To celebrate Rosh Hashanah, we invited two other couples over for dinner, wine and conversation. It was an excellent start to the New Year as the evening was filled with great conversation, good food and wine. This is by far my favorite way to enjoy wine. It is all about the people that you can share your life with that makes enjoying wine truly special.
1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc de Millenaires (Champagne, France)
With Pea-Edamame-Parmesan pesto with Crackers
The wine was light golden in color with lots of small bubbles. The nose was toasty with some red apples. Full bodied and rich. On the palate, this lacked a bit of cut but was over all delicious and a great starter to the evening. 50+4+12+18+7=91
Apples, Challah & Honey welcome the New Year
2005 Pascal Cotat Sancerre Les Monts Damnès (Loire Valley, France
With Gazpacho with Balsamic Glaze
I should have decanted this. It was pop and pour and didn’t really strut until three hours later. Light golden in the glass. The nose was very tight. Eventually it had some sea air. With lots of air, it got full of minerals, some salt, a bit of melon and peaches. Complex on the palate with great minerality and some grapefruit. Long finish. It went quite well with the soup despite being tight but even after some big reds it was holding its own. 50+4+13+18+8=93
2002 Marcel Deiss Engelgarten (Alsace, France)
With Fig, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Salad with Orange Honey Dressing
The cork slid out of this bottle so easily. I remember seeing a not about this from someone else. That said, the wine presenter mature but not overtly oxidized or any faults. Deep golden in color. The nose had a healthy amount of petrol with minerals, citrus and some pineapple. Rich texture. Almost completely dry, there was enough fruit on the palate to go well with the salad. Oranges, orange rind and minerals and layered complexity. Long finish. Delicious wine that was good from the get go. 50+3+13+18+7=91
1998 Corino Barolo Vigneto Rocche (Piemonte, Italy)
With: Chickpeas with Escarole and Caramelized Onions
Pale cherry red in color. Lovely nose of cherries, roses, and tar. Complex. Full bodied. On the palate, this has great cherry flavor. Opened two hours and decanted just prior to serving. Not quite at maturity but getting close. Layered cherries and forest floor nuances. Great acidity. This wine has character. 50+4+13+18+7=92
along with
1997 Antinori Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany, Italy)
Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose is nice with cherries, sandalwood and tea. Full bodied. On the palate, this is mature albeit just. Opened two hours then decanted prior to serving. On the palate, this is quite tasty with cherries, and damp earth. This wine was very good, but one of our guests (a non wine geek artist type) commented about the soul of a wine. I mentioned that the difference between this and the Corino was this was technically very good but just lacked soul. If that makes sense, fine, if not, that ok too. I enjoyed this wine but loved the Corino even though they scored about the same. 50+4+13+17+7=91
2005 Saxum Syrah James Berry Vineyard (Paso Robles, California)
With Cheese Course: Idiazabal, Drunken Goat, Cowgirl Creamery St. Pat, & Favrskov Danish Blue
70% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre, and 10% Grenache. Popped and poured. Opaque purple with some ruby swirls. The nose is great with black raspberries, grilled meats, bacon fat, iodine, and more fruit. Full bodied. On the palate, this is huge but at the same time, light and spry on the tongue. Black and red raspberries, some charred quality, impeccable balance. An awesome wine and a unanimous vote for WOTN. 50+4+14+20+9=97
1998 Kracher #8 Traminer TBA (Austria)
With Grilled Peaches with Basil Ice Cream
Amber in the glass. The nose is outrageous. Canned peaches, fresh peaches, slight tropical note, and molasses. Thick and unctuous. On the palate, this is fresh and despite the color, shows no sign of being anything but at prime. Sweet with a bit of caramel, tropical fruits and great acidity. Awesome food match (my personal favorite) as the peaches matched and the slightly sweet ice cream made for a nice foil. Long finish. I have gone thru a bunch of these from a long ago Binny’s sale and this may have been the best bottle yet. 50+4+15+18+8=95
With lots of good conversation, I opened a couple more bottles:
2006 Saxum Booker Vineyard
This was my backup bottle. Inky purple and opaque and shimmering bright. The nose is nice but not as expressive as the James Berry. This is 100% Syrah. Powerful with black raspberries and grilled meats. Full bodied. On the palate, this is more monolithic. Perhaps because of the year difference, perhaps the blend. A very good wine, but everyone noticed the difference. Black raspberries and minerals. Still spry on the palate, and showing no alcohol. Nice finish. Ah, the company you keep. 50+5+13+18+8=94
2006 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon Baby Poux Vineyard
One last bottle, just to taste some Cab. Ruby in color with some purple hues. Mostly opaque and bright. The nose is very nice with cassis, tobacco and smoke. Full bodied. On the palate, this is very young and needs a few more years. Cassis, a slight earthiness and a bit of cigar tobacco. Nice finish. A nice end to a great start of the New Year.
Happy 5070 to all.