I got together with some friends for some Saturday afternoon wines. Most wines were served blind over about 3 hours.
2005 Luneau Papin Dom. Pierre de la Grange Muscadet Sevre et Maine
Straw gold in color, slightly green. Clear and bright. The nose has sea shells and minerals. Crisp. On the palate, this has minerals, lemon grapefruit, lemon peel. Long finish. Took some time to really open up. Great value for $14. 50+4+12+18+7=91
2005 Talley Chardonnay Rosemary’s vineyard
Deep golden in color with some orange and green tinges. The nose is buttery and lemony with vanilla. A bit of fresh cut oak. On the palate, I find this a bit bitter. Lots of fresh cut oak. Some limes. I did not like this wine, but I don’t like this style. Others in the crowd really seemed to enjoy it. 50+4+10+13+3=80
2008 Lenotti Pinot Grigio
Copper gold in color. The nose is light with almonds and minerals. Slightly sweet and clean. This is easy to drink. Not much fruit but I am told this had been open three days. Nice quaff though. NR.
2006 Lenotti Bianco di Cusoza DOC
A blend of about 5 white grapes from the Veneto. Green/yellow/gold in color. Dry and easy to dirnk. This had also been opened 3 days. Still showed some nice red apple. NR.
2007 Lenotti Bardolino Rose Charetto
This was freshly opened. Salmon pink in color, clear and bright. The nose has watermelon and strawberries. Slightly sweet. Strawberries and raspberries on the palate. Clipped finish. Nice enough rose for easy drinking. 50+3+12+16+5=86
2007 Lenotti Rosso Passo
A blend of Sangiovese and Merlot from the Veneto. Opened for 3 days. Purple/ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose has black raspberries. Quite soft. Black cherries on the palate, turning slightly bitter on the finish. Nice wine. All of these Lenotti wines are under $12 Ohio and represent good value. NR (but I bought a bottle based on this for $12 Ohio).
2005 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap
Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries, and black raspberry jam. Some heat and some oak showing. Full bodied. On the palate, this has cassis with firm tannins. Some heat and menthol on the finish. With air this really filled out nicely. This was $50 Ohio and really was better than I had expected it to be. 50+4+13+18+7=92
2004 Macari Bergen Road (Long Island)
42% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot. Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim. Mostly opaque and bright. The nose has coffee, dust, alcohol and slight black cherry. With air the fruit became more pronounced. This is a bit sweet and jammy. Bitter black raspberry on the palate (in a good way). Some tannins. This was pretty impressive for Long Island I though. 50+4+11+17+6=88
2000 Villa Carfaggio Cortaccio
Ruby/purple in color. The nose has cassis, charcoal and slight coffee notes. Juicy texture. On the palate, this is a bit rough and in need of a couple more years in the cellar. That said, it is quite good with excellent structure. Cassis and black cherries. Tannic. I guessed California and was surprised to see this was from Tuscany. 50+4+13+17+7=91
2000 Stonehedge Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyards
Ruby in color, purple at the core. The nose is coffee with black raspberries. This is soft and tart, but a nice easy drinker. Black cherries and coffee on the palate. Some tannins. Considering the vintage, a pretty good showing. 50+4+12+17+6=89
2000 Carruades de Lafite
Ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is cassis, dusty, pencil lead and raspberries. On the palate, cassis and black raspberries. Some mocha. Medium tannins. I thought this drank well and I was surprised how open it was, not that it was wide open but it was drinking pretty well. Still needs some time to peak. 50+4+13+17+7=91
2005 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon
Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is very tight. It never really showed much more than some dust and cassis. Great velvety texture. Black raspberries and cassis. Strong tannins. This wine needs some cellar time for my tastes, but it really is excellent. This wine should be cellared for ten years and good for twenty more after that. My WOTN in spite of the lack of nose. 50+4+12+19+8=93
1999 Behrens & Hitchcock Cabernet Sauvignon Ink Grade
Artificial cork. Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is great with cassis, smoke, a bit of funk. On the palate, this is complex and probably at peak IMO. Jeff thought a bit past, but I did not. Great texture. Slight heat on the finish but otherwise a marvelous wine. 50+4+14+18+7=93