wine much more later in the evening after allowing it to sit in my glass. WTG Todd…NOT CORKED

1991 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
This baby had a vegetal nose with charcoal and leather on the palate. This still had plenty of time to sit in the cellar, but glad we tried it. This was one of my favorites of the night.

1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley
This wine was definitely the ripest and most forward wine of the night. Notes of licorice, ripe cherry and red currant. This wine had the typical Insignia silkiness. Very nice.

1995 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
This wine was a bit shut down, but still showed up to play. I got notes of tobacco and expresso. I actually enjoyed this one a bit more than the group did. Thanks Jimmy D.

1999 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
This wine was still such a baby. Cris indicated that this wine was decanted for an hour and a half, but was still tight. As the night progressed, it opened up a bit more. This wine had notes of black currant and tobacco.

2005 Mollydooker Shiraz Carnival of Love - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
This wine is usually one of my favorites, but I enjoy my bigger syrahs a bit on the cooler side and by the time I drank this baby (at the end of the night) it was warm and showed some heat. This wine showed the dark fruit, blueberry and dark chocolate that I typically love about this wine. It was a BIG surprise to see this wine at this tasting and wish we had saved this one for another day. I think Paul even slipped half his bottle back into the bag. That rarely happens with this group.

I don’t have much to add to the great notes everyone has posted. The Insignia seemed so young, with sweet red fruit or tannin, but in a good way. I was very impressed with it, my first Insignia in fact.

The '84 Mount Eden Pinot was a revelation, though the glass stopper that Jason kept inserting the bottle was more than a little annoying. It looked older, but the wine was very fresh, with a good streak of acidity. I have stayed away from buying older Pinots at auction, but I may have to rethink that now.

The LLC, I thought, was very very good. Maybe in the company it seemed reticent, but for me it was nice. Having said that (shades of `Curb Your Enthusiasm’), LLC has never ever wowed me like other Bdx have. So. . maybe it’s in its nature.

The CoL was fun… … not goopy goopy, just a biggy, with its place in the wine world. I liked it, but it was not comfortable with the company.

For some reason, my memory on some of the other wines is fuzzy… the Aubert I liked a lot… not what I have had from other Auberts, but it was quite interesting with all its tropical goodness overflowing.

No problem. We are supposed to be telling you what you liked anyway.

Wow, what a historic evening. Robo even posting notes!!!

And Paul invents a new term. Be careful Paul. I have a feeling scatophile is going to haunt you.

You probably recall a couple of them tasting like vodka and olive juice.

I wish it was more of go to wine but with price jumps I actually only buy that Royoux (sp) now. The Fourchaume was just way to young for my tastes. I beauty of a wine but I think there is still premox fears with the 04s. Puts me in a bad position with my 04s. Drink now, way to young for chardonnay or hold and hope they are healthy.

Jason