Or, “Behold the Power of Wine Berserkers.”
My wife and I teach the baptism class one Thursday night a quarter at our Catholic Church, and because our kids are still young, we have to get a sitter. So, we usually figure it’s a good opportunity to have a dinner out just the two of us afterwards.
On our short drive to church, my wife suggests we go to The Playground in Santa Ana, and she looks on her iPhone and makes an 8:45 reservation, which is the earliest they have. Once we get there and are seated at one of the high tables around the perimeter, I look over and see three young men with a table full of wine and wine glasses, and one of them appears to be our very own Charlie Fu, who I met once very briefly and who I recognize from his infamous avatar.
So I went over and reintroduced myself, he introduced me to his two buddies, and it turned out they were just winding down and leaving, and all three very enthusiastically and emphatically offered that my wife and I take the rest of their open bottles. These were not just any wine bottles, they were: Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Granbussia 2000, La Mission Haut Brion 1976, Geantet-Pansiot Charmes Chambertain 1999 and Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Luchets 2008. Though if there had been Screaming Eagle, he had already poured it down the drain before I arrived. The bottles had anywhere from 2 ounces to a half bottle full of each.
I had hastily grabbed a bottle of 2010 Cabot Pinot Noir Nash Mill Vineyard on my way out the door before the baptism class, and we had a glass each of that before our astonishing windfall arrived, but I recorked the rest and brought it home to kick off tomorrow night.
I didn’t take notes, but a few quick impressions:
Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Granbussia 2000. Young, but really outstanding, showcasing the relative size of the vintage yet with a seamless classic Barolo profile.
La Mission Haut Brion 1976. Beautifully mature, with softened tannins, sweet dark fruit, lots of tobacco leaf and herb, and a velvety plush texture. If not quite a home run of classic Bordeaux, probably a triple into the right center gap at AT&T Park.
Geantet-Pansiot Charmes Chambertain 1999. A bit tight and tough, though it continued to open over the evening (this was about a half bottle). Lots of mineral water and stems on the nose, almost but not quite to the point of being a bit unpleasant, but then more enjoyable in the mouth, with the slender fruit finally shining through. An incomplete grade, but an interesting wine that probably just needs more time.
Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Luchets 2008. Only a couple of swallows of this left, but it compelled me to order a few oysters which went perfectly with it. On the fleshier and riper side of the spectrum (though that might partly have been the wine being at room temperature and mostly finished), it still also had great seashell and mineral character.
2010 Cabot Pinot Noir Nash Mill Vineyard. Early on, this was a less exuberant and more complex California pinot, with lots of pine needle, stem and earthy notes to go with medium red berry fruit. The wine was still fairly dense and not, according to my guess, showing all of its range, but it showed promise, and day two of the wine tomorrow may reveal more.
Behold the power of Wine Berkerkers. Thanks to Charlie and his friends for their thoughtfulness, thanks to Todd and the WB community for moments like this one, and a tip of the glass to you all.