Dallas Offline - Post Your Notes Here

Tonight was the kick off event for- I think- the first ever Wineberserker Fest in Dallas, and what a night it was.

Huge thanks to our most generous host- K John Joseph- for providing and arranging a very fine BBQ and fried chicken dinner at Grailey’s. This was the first visit to Grailey’s ever for many of us, and after an evening there including a really great long chat with the owner- I feel more than a little foolish to be making my first visit ever after four years of living just a few miles away. First rate operation.

Thank you also to our fearless WB leadership team for coming down (and you too Charlie for being so kind to send a good bottle down even though you could not make it), and for all the fellow WBers who came. It was great to see a couple of familiar faces and also meet and share some great wines with new people in the area. Here is hoping for many great tastings to come.

The wines present were numerous and of very high quality. I only have 12 TNs to offer (covering maybe 1/3 of the total selections) because the company was even greater than the wine selection- and TN volume had to take a back seat to many great conversations and tales with fellow WBers. I tasted more than 12 wines, but am only presenting notes for which I was able to focus some serious attention on taking good notes over time (and even then, the notes are often short.)

All that said, here are my TNs to get things rolling- and everyone else who attended please do chime in with your own notes. Between us, we can hopefully to justice to a great lineup.

2000 Philipponnat Clos de Goisses

good gold color, light but persistent nose of baked bread and nuts, on the palate a firm wine with a more serious structure than many 2000s, ripe fruit well countered by a good long finish with nicely detailed acids, just starting to cream and develop a bit of mousse, citrus notes with time, about ready to go but I think this will cream out a bit more, a fine 2000 and far more to my liking than most wines of this riper Champagne vintage. ***+, now to 2035.

2003 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese #14, Auction - from magnum

double decanted and resealed 20 hours before serving, when first opened a good maturing yellow color just starting to gold, light nose and a bit of a disconnect between the undefined sweet palate and lengthy acidic finish, at lunchtime 5 hours before event finally starting to come together with peach and marzipan notes on the palate- but still a bit light in the middle, at dinner and for four hours thereafter it really came into its own, soaring nose, rose petal, petrol notes, sweet creamy grapefruit, on the palate quite viscous, sweet lime note, pure creamy fruit, a good bit of honey leading into the long and persistent finish, far more an Auslese than a Spatlese- courtesy of the vintage- but still with some ethereal lift to it, mandarin oranges with time, this has come out beautifully- if still heavily marked by a very strong vintage. ****, ready to drink and I would consume standard sized bottles within the next decade.

2013 Henri Boillot Meursault Les Charmes

light bright yellow color, toasty nose- oak influence strong here, buttery fruit as well- classic Meursault, on the palate quite generous already with a good breadth and depth of persistent fruit, rounded stones, a touch of honeysuckle, sweetish citrus fruits and as on the nose a pretty strong dose of oak, a bit flamboyant for this old school palate (as with PYCM) but there is no denying there is serious depth and quality here, even though Charmes is one of the earliest maturing 1ers from Meursault I would opt for cellaring this at least another 5 years to let the oak ameliorate and to allow for more secondary development. (***)+?, the more the oak recedes- the finer this will be. 2023-2038.

2009 Sine Qua Non On the Lam

Judging by the “old world”/“new world” paradigm- or more appropriately in this case I think, “Vineyard” vs “Man”- I should be one of those people who does not like Sine Qua Non. But the truth is I find them quite enjoyable. They are always fun and always something new. It has taken me time to see it, but I think it is a complete rejection of the notion of site and the full embrace of the magic that can be made in the winery. Naturally this puts a great burden on the winery- but happily the Krankls seem to know exactly what they are about, and I always enjoy the result.

young moderately deep yellow color, on the nose quite a lot of oak but also strong grass and melon notes, soft citrus tones, on the palate a great depth of melon and lemongrass fruit with white mineral edges, fine length, an assertive and unapologetically hedonistic wine, some heat on the finish, the classic rules do not really apply here- very much a love it or leave it kind of wine, this classic palate finds it great fun. ***+, seems ready to go to me, but time in hand. It might even develop further, but given my infrequent experiences with SQN and its singular style which makes it hard to find peer comparisons, specific predictions are difficult.

