A couple of 98 Ken Wrights, A Burg, and gasp a Aussie!?

WINE TALK
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Football Sunday- The aussie was left for the wife but she didn’t take the bait…
these were had from the bottom up…

  • 1997 Fox Creek Shiraz Reserve - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (1/25/2010)
    Eucalyptus in the house-with lots of dark fruits not overly jammy but definitely Aussie-
    Black pepper on the nose and palate. No alcohol to speak of coming out of this 14+ mellowed monster.
    This is a tame version of the classic fruit bomb. It doesn’t show any of the more gamey notes one may
    look for in aged Shiraz/Syrah but it’s pretty enjoyable. (90 pts.)
  • 1999 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Lavières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru (1/25/2010)
    90+ Got better with air. Very subtle nose at first but really opened up into a nice elegant wine.
    Dark fruits and florals on the nose with some underlying earth tones- mushrooms and sous bois.
    Silky mouth feel that brings a real nice delivery to the back end. Plums and minerals with a real
    floral edge to it. Comes across as just hitting it’s drinking window or needing a mega decant. Would
    like to check in with it in a couple years. (90 pts.)
  • 1998 Ken Wright Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (1/25/2010)
    Didn’t sing like the 98 Guadalupe but was really nice non-the-less. Darker fruit, fresh blueberries, and raspberries,black pepper,smoke, nice acidity, bigger and perhaps younger than the Guadalupe.Lot’s of raspberries and black berries on the palate with some nice spiciness almost like a faint jalapeno pepper rushing through. Finish is of tart raspberries and does not follow through like the bottle of Guadalupe that we had. Still lot’s of fun perhaps this would have benefited from a short decant? (90 pts.)
  • 1998 Ken Wright Pinot Noir Guadalupe Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (1/25/2010)
    Agree with AWS on the profile of this wine. It comes across as almost Barolo like on the nose and mouth. smoked meats,red cherries,dried herbs,dark plums,violets,and tilled soil. My buddy called this nose a moving target and that’s exactly what it was- really nice. medium mouth feel that brings a complex and balanced attack of cherries,minerals,smoke, with a somewhat creeper finish. After having the 98 DD Laurene, and another 98 KW- Freedom Hill, this wine might be the motivation to do a 98 horizontal-they seem to be in a nice place right now. Oregon representing! (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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heh, next time we’ll have to give her some zin, or say that the wines aren’t all that good and see if she believes us [basic-smile.gif]

good notes, that Guadalupe was a real pleasant surprise, lots of life left in it