Dinner with Dornback and co. in Chicago at The Bristol. Food was fantastic, particulalry if you are at all into offal. Bone marrow was fantastic - all great rich creamy salty goodness. Pig heart over confit ham also a stand out.
2001 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Loibner Steinertal - Slate, petrol, pears, peaches and tons of exotic spices - cloves and coriander- on the nose. A little austere and young on the palate, but should only improve with some more bottle time.
1990 William Deutz Cuvee Willaim - Apple, caramel and limestone on the nose - a little sherried note, but not quite as tired as my last bottle. Nice nutty creamy vanilla brioche on the palate with a nce sweet lemon hazelnut finish. Not a blockbuster, but a very nice drink.
2007 Aubert Pinot UV Vineyard - Pretty much the consensus wine of the night. A fantastic job straddling the line on this wine. Huge amounts of blackberry fruit along with clove and all spice on the nose. Some definitely high alcohol levels lurking, but they are hidden in the beautifully balanced fruit and spice. Palate is a nice combination of delicate strawberry jam but with a solid tannic backbone and a long finish. A pleasure to drink now, but going to be even better in a few years.
2002 Darioush Cabernet - Tons of chocolate, mocha and nice sweet fruit. Still got a tannic bite to it on the palate. Very classic ripe Napa Valley cab.
2005 Colgin Cabernet - Sexy nose of blackberry, vanilla, juniper and spices. Painfully young and tight on the palate - still kind of monolithic and only giving peeks of what might be down the road, but definitely the style class and backbone to be quite something in a few years.