1996 Chateau Pichon-Baron

good youngish red-purple just starting to lighten at the rim, firm oak and pepper on the nose, a hard earth note, almost a pickle note as well- from the oak, on the palate still pretty tight, where some other Pauillacs like Lynch-Bages have been fairly forward this still seems shut down, dark berries, cassis, quite a bit of tannin still present- but overall the wine is well balanced, fine lengthy finish, at an awkward phase now but a good future in store I think, while Pichon-Baron has remained traditional in most ways- the oak is a bit heavy for my tastes and whether it fully integrates will have a big impact on my eventual impression, where the 2000 and 2005 tasted alongside are going to be powerhouses- this could hopefully come out more in the vein of the magnificent mid-weight 1990 which is dazzling today. (****)+?, I would wait at least another 5 years on this, 2025-2035+

2000 Chateau Pichon-Baron

dark purple-red color, muted nose but quite grand in scale, some oak and pepper on the nose- but not as strong a presence as with the 1996 tasted alongside, cassis, cloves, soft and giving earth, red raspberries, on the palate very much closed down, even so a massive depth of fruit in hiding, firm oak throughout, super-tight, great length, as with the 2000 Latour recently tasted this offers a pretty nice primary drinking experience, but there is a great deal to come- and it will take quite some time for all to be revealed. (*****), 2030-2050+

2005 Chateau Pichon-Baron, from magnum

double decanted twice- 5 and 3 hours prior to serving

dark purple-red color- almost as intense as the 2000 tasted alongside, a more jammy and open nose than the 2000- and with the strong oak in better proportion to the large scale fruit, on the palate this seems very approachable- and it is- but there is quite a long wait ahead and this remains a very undefined wine for me at present, tasting this alongside the 2000 reminds me of tastings long ago of 82s vs. 86s- the 2000 is like a 1986 in that it is more tannic but also shows more of its components where the 1982 is a bit more harmonious and just flat out shut down, that said I do think 2000 will come out far better than 1986 has, and this 2005 will assuredly be similarly great. (*****), 2030-2060+

2015 Rotem & Mounir Sauoma Chateauneuf du Pape blac Magis

good vibrant yellow/gold color, intense melon and grass nose, grey stones, genteel lemon, and all delivered with great generosity, on the palate full throttle with wild oranges, limes, edgy minerals, and a grand intense long finish. The note is short, but this was one of the stars of the night and I look forward to seeing how it progresses with a little age even though it would be impossible to not enjoy more of these in their vibrant youth. White Rhones are not an area of expertise for me, but even so I have to think this is quite special. ***()+?, spectacular now, curious to see if this will shut down and emerge again in 10+ years as an even greater wine.

2006 Chateau Magdelaine

a very brief note here since I have had this twice in the past few years and will be having it again next month at a formal and important vertical tasting of Magdelaine. This is still primary and surprisingly approachable for a young Magdelaine (the reason I have had it so many times already), but while the last bottle was starting to show some secondary development- this one in addition is starting to get a bit unruly (in a good way) just as the 1998 La Conseillante did when it started to shed its precocious cuddliness and become a far more serious wine than at first seemed possible, loads of wild bramble and the tannins more obvious than I remember, a wine that always had very good potential but now may come out even finer than I originally hoped, the vertical next month should tell the tale best. (**), 2030-2050+


2005 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

deep red purple color, plum and cassis on the nose, oak spices, on the palate a very dark fruit profile, fine depth and surprisingly civilized and approachable to this taster whose past experiences with Dunn have been almost exclusively with the fine but reticent Howell Mountain (the 1982 is finally drinkable), a really lovely clay-like earth note developing with time, a bit of chocolate as well, rounded tannins, young yet but showing great promise, (), 2023-2040.

1997 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain

incredibly deep midnight red color, an elegant and broad- yet still undefined- nose of fruits from the red and purple sides of the spectrum, dark plums, a good bit of oak still, on the palate quite youthful and a bit hot on the tail end for me- but there is also a really fine depth of blueberry and cassis fruit, for me this wine is a lot like the Bond offerings- love the fruit but not so much the structure and wood, that said- this has less raw oak than the few Bonds I have tried, slight creaminess to the fruit, fine long balanced finish that brings it all together nicely, chocolate and cherry liqueur notes in time, it will be interesting to see what comes in time- this is far more primary and young than I would have imagined for even a 1997, at this point it seems secondary development is either a long way off or never destined to be, meantime it does make a very attractive drink if you like this heavier style (even with the heat on the end- I have to confess I did like this very much.) **()+?, if I have a case of this I would plan to enjoy a few now and save several for a decade or time, whether it develops further or not- it is showing nicely now and has time in hand.

2005 Sine Qua Non Syrah Atlantis Fe2O3~1a, b & c

deepish purple red color, high toned polish and red fruits on the nose, dark sweet berries, on the palate a rollercoaster ride of blueberries, chocolate, ripe cherries, liqueur and sugar-coated bramble, like nothing else on earth- take it or leave it, and for my part- as is usually the case with SQN- I really did enjoy this. ****, ready to go but could potentially develop a bit more, time in hand so no rush to drink in any event.

