I am lucky that I am able to pursue my passion of wine the way I do, but every now and then, the lucky get even luckier…Never has that been more obvious than this past Saturday night when I was fortunate to be invited for my first edition of the annual SXSWine tasting.
The tasting is held annually and has been so for a 14th year in a row. The host and organizer Greg Randle and his lovely wife Amy took in a very large crowd to taste through a monumental amount of wine and eat some very nice catered food. But it’s not just the quantity of wine that’s monumental…it’s also the sheer quality.
Being poured was nothing but the best…Bordeaux going back to the 1950s including many First Growths, as well as cult California wines, California wines going back to the early 1980s, lots of Italian legends, Rhone blockbusters, Aussies, Champagnes, Whites, and everything in between.
I started my tasting process with the Bordeaux table where the 1964 First Growths were beckoning. To tell you the truth, all the 1964 FGs except for the Latour had seen better days. The Latour, though, was excellent. The 1950s wines like Lascombes, Prieure Lichine etc were not that exciting, but a 1955 Beychevelle was the most impressive wine of the very old Bordeaux that night.
Of the “younger” Bordeaux, the 1981 Lafite was a showstopper, as was a 2000 Lynch Bages, 1996 Trotanoy, 2002 Pichon Lalande. Unfortunately a 1995 Mouton was corked, and a 1981 Grand Puy Lacoste and 1983 Gruaud Larose met the same fate.
On the Rhone table, many excellent wines could be found. A 2000 Pegau Reservee was excellent, as was a 1990 Beaucastel, the 2001 Henri Bonneau CdP I brought was the first bottle to be gone on this table, and I can attest that it was one of the best bottles of 2001 Bonneau CdP I have had yet. A 2001 Beaucastel CdP showed shut down with nary a hint of Beaucastel-ness at the tender age of 11. Countless other wines were good on this table.
On the neighboring Italian table, there were some real treasures including some of the most profound wines of the evening. A bottle of 2001 Gaja Barbaresco San Lorenzo was profound, as were a 1999 and 2000 Quintarelli Valpolicella and a bottle of the trusty 2001 Argiano Solengo. But maybe equally interesting wines on this table were the less famous ones.
A bottle of 2001 Mastri Vinai Bressan “Ego” was captivating. It is cured meat in a bottle. The most amazing cracked pepper and charcuterie nose and flavors in this wine with a crazy earthy mid-palate just floored me. I kept coming back to this wine as the evening progressed and each time, the wine seemed to have gotten better, still. A 50/50 blend of Schiopettino and Cabernet Franc, this one was a showstopper.
The other wine I loved was a 2004 Terre Nere Etna Caldera which smelled and tasted incredibly unique. Slightly reminiscent of a Cannonau/Grenache blend, this wine which is made from native Sicilian grapes of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, just jumps from the glass with a medium weight body laced with meat juice, dried herbs, cherry, and all manner of other interesting flavors.
On the next table, the Aussies were positioned. I truly loved a 1998 Penfold’s 707 Cabernet Sauvignon so much that I found myself regretting getting rid of all my Aussie wines years ago. If this is what Aussie wines are capable of, I should have kept what I had and I should selectively buy these days, still.
Unfortunately, many of the other Aussie’s were what one would expect and what I dislike. Overly extracted fruit bombs with coarse wood-induced tannins. A (2002?) Marquis Phillips Integrity was just one of the wines in this group.
Fortunately, the table with the old California wines redeemed the Aussie wines. A pair of 1983 and 1986 Inglenook Cabernets were sublime, as were the 1994/1995/1999 Ridge Montebellos. Surprisingly, I found myself enjoying a 2003 Corison.
The US Pinot lineup, to which I contributed a 2006 Rhys “Home” Vineyard was unfortunately less exciting. I found most of the wines to lack in complexity and to abound in fruit. The Rhys was decent, but not at the level of complexity of the Italian or French wines across the board.
Overall, this was a tremendous evening of wines and memorable conversation that I won’t soon forget. Here’s to hoping that I will be able to attend the 15th edition of this wonderful event next year.