Friday night several of us got together to enjoy some wine, food and company. The theme was a celebration of Rhys/Alesia. We did include a few others.
A really grand night. Some wonderful people.
Here are some notes from the tasting.
All wines were double decanted and left open for 4 to 5 hours afterwards except the Chardonnays.
Chardonnay (Unblinded)
Rhys 2005
A reductive note on the nose. The palate is full and shows pretty good fruit. An element of charcoal on the finish that takes away a little from the experience.
Rhys 2006
A limpid crystal clear color. The nose is so nice. Fruit and minerals in harmony. The palate is full and extends for some time. A+ stuff.
Rhys 2007
A really effusive nose of floral elements and bright white fruit. The palate is lighter here. It dances more in the mouth. The fruit is dominating at this point but the finish goes on and on. When this tames with some time. Look out! A wine of finesse.
Aubert “Lauren” 2007
A riper nose with a hint of vanillin. There is more power here. The palate shows a great harmony of fruit and some spicy elements. The length is fantastic. Again this needs time to tame all the elements. This is fabulous.
Flight One (Alesia 2006) Blinded
Wine One
A gorgeous wine out of the gate. Lots of bright red fruit but with good focus. Good concentration here. A nice finish. Not really complex but very satisfying.
Wine Two
Lighter. The nose shows bright red pinot fruit. There is an extra element and sensation of minerals on the palate here. Fantastic length here. I liked this quite a bit.
Wine Three
Darker and spicier. The nose shows an almost earthy dark pinot fruit. Clean. Good focus. Very good length. A very good wine but not one of my favorites.
Wine Four
Very closed in on the nose and palate. This is more structured. Nice pure dark red pinot fruit. A nice finish. This just needs time to age.
Wine Five
Lighter color. A glorious nose. A mix of darker pinot fruit and some spice. The palate is light in the mouth but just bursts with flavor. A long finish. This was my personal favorite and along with #2 one of the best for the group.
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- Alesia 2006 Sonoma Coast
- Alesia 2006 Falstaff Vineyard
- Alesia 2006 Chileno Vineyard
- Alesia 2006 Green Valley
- Alesia 2006 San Mateo
Flight Two (Alesia and Others 2007) Blinded
Wine One
A fantastically rich nose of red to dark red pinot fruit. An element of spice that is totally integrated. An incredible palate presence with almost perfect harmony. Long in the mouth. Dominated by fruit at this point. This should become something very good.
Wine Two
A lighter color here. More restrained nose of darker fruit. The palate shows beautiful darker fruit. Pure and focused. This needs some time to flesh out.
Wine Three
Less concentration here. More floral elements and spice in the nose. A beautiful reddish pinot fruit here with some other element that adds a little complexity. Good length. Dominated by fruit at this point but this is nice.
Wine Four
Darker and concentrated. Very fruit forward. Some element of complex spice. Rich in the mouth but sexy. Doesn’t become too strong or overwhelm you. Very good harmony here. This is the flashy one. This took several first place votes.
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- Kutch 2007 Sonoma Coast
- Alesia 2007 Green Valley
- Alesia 2007 Falstaff Vineyard
- Kutch 2007 Kanzler Vineyard
Flight Three (Rhy’s and Copain) Blinded
Wine One
Dark fruit. A complex nose that is fruit forward. The palate shows great volume. Dark fruit and finishing spice. Terrific.
Wine Two
Oh my! The nose here is intoxicating. More complex dark fruit and spice. The palate is multidimensional. What incredible length. Wow!!!
Wine Three
This one is very one dimensional at this point. Darker fruit. There is good acidity, which balanced it on the finish. This needs some time.
Wine Four
Dark fruit. Again this is rather fruit driven. The finish is nice and there is good volume but this needs time.
Wine Five
The nose is rather closed in on this one. There is a focus and clarity of fruit on the nose and palate that is special. This needs time to unwind.
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- Rhys Alpine 2006
- Rhys Home 2004 (BT Bob’s and glad to have more)
- Copain Kiser en Haut 2006
- Rhys Alpine 2006 (Yes. I screwed up and opened this instead of Hillside)
- Rhys Swan Terrace 2006
Flight Four (Dain, Rhys, Roumier, Kutch, Rivers Marie) Double Blinded
These wines even with palate fatigue were uniformly rocking good.
Wine One
A gorgeous nose of almost floral type dark pinot fruit. The palate is so wonderfully balanced. Fabulous length. I really liked this!
Wine Two
Very lush and big fruited. The nose and palate show very nice balance and vibrancy despite this. A really nice finish.
Wine Three
Dark pinot fruit and spice on the nose. A subtle palate that just brims with minerality. Great length. I loved this.
Wine Four
Holy S… This is the total package. Medium concentrated red fruit with floral elements. The palate is so seductive. Vibrant. Incredible length despite being young. Profound. Wow!!!
Wine Five
This is a wine that shows great restraint. Focused red fruit. Pure. Vibrant in the mouth. This only needs some time to flesh out complexity. This is special.
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- Dain Savage Juliette 2007
- Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard 2006
- Kutch McDougal 2007
- Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 2005
- Rhys Skyline Vineyard 2007
A really great finishing flight!
WsOTN for me. Tie: 2005 Roumier Chambolle-Musigny and 2004 Rhys Home Vineyard.
We had some sweets at the end. What a grand evening.
Kevin. You are just the best. Some incredible wines. Thanks so much.
Big thanks also to Dain and Jamie. Some incredible wines there too.
Good luck with your odds and ends purchases. Some great values to be had I am sure.
Here are a few photos from Charles Johnson.
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Cheers,
Don
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