Thanks for the notes, Tom,
You’re take on the SQN is especially helpful to me, as I have not had any, but am thinking about dipping my toes in the water. Sounds like a great time!

Wow, good job, Tom, thanks!! Highlights for me were the '74 Macys Pinot Noir (Charlie’s wine), the Piper-Heidsieck Rare (I believe it was 2004?) which was spectacular, the Lokoya, the 2015 Rotem & Mounir Sauoma Chateauneuf du Pape blanc Magis (several of us through it would be guessed as Meursault blind), the 2010 La Chapelle de l’Hermitage, and I agree wholeheartedly on the 2000 Pichon Baron - needs decades more time. The '06 Magdelaine was a treat, as I’ve wanted to try Magdelaine ever since reading about it here. Even in a ‘not-great’ vintage like '06, it was a beautiful wine - the softness of a rose petal on the palate. The bbq was incredible, and the best wine with it was the Piper-Heidsieck Rare!

Friday and Saturday were both epic nights for our little mini DFW Berserkerfests. I believe there were 30-31 wines on Friday, and about 34 wines on Saturday. There were so many good wines I quickly gave up all hope of taking good notes on everything. More importantly, there were so many great people that it was much more fun to chat than take notes on the wines. So please forgive me, but I’m going to pull a Cowan here and just fire off some of my recollections:

FRIDAY NIGHT WHITES

2002 Piper Heidsieck Rare Champagne As always, this is just slamming. It’s got such a seductive vanilla cream note to lemon curd and apple tart, with enough citrus and acid to keep things clean. I just love it, and it was king of the bubbles.

2006 Dom Ruinart Blanc des Blancs Also lovely with big minerality, biscuit, apple and white peach and floral notes. This shows promise, but needs more time and I typically like young champagne. Second fiddle.

1988 Henriot Cuvee Des Enchantelleurs From mag. Still quite fresh. Big yeasty nose and palate. It’s all about buttery yeast rolls, baked apple, a touch of candied ginger. Rich and generous. A nice wine.

1985 Dom Perignon This was clearly aged champagne, with diminished effervescence, slight oxidative notes, hazelnut, graham cracker, baked apples, brown sugar, and a hint of mushroom. I prefer my champagne younger than this, but it’s a fun wine and plenty good.

2011 Ultramarine Rose Lovely strawberry and cranberry cocktail whiff on the nose, with good citrus and candied lemon as underlying accents on the nose and palate. A very nice wine, but I’ll admit I expected more and thought this was quite outclassed by the Rare and Dom Ruinart.

2009 Dom Didier Dageneau Silex This was aromatically explosive, with beautiful floral and citrus notes, wonderful minerality, and just a touch of rosemary. Really lovely stuff with great cut. Mouthwatering.

2013 H. Boillot Meursault Charmes I thought this was a bit tight. It’s lemon driven, with green apple, toast, and minerality. Significant acid drives the wine. I could do with a touch less lean and a little more fruit. Should hold up well for a long time though.

2004 Chapoutier Chante Alouette Holy shit waxy whites is right. My wife and I like honeycomb, and this was massive bees wax. Oily and viscous with beeswax, honeysuckle, peach, and apple. Objectively very good, but perhaps not my style.

2009 Sine Qua Non “On the Lam” Roussane, Chard, Viognier. This was a monster. 15.5% abv. When one thinks of a big white, this would be it. It’s huge fruit, glycerin, alcohol, and kicking off massive citrus jam, fruit cup, honeysuckle, and lychee. Perhaps a little goes a long way on this one for me, but if you like big uns, this is there.

Domaine Glennon Rose Thanks to Darin for bringing us some of his juice. This was a nice rose, with giving red fruit and enough acid to cut the perception of sweetness. This is a hot day porch-pounder worth snagging if you enjoy rose.

Channing Pet Nat Rosato (Jorge will fill you in) This pink grape beer was pink and fizzy. Truth be told, it was fairly enjoyable if not exactly my style. Nice red fruit, cream, and fair acidity with nice effervescence. I feel like this is the equivalent of bubbly rose, but not rose champagne if that makes sense.

2003 Fritz Haag something jaffurs something Spatlese - From mag. This had a big nose of petrol and slate and lime leaf that had my mouth watering. Initial note is slate and citrus and pear that turns oddly lactic and cheesy on the midpalate, which is something I’ve quite literally never experienced with Riesling.

