Wow what a blast. As always, great wines, great food, great people. We were out at my place on Cedar Creek Lake, which is enduring a horrible drought on the heels of artificially low water levels maintained through mid-summer for work on the spillway. The result is one of the lowest lake levels in 20-30 years. Which means, tragically, that I could not get my boat or jet skis out for our hangout. And my two additional kayaks are weeks late on their projected delivery date, so lake events were fairly limited.
Even so, itâs beautiful and the temps were dead on perfect. As far as athletics, Alfert beat Jorge in the 30 yard dash to the stop sign, and Alfert alleges he won a race between us, which I was not aware of (but also the photo he posted shows my kayak is two full feet in front of the nose of his paddleboard), but you have to love his fighting spirit. That said, he hid inside like a coward to avoid having to swing a bat when Todd and Carnes and I were playing a little Blitz Ball. And he calls himself a Cuban.
NIGHT ONE Texas chicken fajitas with caramelized onions and peppers, refried beans, fresh guac, HEB tortillas. Spice on the side so no interference with wines (but various salsas and hot sauces were available). Carnes was pulling for the Rays, but Misierowski was unstoppable.
2008 Dom Perignon P2 - outrageous nose of lemon curd, crushed limestone, marzipan, with vanilla cream and white floral notes on the palate. A hint of yeast dough and white toast gives it body but itâs ethereal and intense, with decades ahead. Spectacular. Among the best wines of the weekend. This is as close to perfection as you can get for young champagne for my palate. Exceeded expectations, which were high.
2008 Krug - biscuit and orange blossom and orange citrus, ginger, spice cake, and shortbread. Way young and yet a wine of immense potential. Where the Dom P2 was here and now, this is a forecast of greatness. Not as open as my prior bottle of 2008 Krug, which should more fresh biscuit and ripe fruit. This is just a little tight, but itâs potential is huge.
2022 Dauvissat Les Clos Chablis Grand Cru - beautiful blend of lemon, apply hints with oak, oyster shell with a touch of salinity. Weighty, and would benefit from a little time to resolve, but a seriously complex Chardonnay. Its just that right now this is pretty boring and I felt the oak was a bit dominant. I was a bit disappointed by this wine.
2014 Jean Grivot 1er aux boudots - sarsaparilla, sour cherry cola, bright cherry, close to VA. On the edge but vervy and pretty tasty. Is it great? No, but itâs an interesting wine thatâs living on the edge.
1996 Boxler Sommerberg GC Tokay Pinot Gris - guava, lanolin, apricot nose, botrytis, some sweetness, but really exciting lift on the nose. An oddity for me. Totally unlike anything I drink on a regular basis, or even once every 5-10 years. Fascinating and very good wine. I would not pursue this for regular drinking, but it is unique and satisfying. Very cool.
1992 Spottswoode - okay first bottle was dogshit but this is dead on where it should be. Red cherry, blackberry bramble, cedar/oak, good balance and finish. Nice sweetness to the fruit remaining, but with nice acid and a little bit of remaining structure. Appropriate, sound, delicious. Itâs not a world beater aged napa cab, but itâs quite yummy.
2009 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva - trying to figure this nose out. Slightly ferrous nose hinting at orchard and citrus, but with a palate that finishes with the flavor and nose and texture of oily buttery popcorn. Itâs got a decent bit going on, but I have to admit that this is not my preferred profile or style of wine.
2016 MacDonald - wow the nose is gorgeous with black cherry refined oak profile with a touch of potpourri. Lot of complexity, sweet fruit, and a variety of aromatics on the nose. Rich on the palate but with fair balance, though it still feels full octane and finishes with a hint of scorched earth or bitters. Honestly at this stage of my wine journey this is a bit much for me. Objectively, though, this is clearly a stallion and good for thirty more years. If youâre chasing big badass Napa cabs, this has to be near the top.
DAY 2 - B4 BBQ - Texas Monthly Top-50
Straight from the Mabank Feed Store, a mixed platter of brisket, turkey, smoked chicken thighs, spare ribs, and bacon wrapped brisket stuffed smoked jalapenos. And sides, including their amazing slaw, brisket macaroni, potato salad, and banana pudding.
2006 Cabot Kimberlyâs 1 BBL Bacon Fat - wonderfully integrated with bright cherry, blood orange, and hint of asphalt, bramble, spice. Really lovely and bright. It surprised me, to be honest. It was lighter in color and profile than I expected, but with nice complexity and no heat despite the abv. I think this hangs great for a decade or more.
