PLENTY OF WINES AT PINE LAKE TROUT CLUB - Pine Lake Trout Club (9/30/2016)
Last night I was lucky enough to be included in a dinner at a private club just east of CLE. Ron invited 9 of us, first for cigars and wine and then dinner. It was a very fun night and great to see some old friends and make a couple of new ones.
Outside with Cigars
It was a rainy, early fall evening. We sat outside, covered and sheltered from the rain, next to a creek that was moving quickly and high thanks to the rain. Plenty of light still. Ron had recently bought a box of 25 year old Cuban cigars from the widow of the man who had owned them. He generously shared them. I don’t know a lot about cigars, but these were quite smooth. I have never seen ashes hold on to the cigar so well. At time, the ash was almost two inches long. Great stuff, at least to this novice. We enjoyed a couple of wines while we smoked.
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2010 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
My third time trying this wine. I hope I get a shot at it in about 10 years. Great wine. The nose has cherries, dark cherries, some smoke and a bit of roasted herbs/tea. On the palate, this is lush and deep. Good acidity. Dark cherries. A fair amount of oak. Long finish. Dranks outside with 25 year old Romeo y Julieta Cuban Cigars before dinner. Very nice. (94 pts.) -
2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Grenache Gris Gibson Ranch - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino
I pulled this out of the refrigerator about 2 hours prior to drinking (regular fridge not a wine fridge). It was slightly chilled which worked well with a cigar. The nose has dark cherries and generic red fruit notes. A bit of black pepper. Nice texture with a chill on it. Good acidity. Refreshing black cherry flavors with some soy. Nice finish. (90 pts.)
Dinner
We moved across the creek and inside the cabin for dinner. Dinner lasted a couple of hours or so with plenty of time to drink and enjoy the wines before moving on.
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2000 Trimbach Pinot Gris Hommage a Jeanne - France, Alsace
Sadly corked. Not terrible and more on the nose. It is slightly sweet but there is a lot of wine, so we move on. NR (flawed) -
2013 Peter Michael Chardonnay Cuvée Indigene - USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley
Gorgeous wine. Kudos to Charlie as this was the perfect temperature. If I had to guess, maybe 60 to 62F. The wine was really abundant. Nose of peaches, slightly candied, some vanilla and spice. Great texture. Showing tight layers of complexity. On the palate, more peach and vanilla, great acidity and balance, bits of citrus. A long finish. (96 pts.) -
2009 Marcel Lapierre Morgon - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
Killer showing for this wine IMO. Pop and pour. It is still young but getting there though still a few years at least from peak. The nose is great with cherries and sour cherries. What a great texture. Silky yet almost powerful. No real tannins but this is a muscular wine. Think Thomas Hearns if that makes sense. Great sour cherry fruit on the palate. Vibrant. Tight layers of complexity. Long finish. This wine is not great for a Beaujolais, it is great! (93 pts.) -
2011 Sineann Pinot Noir Pisa Terrace - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
A New Zealand Pinot from an Oregon Producer. Sour cherries dominate the nose. There is a sulfur component that comes thru as well. Think extinguished match stick. Lots of fruit here though. On the palate, this is a bit soft. I might like a touch more acidity, but it is in a really good place right now. I know nothing of NZ vintages, but this seemed more advanced than I might have expected. That said, it is quite tasty and drinks very easily. More than that though, it does make one take notice a bit. (92 pts.) -
2015 Sineann Pinot Noir Oregon - USA, Oregon
These just arrived this week, so I took it out for a look-see. Probably a bit unfair, between youth and travel shock. Still, for a $30 Oregon Pinot, it is a nice value. Lots of cherry fruit. Good acidity. Some depth. Some sour cherries. This seems to be a bit bigger/riper than the last few years iirc. Perhaps that is the vintage. Quite tasty. Plenty of room for upside development. (90 pts.) -
2001 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
