For a little pre-Dallas Mavs fun, a small group of us got together for some good wine. Below are some quick notes on the wines in play, all of which were very good, save one.
2008 O’Shaughnessy Howell Mountain – Wonderful nose of black currant, cedar, sage, and a limestone/mineral note. Well balanced with decent richness, acidity, and structure. A very good wine from a producer I often enjoy. 93
2003 Pichon Lalande – Wowza. The Lalande was humming right out of the gate after just a short decant. It was throwing off lovely, rich notes of blackberry, cherry, a savory slightly herbal cedar note, and a hint of tobacco and coffee. It’s rich, but not overbearing, and backed by solid tannins. A great intermediate stop between classic Bordeaux and Napa. Loved it. 94-95
1995 Mouton – Another lovely wine built in a very different style than the Lalande. At first, the nose was subdued, but showing black cherry, spice, and a hint of coffee and oak. With a little time the nose opened up and showed more expressive black fruit, spice, and a hint of licorice. It was a very lovely wine, although I’m confused about where it will go. It was not tannic or particularly powerful at all. I imagine it will be a bit better with more age, but I’m not sure it’s got the stuffing to really get great. Very damn good though. 95
1988 Cos d’Estournel – My immediate response after the first sip is “whoa, that’s a lot of green bell pepper.” This wine is very interesting, but it’s not all there. It was showing major herbaceous notes that weren’t quite covered up or integrated with the wine’s fruit. The fruit palate was more on the reddish side, with a little leather and tobacco mixed in. Interesting, and not off-putting, but not my favorite. 89
and for a major disappointment:
2000 Verget Batard Montrachet – I obtained this in a trade from a guy I work with who obtained the wine on release during a cellar trip to Burgundy. He’s since stored it in his personal cellar in his home. I’ve visited a number of times, and the cellar is immaculate, and protected by a backup generator and heat alarm. That’s quite a bit of groundwork just to say…this wine was pre-moxed out the ass. Deep golden color, sherry and apple cider on the nose and palate. What a major disappointment.