A WEEK IN LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas, NV (3/26/2012-4/2/2012)
Spent some time around Las Vegas. Had some great dinners at home, at Lotus of Siam and stopped by a small tasting at Total Wine.
Chardonnays
Summer and I stopped by Cut at The Palazzo to take advantage of their great pricing on the Coche. Once we got home, we wanted to see how it stacked up against one of our favorite domestic chardonnays.
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2005 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault (3/27/2012)
This was opened and decanted two hours before drinking. The SO2 was still noticeable on the nose, but had calmed down significantly. Beautiful nose of seashells, gunflint, florals, and subtle tropical fruit. The palate is built on the back of dense minerality. It’s chalky, floral and energetic with good acidity and a complexity of flavor that’s really hard to describe. Enjoyed over the course of an hour - the wine seems to have a lot of life ahead of it. (94 pts.) -
2007 Peay Vineyards Chardonnay Estate - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (3/27/2012)
Lots of lemon zest on the nose with an elegant coolness to it. The palate was refined with white florals, honey, dense lemon and nice acidity. (91 pts.)
Dinner with the New Roommate
Sad that the Clos Saron was flawed, but the Spatlese’s were great.
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2006 Clos Saron Pinot Noir Home Vineyard - USA, California, Sierra Foothills (3/28/2012)
Definitely an off bottle. NR (flawed) -
2008 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Nahe (3/28/2012)
Bright tropical fruit on the nose with a tangy sweetness to it. The palate was supple and sweet with juicy mango, peach and floral tones. The acidity was certainly lower than I expected for the ordinarily high-acid 2008 vintage. Seems to be moving into its middle age. (90 pts.) -
2006 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Rheingau (3/29/2012)
Sweet palate with dense orchard fruit…especially apples. It has nice floral notes and linen notes on the nose. Palate is round and fleshy with decent minerality and finesse. Seems like the vintage’s warmth has probably reduced the finishes acidity a bit, too. (90 pts.)
Random Tasting at Total Wine
I was running errands in Boca Park and they had a bunch of average bottles opened.
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NV Louis Bouillot Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc de Blancs Brut Perle d’Ivoire - France, Burgundy, Crémant de Bourgogne (3/30/2012)
A nice cremant. Good energy on the palate with good herbal notes and mineral-driven tones. (86 pts.) -
2010 Martin Ray Chardonnay Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (3/30/2012)
Straightforward and tasty. Isn’t overly oaked and has nice freshness to it. While it won’t wow anyone with its complexity, it’s a nice everyday type of wine. (83 pts.) -
2010 Rock View Riesling - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (3/30/2012)
Off-dry with orchard fruit, floral notes and subtle tropical notes. Palate is round, lacking much in the way of acidity. Tastes like a pear/alcohol fruit punch type of drink. (77 pts.) -
2009 Muirwood Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, California, Central Coast, Monterey (3/30/2012)
Juicy nose of cherry and cranberry. Palate was straightforward and supple with red fruit, subtle mushroom and floral notes. A forgettable bottle. (78 pts.) -
NV Cult Saga Wines Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (3/30/2012)
Has a nose of vanilla, dark fruit, cedar and subtle tobacco. The palate is plush with dark fruit, spicy plum and toasty notes. Not overly complex…everyday kind of wine. (82 pts.) -
2009 Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 815 - USA, California (3/30/2012)
Value cab alert! Has nice spiced dark fruit and isn’t overly ripe or tannic. Thought it was drinking nicely. (86 pts.) -
2009 Joel Gott Zinfandel - USA, California (3/30/2012)
Thought it was somewhat simplistic with spicy dark fruit and violet notes. Not much to see here. (77 pts.) -
2010 Joel Gott Chardonnay Unoaked Monterey - USA, California, Central Coast, Monterey (3/30/2012)
Very tropical chardonnay that is from 100% stainless steel. White florals, mango, peach and pear on the palate. Not overly complex, but refreshing. (83 pts.) -
2010 Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc - USA, California (3/30/2012)
Tropical, but not overly herbal or grassy. Has nice energy, and is a nice QPR. (85 pts.)
Friday Night Dinner
Great selection of wines served with pork tenderloin with a strawberry and feta salad.
