Sunday Night Wines (Copain, Cabot, some really old Germans)

WINE TALK
1

Last night my wife and I entertained Berserker Mike Mikowicz and his significant other Jessica at our house, primarily for the purpose of comparing the 2006 Cabot “One Barrel” and the 2007 Copain Baker Ranch Syrahs (I served them single blind to our guests, but it was pretty obvious which was which). We wound up tasting quite a few wines and eating a lot of interesting cheese (including a goat’s milk product made in Idaho) during the course of the evening. My notes on the wines are as follows:

2008 Copain Tous Ensembles Viognier: Nice, straight-forward, typical Viognier. Floral nose, slightly oily on the palate with a little citrus rind. This is an easy quaffer that would appeal to most palates.

2006 Cabot Kimberly’s Cuvee “One Barrel”: Also known as “Bacon Fat”, this was a baby but performed well. Dark purple in the glass and a little stubborn aromatically, this big wine offered dark fruit, some black pepper, and a funky, smoky, earthy quality in the mouth. Tasted along with some Bleu D’Auvergne, the tannins receded into the background, allowing intense fruit to take the stage. I was not overwhelmed by the bacon fat component, but it was there. This is a fantastic wine at the price point, and I think most preferred it to the Copain Syrah.

2007 Copain Baker Ranch Syrah: Compared to the Cabot this wine was less rustic and more elegant. Although it was younger, it was much more approachable than the Cabot. The nose was muted at first but really blossomed after the wine sat in the glass, giving off a perfume of red fruit and pepper. In the mouth, the wine showed red fruit, white pepper, a hint of bacon, and dried herbs, leading to an intense finish. My favorite wine of the night.

1976 Schloss Johannisberger Furst von Metternich Schlosskelleren Auslese: Mike brought the Germans, and this one performed pretty well considering its age. The wine was orange in the glass and smelled of apple and nuts. In the mouth the wine was vibrant with some acidity still present. The apple note combined well with a hint of petrol to make for a really interesting drinking experience. After about 45 minutes, the wine began to fall apart a bit.

1976 Weingut-Deidesheim Riethscrat von Buhl Rheinpfalz Auslese: The cork on this one was saturated and falling apart as the wine was opened, and it immediately smelled and tasted like a band-aid factory. Unfortunately, this wine was contaminated.

After tasting the old German wines for a while, we killed off the 04 Baumard I opened the day before (see my note). Mike told me I was a baby killer, and I acknowledged that. He can add his impressions on that wine when he sees this thread. When it was all said and done, it was an interesting night of tasting with great company. Great way to usher out the weekend!

2

Brad

Thank you for all of the notes lately.

I have a few dinners this week, so I will be sure to contribute as well.

3

Thanks again for your hospitality last night Brad. We had a great time, and I’m happy to say that I am your daughters new best friend.

A few thoughts

2008 Copain Viognier Tous Ensemble - Honey and almond on the nose, slightly sweet on the palate with lemon rind and grapefruit. Peachy and floral aromas in there too. A great every day Viognier. Glad we brought this back from the winery.

I was served the next two single blind. i confidently stated that the first one was Copain within one second of smelling it. I was nervous that I would be wrong!

2007 Copain Baker Ranch - Black berry and stone on the nose. Blueberry fruit ont he palate soft and layered tannin. very well balanced and a cracked black pepper note. Lots of mineral and smoke on it. with air it fleshed out and more soft fruit showed up. I was convinced this was Copain because of the polish of the fruit.

Of course I have never had a Cabot before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. So here comes the second decanter.

2006 Cabot kimberly’s Cuvee One Barrel ‘Bacon Fat’ - Smoke, bacon, more rustic black fruit aromas. Tons of cigar ash, game, and plums. More of an old world style with snappy acid. Young and still tightly wound with hints of raspberry. I really liked this one. My wine of the night. Wish I had bought some!

Luckily I guess correct between the two. (I had 50/50 odds so it isn’t that impressive) But I’m happy i could make a convincing argument on why. [winner.gif]

Me Riesling notes pretty much mirror Brad’s. They came from a friends cellar (see my previous post of drinking Bdx back to 1959) and were a treat to try. I know Brad likes German Riesling so I thought they would be fun to share with him.

Of course, one of them was horrible! But the other gave us a tasty ride for an hour or so before starting to die. Pretty fun to open a few 76’s with Jess since that is her birthyear.

Tonight we are opening a trio of 1980s, my birthyear!

4

Dan - You are most welcome. I have been making a conscious effort lately to enter more notes in Wine Talk. I am always interested in reading your notes, so I’ll keep an eye our for them later this week.

5

+1

6

[pillow-fight.gif]