Big Surprise at Big Bottle Night

WINE TALK
1

Last night was the 5th annual Big Bottle night and my first time attending. There were a dozen big bottles from double mags to imperials and hordes of champagne in all sizes beforehand.

The wine I was least looking forward to trying turned out to be one of the best. The 1998 Bacio Divino in jerobaum was a total surprise to me. It is 64% cabernet sauvignon, 25% sangiovese, and 11% petite sirah. It is a lush, supple and rich wine with tons of plum and cherry flavors. Balances elegance with good structure and ends with a killer finish. I never would have guessed one of the California wines would be one of my top wines of the night.

My top wine of the night was the '82 Leoville Las Cases from jerobaum. Best example of this wine I’ve had with its telltale aromatics of currant, cassis, tobacco and licorice. Just a gorgeous texture with amazing depth. Tasted more like the '96 than the '82. Big bottles do make a difference.

Other very good wines were '95 Beaucastel, '85 Chateau Margaux, '88 Haut Brion, '86 Gruaud Larose, and '82 Talbot all from double magnums.

2

Who’d a thunk it! It is really cool when that happens.

I have admit an affection for Bacio Divino both from the name and from a fun night where a somm suggested it. Alas, my mag of '98 seemed to have been cooked and a bottle of '98 we had about 4 yrs ago was over the hill. I have a lingering bottle somewhere, maybe will open tonight. Might have too much flavor though.

A.

3

Thanks for beating me to the punch :wink:

As Paul mentioned, this was the 5th time we have organized the event. Word has clearly spread like wildfire as to how good of an event it really is, as we easily had the largest attendance ever! Any one who contributes a large format bottle is permitted to invite guests based on the size of bottle you bring (3L is the smallest size allowed, any guests are asked to bring champagne or white). Guests who were invited said “Hey, I got a bottle of this!” , and so the list grew rapidly. There is passed Hors d’ouvres all night, and every one just mingles and socializes.

First, the not-so-greats.
75 Mouton- When we first opened the bottle, it actually was fairly tasty, and showed some promise. Unfortunately, some level of bloom set in and this became very offensive on the nose, showing hints of very cheesy smelling bacteria. The fruit and texture just weren’t enough to compete.

03 Janasse VV- Let me clarify. This was actually quite good in context, just not for me, and honestly, MANY years too soon.

94 Staglin Cabernet- It’s not that this was bad, it just never evolved as the night wore on. It had a really opaque color, and loads of very simple plummy fruit, but never came out of it’s shell.

The middle
82 Talbot- Nice, but just little light and short on the finish. A little bit of funk with some rather complex fruit. Nice wine.

89 Beychevelle- Younger version of the Talbot, so fresher and less funky.

85 Monte Vertine Il Sodaccio- Hopefully some of the Tuscan wine fans out there can sound off on this one. I love Pergole Torte, but had never even heard of this wine until yesterday. This would have been better a year or 2 ago, but I liked the earth and mint notes in this.

98 Bacio Divino- I exceeded my expectations, but the charm of this wine was all up front. The tannins were a bit rough on the finish. This really had a chance to be outstanding.

95 Beaucastel CDP- Very good wine, but not great wine. Showed great purity, elegance and balance. Was missing some of the high notes though of classic Beau.

The High points.
82 LLC- Honestly, this was infanticide. This was big and unctuous, and shows a truck load of promise. Could come close to the score this has hanging over it’s head, but in this format, that day isn’t close.

86 Gruaud Larose- Again, needed another 5 years, but is a wine folks should seek out in large format. This can be had for a steal somewhere, and will have you smiling like crazy in the near future if you do.

85 Margaux- No decant time needed. Minty fresh, and very good complexity. Great nose to match the palate too.

88 Haut Brion- I would name this WOTN. Awesome balance, great herb notes, beautiful fruit and texture too. Most complete and drinkable wine, for me.

Some random notes on other stuff that was there.

Drappier 96- WOW! Was not expecting this. Still a bit young, but nice wine for sure.

Lenoble 96- Good weight and mouthfeel to this one. Liked this a lot.

Pahlmeyer Chardonnay 97- Not bad at all! Typical Cali, but clean and balanced. Nice wine!

4
  1. WTF? Jay assured me I was on the invite list this year!
  2. Just sold 3Ls and 6Ls of 1999 Bacio…regretting the decision.

Thanks for the notes! [middle-finger.gif]

1985 Margaux…vastly underrated by The Palate.

5

Don’t regret the decision. Although the Bacio wasn’t bad, it was a very forgettable wine. Nothing I would run out to buy. I will make sure you are on the list for next year. Figure 2nd or 3rd saturday in February. What bottle will you be bringing?

6

18l of 1950 Ch Lafleur. I have 12 left in the cellar. been looking for a good excuse.

7

Some other wines Ian missed

1990 Krug-Very good wine. A power house with amazing acidity citrus and toast.

1988 Krug-Magnum-Even better than the 90. Citrusy bready and yummy.

1996 DP Rose-Nice fruit-salmon color but seemed a little flat

1990 Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva-Truffles and violets on the nose. Tarry with great fruit. A knockout

1997 Soldera Casse Basse with Pasta Amatriciana at 2AM-Don’t remember much other than it was pretty good.

Dan, sorry but no 18L bottles allowed.

8

Alright, then Sierra Carche 6L it is.

Limited edition. The only ones made went to me, Robert Kenney and Jay S. Miller. neener

9

This was not a single vineyard wine?

Did anyone take pictures of the bottles? [beg.gif]

10

Ian, I hate most 03 CdPs but thought the Janasse while being very ripe was a balanced wine. It will be interesting to see how it ages.

11

We have pictures of the big bottles. I will try to post them later.

12

Literally missed since I had to leave before these! [swearing.gif]

Paul- Totally agree with you on 03.

13

94 Staglin Cabernet- It’s not that this was bad, it just never evolved as the night wore on. It had a really opaque color, and loads of very simple plummy fruit, but never came out of it’s shell.

Had this out of a 750 a couple of years ago and thought the same thing.