Wine is a special hobby. There are so few geeks that wine seems to draw us all together. Wine brought my friend Louis and I together before we’d ever met in person (thanks, Wine Spectator comments sections). Our professions mesh, and so we began to drink a good bottle together here and there. Through Louis and a former law partner I became friends with Vince, which was a strange circle of fate because I’d actually played high school golf with Vince’s daughter earlier in life. We finally all started having dinner together, and expanded the circle to a few more wine geeks, all of whom have just wonderful spouses. The end result is a group of truly wonderful people, each of whom is kind, generous, interesting, and pretty damn funny. On Saturday night we all got together to share some great wines, great conversation, and a damn fine meal (thanks Vince and Susan!).
2002 Peter Michael Belle Cote Chardonnay Sweet creamy oak on this with lovely pineapple/tropical fruit and a little hit of lift from lemon curd. Still nice, lively fruit on this and the color was a lovely bright light yellow with no sign of any oxidation whatsoever. Would not have guessed, blind, that this was 17 years old. Would have guessed closer to 7-10. I’ll disclose that I have a pretty high oak tolerance. Those more sensitive to oak notes might find this a little on the high side and perhaps not as enjoyable. But I like it quite a bit. 92-93
1998 JM Boillot Batard Montrachet A more obviously mature chardonnay in both profile and color. A light golden color giving off enticing notes of honeysuckle and baked apples, with a hint of hazelnut. I’d wager that this was a big, rich Batard on release and, while faded a bit, it is still a very enjoyable wine. The overt honeysuckle on the nose is fun. 91-92
1985 Dom Perignon I was lucky enough to have this about three months ago and my notes were nearly identical. Hazelnut, butterscotch, truffle, apple, graham cracker. My note from the Dallas offline is in quotes below. Once again, I like my champagne a little younger than this, but this had more effervescence left than the prior bottle and was a bit more enjoyable. Good stuff. 92-93
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.
1997 Beaux Freres The Beaux Freres Vineyard The pinot noirs were not the winners on this night. I think this wine is a bit faded and has lost that brightness that I think makes Oregon pinot noir special. It is also very dense and black fruited. Almost jammy, though with some of the sweetness of the fruit faded. We’re talking dusty black cherry and black currant, with a loamy forest floor note. 88 or so.
1997 Penfolds Grange We’re back to business here. Cedar, blackberry, mint, shoe polish/camphor, and smoke. It’s just screaming for herb crusted lamb loin. Its tannins are well integrated and a bit soft, but the wine is nicely balanced and really lovely. Strong aromatics. Good stuff and drinking nicely. Pop em if you got em. This just killed with a nicely crusted beef tenderloin that was melt in your mouth. 94
1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia Perfect fill, mostly gorgeous cork, excellent condition. Black and red cherry fruit, cedary oak, hint of dill, touch of vanilla on the very back end. Nice balance of acid and tannins remaining to keep this lively. This is really nice aged Napa cab. The acid load on this wine is spot on, keeping it lively. Really good stuff. It has a good number of years left, but I’d drink it up. A great spot. 95
2012 Lail J Daniel Cuvee This wine is all about its creamy texture, with noticeable glycerin and a hint of sweetness. I get vanilla, blackberry, currant, and cherry. The mouthfeel of this is quite velvety. Interesting to see where this goes as the sweet, creamy fruit is driving the bus. If you like Napa cabs, this is hard not to suck down. 93-94
2008 Shraeder Old Sparky (mag) Big currant, plum, oak, vanilla, and licorice pour out of the glass here. This is big and rich and silky smooth, but with a backing of well-integrated tannins that will keep this going for a while. This is a very big wine, and there’s not much denying that. But its components are so well integrated and it has undeniable complexity. A little glycerin on the mouth feel but, again, it’s all working together. This is nice, rich, and a treat for fans of big Beckstoffer Napa cabs. 96-97
2006 Colgin Tychson Hill Stylistically distinct from the two preceding wines in that it shows much brighter red cherry fruit along with blackberry, and is more overtly tannic. Its bright cherry notes are paired with great spicy, savory, and smoke notes which give it great aromatic complexity. There are oak notes on the nose and finish, but they’re balanced exceptionally well into the secondary aromas on this wine. This is my stylistic preference in Napa cabs. A brightness of fruit paired with lovely savory and spicy characteristics. The only thing I can find on this wine that detracts it from being a truly special wine right this second is its massive spine of drying tannins. To the point where I was sitting thinking about this wine the next day trying to decide where it should be “objectively” ranked. I just loved the profile so much that this was probably my favorite as far as pure taste and aromatics, but the tannins put it just a bit out of balance. They may also have this puppy as lead dog in 20 years because this can age for decades yet. It’s just a hair rough-hewn now, but oh so good. 95
1988 Lafaurie-Peyraguey sauternes Good golden color, but this is not for me. Ammonia/Isopropyl note on the initial nose was curious. Not cork taint, but a note I’m unfamiliar with on sauternes. Mutes the pineapple, lemon, and dried mango and apricot on the nose and palate, with honeysuckle wrapping things up. My wife had the same reaction to the nose. She thought ammonia. I’ve not experienced that before. NR
2014 Lucien Le Moine Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaut St. Jacques Bright red cherry and cranberry with potpourri and a hint of warm spice. A little too bright acidity skews this slightly into the tart range, without the aromatic complexity or density of fruit to make this a wine worth pursuing. What I’d hoped to be a good change up was simply a disappointment. 89-90.
The Macallan 25 year I was so kindly offered a taste of whatever scotch our host had. I deferred to his favorite and was treated to a dram of Macallan 25. What a treat. Marked by lovely balance between smoke, warm baking spice, orange peel, and not so sweet creme brulee. Smooth as can be with a flavor that just lingers in your mouth and warms your body. Yum.