Two couples, both of whom we had entertained individually earlier in the year, co- hosted us for a glorious evening on a newly finished and furnished garage rooftop outdoor patio with an out in nature hillside backdrop. A lot of words there, but you get the picture.
We enjoyed some excellent cheeses, breads, crackers, fruit and a killer garlic laden homemade hummus while drinking some really fine wines, many of which were thoughtfully selected knowing my fondness for them:
NV RUINART BRUT ROSE- this fab rose has been one of our go to house rose over many years and as demonstrated in the past, it gave beautiful red raspberry, strawberry and red cherry fruit with a nice spicy accent; it’s got a lovely, frothy mousse and enough richness to satisfy almost any palate preferences, 6 on this occasion.
2009 LOUIS ROEDERER BLANC de BLANC- Ive raved about this superb BdB after consuming the first 3 of 6 bottles I purchased and on this night, it was the perfect next step after the Ruinart Rose; with bright acidity, it delivers wondrous citrus aromas followed up by lemon, lime, green apple, kiwi and melon fruit while being enhanced by a steak of spice; it rich and luscious and at the same time has so much elegance; when I tasted this some time ago with a rep from Roederer, he informed me the fruit was sourced from the same sites as those used for the 09 Cristal.
2016 LEEUWIN ESTATE ART SERIES CHARDONNAY MARGARET RIVER WESTERN AUSTRALIA- as I shared on this evening, I was first exposed to this fabulous wine when dining at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas back in the 90s when I would visit every time there and the Sommelier, who I had met at a wine event in LA, took righteous care of me and brought me tastes of just about every wine he opened that was served by the glass; this was one of the stars and has remained high on my must have list ever since; it truly is a special Chardonnay that allows for the fruit profile to be expressed for what it really is without dominating heavy oak treatment even though it is typically fermented in new French oak for 11 months; our bottle shined with aromas of fresh tropical and citrus fruit which on the palate translated into lemon, lime, grapefruit, green apple and pear with a mild undertone of honeysuckle; I find it is more medium bodied and fairly delicate with loads of finesse, yet rich enough to satiate any preference for fullness and richness; there’s a streak of acidity that seems to weave in and out; a consistently great Chard IMHO.
2014 BEAUX FRERES THE BESUX FRERES VINEYARD RIBBON RIDGE WILLAMETTE VALLEY PINOT NOIR- we decanted this prior to serving and with all of the changes it went through in the glass, it probably needed a lot more aeration but we mothered on and had to deal with the stupendous treasures, albeit ever changing, ever evolving; as with its deep, dark purple red color, it had so much depth and complexity while delivering loads of dark fruit from the nose through the tail; on the palate this translated into blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry and even a hint of blueberry; it’s full bodied and hangs on for a grand finish that cements the deal. Classy new world Pinot here.
2013 DOMAINE du VIEUX TELEGRAPHE ROUGE CHATEAUNEUF de PAPE- our hosts pulled out another gem and one that has long been a fav of mine; it was perfectly positioned in the lineup and took off to placate our palates after the above wines; the most notable characteristic for me was the ripe red fruit profile that wafted out of the glass and was present all the way to the back end; it was not a fruit bomb nor one dimensional, but the spicy and lightly peppered red cherry/ berry and blood orange was most prominent and appreciated; I loved the mouthfeel as it was medium in weight, but full and rich from the first taste on; it’s comprised of 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah and 5% other.
2012 JUSLYN VINEYARDS ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON SPRING MOUNTAIN NAPA- 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot aged for 24 months; this is a new producer to me and as good as it was, I had the thought that there’s so many good wines out there that I’m missing, but on occasions like this, a new pearl shows up and this was definitely a pearl; decanted and served, it had leather, earth and cedar infused black cherry, black currant and plum delivered in soft and velvety textured medium that enhanced the experience; this is full bodied with layered complexity and although young now, it is so giving and enjoyable and obviously structured to hang out for a few decades before reaching its apogee.
This was a wondrous evening with very special people who put out a lot of energy into making it such and succeeded in doing so. We had another opportunity to celebrate life is good.
Cheers,
Blake
