Our dinner group dined at Oku, a newly opened sushi/ Asian themed restaurant on the beach in Santa Barbara. One of the owners is a friend of many of us and she has put together a winner that shall truly succeed.
Our wine theme was champagne, white Burgundy and Spanish reds. 16 of us shared a gazillion appetizers and even had room room for self ordered entrees and dessert while passing bottles left, right and across the table throughout the entire evening.
One the highlights for me was that I actually tasted every wine that was passed as opposed to discovering later on when I receive the photos from a friend who takes all, that I missed a few. Of course, when there is a total of 23 wines, that may not be the best thing.
We ate and drank well starting with a fab champagne:
2002 RUINART DOM RUINART BLANC de BLANC BRUT- a few days back, another event was held celebrating Valentines Day with vintage champagnes and this was the first bottle opened and prior to most people arriving, it was gone in short time, so I decided to bring another for a few who missed it; as with the first bottle, this was superlative being full bodied, rich, lush and creamy; it was impressive from the nose on with inviting aromas of spicy citrus notes that on the palate translated into fresh and crisp lemon and lime; it had a frothy mousse that just danced all the way to the back end and its hallmark may have been its beautiful balance.
Due to a late arrival, this next one was poured well after we had moved through the majority of white Burgundies:
NV CHAMPAGNE SUENEN GRAND CRU BRUT RESERVE A CRAMANT- 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay; base year is 2012; disgorged 5/1/16 at 6 gpl; the nose had some straw, hay, grass like notes along with a hint of licorice and mint all of which continued on to be joined by a honeyed undertone of light citrus flavors; it was medium bodied at best, being very light in weight and texture. You might call this mild mannered.
We moved into 5 white Burgs, 3 Spanish whites and a Riesling:
2010 DOMAINE HUBERT LAMY EN REMILLY SAINT-AUBIN 1er cru- this comes from a producer I have become very fond of almost to the extent of the adoration I have for PYCM; showing nice balance and some maturity, the nose had mild aromas of flint and minerals along with citrus fruit which continued on and past mid palate; it was enhanced by an amazing dollop of honeyed pear, apple and lemon zest with a thin honey like texture to match.
2010 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU- speaking of PYCM, here comes one and it’s fabulous as have been all others before it over the last few years, this vintage in particular; it had amazing balance with bight acidity and rich, savory flavors while being delivered in an oily, smooth texture; the finish was the grand climax as it reached its crescendo and then just hung on to provide ultimate pleasure. Great wine!
2007 BONNEAU du MARTRAY CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU- from another fav producer, this was so different from any of the other white Burgs before it and good, albeit having an unexpected profile of a medicinal character melding in with lime, green apples and white peach fruit; a streak of minerals comes in as well as a dollop of vanilla; its creamy and holds on for a long finish.
2017 DOMAINE MOREY-COFFINET BLANCHOTS-DESSUS CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 1er cru- and here’s yet another from a revered producer; this really graces the palate with fresh citrus fruit accented with a touch of steeliness, minerals and smoke; it’s rich and lush with a creamy texture that carries all of the goodies to the back end with ease and class.
2009 DOMAINE HENRI BOILLOT CLOS de ls MOUCHERE PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1er cru- another huge winner here as we have shared this magnificent wine over many vintages and this is as good as any in the last 10 years; I loved its elegance and its buttery and creamy texture; it gave generous amounts of pear, apple and lemon lime notes as delivered on the palate in that kind of medium; there is a hint of toast and spice, but the hallmark is its elegance; for more about this producer- Price Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère Henri Boillot 2006 White
2006 R. LOPEZ de HEREDIA VINA GRAVONA BLANC CRIANZA- 100% Viura ; corked
2015 TERRA VERMELLA de NIN- ORTIZ VINO BLANCO- made from Parellada Montonegra; this was very mild flavored with a light to medium body and a pretty much understated profile. It may have been in a closed down state or just made in a style that is light and leans more toward elegance; It followed some very polar opposite wines and probably would have been best tasted at the beginning of this flight of whites.
2015 EMILIO ROJO RIBEIRO- a blend of Treixadura, Loureiro, Lado, Albariño, and Torrontés; I liked this with its smooth and easy mouthfeel carrying nice straw accented citrus fruit all the way through.
2007 REINHARD & BEATE KNEBELWINN INGER ROTTGEN RIESLING SPATLESE MOSEL-SAAR-RUWER- lots of petrol in the nose, but the taste profile was way different with delicious sweet and honeyed citrus fruit; it bordered on being too sweet but held back just enough to not overwhelm and result in a sugar rush.
