A few friends got together and we popped a nice chunk of bottles. Here are the 4 more notable wines. The Rudius is a real standout wine… completely surprised by the rich fruit that encompassed every single part of the wine. Also surprised at the condition of the Durfort… cork popped off nicely with a waiter’s corkscrew!
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2006 Rudius Syrah Spirit Rock Alder Springs - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (11/1/2009)
The moment you pop the cork, the nose on this wine just explodes out of the gate. Pop and Pour. The nose is so intense and sweet. I haven’t had a syrah like this where the nose is so rich, dense, clean and full of sweet ripe red fruit. I know it’s wrong to compare Syrah to Cab… but it reminded me of the nose of the 07 Maybach. There is a little bit of iron on the backend of the nose but the fruit just rolls over everything. The palate is slightly more balanced than the nose. Still tons of giant gobs of red ripe fruit but there is a touch of sweet oak, plum, and spice. The wine just coats your mouth with all that yummy fruit. There’s excellent acid on the finish with lingering sweet fruit. You don’t taste the 15.7% alcohol. Easily one of the best Cali Syrah’s I’ve had in awhile. (93 pts.) -
1959 Château Durfort-Vivens - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (11/1/2009)
Great storage conditions on this wine. Started off with hints of plum, cedar, soy with a strong meat/iron nose. As the night wore on the fruit became more and more express in the glass mixed in with a nice floral component. On the palate it was a little bit tired with stewed fruit trying to crack through the surface, still plenty of pencil shavings and wood. Tannins have completely dispersed. (90 pts.) -
2005 Realm Cellars The Absurd - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/1/2009)
You first sniff a tinge of oak followed by sweet, rich, black fruit. On the palate you get boatloads of spice and red berries with some chocolate tossed in to round it out. Seamless texture on the palate with just a hint of tannin. As the night wore on it closed down a bit and the spice and a hint of green started to dominate. The finish didn’t stand out. $150 is a steep price to pay for this wine. (90 pts.) -
2000 Paloma Merlot - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (11/1/2009)
A pretty simple tasting wine. Nice fruit /w coffee beans and acidity with some secondary characteristics coming out but it seemed a bit tired. Surprised since it came out of a magnum. (87 pts.)
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