2001 Baumard Coteaux du Layon Spicy peachy apricot with a decent dose of acid and residual sugar. This was fairly nice, but I had just a touch of it. I will say that the label looked like it was designed by a 9 year old with a penchant for comic sans. Luckily the wine was better than the label by a good margin.

Brauneburger Juffer Sonnenuhr

Yeah that’s what I wrote.

I merged these threads, and have no clue about notes - I was there to party, baby! Wine notes are for GEEKS!!!

not good enough for the texans, too low alcohol =(

I’ll get around to a note on it soon enough. The quality and condition of that 74 Macy’s is just incredible given that it’s 44 year old department store private label pinot. High neck, great condition. It faded a bit, but was certainly enjoyable.

My notes on some of the wines from Friday night. There were so many, I can’t do justice to them all. Not a bad bottle in the bunch, and the 1974 Macy’s was super cool and looked like a brand new bottle (thanks Fu!).

Some champagne…
2002 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare - Beautiful champagne with the chard shining through. Some cream, pear, with just enough citrus to balance it out. Finish lingers on. Excellent.

2000 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses - Nutty and fresh, with some yeast, bread, and persistent finish. Lovely champagne which should drink well for years to come.

1985 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - Popped at the end of an epic tasting event, this was killer. Creme brûlée, smoky, Cuban cigar, and a fine bead. Persistent finish. Even after tasting ~30 wines, this glass at the end of the night stood out.

Some whites…
2003 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese Auction #14 - Stunning Riesling that drinks beautifully. A bit of petrol on the nose, immediately followed by a garden of florals. The sweetness briefly hits your palate, but then quickly evaporates, never cloying. Fantastic wine.

2015 Rotem & Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis - A real wow wine. Beautiful nose, a full bouquet of flowers. Complex and light, the fruit dances all over the palate, and then finishes long. This is one worth seeking out, and should drink well for a decade or more. Outstanding.

2009 Sine Qua Non On The Lam - Big, oily, passion fruit, guava, pineapple, butterscotch. An interesting wine that moves a lot on the palate.

2013 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - Pale yellow, lemon, citrus, light, and a medium finish. Admittedly, I drank this too cold, so didn’t give it its due. Decant and bring to just below room temp. Should drink well for the next decade.

2011 Ultramarine Pinot Noir Rosé Heintz Vineyard - Red fruit (hint of strawberry), a medium bead, and moderate acidity. This is drinking well now, but should can hold for several more years.

2009 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Silex - In the zone, lots of minerality, good fruit, and complex. Served a wee bit too cold - recommend decant and lightly cooled.

Some reds… (admittedly, didn’t get as much time with these as I would have liked, given all the sparking and whites up front)
2005 Sine Qua Non Syrah Atlantis Fe2O3~1a, b & c - Big and brutish, not for the faint at heart. This is a layer cake of blue fruits and chocolate dipped cherries. Finishes long. Decant!

1994 Château Lynch-Bages - Young and explosive nose for a wine this age. On the palate, fully resolved, and open for business. Nice wine.

2010 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - Deep, dark, rich, and tannic. Dark blue fruits. Powerful wine, but too young. Recommend multi-hour decant if opening now, otherwise hold for another 5+ years.

Got photos? Is Frenchie dressed (if not, exclude those please).

Some were posted in the Offline thread here - https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2616815#p2616815

Friday Reds - A Hazy Recollection

2005 Sine Qua Non Atlantis FE2O3 - 1b An interesting balancing act. Red and black fruit, red licorice, spice, bitters, orange peel, and pepper with rather high acidity paired with glycerin and some heat. Is it big or not? Yes and no. Is it purely dense and extracted? No, it’s not. Does it have acid and lift? Yes it does. At the same time, though, it is still very big and full tilt at 15.3% abv. I liked it, even if perhaps a little out of balance.

2000 Penfolds RWT Shiraz I was informed this is the inaugural vintage but it’s actually 1997 that was the first one, released in 2000. This is blackberry and blueberry with smoke and spice and a hint of cedar. Only downside is that it is massively tannic. A bit too tannic to be a really complete wine, but still very good. I liked it.

1994 Lynch Bages Pretty classic bordeaux, if lacking a little oomph. Nice aromatics of sharpened pencil and tobacco with nice black and red cherry notes.

2009 Myriad Cabernet Napa Valley A very lifted blue and red fruited nose that is an outlier for most Napa cabs. Very interesting florals with the lifted fruit palate. This caught my attention. Lavendar, florals, and sweet blue and red fruit with moderate acidity and smooth tannins. Fun wine.

