Our small group got together again at Graileys last Friday for a “bring whatever” wine tasting, and reunited with some old friends and colleagues. As always, the wines were excellent. We typically do a fairly tight theme and taste single or double blind, but had a more relaxed tasting this go around. It was very chill, and very fun and the wines all showed well. Going from oldest to youngest:
1986 Lynch Bages Really nice color here with spice box, tobacco, that cedary sharpened pencil note, and desiccated cherry and blackberry. Still has some nice tannic structure and is, overall, fairly well balanced. My only demerit is a slight funky note that some might refer to as a little “Cordier Funk” note. I think it was, perhaps, a hint of brett. Some like the funk, some thought to took a little something off of this wine’s fastball. I was in the latter camp, but still enjoyed the otherwise quite good wine. 91
1995 Haut Brion Really interesting wine to drink because there is a really nice deep black fruit there, with really nice deep licorice, blackberry, and smoke notes. The stuffing is all there and it smells lovely and wants to be lush and giving. But the acid on this wine is pretty stout. I wanted to love this but just couldn’t help but feel that it’s a little out of balance and that the acid is a bit obtrusive. It might mean that his wine lives for decades on end. It’s certainly tasting quite young. Of the three bordeaux, this probably has the highest ceiling given the stuffing, but it wasn’t the standout for me in this lineup. 93
1998 Chateaux Margaux This was a bit of a surprise. I’ve read that this vintage is an under performer form Margaux, but on this night it was no such thing. It is slightly meaty and tarry, but with nice oak notes and good, sweet black cherry and currant. Perhaps some leather and spice in there too. A nice wine, and showing best of the Bordeaux for me. 94
2008 Opus One Pretty nice showing here. A good combination of blueberry, cherry, and blackberry on the palate with nice acid that gives this some lift. A slight floral notes pairs with well integrated oak and a nice lingering finish. I loved it, and was pleasantly surprised by the acid and balance. The best and most balanced Opus One I’ve had in quite a while. 94
2009 Shafer Hillside Select This is obviously bigger and darker than the Opus One, so YMMV. The nose on this, though, is explosive. It’s fill the room big with a strong mint or eucalyptus note providing lift to deep currant, licorice, and sweet oak. It’s big, has significant tannins, and should hold on for a good while. The result is a really stunning, albeit big, Napa cab with arresting aromatics. One of the better 2009s I’ve had. This was WOTN for me. 96-97
2009 Sassicaia This whips ass and is why I love Super Tuscans. It is rich, but carries a decent acidity that keeps things from getting the least bit heavy. It has lively aromatics of currant, leather, garrigue, black cherries, and a lifting floral or mineral note that keeps things balanced. It’s 2/3 in Napa and 1/3 in France by feel, taste, and balance. Just singing. One of my favorites of the night. 95
2011 M. Etain The third best Napa wine and a step down from the others. Frankly, that’s what I’d expect from a quasi-second label from 2011. Even so, it’s got merit in its own right. It’s got a bright fruit profile of blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry (a note rarely used in Napa cabs, but prevalent here), with a slight green note that I’ll call rosemary (and not mint because it’s a bit green here), backed with some well-integrated oak spice. Acid is not insignificant here and there is a decent bit of tannic structure to suggest this will hang on for quite a while. It’s a bit of a lovely oddity in that it’s a bright, red fruit dominated Napa cab. Just a hair lean and a tiny touch green to compete. 91
2013 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Cab Franc I bought and brought this out of sheer curiousity. 100 WA - 99 JS. 85% Cab Franc and 15% Malbec. I thought the nose on this wine was fascinating, even if a bit reserved compared to the Hillside and Sassicaia. Cool blue and black fruit with incense, black tea, mineral, and spice. The palate, though, was a little lacking for me. Slightly muted blackberry and blueberry, potpourri, bright acidity. I don’t want to suggest it’s simple or thin, but it lacked a bit of punch and I expected it to be exceptional. For those that like a lighter style of wine, this might be a nice bet. It was closer to the Bordeaux than the Napa cabs in weight, but lacked the tannic structure and density I’d expect, even from a Cab Franc. Overall it was very nice, but did not live up to expectations. 92-93
Interestingly, two folks at Grailey’s who knew nothing about the wine (but are big time wine geeks in their own right) were absolutely head over heels in love with the wine and asked the somm to hunt bottles down. No flashy points baiting their interest. Just tried a pour and fell immediately in love. It’s a wine that’s been compared to Chateau Lafleur and certainly has an intriguing nose, but it did not sing to me like it did to others. Oh well. Luckily, there was no shortage of wine to drink.
Mille Lire - Dallas As an aside, after our tasting a few of us went to Mille Lire to enjoy some Italian food for dinner. I was unfamiliar with the Uptown restaurant but was assured that it is one of the most authentic and high quality Italian restaurants in the metroplex. My goodness, it was exceptional. Really damn good. The grilled octopus was charry but perfectly tender and well seasoned. The black truffle pasta was rich and the pasta perfectly cooked. The lobster fettuccine with lemon and basil was extraordinarily bright and a perfect foil for lobster. My crispy snapper was crispy and also melt in your mouth. Well seasoned and exceptionally flavorful. One of the best dining experiences I’ve had in Dallas in a while. A+