2011 Penfolds Shiraz RWT - Itâs Shiraz. Classy and classic, polished with dark fruit, prevalent oak profile, but some acid to keep things from being cloying. Itâs a very good wine and silky smooth. So much darker in color and profile than the Cabot.
NIGHT 2 - Roast Chickens 2 Ways - Black Truffle; Garlic and Herb As usual, there is good cooking with this group. Jorge prepared a chicken with sliced black truffle under the skin, and I made a compound butter with garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, and lemon zest. Both chickens were delicious. Todd and Carnes made gratin dauphinois with sage and gruyere, which was heavenly. Add in a nice fresh Texas lettuces salad with a honey dijon vinaigrette for a well balanced meal. Followed by baklava Jorge whipped together for dessert. Hot damn! Also the Longhorns didnât shit the bed, so that was sort of fun.
2008 Vogue Chambolle Les Amoureuses - sour cherry and blood orange with violets and spice box. Acid is a hair high here leading to a palate that just slightly underperforms the incredibly aromatic nose. Even with that, itâs a wonderful wine and the nose really is beguiling. Huffing this like a bum with a spray can.
2008 Cathiard Vosne 1er En Orveaux - similar vintage profile slightly richer cherry nose with nice spice box, bright and delicious. Another gorgeous nose. Spicier, a bit less floral, and again, a higher acid profile. Both of these 2008s are brilliant on the nose, just a little high acid keeping them from excellent balance. Both were still very enjoyable.
2002 Domaine Ponsot Griotte Chambertin I thought this was a big step up, though sadly was the only Ponsot to show. A 2008 CDLR and a 2005 Chapelle Chambertin were flawed. This, though, was gorgeous to me and had a big aroma of violets just pouring out of the glass with layers of cherry, pomegranate, sweet spice, and a finishing touch of sarsaparilla. Just gorgeous. Excellent balance and a killer wine.
2017 Jaboulet Hermitage Chevalier de Sterimberg - white RhĂ´ne, lemon thyme, lanolin, white peach, bees wax, stone. Long finish, wonderful complexity, not too waxy, hint of bitter almond on the finish. This was perhaps the biggest surprise win for me, since I generally dislike M/R blends. This showed a bit lighter, racier, but still excitingly complex.
1998 Verset Cornas - One of the best wines of the weekend for me. Absolutely stunning nose. Florals, blackberry bramble, olive tapenade, sage, anise. Lot of fun exchanging pronunciations of âgarrigueâ when discussing this wine. Balance is dead perfect and aromatics are soaring. The fruit is there, and so is everything else in just the right amounts.
1989 Chave Hermitage - I was really excited about this wine, and it was very good but still, perhaps, a step down from the stunning complexity of the Verset. This was well built, perhaps a bit meatier and earthier on the nose, without some of the soaring floral and herb hints of the Verset, but complex and deep, finishing with just a hint of shoe polish, which I love. A very good wine. Even if not at this wineâs potential apogee, it was quite satisfying.
1971 Marcarini Barolo Brunate - This was a Todd French birth year wine and it was very kind of him to share it with us. Crossing my fingers this doesnât have VAâŚand it doesnât! Wow just singing with rose, sweet pipe tobacco, sweet cherry, tar. Classic, refined, together. Beautiful wine, and held together the whole damn night. It was fun to revisit this later and catch more of that sweet cherry and pipe tobacco with the soft rosewater and tar nose. A big time winner.
DAY 3 - CAVIAR INTERLUDE - Every year we do a little champagne and caviar interlude, either as brunch, early lunch, or a snack. This year was around noon to celebrate my victory over Alfert in the water sports race I didnât know I was participating in (and still won anyway). 3.25 miles on the lake was a blast, and it was good to sweat a little of last nightâs fun out of the system. @CFuâs Astrea always hits. Itâs killer caviar.
2013 Egly Ouriet - What a wine. On first pour the nose is all orange citrus and orange blossom, all spice, with a faint hint of honey. Itâs fairly deep in color. First sip mirrors the nose bit itâs laced with bright citrus acidity and shows a low dosage. Hints of fruit sweetness without the actual sweet. Yeast roll as it warms. Graham cracker as it warms and gains body. Itâs layered and complex with crisp acid. Itâs a towering champagne and truly world class. Layered but so integrated itâs hard to get definitive notes. I had this with the Dom P2 as nearly perfect, though the Dom P2 style is more aligned with my preference.
