45TH BDAY 1934-1999. WHEN DIAMOND CREEK IS WEAKEST OF THE NIGHT - Zoom (3/6/2021)
Zoom celebration for my 45th. Great friends came out in style. What a line-up.
Rhone Whites and a Blind Mystery Wine
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1999 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc l’Ermite - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Just okay. No formal notes (89 pts.) -
1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Clearly low acidity. Nose is complex. Much better than the Chapoutier. This has many years ahead of it for growth but just not my cup of tea. (91 pts.) -
1992 Fiorano (Boncompagni Ludovisi) Bianco Vino da Tavola - Italy, Latium, Vino da Tavola
Served blind. What is this? I have never heard of this nor tasted anything like a warm climate Semillon with such acidity. Guesses where nowhere near this. Very drinkable aged white. (90 pts.)
Mystery Red
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1934 Viuva José Gomes da Silva & Filhos Colares Reserva Tinto - Portugal, Lisboa, Colares
Dark. Very dark - looks like something form the 80s. Very funky nose of sweat socks , vegetal notes, figs, brown sugar, Dark berries, leather and a hint of funk. Very old world. The palate was a bit thin and the finish was short. I can see the appeal but In tonights line-up it was more of a novelty (92 pts.)
1982 Bordeaux
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1982 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Wow! What a showing. This was your typical classic Bordeaux but in legandary fashion. Wood- cedar, tobacco and cherries, Some sweet cherry at the end and maybe a hint of spring damp forest but again just in such a classy way with great lift. The palate was layered. More plush and youthful than the lalande. Great showing and the apex of 82 Bordeaux. (98 pts.) -
1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Gorgeous perfume. I don’t know what it is with me and this wine. I cannot recall a more complex wine than this. Others described the Mouton as detailed but I thought this had it in spades. To me this is the perfect Bordeaux. A cornucopia of spices, red and dark fruits, leather, chocolate covered blueberries. The palate is just as complex as the nose and tasty. There is more of an acidic bite than the mouton but the finish is well over a minute. 97+ (97 pts.)
1990s First Growth
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1996 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
I would say this was the most youthful of the night with the most upside. Very dark and opaque. I have seen 2005s that look younger. Classic Margaux nose but trading some of that floral feminine quality for a bit of rustic earth. A little bit funk appeared after several hours. Fruit is brooding; plum, currant, dates, black cherries dirt, tree bark a little green pepper. The palate is incredible. Still showing tannins that need to resolve. Plenty of acidity, more than any other in the flight but delicious and long. 96 points (96 pts.) -
1996 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Shows a Classic Haut Brion profile. Others likes this more than I . Smokey gravel, currant, dark cherries ,tobacco and after a while a little reductive. The palate is pretty fleshy for. 96. More weight than I suspected. Everyone was more enamored with this than I was. Oddly, it showed better than the 98 HB, but IMO was nonwhere near the 96 Margaux. (93 pts.) -
1998 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Off Bottle. Lacked all the terroir the 96 showed .muted and dos not show first growth quality by any means. I am calling it flawed. NR (flawed)
90s vintage adjacent Cabs
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1996 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain
A little heat-Very California in the face of the rest of the line up. A little tight on the nose. Palate is very well rounded except the alcohol. (90 pts.) -
1998 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
Very good. A different league than the volcanic - perfumed red fruits - I would have not guessed 98. Very dark mountain fruit, perfumed fruit. Incredibly long finish. This showed very well. Those who dismissed the 98s should be vanished to an island where all they drink are 97s. (92 pts.)
Northern Rhones
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1995 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
astronomical nose of pepper, pipe tobacco, cigar box, a hint of funk, hint of baking spices a-la Christmas spices with Smokey red fruits. Palate confirms every aspect of the nose. This was the WOTN for a few. Benchmark type showing for a Chave. (95 pts.) -
1998 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Much younger and youthful than the 95. not the best 98. Rhubarb pie, olives and dried meat. This was a stripped down version of the 95. Perhaps a little more weight on the palate with less acidity and certainly more fruit but it lacked the intensity and complexity. (93 pts.) -
1998 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
A very feminine Côte rotie. Nose of bramble, cherries both dark and red, strawberry, fresh dirt. Plenty of sweetness on the nose and a slight bend towards candied. The palate however , is rich, layered with even more complexity than the nose. Best palate of the flight but the overall appeal of the 95 chave bested this in totality. (94 pts.)
Sweater Whites
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1976 Weingut Johannisberg Winkeler Dachsberg Scheurebe Beerenauslese - Germany, Rheingau
Good but paled to the prum. (89 pts.) -
1976 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Wow. What can I say. I don’t see how a reisling could show any better on any level. Dark gold in color with a hint of amber at the edge. Nose of classic aged auslese but with feshness for days. This is wine worth contemplating for days. There is high levels of complexity and detail. The palate is fresh, balanced silk. I really don’t know how to describe the palate. It has weight to it but it is still seamless and light on its feet. Sweetness to be sure but not too much. The finish is ever bit as complex as the nose and goes on and on. (99 pts.)
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