This exceeded my expectations. A vintage that I am not very fond of. This wine seemed to be at peak. Classic nose of cherries, mocha, a bit of earthy funk and tobacco. Very nice. On the palate, nice cherry fruit. Some fine tannins. A bit of leather. Good balance. Nice finish. Really a pretty classic right bank Bordeaux. (92 pts.) -
2014 Keplinger Vermillion - USA, California
This is apparently a kitchen sink blend that had recently found its way into Ohio. Its very nice. Lots of stuff going on with the nose. Plums, black raspberries and cherries. Also a bit of earthiness and gravel. On the palate, there is a nice lushness to the wine. A bit of depth. Still young. Good finish. Cool to try. (90 pts.) -
1992 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - USA, California, Napa Valley
I don’t think this was a pristine bottle but no obvious faults so I am scoring it. This is a wine I have had a few times as it is my anniversary year and I bought a few. The nose is nice on this. Showing young still but moving to the “Bordeaux” side. That is, cassis, some dried fruit, tobacco and slight funk. On the palate, however, this is sweet and a bit cloying. Not super ripe sweet, but kind of. I know some say Caymus shows this way, but that is not what I am talking about. There is plenty of fruit as well. It is more distracting than bad. Perhaps just some poor storage in its life cycle along the way. I know others got the same thing but I didn’t hear from everyone. Its still good but not at the level expected IMO. (89 pts.) -
2013 Dominus Napanook Red - USA, California, Napa Valley
Very nice showing for this wine. I think it was decanted or at least got some air. It was pretty open. This is a first rate Cal Cab. I am not sure if it is still a second wine but I thought i recalled it had a separate fruit source from Dominus these days. The nose has cassis, plums, roasted herbs and floral notes. It is a big wine but with a juicy and seductive texture. On the palate, there are tannins but they glide thru along with a lot of cassis, blueberries and black raspberries. Very clean and tight right now. Probably better off holding for at least five and better ten at this point. Likely improvement of a point or two. (94 pts.) -
2004 Sine Qua Non Syrah Ode to E - USA, California, Central Coast
Very nice showing. I think this might be in a bit of a dumb stage or at least this bottle. Not as explosive as it was in its youth. It did improve quite a bit in the glass though. These wines are built for the long haul for sure. Black raspberry, black olives, blue berries and spice on the nose. Deep and luxurious texture. Firm tannins. The tannins and texture are my reasons for thinking it is a bit shut down right now as they make they wine seem young. There is still good fruit on the palate and plenty of depth. Nice finish. The wine is plenty food friendly to me for my vegetarian penne pasta. Funny how a wine can be so good, and still have “faults”. I guess its about expectations. Forget what I said above. Its a great wine. Relax and enjoy it.
(94 pts.)
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2010 Sine Qua Non Grenache Stockholm Syndrome Eleven Confessions Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
Killer wine and my WOTN. Just gorgeous. This is everything California can do, but few actually do, with Grenache. Its ripe but not over ripe. Plenty of depth. It shows darker fruits as well as the traditional red fruits. The nose is deep and powerful with black cherries, black raspberries, smoke, soy, cedar and violets. On the palate, what an amazing texture. Soft but velvety yet powerful. The fruit is ripe but not cloying or too much. Great balance. So much verve. Of course still young but seems past its baby stages just waking up. Two decades left easily. So, why not 100. Probably just not the right environment. Too much food. Dark lighting. The bottle shared among 9 of us. Who cares? Just a real treat! (99 pts.) -
2009 Manoel Poças Junior Porto - Portugal, Douro, Porto
A fine way to end the evening. I don’t know this house. I have not had many 2009 VP’s and IIRC, it was an uneven year. Black raspberries on the nose. Also a slight sugary note. On the palate, this is simple and sweet but tastes good. Raspberry and black licorice. Slight heat but not much. A fun finish to the night. (87 pts.)
So much fun. I really do feel lucky to have been included. Thank you Ron and everyone else for a special night.
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