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2007 Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Nahe (3/30/2012)
Fresh nose of mineral, white floral, pear and apple. It also has a nice citrus tinge to it that I get in a lot of German rieslings. The palate is energetic and fresh. Nice seashell tones with subtle honey and white floral notes. Doesn’t have the density that you’d expect with a lot of GG’s, but that’s totally cool. (91 pts.) -
2009 Jean Foillard Morgon Cuvée Corcelette - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon (3/30/2012)
Might be the best 2009 Beaujoloais I’ve had to date. I decanted for a couple hours prior to drinking and I think it helped out. The nose was a bit shy at first, but now with 5 hours of air the nose gushes with dried red florals, minerals and red fruits. The palate is wonderfully fresh with zippy acidity, bright red fruit, and a medium mouth-feel. Would make a believer out of any doubter when it comes to the seriousness of Beaujolais. Brilliant. (94 pts.)
Lotus of Siam
Met up with a couple locals for some dinner at Lotus. The Krug was ordered after the group left…
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2008 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Estate Bottled Santa Cruz Mountains - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (4/1/2012)
Great stuff. Rich but elegant with a perfumed nose of butterscotch, lanolin, sea salt and white florals. The palate was electric with great acidity, lemon zest, crushed stones and a salty tone. This is a great chardonnay with white burgundy elegance and power with a Californian brightness to it. Nice combination. (93 pts.) -
2005 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese #7 - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (4/1/2012)
Incredibly vibrant tropical fruit on the nose…it’s like drinking a tropical fruit cocktail. The electricity on the palate seems to be closing down a bit…moving into its next stage of development. (91 pts.) -
2008 Les Chais du Vieux Bourg Pinot Noir Côtes du Jura - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (4/1/2012)
Double-decanted, but was very closed down. Has an airy profile, with bright cranberry tones and crushed rocks. Worth noting that the mid-palate was a bit timid compared to the other bottles I’ve had. (90 pts.) -
1996 Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru (4/1/2012)
Decanted for three hours prior to drinking. Shy is probably the best way to describe this wine. The soil-driven red fruit was timid and its floral notes were shy. The acidity, unsurprisingly, was intense on the finish. Will take a while for these to awaken I bet. -
2007 Joseph Swan Vineyards Pinot Noir Saralee’s Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (4/1/2012)
Thought this was incredibly elegant with beef broth, dried floral notes and spicy red fruit. So distinctly Russian River Valley fruit, it has the unmistakable cherry-cola tone to it. It’s not sweet or syrupy, at all, but still has this cola aspect to it. Loved the weight or, rather, lack thereof too. Impressive. (91 pts.) -
2006 Windy Oaks Estate Pinot Noir Proprietor’s Reserve Schultze Family Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (4/1/2012)
Thought the oak really showed through. Had lots of warm spices on the nose with dark fruit and subtle leather. The palate was meaty and dense with dark fruit and toasty oak. Wasn’t incredibly impressed…but certainly a nice pinot. (86 pts.) -
2007 Copain Pinot Noir “En Bas” Kiser - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (4/1/2012)
A very juicy, medium-bodied pinot. Features dark fruit, spices, subtle leather and meat notes. While this didn’t wow me, it’s a very nice Pinot that will probably gain complexity over the next 3-4 years. (87 pts.) -
2006 Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos Red Label - Hungary, Hegyalja, Tokaji (4/1/2012)
An elegant Tokaji with fresh apricot and peach tones. The palate is rich, textured, complex and elegant. Could age this for a while, it seems, but the acidic spine it has right now is awfully nice. (91 pts.) -
NV Krug Champagne Grande Cuvée Brut - France, Champagne (4/1/2012)
From 375ml. Elegant and rich with vivid baked bread tones, spiced apples and crushed stones. Great stuff as always. (91 pts.)
Sunday Dinner
Burgers and cabernet franc…yum.
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2009 Domaine Guion Bourgueil Cuvée Prestige - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil (4/1/2012)
Great QPR. Tannins seemed a bit grittier tonight than before, but when mixed with the silky red fruit they seemed like a nice match. Just a wonderfully spicy, floral cabernet franc. (90 pts.)
Monday Dinner
Grilled chicken, portobello’s and zucchini with Jura.
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2006 Jean Bourdy Côtes du Jura Rouge - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (4/2/2012)
Took some time to become expressive, but showed nice dark floral tones, cranberry and spicy plums on the nose. The palate wasn’t as silky as before with the tannins a bit stronger. Dark fruits, underbrush, mushroom and cedar. Good stuff. (90 pts.)
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