1974 Macy’s Cellar Monterey County Pinot Noir The Monterey Vineyard Bottle condition is just otherworldly for a 44 year old pinot. The wine is nice with red cherry, strawberry, cinnamon, clove, and some earth. A good wine for a bit before fading. Still, nice and a fun treat. Thank you Master Shifu.

2005 Dunn Napa Valley Really nice nose classic cab nose with blackberry . It smells like good Napa cab! Can this actually be Dunn? Soft entry and largely resolved tannins. The issue is with the mid palate, where it is a bit thin. Still, it tastes lovely despite lacking a little density and complexity. It made me smile and I liked it. Good Napa cab, even if it was Dunn.

2010 Le Dome Robert Parker once said about this wine: The 2009 from Le Dome flirted with perfection, but this wine swallows the entire scoring system, and rightfully so. It was very fun to taste this and get such amazing insight into his palate. This would be called Napa meritage from a hot vintage in a blind tasting. It is dense, syrupy, and sweet. It is also very complex and well integrated. I found it pleasurable like a hot tub. It’s nice for a bit, but not for a long time or really often. It is all sweet blueberry and blackberry jam with licorice and melted chocolate.

2006 Chateau Magdelaine This is quite dissimilar to the Le Dome. It is blackberry bramble and a little tobacco. Tannic, and not particularly complex. I think it is a nice wine, but not a show stopper.

1997 Lokoya Diamond Mountain This was a great showing. Surprisingly dark purple with very little bricking if any. This looked very young and his holding up excellently. Solid structure, and beautiful black currant and blackberry. Classic notes of licorice, vanilla, a hint of cedary oak. Well balanced and progressing nicely. This will hold up for another decade with ease.

2002 Lagier Meredith Syrah This is smooth as can be. Blue and red fruit, a hint of leather. Zero hard edges here. Just lovely syrah fruit with a little secondary action. I could see a glass of this slipping away faster than anticipated. I’m a fan.

2010 Jaboulet La Chapelle Big and burly and primary and tannic. A young monster that looks like it will have 40 years ahead of it. Black fruit and pit smoke with a whiff of tapenade. This is a monster in the making but needs a lot of time. Really good stuffing here.

2011 G. Conterno Barbera d’Alba Cascina Francia Delicious and chewy with black cherry, a sweet tarry note, and some licorice. This WAS the jams with smoky brisket. A nice fit and a good wine

1996 Pichon Baron A lighter style than the 2000 and 2005. A more classic higher-acid profile with secondary aromatics moving in. Pipe tobacco and cedar join nicely with a cherry-driven fruit profile. Pretty classic, and pretty nice. Demure relative to most of the other offerings.

2000 Pichon Baron A richer style that I preferred. This is still very young, but is also fairly giving with loads of black fruit, sharpened pencil, some cigar box and some minerality or something that gave it some aromatic lift. I like this.

2005 Pichon Baron I would say this is mostly about potential. It’s like the 2000 but a little less aromatically given and a little more shut off on the palate. More vanilla and blackberry and a little less cigar box. It’s also nice, but I think the 2000 will outclass this for a long while.

Saturday Night Bubbles

2004 Dom Perignon Very pale color with a beautiful nose of lychee, pear, lemon curd, and sugar cookie. Lovely stuff.

2009 J. Schram baked bread, green apple tart, a hint of citrus. Decent but and persistent. Good stuff too.

2000 J. Schram Late Disgorged Yeasty leesy notes backing apple and candied ginger, but unfortunately I’m getting some TCA on this. It’s not aggressive, but I thought this was a bit corked. Others disagreed.

2004 Taittinger Comtes Rose I thought this was slamming. Really nice rich peach and strawberry notes with graham cracker crust and nice acid and minerality to keep it going. Delicious.

2005 Bollinger Grand Annee My first dance with this vintage. This is gold in color and is a big, rich champagne with hazelnut, spice, yeastiness, and apple tart. Rich and delicious, but a bit heavy. Could use a little more lift. Still, a pleasure.

2006 Veuve Cliquot Le Grande Dame This bottle is so obnoxiously heavy I thought it was nearly full when in fact I believe I had one of the last pours of this. It’s pretty damn good. Almond cake, sweet citrus, ginger, toast. It’s soft but has enough acid to keep it lively. Yum. Not extra brut.

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To the 9s!

“Jose” was particularly enamored with my choice of shoes both nights

So many good wines.
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Saturday Night Wines, pics taken the following evening. I’m sorry I didn’t get Berserker pics. I got to yapping and drinking, and completely forgot to get out the phone. Too many good people to chat with.

The wines were a very fun balance of old world and new.
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Yeah, I forgot I should have brought my DSLR and kept it out for those candid people photos - having it out reminds people to snap pics