TN: Margaux,Screagle,DomP,Scavino,MacDonald(s),Carillon Chev,Barca...

Great way to start off the new year with the fellas last night! Always a pleasure when we can all get together! And special thanks to Lars for joining us last minute…hopping into his car and driving 1.5 hrs…adding the Scavino to the party off the list, and taking care of the check! What some people will do when they catch wind of a screagle sighting! You rock! Thanks to the others as well…until next time!


FIRST DINNER OF 2019! - Galletto Ristorante, Modesto Ca. (1/5/2019)

Starter whites

• 2011 Francois Carillon Chevalier-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
  Slow oxed for 10hrs…showing intense angry energy and piercing acidity at first…took to dinner, and it unfolded brilliantly!! Turned into the most amazingly soft and elegant texture…like a thin layered flaky pastry…SO pure and balanced…fresh citrus energy still there, chalky limestone, exotic white honey butter, almond pastry…flat out amazing! (97 pts.)

810×1080 133 KB

• 2008 Dom Perignon Champagne Legacy Edition Label - France, Champagne
  Was blown away by how in balanced this young DP is right out of the gate! Absolutely PERFECT balance of fresh citrus cut, creamy crystalline fruits, and the subtle vanilla and caramel creme, smoky minerality…so harmonious …not one thing standing out in forefront. There’s brightness and finesse…graceful florals and chiseled mineral depth. HUGE fan of this bottle we had last night! (98 pts.)

810×1080 215 KB

Reds

• 2003 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
  Slow oxed for 10 hrs, some concerns as the fruit seemed of roasted red berry, with searing acidity and intense spice? Splash decanted off the chunks of sediment and took to dinner…it opened up brilliantly! The red berry fruit darkened and softened…pure finesse and femininity…pretty bouquet of flowers and spices…silky smooth tannins, yet with well integrated cedar and dusty white pepper oak barrel…red licorice, cherry cordials…just lovely layers of depth and purity. A true joy to drink! (96 pts.)

810×1080 150 KB

• 2015 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
  Had with the 14…decanted for a day…a beast of a wine! Very dark liqueured berry fruits…wonderful graphite dryness, licorice, creme de cassis, rich soil…deep as a coal mine with spice and minerality…but maintains a super silky feel as the dusty firm tannins let you enjoy. The 15 had the slightest of vinegar twang youth that the 14 did not. Loved these. (95 pts.)
• 2014 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
  Had with the 15, decanted for a day…as with the 15, a dark fruited beast of a wine…little softer and creamier than the 15, with very complex liqueured black and blue berry fruits…perfect balanced graphite dryness, licorice, creme de cassis, dark cacao, rich earth, violet florals…such silky tannins for a rich full bodied wine. The big air really helps these right now. Both pretty similar and fantastic…I’d give the nod to the 14 for drinking right now though. (95 pts.)

810×1080 193 KB

• 2000 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
  First nose…OH BOY…this is going to be good! The most amazing mushroom forest, leather, floral perfume nose…dark berries and cassis, licorice, pencil lead…seemless and actually quite elegant and velvety…an array of complexities…olive, tobacco leaf, graphite, earth spice…awesome balance. A wonderful wine that will only get better. (96 pts.)

810×1080 160 KB

• 1996 Paolo Scavino Barolo Riserva Rocche dell’Annunziata - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  A quick decant and this wine was ready to go! Wonderful dark dried berry fruits, licorice, pretty Italian perfume of dried roses, orange rind, bayleaf, sweet tar…a nice streak of fresh acidity, tartness, with such seamlessness. Loved the subtle earth tones, wood dust, and dried leaf character, with just a hint a greenness…kept gaining and gaining the more air it took in. Fabulous Barolo! (96 pts.)

1440×1080 257 KB

• 2008 Casa Ferreirinha Douro Barca Velha - Portugal, Douro
  A first for me…this was flat out killer! SO deep and dark fruited, with a plushness and wonderful finesse. Dark berry liqueured fruits, obviously Port -like, yet with total graphite powder dryness…exotic flower florals, licorice, anise…sneaky white pepper spice, dusty tannins…yet an elegant softness for such a big wine. Finish for days. Cool stuff! (94 pts.)

810×1080 192 KB

Dessert

• 1992 Fonseca Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
  Not a huge Port fan…this was fairly sweet, viscous, with a array of spices and tobacco…licorice, dusty old cellar barrel, fig and fruitcake spice. Long and intense sweet finish. Went really well with my espresso, of all things! (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

1440×1080 230 KB

Awesome! That lineup is definitely worth the extra teeth brushing…

Sounds like it was a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing.

Clearly Fu didn’t go since there weren’t a Rousseau Chambertin or a CLB Romanee!

Looks great. The 2000 Margaux is ready huh? That’s interesting. I find even 2nd growth 2000 to still be fairly young on the curve. Lovely evening!

What a lineup! Probably the lowest rating I’ve seen for the Macdonalds. Interesting…

Nice set. Makes me want to pull some 2011 white Burgs.

Had that Scavino a few weeks ago and while incredibly stacked and flavored, the wood is desparately trying to integrate still and too much for me. I’d love to see it again in 10 years. We also had other Scavinos that night that were even woodier and didn’t have the stuffing of the 96 Riserva to try to deal with it.

…

Very nice! Love that 08 DP.

what he said…

…although i liked the margaux and chevy a little more…

What’d you think of the DomP? Thanks for that btw!
I know you’re not a label chaser……what about the screagle as well?

Could you give some details as to how you went about slow-oxing this?

Good question. A method used by many(Audouze), but not one I really practice, but decided to on both my wines(chevy/screagle)…pop the cork in the morning, let a little air in the bottle, then put cork back in and let sit all day in the cellar. Both my wines seemed angry when I tasted them before heading out to dinner…but both blossomed in amazement at dinner? Did it work? I don’t know. I usually would open them an hour or two before going out to dinner, splash decant, then put back in bottle and head out. Or just open at the table, and decant it it seemed too tight. I don’t mind following a wine through it’s progressions as it opens. I think I’ll stick to my old ways next time though.

So it remained roughly in the 50s, temperature-wise?

Great to see the 559-209 gang get together for some great wine, food and company (that scallop dish!)

I enjoyed the Eagle very much, but if I had to pick my favs (and there was not a bad showing in the bunch) my favs would be the Margaux, Chevy, Dom, and MacDonalds side by side. Again, a nice array of wines, just need more white andd/or bubbles next time.

I think that’s the FIRST time someone in our group has ever said that we needed MORE wine!

the dom was tasty, nicely balanced - fruit, acid, alc… i can definitely see the hype. this may end up being as nice as the 96 (if not better) if i had to compare it to a recent vintage.

it’s always a treat to have an eagle. thank you. the 03 characters dominated for my taste, but there is no denying the quality of this wine. now let’s open the sauv blanc with it next time

i will remind you of this next time.

That Barca-Velha looks intriguing. It’s not one you come across often.

I’m glad that Margaux showed well for you guys. Most top 2000 Bordeaux I’ve tasted are sleeping.

Interesting lineup, overall. I need to get my butt down there this year!

Shot callers