Went to my friend Greg’s house this past Sat. for a wine tasting to celebrate his birthday. We did alright.
2006 Clos St Jean CdP Blanc - My first time having their blanc. Lots of stones and hazlenuts with a dollop of honey. Big oily palate but elegant. Very good.
2006 Cabot Humbolt County Syrah - I brought this along to share and it must have been good cause it was the first bottle to be emptied! Cherry, dried herbs, and some savory notes on the nose. Meaty finish with black berries too. Delicious.
1986 Ducru - Still nice purple color. Cassis, leather, earth, and graphite on the nose. Still some tannin and cherry fruit with good acid. Long dry finish. Every time I have Ducru, I remember that I should buy some more Ducru. Love this estate.
2001 Madrigal Cab - My last bottle of this. Big oak and mocha nose but still plenty of black currant to keep it fresh. Youthful and tannic still. It will last longer but I don’t see it getting any more complex.
Then we broke out another white wine.
2005 Simmonet Febvre Les Clos - Flint, menthol, and lemon peel, with a sea shell note. Good acid. Drinking well, but on the lean side and kind of simple. Not sure if this will develop into anything great or not.
2005 W H Smith Pinot Noir Maritime Vineyard - Heard a lot about this producer, first time. Cranberry, cinnamon, cherry, bright fruit flavors and a slight citric note. long cherry finish with some good power behind it. Very good. Must taste more wines from W H Smith
2004 Bohorquez MM II Ribera del Duero - Smoke, black cherry, oak. Big sweet fruit up front, heat comes in on the midpalate then continues through the finish. Meh.
2001 Marietta Angeli Cuvee - Always a tasty wine, and this was the oldest I have ever had it. (My store sells this) Warm spices and candied cherry on the nose. Sweet frui and silky smooth on the palate. The fruit was still so youthful and there was spice waiting behind it to come out. This will last another 5 years easy.
2000 Numanthia - Soky black fruits. Very deep nose. Excellent. Full and fich on the palate with tobacco and cherry. Very layered with mineral notes throughout. Very good wine, still youthful.
2003 Brian Carter Byzance - Washington State producer I think. Syrah and Grenache. Blackberry nose, big fruity raspberry palate. Mediocre.
Greg decided he wanted another bottle of pinot noir so…
2007 Patz and Hall Pinot Noir Chenoweth Ranch - Never had this vineyard before. Candied black cherry, raspberry, and pepper. Very young and fruity up front with great acid and some oak tannin. A little less oak than the Hyde bottling (my favorite from P&H) but less complexity as well. Should drink well in 3 years.
2003 Lewis Masons Cab - FRom Mt. Veeder. Everytime I drink with Greg, I think we drink a LEwis. I think they are good wines, but not great. Huge wine here with black fruits and oak. Some heat too. Not sure how this will evolve, but not that great to me right now.
1998 Ornellia - Here we go, one more great wine before I leave the party. Peppercorn, currant, graphite, dark fruits on the nose. So expressive. Tannins are pretty well resolved at this stage. Cigar ash notes, cherry fruit, earthy. Just layers upon layers. I thought this was pretty outstanding and still has years to go.
Not a bad night and it served as a nice warm-up for Sunday nights wines. Apparently, this party ended around 6 am. I don’t know what else was opened.
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