Decanting advice- Cayuse 09 BF and 07 En Chamberlin, SQN Poker Face

Headed down to Nathan Stambaugh’s in a few hours for a syrah/filet gluttonfest. I am bringing these along, as well as a 07 Carlisle JB.

Any decanting advice appreciated.

TIA

2 hours at most. I always find over decanting worse than under

^ I agree you can always decant longer if it hasn’t opened up yet, plus I love to watch/taste the wine evolve throughout the decant. To me that adds to the mystique and beauty while trying to break down or open up a wine. Nice choices BTW. [thumbs-up.gif]

Some serious infantcide there.The carlisle will be tasty though [wow.gif]

Well, we did some damage. 3 people; 7 bottles.

In order:

  • '06 Rhys Alpine Chardonnay
  • '01 Arcadian Francesca Pinot
  • '04 SQN Poker Face
  • '09 Cayuse Bionic Frog
  • '00 Beaucastel CdP
  • '07 Saxum JB Bone Rock
  • '01 JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenurh Auslese

Each one was a beauty in it’s own way. Impressions to follow - if memory allows.

Brain, liver, or savings account damage?

Looking forward to the tastings notes.

Cheers,
Warren

Nice Line-up. Looking forward to notes.

Notes are an overstatement. No one (thankfully) had a paper and pen out during our indulgence.

  • '06 Rhys Alpine Chardonnay - very much in the lemon curd sprectrum of Chard - others mentioned oak but I found it well integrated - a nice base of minerality to support the lemon theme - bright, well balanced acidity - drinking very well.
  • '01 Arcadian Francesca Pinot - I didn’t get to give as much attention to this as I was making dinner but as I recall - very nice cherry notes and freshness that masked its age - a certain sophistication, however, that only comes with 10 years in bottle and lovely for it
  • '04 SQN Poker Face - Dave said he wished he would have taken a picture of my face after the first sip - this one moved around a lot over the course of the night and everywhere it went was interesting - stunning in it’s depth (some meat, plums, chocolate) and purity - a wow wine - if I never drink another SQN I’ll have lived well only ever tasting this.
  • '09 Cayuse Bionic Frog - totally different than the SQN but equally incredible - our consensus WOTN but it was a very close vote - this too changed a bit over the evening and for me only got better and more lithe as time went on - very broad on the palate - this one snuck into every corner, pleasurable all the way.
  • '00 Beaucastel CdP - This could have easily been run over by the competition but held it’s own admirably - that pleasurable savoriness I’ve come to adore from CdP - an additional lightness and funk - well integrated fruits and earthiness - drinking beautifully
  • '07 Saxum JB Bone Rock - I don’t have much experience with Saxum but I do have plenty with Carlisle and this was very much in that vain but somehow even better - plenty of oak but not off-putting - at points Matt found this miles ahead of the other wines and I could understand his perspective - very meaty and a bit floral and some sweetness all tied together in a delicious way
  • '01 JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenurh Auslese - I love this wine every time and it stood up to it’s very steep competition - loads of acidity - apricots, peaches, and the subtle and pleasant sweetness that goes with them - some tropical notes - loads of minerality - what a finish to a brilliant night.

We were lucky. For the fact that each of these wines were drinking very well. And for the simple fact we were drinking each of these wines.

An epic night.