Thanks to this forum and @blarmston, we’ve created a solid offline group of WineBerserkers in San Diego. Four of us are meeting up tomorrow for a special Napa wine dinner. Based on the lineup, any guess on order for WOTN? 2008 Schrader CCS, 2014 Realm Absurd, 2013 Odette Reserve, 2014 Opus One. None of us have tried these wines before, so if anyone has, would love to hear your thoughts, recommendations on decant time, etc. Tasting notes will follow.
Had the 14 Opus last weekend at an Offline Weekend in Sebastopol with about 20 guys and 200ish bottles all told. The bottles (2x 750) were pretty wound up and barely got touched the night they were opened though they were up against some very stiff competition. Much better day 2. Id decant that bottle for 8 to 10 hours if possible. The Odette and Realm could also use a nice long decant. My guess on the Schrader would be a couple hours and that it will be WOTN. We had an 04 Old Sparky last weekend that stood out in the crowd as well.
FWIW we had some MacD’s. The 2011’s MacD showed great and most of us agreed it was one of if not the best 2011 out of Napa. The 2015’s MacD need more time in the cellar even with an 8 hour decant.
Need a 5th bottle?
My vote for order of serving would be:
2014 Opus One - 5+ hour decant. Tends to be a french style of winemaking/growing and not as over the top opulent/intense.
2008 Schrader CCS - 2 hour decant. Had a 2010 last week with 3 hours air and was singing.
2013 Odette Reserve - 8 hour decant. Black fruit, will follow and build from redder Schrader.
2014 Realm Absurd - 8 hour decant. Black and fullest body. Beast! Depends on your palate but this may be the trump card wotn
Cheers!
My prediction is that my offering (Odette Reserve) will ONCE again be deemed WOTN. And when it does, it will extend my streak of best wine for the 4th or 5th straight dinner. You all will have to bow down and acknowledge my otherworldly abilities to selecting vino, and then I will be carried around the restaurant for a victory lap. After, I will ride off into the sunset on my mini-donkey that is parked outside next to the Lambo’s and Bentley’s. It will be a glorious thing to behold. ( I swear, I haven’t started drinking yet)
David- I can check but not likely. Next time for sure. I will email Joe W and get another event on the calendar.
Phil- thanks for the advice. Makes sense, going from more BDX to full blown Napa in your face.
Brian
Still got my odds on the CCS (at least it would be for my pallet) and No problem if no room but would love to join you some time for more Napa centric dinners than the rest of the group leans toward. I think Phil’s order and decanting times are on target though Id give the Opus more time based upon last weekend. Not sure about the Realm but if its anything like the 07 Materium we had last weekend it could start a brush fire if your not careful.
BTW AMac and I discussed a SD Visit and hoping to make it happen in the coming year. Will let you know if it does.
Cheers
Opus was fully decanted at 10am, room temp. Since they only had one decanter at San Diego Wine Storage, I popped the Absurd and left the bottle in cool storage to chill out. Does wine decant significantly slower in cooler temp? Picking them up at 5pm.
@blarmston, I’ll bring the Screagle as bonus if you show up on a mini-donkey.
David- that’s awesome. I’ve been in touch with him as well about making a trip to SD. That evening will be epic.
My amateur ratings from the evening are as follows:
WOTN (tie)- Schrader and Odette 98 points
Realm 96
Opus 95
Opus will be great in 5-8 years but against this lineup right now, it didn’t have a prayer.
Realm was good but too “high octane” for me. Maybe with a couple more years for it to settle down I could appreciate it for what it is.
Schrader was amazing with nice complexity but still, to me palate, a bit too “intense”.
Odette was delicious and got better as the night wore on. I cannot wait to try this again in 10 years. Potential perfection on this one.
I really liked the 14 Opus. I thought it had some restraint but also showed its fruit very nicely. My nightmare Cab from that weekend was the Maybach. Yuck.
Recap from Thurs night’s dinner…
As mentioned by one in the group, “you know you’re drinking great wine, when your least favorite of the group was Opus One.”
Krug 165 - A great start to the evening. Very crisp and complex aromas of citrus and white flowers. Not as much depth or color as the 2002 Krug I had last month, but a fantastic Champagne. I’ve never had older bubbles (more than 10 years beyond release date), but suspect this will last well beyond that.
2014 Realm Absurd- The most abstract of the bunch. The artwork definitely fits its character. Wild in flavor, multi-dimensional, and truly hedonistic, while keeping balance. Dark cherry fruit, cassis, vanilla, cloves, dark chocolate and underlying spice are very apparent. The finish lasts a minute. This wine really only needs another 5-7 years and it will be 100pts. Right now, a solid 98pts.
2013 Odette Reserve - Completely opaque in color. Compared to the Realm, this was on the opposite end of the berry fruit spectrum, all blueberries and blackberries. Very focused, vibrant, and definitely super-extracted. There is no doubt this baby can hold for 25-30+ years, no problem. We all agreed this screams Stags Leap. 98pts now, 99-100pts in 10 years.
2008 Schrader CCS - A few extras years definitely helped separate this from the lineup. A true classic Napa cabernet with such purity, focus and complexity. Bright red fruit, cassis, cedar and integrated oak. A complete wine that is drinking in its prime window. WOTN, 99pts.
2014 Opus One - Lighter in body that the rest of pack. This is a “pretty” wine that I enjoyed for its perfume over depth and richness. Very old-world style. A few years ago I tried a 1994 Opus One and that IMO is the optimum expression of this wine. Very few wines in CA can deliver that French perfume that older Opus can. I know there are a number of critics of Opus One, but I’m a fan and will definitely be grabbing a few of the 2015s in October. For now 95pts, with upside of 2-3pts in another couple decades.
Thx for the notes and in line with what I thought. Sounds like a great night