I took a half day off from work to deal with decanting and blinding wines. As I was pouring the 2006 Copain there was the telltale smell of TCA. As it happened that was the only wine of which I had a second bottle (though I had backup options for others) so the bad decanter went in the sink and the second bottle was double decanted.
The next bottle I went to double decant was the 1999 Soldera. I consulted my at home inventory to locate the bottle - and it wasn’t there. A quick phone call to my storage and I was driving off to pull another bottle. Made it back home about 40 minutes later a bit frazzled but with the wine. No time to let it settle, into the decanter it goes.
Everything else seemed fine on first sniff (hah!) and I made it to Noreetuh with less time than I intended but fortunately before anyone else.
Flight 1 2015 Francois Pinon Brut Non Dose - lean and balanced, good acidity, quite lovely.
Flight 2 Bera 2000 Moscato bianchdùdùi
"These grapes from the 2000 harvest were destined for Alessandra Bera’s Moscato d’Asti when something happened. The juice fermented to dryness and developed a layer of flor, which didn’t die for 16 years. Always keen to push the boundries, Alessandra let nature take its course, and bottled this in 2017. "
I found it lovely, layered and fascinating at first though with air it started to develop a distracting note of perfumed soap
Montescondo 2017 Trebbiano Tin
beeswax almonds, ridiculously complex
Borgo del Tiglio 1995 Collio Tocai Friulano
corked.
Flight 3
2012 Copain Pinot Noir ‘Kiser En Haut’
2010 Copain Pinot Noir ‘Kiser En Haut’ - corked? 2006 Copain Pinot Noir 'Kiser En Haut’
There was debate as to whether the 2010 was corked. It was definitely flawed in some way.The 2006 and 2012 were both lovely, needing only 10 minutes or so in the glass to show 2 beautiful moderately ripe pinot noses. The fruit was on the dusty cranberry side of things.
Flight 4 1999 Ciacci Piccolomini d`Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso
A beautiful complete Brunello, entering its peak period. 1999 Felsina Fontalloro
the prettiest wine of the three. Precise and elegant. Should coast at full maturity for a while. 1999 Soldera Case Basse
the only one of the three which was seriously asking for more time. Gorgeous depth and complexity but only beginning to show what it has.
Oddly to me before the reveal some people were complaining about how ripe the wines were. Knowing what they were I didn’t see that at all. While 1999 is certainly a ripe vintage it’s no 1997 and is one of my 2 favorites of the '90s in Tuscany (along with 1995).
Flight 5
This was intended as a flight wines that had just reached legal age, i.e., 1998s. It was prompted by the acquisition of the Scherrer combined with my experience that Burgundies are drinking really well now. That just left choosing a third 1998 from somewhere else 1998 Scherrer OMV Zinfandel
A lovely perfectly mature, pretty and complex wine. Several people had it among their WsOTN. Bravo Fred! 1998 Chateau Magdelaine
a young and vibrant classic St. Emilion. Quite a bit richer than I might have expected. 1998 d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru
corked.
Flight 6 1966 Sandemans Porto - Happily we ended on a high note. There’s something immensely satisfying about a perfectly mature port. Gentle and soft but long and complex and caramelly.
I almost gave up on this when I was decanting at home. Almost all color had precipitated out and I was pouring a transparent reddish liquid into the decanter. Some sniffing and there was absolutely no nose. I decided to take a small taste before going to my backup bottle and WOW.
With thanks to David Wainright who coincidentally opened one and posted about it on Facebook a few days before my dinner and gave useful input.
Are you back from the future to report on this tasting? Maybe the time travel contributed to the acuity of TCA sensitivity?
Nice diverse lineup, and bummer on the TCA.
They are delicious and very pretty when young, which is when most people drink them; but for those brave and patient enough to wait, there’s a whole other level of depth and complexity. To my palate - and I’m guessing to yours as well, from drinking with you over the years - the mature version is well worth giving up some youthful exuberance.
But wasn’t the loss of the four bottles, and the several hundred dollars of value they represented, more than offset by the tradition, romance, aesthetic and history of cork?
That evening I composed a paean of praise to the glories of the cork. I would show it to you but I think the language I used is illegal in most countries and might leave me open to charges of slander.
I’ve had a rough 5 days for cork issues as well. 2002 Clos Erasmus, 2015 latour martillac blanc and 2003 Rol Valentin. I wish SQN or one of the 1st growths would switch half of their production to screw cap or glass stoppers and give their customers a choice. I’d choose the alternative. So tired of corked wine.
I first tried that Ciacci at the Heritage NYC blind tasting competition last year where it was in my top three wines of the event so I sourced a bottle.
Fontalloro is an old favorite. I’d had that bottle and the Soldera for a decade give or take a few years. Certainly not paying current prices for the latter.
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