A month late, but better than never. No notes were written at the time and memories fade, but some impressions remain vivid.
At my home the night before:
2002 Rapet Corton Charlemagne – Can you say ‘premox’ about a 12 year old wine? Yes, when the last bottle about two years ago was young, fresh and glorious and this one was alive but old and dull. Rated about 80. One more in the basement, will get consumed in the next 30 days with crossed fingers.
On the mountain: These wines were decanted the night before into full plastic bottles, then driven 4 hours to the trailhead and carried for 2 – 3 hours up the hill. The first two from my basement, the next two provided by Chris Bublitz, who always brings spectaculars.
2008 Matrot Meursault Blagny 1er Cru – This showed more age than I would have hoped or expected, but was still vigorous, with a streak of conifer, a hint of lime and a powerful mineral component. In fear of premox, I would say to drink it now. If it doesn’t age quickly from here, it could develop some subtlety and more of the tiny hint of hazelnut it showed on the finish. Rated about 90.
2010 Domaine Eden Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains – Whether from some bottle age or the decanting and trip this is beginning to show some secondary character. This is neither better nor worse than it was a year or two ago, with some of the fresh immediacy replaced by some secondary notes of very ripe black cherry and intricate, earthy aromas different from but equal to very fine Burgundy. Rated about 94 – 95.
2002 Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru ‘Clos St Jacques’ – This was terrific, with fully ripe aromas and flavors (red cherries, black plums) backed by the hallmark acidity of this beautifully balanced vintage. This probably gained some from the decanting and trip, but if I owned any I would let it sit another 2 – 5 years to lose some acidity and gain some polish. Rated 92+, up to 3 points of improvement likely.
2005 Chapoutier Hermitage ‘Meal’ – Probably the WOTnights on the hill and the one that benefitted most from decanting and trip. This is a powerhouse yet a wine of great subtlety. Blackberry, blueberry and black pepper are in the forefront, a tiny hint of oak in the background, just beginning to show some secondary character, I would leave this alone for another 5 – 10 years. Rated 95 on the hill, up to 3 points of improvement probable.
2007 Domaine Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape ‘Cuvee da Capo’ - I am the importer, so no note.
For the first time, one of my associates at Hand Picked Selections made the hike, Sunil Khanna with his wife Anya. Before he came to HPS, Sunil worked for a South African importer and contributed two eye-opening bottles he had cellared from those days:
2003 Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Reserve – IIRC this is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, with other Bordeaux varietals. The aromas show the currants of Cab Sauv with a leafy component reminiscent of Cab Franc. The palate is pleasant and refined, with tannins fully resolved, plenty of mostly red fruit and just a touch of oak. I have virtually no experience with South African Cabernet-based wines. If given this blind, I would have taken it for a very good, nicely mature wine from Washington State; without the density of great Bordeaux, yet less new-world in character than most California offerings, this is a textbook example of subtlety in a Cabernet. Rated about 92 – 93, ready to drink.
2003 Vergelegen Flagship Red – Again mostly Cab Sauv, this is a much younger and more powerful offering, featuring black plum (maybe a good dollop of Merlot here?) along with the black and red currants. It is lavishly oaked, but the oak tannins are well integrated into the powerful but very fine grape tannins. The impression is much closer to Bordeaux than the previous; if presented blind to me as Bordeaux I wouldn’t pick up that it wasn’t, would probably guess St Julien. This was a pure pleasure. Rated about 94 – 95, a point or two of improvement possible over the next 3 – 5 years.
1986 Chateau d’Yquem – Another contribution from Chris Bublitz, this was magnificent, with lots of botrytis, apricots, hazelnuts, vanillin, floral notes, everything you could want. Not as oily, opulent or powerful as some vintages I have had, it is as beautiful as Yquem gets, and that is saying more than a lot. Rated 99, ready to drink, this probably attained its peak with dcanting and travel. I would not be afraid to hold it another 10 years with good provenance and storage.
And as usual, Chris again brought a bottle for Sally:
1999 Chateau Palmer – I pulled the cork and poured a taste for me and Sally about a week after the hike. The wine was monumentally pissed off at having been disturbed in sullen adolescence, so all but an ounce was poured back into the bottle and the cork stuck back in.
The next night, the wine had lost its attitude and was open for our drinking pleasure. The aromas featured currants and violets, the palate was powerful, with plums now added to the mix, plenty of new oak framing the fruit and perfectly integrated into a truly harmonious wine. In light of the disjointed opening, I would hold this another 5 – 10 years. Rated about 80 on opening, about 93 – 94 the second night, should improve to the upper 90s by about 2020.
My thanks to Chris Bublitz and his wife Marjorie, and to Sunil Khanna and his wife Anya for making the trip and for bringing such beautiful wines.
Dan Kravitz