And now for our major wine theme, Spanish reds, and we get 11 of them with the crown jewel, Unico, waiting at the end:
1970 FAUSTINO V RESERVA RIOJA- with the bad luck omen of the bottle`s wire wrap removed, this classically frosty glass bottle had good fortune inside waiting for us with very viable and mature dry red cherry and cranberry fruit delivered in a nice easy texture.
1984 R. LOPEZ de HEREDIA VINA TONDONIA GRAN RESERVA RIOJA- although it was very light in weight and expression, it had enough elegance and pizzaz to please; there was dry blackcurrant and red cherry fruit along with a hint of cigar box and cedar; it was mild mannered and easy to like.
1994 R. LOPEZ de HEREDIA VINA TONDONIA GRAN RESERVA RIOJA- 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 5% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo; this was in a really good place, ready to give up some treasures which translated into fresh, spicy and vanilla laden cranberry/ cherry fruit being delivered in a soft and smooth medium; it had some depth and layers of complexity and at the same time, loads of finesse and charm. The oak component is pretty much integrated as it is nearing nice balance.
2001 ARTADI GRANDES ANADAS RIOJA- a blend based on Viura and Tempranillo; this shined brightly with generous amounts of spicy blackberry, plum and black cherry; it was super rich, full bodied and had nice length; the hallmark was its magnificent fruit profile which fell in line with its overall balance.
2001 LA RIOJA ALTA 904 GRAN RESERVA RIOJA- 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano; vanilla, eucalyptus, sage and spice provide nice accents to the blackberry, cranberry and red cherry notes that prevail throughout; a touch of coconut comes in about mid palate; its full bodied, still very vibrant and youthful and has significant structure to go for a long run and requires some time to get there.
1987 MARQUES de RISCAL RESERVA RIOJA- A blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo; dried cranberry, cherry, plum and blueberry fruit is most evident along with accents of leather, earth and cedar; its full bodied and seemingly mature with all components nicely integrated.
2005 CELLAR CAL PLANOTS VINYES VELLES PRIORAT- blend of Cariñena and Garnacha; I got spicy black raspberry/ cherry in this tasty treat; it was round and seamless and very fruit forward.
2015 FAMILIA NIN-ORTIZ NIT de NIN MAS d`en CACADOR PRIORAT- Garnacha blend; young and vibrant, fruit forward loaded with talc and sandalwood laced black raspberry, cherry and plum with a slight hint of pepper. Needs time to settle down, lower its shoulders and take a breath. Should have been decanted
2017 FAMILIA NIN-ORTIZ NIT de NIN COMA den ROMEU PRIORAT- Garnacha; clove, pepper and spice laden red and black fruit jump out of the glass; wild black raspberry and wild cranberry fruit are most prominent; it’s big and wholesome and forever. Hold! It needs time and air and on this night, as with the 15 Mas d`en Cacador, would have been better served after a long decant.
2005 MUGA PRADO ENEA GRAN RESERVA RIOJA- this was really good and yet so young with lots of evolution to be experienced; black currant, blackberry, blueberry and black raspberry highlight the taste profile while being enhanced with cedar, leather and earthy notes; it’s big and rich and long; loved it.
1994 VEGA SICILIA UNICO GRAN RESERVA RIBERA del DUERO- 80% Tinto Fino {Tempranillo}, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot with 2% from unknown varieties; the wowzer factor just came into play as this beauty had it all in spades and was hands down the WOTN although a few whites and the 02` Dom Ruinart got some honorable mentions; this was the perfect expression of the analogy of a wine having power and finesse and an iron fist in a velvet glove with emphases on finesse and velvet; it seemed to have a subtleness that allowed one to get inside it and discover the pearls and also prepare for the onslaught of flavors that followed= finesse; it was soft and smooth and so easy on the palate= velvet; cedar, talc and vanilla join black currant and blackberry fruit and take a ride all the way to the back end with vim and vigor and then thankfully hang out which is what I did with it.
And usually we have 2 or more sweeties, but thankfully there was only one and that was in a half bottle:
2011 ALVEAR MONTILLA-MORILES PEDRO XIMENEZ de ANADA- 375ml; it looks like molasses but tastes like honeyed vanilla, caramel and apricot served up in a syrupy texture; it would be really good on pancakes, but they don’t serve them in a Sushi place.
This was another fantastic evening that almost had too many wines to accompany almost too much food and almost too much fun amongst almost too many wonderful friends who almost didn’t make it out the door for the long line of almost too many Uber drivers to carry us to the home land.
Cheers,
Blake
