Spent a fun Wednesday night drinking with friends. Thanks to Travis and Mario for hosting as usual and a big thanks to Mike for moving to Australia so when he comes back we get a good excuse to drink damn fine wine on a school night!! These are more a combo of notes and observations versus just technical notes.
1976 Huet Vouvray – Not sure exactly which bottlling this was. Beautiful golden honey color. A bit too sweet to drink a whole glass for my taste but certainly good for 5 or 6 drinks. Honey, apple, touch of sherry. The oldest white I’ve ever drank. 87pts.
2007 M. Chapoutier Condrieu Invitare – We put this up against the Cayuse viognier and it beat it like a red-headed stepchild. Cream, bit of custard, glyceral mouthfeel. Notes of lemon, white flowers, and honey. Not quite enough acid for me to be totally blown away. Easily outclassed the Cayuse. 92pts.
2006 Cayuse Viognier – Disappointed with this bottle. Kind of harsh with a bit of a bitter aftertaste. I really think these need minimum of 5-7 years to balance out. Disjointed with not much fruit but had more acid than the Condrieu, which I liked. 87pts.
2007 Dageuneau Silex – This was the shiznit. Easily the best sauvignon blanc I’ve ever had. Light yellow in color, the nose just bursts of limestone, chalk, citrus. Touch of sweet butter on the palate with freshly cut green grass, unripe pear, fuji apple, and a nice balance of acid to cut the sweet butter. Absolutely loved it! 94pts.
2007 J.J. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese – Very nice reisling. Golden hued with lively nose of minerals, apples, honey. Just enough acid to keep me interested. Nice bottle. 90pts.
2007 Donnhoff Kabinett – Not sure which bottling this was. As always, golden and delicious. Used it as my palate cleanser all night. Donnhoff’s always seem to wake up my mouth. Not terribly complex but the mix of minerality, acid, and fruit was enough to satiate me. 90pts.
1970 Mouton – The oldest red wine I’ve had. Totally cool experience to get to drink this. Dark bricking on the edges with the faintest color red in the middle. Nose of cedar, tobacco, mint. Not much fruit on the palate except bits of cassis and cherries. Loved every sip for the experience. 91pts.
2003 Thomas Pinot Noir Dundee Hills – Not a huge fan of Oregon pinot but the was a standout bottle. Nicely balanced oak with cherries, bit of underbrush, raspberries. Understated but the nose kept me coming back. 90pts.
2005 Lillian Syrah – Wowza! This baby has settled down and integrated nicely since the last time I drank it over a year ago (and I liked it then). Seamless tannins, oak, and fruit. Big bursting blueberries, bacon, asphalt, blackberries, baking spice. Wish I had more than one left. 95pts.
2007 Saxum James Berry – Very closed nose. Took forever to coax anything out of it. My first half-glass the wine was just to warm (tannic and harsh) so I put it in the fridge to bring it down to 64-66 degrees. Wow, much better at the cooler temp. This is by far the most understated Saxum I have drank. Fairly balanced tannin and fruit. Certainly not an in your face wine and built for the long haul. Perfectly ripe raspberries and blackberries with nice integration of spices and smoke. Needs time and then will be dynamite. 93pts.
2005 Pavie – Talk about tannic. Holy shit this was loaded with tannin and acid. Tons of fruit as well but needs minimum 10 years to marry. Structure, structure. With this backbone and concentrated fruit, It just may reach that 100 points given time. 93pts.
1994 Quilceda Creek Cab – My oldest Quilceda. Kick ass bottle. Now i personally know the difference between pre-200 Quilceda and post-2000 Quilceda. Nice ruby red color with strong aromas of cedar, tobacco, eucalyptus, chocolate. Balanced tannins, oak , and fruit. Touch creamy on the palate with cassis liqueur. Really nice bottle. 93pts.
2004 Cayuse Armada – I know this is going to get a “No shit” from the peanut gallery, but it was the wine of the night for me. Medium ruby-purple, it just awakened your taste buds. Most of the funk has blown off (just enough to satisfy my funk love) and what is left is a gorgeous example of syrah. Concentrated, ripe black raspberries, asian spice, and hints of pork cover the inside of your mouth. Thick but with a nice vibrant lift. Really concentrated but not overly so because of a nice rusticity. Cayuse syrah has the stuffing to age well, I think. 96pts.
There were 6 or 7 other red wines that I will add to my notes when I get a chance later today. Great wine and ever better company!
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