2013 Salon - Where the Egly was more brooding complexity, this is pure brightness and sunshine, with a cool, bright profile of lemon, pear, almond, crème pat, hint of flint and smoke and a hint of mint. Beautiful reductive nose, clean, gorgeous and subtle. A complex and beautiful wine that would stand alone atop most flights. But it is not, in my opinion, as complex and other-worldly as the Egly Ouriet.
2017 Hospices Corton Blanc - LeMoine Doctuer Peste - This exceeded my expectations. Broad citrus profile, fresh herbs, stone, crisp acidity, almost a hint of white pepper, long complex finish. Itâs an exciting vibrant wine that leaves your mouth watering for more. A winner!
2023 Royer Reserve - This is good but more pedestrian, with lemon, apple, vanilla and oak, hint of bees wax. Lovely, but needs time to integrate.
NIGHT 3 - Morgan Ranch Steaks, King Trumpets, Broccolini and Tropic Thunder after the Packers got ABSOLUTELY ROBBED BY THE REFS, right @ToddFrench? They did though. Itâs true. Back to food talk, I think Morgan Ranch is the best beef Iâve ever had. Itâs just the right richness, just the right texture, and has incredible flavor. I love Flannery as well. But on this night, no regrets going with Morgan Ranch. Ribeye, Strip, Filet, Picanha in that order for me. I usually order filets now though, because I am old and lame and I sleep like hell when I eat a huge wagyu ribeye or strip. Alfert had never seen Tropic Thunder, so we watched that and he watch for 75 minutes, slept for the last 20, then woke up and denied having slept.
2002 Jadot Bonnes Mares - perfumed nose of potpourri, sweet spice, blackberry, cranberry cocktail, hint of candied orange peel. Little earthy depth to add a layer to the sweet fruit. Tannins still present and fruit sweet. Decades of life ahead but tons of pleasure now. Beautiful wine! Loved it. Just great aromatics that absolutely delivered on the palate. Big time winner.
1997 Montelena Estate Cab - sweet cherry fruit and pipe tobacco, mint, resolved vanillin oak and spice, maybe a hint of earthy bret. A very nice but not great bottle. When on, the purity of cherry fruit sets this wine apart from some of its peers. But this was just a hair muddy.
2008 Chateau De La Tour Clos Vougeot - strawberry and blood orange, citrus, rosemary, cinnamon spice, elevated acid, grippy tannins. A nice wine with a lovely nose, but Iâve had other vintages of this wine from this producer and enjoyed them more. I think that 2008 is probably not a vintage Iâd go deep on.
1983 Cheval Blanc - Now weâre talking. Massive sweet tobacco, sweet fading red and black fruit, green bell pepper, spice box, shoe polish. Complex, smooth, completely mature, with that alluring cab franc bell pepper leaving a haunting memory as the finish fades. Delicious, but this was probably a hair more lively a few years ago so drink now.
1982 Chateau Lafite - This is just pure class. Beautiful sweet fruit, big spice box, layered, wonderful balance of acid and fruit, nice earthy notes, hint of leather. Still lovely structure. An immaculate wine. As wild and complex as 89 HB or 82 Pichon? Maybe not, but itâs spectacular, and I would not have guessed this was an 82 simply because the acid level on this wine is rather racy for a ripe vintage. Here, it keeps things silky and sleek. Excellent.
1989 Chateau Lafite Again, this is pure class, and I think after going back and forth a few times I preferred this to the 82. Stunning fruit profile and balance, with a red to light black fruit profile, minty, sweet tobacco, huge spice box and incense. Gorgeous. Slightly richer and lower acid than the 82 but lithe and sleek. Not even a touch ponderous or heavy. All class all the way.
1989 Chateau Montrose I have seen few corks fall to pieces as badly as this one with such fresh, perfectly preserved juice inside. This was an absolute monster of a wine. It has a way darker, richer, more structured profile than the Lafites. Big dark rich black fruit, big structure with still-stout tannins, shoe polish, cedar, Chinese five spice, hint of bitters. A brute with decades to go, but with so much complexity itâs a delight to drink now. With a steak was wise. Iâm not sure I preferred it to the 89 Lafite, which was singing and dead ready, but this is spectacularly complex. It reminds me, a bit, of 89 Haut Brion in its immensity.
No Vatan?