Sadly last Friday at lunch it was corked, so opened a second bottle tonight. I have long been a lover of this property, and with the notable exception of 1982, they made extraordinary complex wines in the 1970s and 1980s. It is interesting how much the 1982 effected their reputation. Previous to that, they seemed to be like a Yogi Berra pronouncement, “Everybody knew they were underrated.” Subsequently less so, and the wines, despite being extremely good, languished unloved on retailer shelves.
So to the 1983.
Color: beautiful crimson, barely edged with brown.
Nose: unusual. Still fresh, with bright red fruit, cigar box, leather and a slight but very addictive note of camphor. Complex and lovely.
Mouth: by now, there was a serious piece of Flannery ribeye in front of me, and this Proved to be a brilliant pairing. It’s not an opulent wine, but instead there is a fresh slightly angularity to it. Great acidity, which worked well with the beef’s marbled fat and minerality; ultimately the aged steak and the aged wine seemed to love each other, and piled extra layers of complexity upon each other.
Scores: DDC 1983: 95
Flannery steak 98